Hatchery quality vs. Breeder quality

[aoxa]

Quote:
Those hatchery silkies are actually quite nice for hatchery

I find hatchery silkies are the poorest quality of all breeds they sell. The lack of poof is sad!

Here is my BQ silkie rooster. He came from a breeder. Not sure if he is up to standards or not. He sure is nice, gentle, and beautiful though

He has all his toes.

 

[mshuey1]

I love my silkie roos in fact they also make great mommies. I have two roos with there own chicks and there doing a great job

 

[mshuey1]

Quote:
Those hatchery silkies are actually quite nice for hatchery

I find hatchery silkies are the poorest quality of all breeds they sell. The lack of poof is sad!

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0678.jpg
Here is my BQ silkie rooster. He came from a breeder. Not sure if he is up to standards or not. He sure is nice, gentle, and beautiful though

He has all his toes.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_1415.jpg

Nice foot feathering on your Roo!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I too started with hatchery birds and moved on to breeder birds.

The biggest difference I noticed between hatchery and breeder quality when I first came here were Katy's Silver laced Wyandottes. They are just striking:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3374499#p3374499


And here's a couple of my birds - first a hatchery Barred Rock:

And at 2 years old:

And here is an Exhibition Quality Barred Rock - 25 weeks old:

 

[chickenbuddy]

Quote:
I can definitely see the difference here!
Yup, right now my breed "wish list" would be blue cochins, orpingtons, jersey giants, and brahmas (all standard), so I'll hopefully go to breeders so I can get the biggest and fluffiest

 

[Happy Chooks]

Carol at fowlvisions has nice brahmas.

 

[chickenbuddy]

Thanks for the info!

 

[seminolewind]

I guess my opinion is different from others. I've had great and poor chickens from hatcheries and SQ breeders.
My feeling is that it depends breeder to breeder.

My hatchery chickens from 4 years ago, I still have 5/6. I got a pullet from a "known" breeder down here that ended up giving my whole flock Marek's, and then died herself.

I think that in all breeders of all animals, some choose to inbreed/overbreed to get that SQ, and that is very unhealthy.

The worst luck I've had is with Ebay eggs. Either alot of blatent faults, or not what they were supposed to be.

There are also many members here who don't show, don't call their chickens SQ, and work hard on breeding hardy chickens. Those ones are who I like buying eggs from. I've gotten large hatches, hardy birds, that were stunning .

If I want healthy hardy birds that are nice looking, I pay attention to who's breeding them and what their philosophy is. Also, there are some breeds that are healthier/hardier than others.

 

[stephanie1992]

can u tell if u have breeder quality or hatchery quality birds as chicks?? i oredered eggs fhistory rom a breeder. one hatched. but idk the of its parents

 

[exop]

Quote:
Cool!!

Usually one hears of hatchery Dominiques that look like they have too much Barred Rock in them, here we have a hatchery Barred Rock which looks as if she has too much Dominique! Except for the underfluff, she has a little too much of that. But the tail, the cuckoo markings, even the little half-moon black tips on the feathers - striking. I'd like to see some pics from the side showing her in an upright standing position. Which hatchery is she from?

ETA - NB, the changes in type could have come from crossing in a Leghorn, but Dominiques originally came in both single and rose combs and the single combed birds were assimilated into the Barred Rock population..

Best - exop