Hatchery vs. Breeder?

[micstrachan]

Hi. I am in my second year of keeping chickens and have a mixed flock of nine. I had ten, but lost my first girl a few weeks ago. Heartbreaking. So heartbreaking, in fact, that moving forward, next time I add to my flock, I am determined to purchase chicks that are hardy and have the best chance for a healthy life.
My chickens are beloved pets with the added bonus of eggs. I don't need then to be bred to lay until their little bodies give out. In fact, my sick girl got hormones to prevent her from laying since laying was killing her.
Sooo... I have read a few times about chicks from breeders vs. hatcheries, and that hatchery hens die from reproductive issues over 80% of the time. Mine have all been from my local feed store. I am pretty sure they get their chicks from a hatchery in/near AZ... maybe Privett? I suspect my flock is smaller than breeder chickens. My New Hampshire Red who passed was barely over four pounds. She was always dainty, even before she got sick. She was adorable. But in the future, as I already stated, I want to be careful to get hardy chickens, as their suffering is too difficult to bear.
How does one go about finding a reputable breeder? And if anyone has educated opinions and experience on the matter, I would appreciate you sharing your perspective. Thank you in advance.

 

[cavemanrich]

There is no guarantee that breeders chickens will not die expectantly. Most breeders tend to breed chickens closer to SOP . This way they tend to bring in a higher price and are closer to show quality. Remember that 2 show quality chickens bred together do not automatically make show quality offspring.
You don't include your general location, so I cant recommend breeders, or where to find in your area. One way to narrow things down is to join your State thread. There are State threads for all states. It is a gathering place for peep near you. There you can ask where is the best to pick some up yourself. It is always best to personally visit and carry away , than to have shipped a long way.
I also keep chickens as pets ONLY. Eggs are just a small benefit. When I have too many eggs, I give away to neighbors. All my chickens tend to live loooooooong lives. Longest was 13, and my most recent departure was 11.

WISHING YOU BEST......

 

[micstrachan]

That is helpful... thank you! I understand there is no guarantee, but thought they would fare better.
13 and 11!!! I would love that! 1 1/2 was WAY too short. I, too, give away moat of the eggs.
I am in California. Where do I find the state threads?

 

[lazy gardener]

If you are not particular about breed, I'd join the state thread and get to know some of the folks there. Find out what their flocks consist of, and find out what their management style is. If you find a person in your state who breeds their own back yard flock, and continually culls for improvement of their flock, both in genetics and health, I'd consider buying from them, even if they only have back yard mix or mutt chickens. Often, that back yard mix is a real pretty bird, and possesses that hybrid vigor that you are looking for, and they tend to be very good layers.

 

[debid]

Look for a board called "where am I, where are you?" in the social section. You should be able to find a thread there for CA.

I have a couple of lovely birds from a breeder. They were culls for reasons unrelated to health. This was a competent, honest breeder and she told me exactly what was "wrong" with them.

Remember that anyone can call themselves a breeder and be either fully lying (reseller) or running something akin to a puppy mill. Ask questions and don't be afraid to walk away empty handed if something doesn't seem right. There are far too many people who land on the "what breed/gender" board with barnyard mix cockerels they bought as purebred pullets.

 

[cottontail farm]

I have meat birds and layers and know of birds still laying at 8 years old and healthy from hatcheries. I guess what I've learned is that with chickens they are pretty good at hiding illness until they are very sick. I'm sorry for your loss; if your hennie passed that young with the best of care, it may have just been a sad fluke
I'm sure you can expect much longer, happier lives for the rest of your birds.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The last poster mentioned the biggest issue with going to a breeder... their birds will be straight run.

Please note that even NPIP certified places still can end up with lice, mites, and Marek's.

Breeder chicks I have gotten were always stronger than hatchery chicks even after shipping. But your girls lightness could have been worms in addition to genetics or even diminished protein levels from too many treats. I'm not saying that was your issue, just that there are lots of things to consider without knowing the full story. I hear of lots of people having hatchery barred rock, Australorps, and even sex links living past 8 years old... and still laying eggs!

I live in CA and breed silkies (which I wouldn't recommend for your purpose as they seem susceptible to lots of things) and French Marans. But don't currently have any available and also don't yet know their longevity but is something I will be working towards. Too many "back yard" breeders are just breeding anything and everything. But when you chat you will quickly discover if they cull for faults or care about faults at all. A breeder who doesn't cull ins't a breeder to me at all.

With no intent of breeding yourself, I would actually get some hatchery barred rock. The white ones are pretty cool as well. But Rocks are great birds with great personalities and very hardy. The Easter Eggers seem hardy as well but their laying isn't consistent enough for me to recommend.

Sorry for your recent loss.

 

[rebrascora]

EggSighted4Life makes some good points. Marek's Disease in particular is much more likely to come in from breeders stock than hatchery chicks and it is in your flock for life, once you get it. Birds can look perfectly healthy and still be carriers of it. It really is a devastating disease and because it is so easily spread you usually lose several young birds to it and those are juvenile birds between 8-20 weeks, so much younger than the bird you lost.
Unfortunately chickens are prone to any number of ailments either because of the way that they have been bred or the way they are kept.....not just neglect but more often well meaning owners who lavish them with too many treats like scratch or even just being kept on the same ground for weeks/months or years. Most chickens will do their utmost to pretend they are healthy when they are not, so by the time you realise it may be too late to save them or veterinary care and treatment is not available because until fairly recently there was no economic market for it. Wherever you buy chickens from, there will almost certainly be premature losses. There is much joy to keeping poultry but also some heartache. As with most things in life, there is usually a balance but a few people have long runs of good luck and others have bad.
I have never bought from a hatchery but I have lost plenty of young chickens under 20 weeks to Marek's, two slightly older hens to internal laying/EYP (which I am guessing was the problem your girl had) and a couple to impacted crop/gizzard and a blue Marans cockerel to heart disease as well as quite a significant number to domestic dog and fox attacks over the years. These were all from breeders or farmyard mixes bred within my own flock. That said my broody hens hatched and raised 56 chicks last year and there were endless hours of fun watching them grow up. I try to remember the fun times, rather than dwell on the bad ones.

The grass may seem greener on the other side but it usually isn't.

Regards

Barbara

 

[micstrachan]

I really appreciate all your honest, candid responses. It is very informative. Good to know that the grass isn't necesarily greener on the other side.
Yes, my girl had EYP, which nearly killed her. She was treated, and seemed to recover, but was always fragile and had a couple bouts of ascites later on. Ultimately, she had a respiratory infection and I handled her in ways I unknowingly shouldn't have, which probably caused her ultimate death (got her wet an an exceedingly hot day and tipped her when she was screaming/gasping and couldn't breathe.) It broke my heart, as I was desperate to help her. I really hope her initial illness was bad luck.
If I need to change something about the way I raise my flock, I am happy to do that. I am curious about the "being on the same ground" part. They spend most of their time in their run, but do get some free range time when I get home from work and lots on weekends.
I will be more careful with treats. I vary the treats between sprouted grains, yogurt, sunflower seeds, kale, live mealworms or super worms, fruit, sardines, scrambled eggs, and millet. Their diet mostly consists of organic layer crumble and they almost never get scratch. I have access to selection of avian vets. My little Rusty saw three different ones at different times.
Interesting you mention a Barred Rock. I have one, and she seems to be the heartiest of all of them. I think she still outweighs my Light Brahma!
As of right now, I want to continue enjoying tbe birds I have. I am sure I will be tempted to get more chicks in the spring, but not at the expense of my current flock. I will continue to research.
If anyone else would like to chime in on this thread, please do so! I am committed to being a responsible chicken owner and love them so much!

 

[steve232]

I've only been keeping chickens now for about 3 years. Most of my chickens came from different places but this year I have begun to hatch some of my own. So far it appears to me that the ones I have hatched are bigger and hopefully healthier than the others I have. I guess time will tell but if possible I believe its better to hatch your own with a real hen as opposed to the hatcheries or even your own incubator. But thats just my opinion and I'm sure theres others that feel differently.