hatchery vs. breeders (heritage breeds)

[piglett]

i prefer breeders because of the quality of the bird and the unbeatable customer service but i do have birds from ideal and their are certain birds that i can't get from breeders like meat birds. All i know is that if i do order hatchery birds in the future it will be from ideal here in Texas because Meyers sure put me off of hatchery's not for good but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth

there can also be a difference between a large breeder & a small one

i hatched out 200 chicks this year & i hope to double that # if i do sex linked birds next season

i had a guy call be yesterday & it turns out one of the pullets i sold him a couple months ago started crowing

i told him i'll be glad to swap his crowing pullet for one that will not

he purchased buff orpingtons but i'm out of them so instead i'm going to give him a blue imported english orpington

as i still have 10 of those left in my grow out pen


i do my best to make every buyer happy

because bad news travels faster than good news does

 

[joeyk54]

what about Sand Hill Presevation Center? I have just looked into them for some Dorkings, they seem to be good has anyone used them?

 

[Dandelioness]

Hi there - I have ordered from Sandhill Preservation Center a couple of times. I think you can search the name and you will find both positive and negative feedback. I'd say my experience was positive overall, but my needs then may be different than yours now.

I ordered a straight run of 50 heavy breeds from them a few years ago. Along with the chicks was a list of how many of which breed were shipped, and it was so much fun to compare the list to chick ID pictures and watch them grow. There were several; RIRs, Iowa blues, black penedesenca, orloffs, silver laced and other wyandottes, RIW, salmon faverolle, mottled java, blue jersey giant, some cochin & orpington.....I still have a couple of them, as they were my very first flock and the kids had names for them all. Still seeing eggs from the ladies, although not as many as my younger stock, and I had low mortality when raising them. That was really great being it was my first batch of chicks! It was a June hatch, though, and that always increases your odds of success.

He says in his literature that he breeds for body type (meatiness of the carcass) and egg production first and coloring/other body characteristics second. I can attest that is very true. The rooster we have is what you would call a sport, for sure. He is a RIR and most of his body feathers are white & grey with a little red speckling. Like I said, the girls were laying machines, and his breast is broader and meatier than other RIR roos I've seen. I like that. The other males were good table fare, but of course the younger cockerels were only 2-3# before it got cold and they needed to be butchered - I did not have appropriate winter housing and had not heard of caponizing at that time. I never took the time to check other adult birds' body conformities to breed standards, but that RIR roo was clearly a sport, one faverolle had too few toes on one foot (but was otherwise healthy and productive), and the cochin didn't have very good feathering on the legs. He also only sells straight run - I don't have a problem using cockerels for meat, so this did not bother me. He was a little expensive compared to a hatchery, but certainly not as expensive as a show quality breeder. I think the work he's doing is important and try to order a little something from him when I can. His garden seeds are amazing, BTW. Very good germination rate, and that is really saying something for an heirloom or heritage seed producer.

If you have kids, you really can't beat the fun of trying to figure out what you have by process of elimination. I think that was the most well socialized batch of chickens I have ever owned because they were handled daily by chubby little hands (with supervision, of course). Now all the kids think chickens are old hat and are not afraid to handle them and know how to behave with the adults as well as chicks. That old rooster still comes up to us and sings a special "feed me" song every day. And you can pick this guy up and pet him and walk around with him, he is very calm with us but a good guardian of the flock.

I think this whole discussion was summarized well by someone a couple posts ago - it really depends on what you're looking for and you should try getting a little here and a little there. Cackle hatchery is a good one that someone else mentioned. I've gotten good, productive stock there as well. Their breed conformity (appearance) was better than Sandhills overall, but it still probably isn't show quality like you'd find with a local breeder. I have bought from local breeders and other backyarders, too. I try to stay away from the really huge hatcheries, just for personal reasons. If I was getting into professional breeding, not just hatching out replacements and adding new blood here and there, I'd probably go with breeders unless I had come across a hatchery that really blew my socks off.

 

[KittieChick]

I am perfectly happy with my hatchery chicks.  They are pretty, have great personalities and hopefully will live up to their reputations as good layers when the time comes.  I think it would be wrong of me to buy heritage stock if I do not plan to breed them.  I would rather leave them to those who are attempting to perserve the breed.  If I decide to breed down the road I would definitely buy from a breeder.

I felt the same way until I realized that if everyone stopped buying heritage stock because they weren't breeding, there would soon be no demand for said stock, and extinction would be a very real possibility. Go to the Livestock Conservancy website and see how many lovely heritage breeds are in trouble. Go buy from a breeder! Feel good that you enabled someone to continue to improve and preserve a breed that you like. Feel good that you contributed to the continuation of a breed. Breeders need to move their birds to make room for the next generations.

Edited to add that my little crew of 6 are hatchery birds. From them I'm learning to care and keep chickens. I'm currently planning for a spring batch of hopefully 3 different breeds from breeders. Cannot wait!

 

[nova022]

If you look at the Livestock Conservancy site you will see that they list hatcheries, including the one where I purchased my chickens as a source for heritage breeds. There is no reason someone cannot start with chicks acquired from a hatchery and conserve the breed.

 

[KittieChick]

If you look at the Livestock Conservancy site you will see that they list hatcheries, including the one where I purchased my chickens as a source for heritage breeds. There is no reason someone cannot start with chicks acquired from a hatchery and conserve the breed.

True, and today I was perusing the hatchery list to see if they had what I think I want. I was impressed with Cackle, because they breed for SOP, and to improve the breed as well as produce chicks for all of us.

I wasn't saying not to use a hatchery, but the logic of only using a breeder when one wants to breed doesn't support the breed. The conservancy also has the disclaimer that just because a hatchery is listed, doesn't really mean diddly. It's up to us to do our due diligence.

I will probably personally try to obtain my future stock from a person who comes with references, preferably from one of the chicken-centric groups to which I belong.

Of course, I also breed and show Papillons, and am enduring the public outrage against the crazy greedy hobby breeders. (insert sarcasm) We all go where we are most comfortable, and I'm willing to wait until the supplier I want has what I want.

 

[nova022]

I have nothing against using a breeder. Since I have been raising chickens for a while now I have met a lot of people at shows and local swaps and would certainly buy from them if I decide to buy more chicks. I have also researched breeders online who raise the breeds I am interested in. When the time comes and I am set up the way I want to be I will have a good idea of what I want and who to get them from.

 

[KortneyA]

Can you share your list of good breeders please?

 

[Acre4Me]

Can you share your list of good breeders please?

Where are you located and what breeds are you interested in? You should provide a bit more information so that others can help you out better. Also, you can start a new thread instead of using an old thread since you will likely be asking about specific breeds/ types. In addition, you have posted about incubators and hatching eggs - so if you are going to do that, you can include that in your information. Of course, BYC also has state specific threads and you could look there too.

On your own, you can search the NPIP database by state (http://www.poultryimprovement.org/statesContent.cfm). Each NPIP hatchery (this includes breeders too) will be listed along with the breeds they are NPIP certified for -you need to look up breed code on the NPIP website (http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/StockCodesAlphabetical3-1-2018.pdf). NPIP only lists those breeders/hatcheries that took the time to get NPIP certified. However, there are those that would never buy from a non-NPIP hatchery since they are more likely to be healthy stock, and less likely to bring disease or illness to an established flock.

 

[KortneyA]

Where are you located and what breeds are you interested in? You should provide a bit more information so that others can help you out better. Also, you can start a new thread instead of using an old thread since you will likely be asking about specific breeds/ types. In addition, you have posted about incubators and hatching eggs - so if you are going to do that, you can include that in your information. Of course, BYC also has state specific threads and you could look there too.

On your own, you can search the NPIP database by state (http://www.poultryimprovement.org/statesContent.cfm). Each NPIP hatchery (this includes breeders too) will be listed along with the breeds they are NPIP certified for -you need to look up breed code on the NPIP website (http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/StockCodesAlphabetical3-1-2018.pdf). NPIP only lists those breeders/hatcheries that took the time to get NPIP certified. However, there are those that would never buy from a non-NPIP hatchery since they are more likely to be healthy stock, and less likely to bring disease or illness to an established flock.

Thank you for the advice. I am new to BYC and to being a chicken Mama for the most part. I will start a new thread. I am located in Western Nebraska. I will be looking for Cream Leg Bars, Olive Eggers, Easter Eggers, Buff Orps, French Copper Marans, Welsummers.