Hey I found A Cool Hatchery

[BigPeep]

This particular place appears to me to probably have agricultural zoning. It is in a fringe suburban area where there are still some farms and open space around so I don't think they are doing it under the zoning radar.

Someone who posts here who lives even closer than I do also wanted to pick up but they insisted on mailing the chicks.

I could have avoided the splayed leg chick if I had picked up. I would think they could bring the box out to a front counter and allow you to inspect the chicks and take them directly home without having a biosecurity problem.

I will have to ask them if they are drop shipping or not.

Even McMurray does not raise all of their chicks on site. They use local cooperating breeders. They may hatch all of the eggs there, however.

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

Hmmm... this place doesn't seem so nice anymore.

Does anyone know of a hatchery other than Ideal that sells Dutch Bantams? You know, more than 2 varieties.... I prefer not to use Cackle Hatchery for personnal reasons. Thanks for the information BigPeep

 

[BigPeep]

Sandhill Preservation Center specifically says on their website that they do not drop ship anything.

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

I emailed them asking if they raise and breed their birds... they said they do but they also get a few others to raise some other different breeds for them... so they sort of do i guess? though, most hatcheries do... a bit. They also said that they are still designing their website, so not all their infrormation is posted on it yet.. I looked at SPC's website but they didn't offer myself many breeds to choose from...

 

[OSUman]

im just wondering why you don't want to order from them any more when i have contacted them about chicks and stuff they have had great customer service

 

[BigPeep]

I got the same response from Nature's about breeding some birds and getting the rest from their "suppliers". They didn't specify which breeds they raise themselves. The customer service has been good, however.

My concerns are that I want heritage breeds that are as close as possible to the original types, and I want them to be cold tolerant. If I order from a hatchery in the local area, I am assuming that the birds are at least cold tolerant but that may not be the case if the birds were obtained from a "supplier" who is maybe in Texas.

The problem with Sandhill is that their site does not tell you what they have available at any given time so you have to call and play telephone tag which doesn't work out well during the season when you are outdoors most of the time.

I am also concerned about McMurray's policy of doing all of their shipping on Saturdays as that guarantees an extra day in transit for the birds during which they could sit in a hot truck someplace. (Of course you can't make Government workers work on a Sunday!).

With the growth in interest in chickens this year, I would expect to see a bunch of new "hatcheries" show up. I would really like to see BYC adopt a policy of checking them out or posting responses to specific questions on the site before they allow anyone to put up a banner ad. People who come to BYC probably tend to think, rightly or wrongly, that advertisers here are more reputable.

Could the moderator maybe comment on that?

 

[camardagardens]

I often wonder myself if this is where the public goes for chicken info, buying and breed info why the companys in that business dont take advantage of the opportunity to stay in touch this way. My local vet for instance belongs to pet forums and often helps clarify if he's able and he says he keeps intouch w whats suspicious out there before it come into his office.
maybe I dont understand how all this stuff works...

 

[canada-goose]

They sell Seramas! I don't know if they are quality birds, though. I could order some from them and tell the world what they are like! Maybe.

 

[aurorarose25]

Quote:
I have called them and it sounds like they have some birds they raise there, and they do vaccinate chicks. I ordered some chicks and ducks from them to be delivered in feb of 2010.

 

[Nana2KJS]

Quote:
I would like to comment on the above. I am one of those "government workers" who is NOT paid by the government. We are supported not by the federal budget, but by stamp sales, shipping etc.

It is against policy to leave ANY kind of mail on a "hot truck" at any time other than when it is actually being transported. At the very least it's a security issue.

And many of us DO work on Sundays. Our transportation moves 7 days a week and it is entirely possible that McMurray knows that. We also do special deliveries on Sundays and are more than happy to call a customer to come get their chicks, no matter when they arrive.

The only guarantee I see is that we do the very best we can under all kinds of circumstances, to get your letters, magazines, packages AND birds to you in the most expeditious manner possible.

Sorry for the rant ... we get a bad rap sometimes and I find that a bit unfair.