Ideal 236 vs White Leghorn

[BonnieBlue]

Does anyone have experience with both breeds that you could tell me if you favor one over the other, and why? I was going to add a Leghorn to my order from ideal, but I am intrigued by their 236, as the characteristics listed are the same, except the 236 is bred for resistance to Mereks.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I think I would avoid them all together. This hatchery doesn't seem very legit considering the pictures for an adult leghorn vs the adult 236 are the exact same just cropped in and the color edited (both the hen and the rooster).

It might be the large wattles but something also just looks off for the rooster photo. The conformation of the bird seems to be weird and off. For a commercial hatcheries, I would expect them to pick a better photo.

The chick photos are the one thing that aren't the same. However, in the white leghorn photo, the far right chick has some black spots on their head which is totally wrong for a white leghorn who should have fully yellow down feathers.

All of these are red flags to be. Yes commercial hatcheries don't tend to have the best quality birds but this is very much poor quality. I would not buy from them for the reasons I pointed above as these are all red flags to me. Even if meeting breed quality is not your priority, this is still concerning that they are so far below breed quality from the images shown.

In short, I would avoid this hatchery and buy from somewhere else. These issues are all red flags and signs to avoid this hatchery.

There are plenty of reputable hatcheries if you need help looking for another.

 

[NatJ]

I think I would avoid them all together. This hatchery doesn't seem very legit considering the pictures for an adult leghorn vs the adult 236 are the exact same just cropped in and the color edited (both the hen and the rooster).

It might be the large wattles but something also just looks off for the rooster photo. The conformation of the bird seems to be weird and off. For a commercial hatcheries, I would expect them to pick a better photo.

The chick photos are the one thing that aren't the same. However, in the white leghorn photo, the far right chick has some black spots on their head which is totally wrong for a white leghorn who should have fully yellow down feathers.

All of these are red flags to be. Yes commercial hatcheries don't tend to have the best quality birds but this is very much poor quality. I would not buy from them for the reasons I pointed above as these are all red flags to me. Even if meeting breed quality is not your priority, this is still concerning that they are so far below breed quality from the images shown.

In short, I would avoid this hatchery and buy from somewhere else. These issues are all red flags and signs to avoid this hatchery.

There are plenty of reputable hatcheries if you need help looking for another.

Ideal Poultry is a big hatchery that has been around for quite a few years, and I have ordered from there several times.

They regularly ship chicks that arrive alive, and the chicks generally continue to do well after I receive them. The various kinds generally look close enough to "right" that I can tell which breeds they are supposed to be.

I have ordered from several other hatcheries, including McMurray and Cackle and Meyer and Welp and Dunlap. Chicks from Ideal did not stand out as being especially bad or good, when compared with chicks from the other hatcheries. I was not looking for fine details for showing or even backyard eye candy, just good health and a general resemblance to the breed I ordered.

Does anyone have experience with both breeds that you could tell me if you favor one over the other, and why? I was going to add a Leghorn to my order from ideal, but I am intrigued by their 236, as the characteristics listed are the same, except the 236 is bred for resistance to Mereks.

Unfortunately I don't have any useful experience here.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Ideal Poultry is a big hatchery that has been around for quite a few years, and I have ordered from there several times.

They regularly ship chicks that arrive alive, and the chicks generally continue to do well after I receive them. The various kinds generally look close enough to "right" that I can tell which breeds they are supposed to be.

I have ordered from several other hatcheries, including McMurray and Cackle and Meyer and Welp and Dunlap. Chicks from Ideal did not stand out as being especially bad or good, when compared with chicks from the other hatcheries. I was not looking for fine details for showing or even backyard eye candy, just good health and a general resemblance to the breed I ordered.


Unfortunately I don't have any useful experience here.

They can't have been around this long without a good reputation. I don't doubt that their birds are in comparable with other hatcheries.

What strikes me as odd is why use the same photo for two different breeds and why have a photo of a chick that is most definitely not breed standard with feather colouring that shouldn't exist in a pure stock of that breed even with poor breeding.

I also am not one who wants a chicken that follows breed standard by the letter but I do prefer that I get a chicken that at least follows it even if they aren't perfect. To me a hatchery should follow breed standard to the best of their abilities even if they aren't show quality or perfect and advertising photos of said breed when it can't be that breed is just odd.

 

[NatJ]

They can't have been around this long without a good reputation. I don't doubt that their birds are in comparable with other hatcheries.

What strikes me as odd is why use the same photo for two different breeds and why have a photo of a chick that is most definitely not breed standard with feather colouring that shouldn't exist in a pure stock of that breed even with poor breeding.

I also am not one who wants a chicken that follows breed standard by the letter but I do prefer that I get a chicken that at least follows it even if they aren't perfect. To me a hatchery should follow breed standard to the best of their abilities even if they aren't show quality or perfect and advertising photos of said breed when it can't be that breed is just odd.

I agree that Ideal's photos aren't that great. Then again, sometimes Ideal will have certain kinds of chicks in stock when other hatcheries are shut down for the season, or will have chicks at lower prices compared to some other places.

Sometimes it's a matter of balancing various good and bad points, then making a decision and seeing how it goes (and afterward, learning whether you want to do it that way again or try something different in future.)

I can't say what will be the right choice for the OP of this thread. Hopefully your view and mine can help them decide what they want to do

Does anyone have experience with both breeds that you could tell me if you favor one over the other, and why? I was going to add a Leghorn to my order from ideal, but I am intrigued by their 236, as the characteristics listed are the same, except the 236 is bred for resistance to Mereks.

I just looked again at the description for each of them, and noticed one detail: if you order the White Leghorn, they might substitute the 236 anyway. So it may not be worth too much time deciding, because there's some chance you will end up with the 236 regardless.

 

[BonnieBlue]

The girls I have are from Ideal. All chicks arrived alive, but one little girl was in a bit of shock, and being a first time owner, I called, and they gave me a lot of advice on how to help her. She thrived after that.

The local feed store has bought from Ideal for years. A retail outlet wouldn't be buying from them if they didn't get quality stock. (A small local owned place, and reputation is huge for them.)

I guess I need to just decide which one by rolling the dice.

 

[NatJ]

I guess I need to just decide which one by rolling the dice.

Yes, that could be a good way to choose between them

 

[BonnieBlue]

Yes, that could be a good way to choose between them

Problem solved! I went with Olive Eggers. lol

I can get the OE's from Ideal doing mail, but my local feed store does not normally get any. They just get EE's. But every spring, they get Ideal White Leghorns, so my next ones can be White Leghorns from the feed store.

Chicken math clearly involves a bit of algebra!