Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Inc

[CountryMom]

Quote:
Day old chicks. And if you order a small number you get extra male chicks for warmth. I got 9 extras when I ordered 15 silkies. The 9 were Rhode Island Red Roos and they all went out to 4H kids the same day I got them home. Worked out perfect for me.

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
Day old chicks. And if you order a small number you get extra male chicks for warmth. I got 9 extras when I ordered 15 silkies. The 9 were Rhode Island Red Roos and they all went out to 4H kids the same day I got them home. Worked out perfect for me.

Ok, now I know I have the silly question and yall are all going to laugh at me but here goes, how do I tell the males from the females when they get here?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I've used them twice. I ordered 12 standard sultans eggs from them & they sent me bantam eggs. I hatched out two. Lost both to a dog attack...then I ordered 12 mottled houdan eggs from them. Had ONE hatch and it's a very PQ bird. I will not be using them anymore in the future just because I'm looking for birds that are true to the breed standard(s). If you're looking for eggs, pets, meat...then they would probably be fine. Just my thoughts on my own experiences.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Quote:
When you order pullets or cockerels from breeder, they are shipped pretty much as soon as they are born! So, they are usually one to two days old when you recieve them.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Day old chicks. And if you order a small number you get extra male chicks for warmth. I got 9 extras when I ordered 15 silkies. The 9 were Rhode Island Red Roos and they all went out to 4H kids the same day I got them home. Worked out perfect for me.

Ok, now I know I have the silly question and yall are all going to laugh at me but here goes, how do I tell the males from the females when they get here?

Let me try and clear this up for you. You have a choice. Most folks order day old chicks from the hatchery and they ship them to you the same day they hatch. Baby chicks require more care and it takes awhile to get them to point-of-lay (POL). Some hatcheries and I believe Ideal is one of them also offer POL pullets. They're cheap, but it cost alot more to ship a POL pullet than it does the day olds, because of size. If you get POLs, they can go directly to the hen house and should start laying for you very soon after you get them; after a short time to settle in. Also, if you order POL you will definitely get pullets, not cockerels (young roos) because they will be able to sex them easily. Not so if you order day olds. You can order day olds sexed, but it's only 90% accurate, so there's still a chance you'll end up with some roos. Or you can order sex-links, which they can sex by color at hatch. I've only heard of a few mistakes made when ordering sex-links.
I urge you to do some research and decide what breed best fits your needs and your likes. The last bird I would ever have would be a leghorn. Sure they're egg-laying machines, but their disposition is not to my liking. (Sorry leghorn owners).
If you know that you definitely want POLs and not day olds, then make a list of what Ideal has to offer in that dept. You may have to ask them what the bird's primary breed is if they are calling it an 'Ideal ###'. Then check out those breeds on this chart:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

It is possible to get a breed that's good at laying and has a great personality to match.
I ordered from Ideal and was very happy with them. My birds are not show quality, but they are hardy as all get out and perfect for a backyard flock.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I have ordered from them for a few years!
I had some die in shipping & they credited my card! I didn't order from them for a while but went back because all the different breeds I have gotton have been calmer then other hatcheries!

as a matter infact I just ordered more tonight!

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
Ok, now I know I have the silly question and yall are all going to laugh at me but here goes, how do I tell the males from the females when they get here?

Let me try and clear this up for you. You have a choice. Most folks order day old chicks from the hatchery and they ship them to you the same day they hatch. Baby chicks require more care and it takes awhile to get them to point-of-lay (POL). Some hatcheries and I believe Ideal is one of them also offer POL pullets. They're cheap, but it cost alot more to ship a POL pullet than it does the day olds, because of size. If you get POLs, they can go directly to the hen house and should start laying for you very soon after you get them; after a short time to settle in. Also, if you order POL you will definitely get pullets, not cockerels (young roos) because they will be able to sex them easily. Not so if you order day olds. You can order day olds sexed, but it's only 90% accurate, so there's still a chance you'll end up with some roos. Or you can order sex-links, which they can sex by color at hatch. I've only heard of a few mistakes made when ordering sex-links.
I urge you to do some research and decide what breed best fits your needs and your likes. The last bird I would ever have would be a leghorn. Sure they're egg-laying machines, but their disposition is not to my liking. (Sorry leghorn owners).
If you know that you definitely want POLs and not day olds, then make a list of what Ideal has to offer in that dept. You may have to ask them what the bird's primary breed is if they are calling it an 'Ideal ###'. Then check out those breeds on this chart:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

It is possible to get a breed that's good at laying and has a great personality to match.
I ordered from Ideal and was very happy with them. My birds are not show quality, but they are hardy as all get out and perfect for a backyard flock.

Thats what I was looking for. I dont think I am ready for day olds. POL's are more my speed, for now. Thank You

Thank You to everybody. This board is truly educational

 

[skyfires]

Ideal is where I got all my chicks. Large selection,,,friendly people (Call them to place your order. They have birds they don't have on line). The birds arrive spunky and jumpin out of the box. I never lost a bird from Ideal. You can feel at ease ordering from them.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

Besides having a large selection ((there were a few girls in the roos they sent for warmth))

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
Lets talk about that. My thinking (remember, I've never owned any chickens) is that the roos really wont be of any value to me. They will cost money for feed, they aint gonna lay eggs, and will be harrassing the girls.

However, nature being what nature is, are there any benifits to hiring a rooster or two to look over the flock of girls?

I noticed that the "Ideal Poultry" topic was moved yesterday. Does this rooster topic need to be asked elsewhere?