Ideal Poultry

[katharinad]

Interesting fact I've just learned about them. I went to the feed store to get some antibiotics for my ducks drinking water to treat their early stage bumble foot. Talked to the lady that handles the ducks, chicks, etc. They don't have any right now, but the told me about Ideal Poultry and that half of the birds they get have respiratory illnesses. So they give them medicated feed and medicated drinking water. The medicated water so they get over it fast and customers don't notice since they don't hold back on the birds. Still every morning she has to remove dead birds. She said she would not get any birds for herself from Ideal, because they are simply not healthy birds. She said you risk infecting your birds, if you bring home little ones and the other birds get exposed to them. She also said it would be better if the store would buy else where, but it is not her choice.
Thought I share this one, because it is quite interesting.

 

[kswaterfowl]

I think you need to do some research before you post something saying it is the hatchery's fault that they lose birds. Sure there may be the occasional "weaker" bird when you get your box initally but I have never seen chicks directly from a hatchery with "respiratory illnesses" the fact that the birds could even contract said illness is highly unlikely since there are no adult birds at the hatchery, from which the disease could be transfered. I think it far more probable that it has something to do with the type of care they are getting once they reach the feed store. The hatchery is the middle man, they don't have the breeder birds, they just hatch, take money and ship.

 

[katharinad]

This is what the lady working there told me. They don't have birds around in the feed store, and I found it interesting that she told me that many arrive sick directly from the hatchery. How their practice at the hatchery is I don't know, so I just posted this on as is. I don't think they buy the eggs in large quantities and then hatch them. They must have some breeding birds and a respiratory bug can get onto the eggs and incubate along.

 

[jerseygirl1]

I order birds all the time from Ideal and mix them gradually with my existing flock and have never had a problem, in fact I am getting another batch of birds this week. I agree, it sounds IMO only, that it is the care the store or the care taker is giving them.

Why just that store and not everyone else? Just seems odd..........they'd be out of business if that were the case.

I like them.

 

[TK Poultry]

I know that most hatcheries don't have breeding birds. I have been approached before to supply hatching eggs from my SQ ducks for they're selling purposes. They pay me the customers pay them. So I think that something is missing in translation

 

[CityChicker]

I agree to a large extent with kswaterfowl, but Ideal is actually one of the few that *does* maintain breeder flocks. Still though, these claims are often dubious at best. I don't think a business should be subjected to claims like this with absolutely no evidence whatsoever presented that they are sending out sick birds. I don't care what the hatchery is, there are good and bad stories about all of them. There is generally very little way to validate or invalidate these claims. I would really take them with a grain of salt. I could tell you stories of top breeders deliberately selling sick birds that would literally make your skin crawl (but I won't, LOL). I think if a study was ever down on the actual percentage of unhealthy birds coming out of hatcheries verses private breeders, people might be very surprised at the results.

 

[katharinad]

I thank everyone for the input, as I've said the woman who works there told me that and I found it interesting. I now wonder if she is disgruntled with her employer. (Perhaps she did not get promoted or a pay raise.) Anyway, I would not tell that to customers if I worked there or anywhere else for that matter. The birds I have seen there this spring looked fine to me, and yes they had maybe a weak one or two. But that is to expected and normal after shipping all the way up to Oregon. I actually had fun seeing the turkeys and chickens break out. They usually manage to get on top of the waterer and leap out from there.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I'm not trying to defend Ideal hatchery here necessarily, but we've ordered LOTS of birds from them over the years. Over 100 already this year and have 25 more due in within the next 72 hours. (Just got an email from them) I've lost LESS than 1% of my ordered birds. As a matter of fact I'm running more than I ordered if you figure in the "Extras" they add. I've never got a sick chick from them or any other hatchery. Ideals chicks are usually not up to breed standards, but I personally am very satisfied with the service and chicks I have ordered from them. I don't expect show birds from a hatchery.
The chicks we have gotten have been healthy, grown out quickly and have had no problems that I know off.

Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[Caprice_Acres]

Before I blamed the hatchery, I'd blame shipment. I've gotten poor shipments before, hatcheries are usually ready to replace dead or struggling batches... Even though deaths after arrival are generally not guaranteed. Due to shipping stress - which can vary drastically from shipment to shipment - ordering chicks can sometimes result in unthrifties. I believe another experienced person that I was talking to when I had such an experience called it 'shipping enteritis' or something like that. Some of my broilers were growing SLOWER than my normal chicks - though a lot of those were struggling too. But, I believe it was strongly related to stress during shipping, as they were being raised at my house just as all other birds have always been raised and had been successful with.

 

[rgn87]

I ordered six ducks from them this past February and I did have one die within three days, but I would not blame that on the hatchery if they sold sub par birds how could they move such volume and still stay in business.