Ideal Poultry!

[MonTXChickens]

What?  Enough chickens?  How can that be there is never enough chickens!

I only have 2/3 acre in the historic district of a small city. .. no one is complaining now but my rosters are still in the brooder... we have 51 chickens and 2 ducks (although the 2 Rouen ducks turned out to be both boys do we won't be keeping them. Don't think we can eat them since we raised them from day old. ) we hope no one has a problem and have talked with the immediate neighbors. ... we will bribe them with a few eggs as hush payment. ... no one else has chickens right by us... too many more though and my wife will probably move me out there with the chicks!
HAHA,  but I don't use Ideal, never have been able to raise anything to adulthood from them.  I use Cackle and thinking about McMurray (have used them in years past).

 

[dealfinder500]

Male ducks are generally quieter than the females. Or would you be getting rid of them because you wanted eggs?

 

[MonTXChickens]

We wanted to have eggs and to have them to look at. These are beautiful but we wanted to have eggs too. We didn't really want pets and these didn't turn out to be friendly. They run from us whenever we get near them. It sounds horrible in my head as I type we didn't want pets. We are feeding these ducks good non-gmo feed that the chickens get so it is fairly expensive. We might be eating them I suppose but there is some doubt in my mind whether we can do it or not. If we found someone that wanted to buy them for their pond, it would make us happier I think. I know we take a chance buying from the hatchery that we won't get what we expect and that's what happened this time. We got one straight run with our first chicken order then decided to get a female the next week. Turns out - 2 green heads.

 

[dealfinder500]

We wanted to have eggs and to have them to look at. These are beautiful but we wanted to have eggs too. We didn't really want pets and these didn't turn out to be friendly. They run from us whenever we get near them. It sounds horrible in my head as I type we didn't want pets. We are feeding these ducks good non-gmo feed that the chickens get so it is fairly expensive. We might be eating them I suppose but there is some doubt in my mind whether we can do it or not. If we found someone that wanted to buy them for their pond, it would make us happier I think. I know we take a chance buying from the hatchery that we won't get what we expect and that's what happened this time. We got one straight run with our first chicken order then decided to get a female the next week. Turns out - 2 green heads.

All of my ducks tend to be skittish.

However, two years ago a co-worker took a baby duckling from me for her daughter as a pet. They raised that thing in the house, and it was the friendliest pet. It would follow them around the house, even sit on their laps. But, it was raised inside and pretty much handled all day - but one you raise outside in a coop is not going to be that friendly. Some may be a bit more so than others, but they will still be skittish. I have several adult ducks now, and they don't run from you now, if they happen to be laying near the walk to the coop, but they still wouldn't let you pet them.

 

[MonTXChickens]

I guess our ducks probably wish they lived with your coworker.... they have adequate space and feednand their water in the kiddies pool is changged often enough but thesse will never be pets. Not in the sense of getting in your lap and petting them.... they will let you look at them and that makes them quack... if you approach or reach, they run like ccrazy!

 

[winteree]

I guess our ducks probably wish they lived with your coworker.... they have adequate space and feednand their water in the kiddies pool is changged often enough but thesse will never be pets. Not in the sense of getting in your lap and petting them.... they will let you look at them and that makes them quack... if you approach or reach, they run like ccrazy!

my ducklings are OK with me sitting outside the brooder and watching them eat now but it took several days of quite sitting in a chair mere inches away from their feed and water. it was hard but worth it.

 

[dealfinder500]

I got what I thought was going to be my last shipment of chicks this year, but unfortunately these guys didn't fare so well. I've gotten 8 boxes of chicks this year (4 from Ideal), and I've never had a dead one, except today. But we had a ton of rain yesterday (I got 5 inches!), and that may have had something to do with it. The box was delayed, too. Normally the post office calls me at 8 or even before, and the chicks are there. Today I left early so that I'd be there at 8... but I never got a call. Got to the post office and she said they were delayed and another post office was bringing them over. Murphy's law - the one time I go down without getting the call is the one time they don't come on time!

I had ordered 30 Barred Rocks and 25 of the feather legged bantams. 9 of the bantams were dead on arrival, and the others don't look much better. What sucks even more is that there were 2 porcelain d'uccles - which I was really hoping for - dead. :-( There are 2 of the barred rocks that are dead, and a few more that don't look good.

I called Ideal, and they just told me to call them tomorrow morning. I guess that makes since - no need reporting it now if more aren't going to make it and then I'd have to call them again.

So I'll call in the morning with the final numbers.

I assume with the # that didn't make it that they will be sending me replacements. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Edit:

They e-mailed me, told me to make a list of what doesn't make it and e-mail it to them, and they'll send replacements.

 

[AmyLM]

I got what I thought was going to be my last shipment of chicks this year, but unfortunately these guys didn't fare so well. I've gotten 8 boxes of chicks this year (4 from Ideal), and I've never had a dead one, except today. But we had a ton of rain yesterday (I got 5 inches!), and that may have had something to do with it. The box was delayed, too. Normally the post office calls me at 8 or even before, and the chicks are there. Today I left early so that I'd be there at 8... but I never got a call. Got to the post office and she said they were delayed and another post office was bringing them over. Murphy's law - the one time I go down without getting the call is the one time they don't come on time!

I had ordered 30 Barred Rocks and 25 of the feather legged bantams. 9 of the bantams were dead on arrival, and the others don't look much better. What sucks even more is that there were 2 porcelain d'uccles - which I was really hoping for - dead. :-( There are 2 of the barred rocks that are dead, and a few more that don't look good.

I called Ideal, and they just told me to call them tomorrow morning. I guess that makes since - no need reporting it now if more aren't going to make it and then I'd have to call them again.

So I'll call in the morning with the final numbers.

I assume with the # that didn't make it that they will be sending me replacements. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Edit:

They e-mailed me, told me to make a list of what doesn't make it and e-mail it to them, and they'll send replacements.

The same thing happened to me in my first ever order. I never mix sizes anymore. Bantams are just too fragile to put in the same box as bigger standards.

 

[dealfinder500]

The same thing happened to me in my first ever order. I never mix sizes anymore. Bantams are just too fragile to put in the same box as bigger standards.

No, that wasn't the problem. The sizes weren't mixed, the bantams were in one compartment, and the barred rocks were spread out over two. The problem was that they got cold.

But I've had several other mixed orders with no problems. Last week I got 14 goslings and 31 cornish rocks, they were all mixed together, and even though the goslings were twice the size, everything was fine. In my first two Cackle Surprises there was a big mix of standards and bantams, even a few OEGB bantams - all mixed together, along with 2 ducks in each one, and one had a turkey as well. No problems.

 

[muddygirl0620]

I have to say that ideal was the best all 16 of my babies are alive and well afer shipping none had wobbly legs...and every
single one has stolen my heart