Ideal Poultry!

[HHandbasket]

We just placed our first order with Ideal. I'm looking forward to getting this order. It's a breed I can't seem to be able to get my hands on unless I buy from a hatchery, and Ideal was so great about getting back to me. Their website said they were sold out of that breed until 2012, but they called me this morning and have 25 straight run of which at least half are pullets. Sooooooo I said stick 'em in a box and send 'em to me.

 

[mamawolf544]

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I got 8 chicks with my poults and I was surprised since it is 90+ degrees here, and these are males because they are black stars. LOL
But everytime I have ordered certain breeds of all pullets, say 15 RIR's and 15 PR's my extra has always been a roo to match which I just love that they do that.
But with my poults last year and it was cold, I got 10 packing peanuts and 7 were pullets.

 

[Blue]

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Maybe my pullet ratio of packing peanuts will be as good as yours, but I doubt it. lol! The extras (which I miscounted when I first got them - there's actually 7 of them) I got are definitely looking to be Barred Rocks now, and the head spots seem pretty irregular to me, and the legs aren't very dark, so I'm guessing all roos. They're the most curious when I open the brooder door and like to fly up on the side of the cage and look around. They also like to peck my fingernails and hands.

I think I may end up with a few crestless or beardless Brabanters as well, but maybe some of them are just late bloomers.

Some of them are looking extremely cute with their little mohawks and beards coming in, though.

My two Old English Bantams are coming along nicely and, right now, are the friendliest of the bunch and like to sit on my hands and arms, but one is getting more gold on the shoulders, while the other is getting more black (both are the Quail variety). I wouldn't mind if I had a pair, but I'd have to find somewhere to work them in since I already have one OEGB roo in my bantam coop, and he has a half-cochin son from an early spring hatch who I need to rehome. Anyone want a little black banty Old English/Cochin roo? He's only 7 weeks old.

I still need to get pictures up (they'll all be 2 weeks old on Thursday), just haven't taken the time to do it.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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They have to send extras to make sure the rest make the trip alive.

 

[Blue]

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I understand that's why they send them. My issue was that they have the option for you to request no extras, which I did as I'd heard others had had good luck with small orders from them in the past (their only stipulation is that you then have to pay for postal insurance, which I also did), but then they ignored my request even after aknowledging it and making me pay for insurance. I don't really mind as the insurance was really cheap, and they didn't charge for the extras, but I specifically didn't want all those roosters to deal with getting rid of as I can't keep that many extra roosters. At this point, I'm just trying not to get too attached to them, but I'm still not sure if I'll be able to eat them; I KNOW I won't be able to kill them myself. Oh well...

 

[loprettaerin]

I just tried to place a order from them unsure it went through submitted my payment info and it just took me to there home page. Everyone that has placed a order with them do you remember it doing that I would have thought I would have gotten a confirmation number or a email or somthing indicating it went through. I have emailed them but no reply going to try calling in a bit to see.

 

[loprettaerin]

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Never mind just called and it didn't go through. Seems it was cheaper to call also. Im happy as long as the order goes through with no more issues. Ordered some straight run hatchery choice goselings for my mother in law. Had to order more then really needed to keep price down but will sell the extras locally since no one has any for sale by me and non of my eggs ever hatched for her. I hope she will be happy.

 

[Blue]

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Never mind just called and it didn't go through. Seems it was cheaper to call also. Im happy as long as the order goes through with no more issues. Ordered some straight run hatchery choice goselings for my mother in law. Had to order more then really needed to keep price down but will sell the extras locally since no one has any for sale by me and non of my eggs ever hatched for her. I hope she will be happy.

Yeah, I placed my order over the phone. They actually called me because their site had said the main variety I wanted (Gold Brabanter) was sold out until next year. I signed up to be notified when they became available again, and they called me the next day, and we set up my order.

 

[HHandbasket]

I have only had one experience with Ideal Poultry, and here goes.

The breed I was after (white faced black Spanish) is hard to come by, and their website said they were out of them until next year. I signed up to be notified when they are back in stock.

Monday of this week, I got a phone call from Ideal, saying they were doing their last hatch of the year for WFBS next week and had their second to the last hatch this week, had 27 chicks, 14 of which were pullets and did I want just the pullets or was I interested at this time, etc. Well..... I had to talk to Farmer Lew, and we also got Linda to go in on the order with us so she could get the little Buckeye chicks she was looking for, too. Phone calls were made, and in the 15 minutes between the time I talked to Ideal and the time we called back, 2 of the WFBS pullets had been sold, so they had 25 straight-run left, at least 12 of which were pullets. I said send 'em! The whole lot... we'll sell the extra males, and what we can't sell or give away, we'll eat.

That was on Monday. They called me back on Tuesday to confirm the order and notified me that they were being shipped on Wednesday (yesterday). I got a call from our local post office THIS MORNING about an hour and a half ago, and lo and behold, the chicks have already arrived! They put 26 WFBS in the box, and 1 smaller one was squooshed and nearly DOA (we put him out of his misery), so we still got 25 healthy WFBS chicks and 5 buckeyes, all vigorous and healthy and making a ton of noise already in the brooder!

If I had to rate them based on this one experience with them, I'd have to give them 5 out of 5 stars.

 

[New2TheCoop]

here are my ideal birds at almost 17 weeks... i got them on feb 17th and havent lost one yet

my buff orpingtons

i love that beautiful gold color

my barred holland is pecking at my hands, sorry I didnt bring treats!

this is my dark brahma hen

and my dark brahma rooster