Does Ideal have a pretty good reputation? Do they have pretty good quality of chicks that come pretty close to meeting breed standards? I'm thinking about ordering from them and want to make sure I'm getting good birds.
Ideal has a pretty good reputation as hatcheries go but it IS a hatchery so you are not going to get show quality chicks from them. They will pretty much look like the breed they are supposed to be. I suppose I'd equate it to buying a puppy from a pet store versus buying from a show breeder. Both puppies will look like their breed but the show-bred puppy will have that extra something that really grabs the eye and will come darn close to matching the written standard for the breed. There is no missing the difference in quality. HTH Rusty
Where would I go to find show breeders of any one breed? I had chosen to start out with blue and splash orpingtons but can't find any except hatching eggs. So I've decided to go with my second choice which is the standard Brahma's which seem to be much much easier to find. I do not intend to show my birds, but I'd like good quality stock.
I recieved my shipment of chicks from them this April and was very pleased. The chicks had traveled from Texas to Pa through the snow and all but two arrived in good condition. The other two were bantams and they were dead. Everyone else went right into the brooder and is now three weeks old. They have grown so much. 25 of the birds are Standard Brahams of Buff and Dark coloration. They are very pretty and are heafty little guys. They don't really appear to be showable, but I really never looked into that as I just want healthy birds to run around the yard. Like many hatcheries, they seem to supply birds that represent the breed, but are not completely showable. As for a breeder, I can't help you there, but you may find one here.
