Hatchery Reviews ~ Keep Them Coming
Thank you to everyone who has described hatchery experiences! It's very enlightening to read about various businesses. As many of you noted, customer opinions vary. I suppose if one hatchery had nothing but unhappy customers, it would be out of business. Like any situation, there are always variables like employees and circumstances among others. But it is very interesting to "read reviews" from our members!
@pipdzipdnreadytogo posted:
For the past 4 or so years I've bought my chicks from Meyer Hatchery over in Ohio. I can't speak to how well their chicks ship because every year, mom and I make the ~5 1/2 hour round trip to go and pick them up. However, I can tell you that I have never lost a chick from them, that none of my sexed pullets have turned out to be male, that none of the chicks I've received have been the wrong breed, and that their customer service has been awesome. I'm nothing but happy with them.
Thing is, you're going to hear so many conflicting reports about every hatchery you ask about. I know of many people that are just as happy with Meyer's as I am, but there are also some that are very unhappy and will never order from them again for one reason or another. And I'm sure their reasons for not liking Meyer's are just as valid as mine for liking them. In the end it'll just be easier to pick the closest, or the cheapest, or the one that has the most breeds you want, and just see for yourself how it goes.
I believe it was posted on another thread here at BYC, though it may have been somewhere else, but I saw an edited quote not too long ago that really stood out on the topic of conflicting chickening opinions. It went something like, "The only thing that two {chicken people} agree about is that the third is wrong." This is way, way too true!
pipd~ Haha Definitely true. I think discussions of chicken-raising rival discussions of child-rearing!
@funnyfarmmom Thanks for sharing your experience with Akers Hatchery in Salem. I remember hearing something bad about them last year from one of our members. I recently looked at their site, which appears to be an idyllic source— a small family operation not too far from where I live. Hopefully, I can buy spring chicks through our members.
@Soylent Chick More on feed mills… I was running some errands today not far from my house and noticed a business with USDA on the door. When I think of USDA, I think of meat inspectors. Being nosey, I went inside to find what the business was all about. lol I also thought it might be a good source of info about area feed mills. I learned something new—Vanderburgh and Posey counties mainly produce crops; they don't have livestock farming, so there aren't feed mills! He said that Warrick, Gibson, Knox, and Dubois counties have feed mills. He also suggested calling the two sources that I gave you yesterday—an area Purdue extension office and the farm co-op.
I also enjoyed talking to the USDA district conservationist who works with farmers to improve soil conservation, increase pollinators, etc. He has backyard chickens. I told him about my hobby (obsession) of digging in the soil with my chickens. The chickens remove some worms/bugs and I add organic mulch back into the soil. (That way, I act like I am accomplishing something when I am actually playing in the dirt with my chickens!)
These pictures were taken a couple of days ago when some of my girls enjoyed dry areas in a side flowerbed. Today, our snow is almost gone!
Bonbon, Bantam Chocolate English Orpington
SLW Lacey, EE Roadrunner, and BR Tweedy
Thank you to everyone who has described hatchery experiences! It's very enlightening to read about various businesses. As many of you noted, customer opinions vary. I suppose if one hatchery had nothing but unhappy customers, it would be out of business. Like any situation, there are always variables like employees and circumstances among others. But it is very interesting to "read reviews" from our members!
@pipdzipdnreadytogo posted:
For the past 4 or so years I've bought my chicks from Meyer Hatchery over in Ohio. I can't speak to how well their chicks ship because every year, mom and I make the ~5 1/2 hour round trip to go and pick them up. However, I can tell you that I have never lost a chick from them, that none of my sexed pullets have turned out to be male, that none of the chicks I've received have been the wrong breed, and that their customer service has been awesome. I'm nothing but happy with them.
Thing is, you're going to hear so many conflicting reports about every hatchery you ask about. I know of many people that are just as happy with Meyer's as I am, but there are also some that are very unhappy and will never order from them again for one reason or another. And I'm sure their reasons for not liking Meyer's are just as valid as mine for liking them. In the end it'll just be easier to pick the closest, or the cheapest, or the one that has the most breeds you want, and just see for yourself how it goes.
I believe it was posted on another thread here at BYC, though it may have been somewhere else, but I saw an edited quote not too long ago that really stood out on the topic of conflicting chickening opinions. It went something like, "The only thing that two {chicken people} agree about is that the third is wrong." This is way, way too true!
pipd~ Haha Definitely true. I think discussions of chicken-raising rival discussions of child-rearing!
@funnyfarmmom Thanks for sharing your experience with Akers Hatchery in Salem. I remember hearing something bad about them last year from one of our members. I recently looked at their site, which appears to be an idyllic source— a small family operation not too far from where I live. Hopefully, I can buy spring chicks through our members.
@Soylent Chick More on feed mills… I was running some errands today not far from my house and noticed a business with USDA on the door. When I think of USDA, I think of meat inspectors. Being nosey, I went inside to find what the business was all about. lol I also thought it might be a good source of info about area feed mills. I learned something new—Vanderburgh and Posey counties mainly produce crops; they don't have livestock farming, so there aren't feed mills! He said that Warrick, Gibson, Knox, and Dubois counties have feed mills. He also suggested calling the two sources that I gave you yesterday—an area Purdue extension office and the farm co-op.
I also enjoyed talking to the USDA district conservationist who works with farmers to improve soil conservation, increase pollinators, etc. He has backyard chickens. I told him about my hobby (obsession) of digging in the soil with my chickens. The chickens remove some worms/bugs and I add organic mulch back into the soil. (That way, I act like I am accomplishing something when I am actually playing in the dirt with my chickens!)
These pictures were taken a couple of days ago when some of my girls enjoyed dry areas in a side flowerbed. Today, our snow is almost gone!
Bonbon, Bantam Chocolate English Orpington
SLW Lacey, EE Roadrunner, and BR Tweedy
