Is the hatchery Ideal Poultry a good place to buy from?

[Chloe77]

Are the ordered chicks above or below average?

 

[hdowden]

depends on the breeds if you get layers they will be fine, rare breeds are to me below average, bantams are ok, silkies are pet quality as is the cochins and brahma's, also had 4 die the day they came in. i would rather buy from cackle or mcmurry they have much better birds never had any problems with cackle and i hear everyone talk good about mcmurry though their bitties may cost a bit more than ideal's. if you looking for show birds skip the hatchery and order from a top breeder, you may need to do research on this to find the best breeders. though if it's just for 4-h cackle or mcmurry would be just fine to order from.

 

[hdowden]

different people have different opinions though you might want to read through this thread for an idea and pics of some of their stock

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/626298/ideal-poultry

 

[Chloe77]

depends on the breeds if you get layers they will be fine, rare breeds are to me below average, bantams are ok, silkies are pet quality as is the cochins and brahma's, also had 4 die the day they came in. i would rather buy from cackle or mcmurry they have much better birds never had any problems with cackle and i hear everyone talk good about mcmurry though their bitties may cost a bit more than ideal's. if you looking for show birds skip the hatchery and order from a top breeder, you may need to do research on this to find the best breeders. though if it's just for 4-h cackle or mcmurry would be just fine to order from.

Thanks... I want to buy sebrights, so I guess a breeder the best shot for them, right? Also, I show at 4-h, but hope to enter different shows soon. By the way, 4-h is pretty hardcore.

 

[hdowden]

then i would go for a breeder if the judges for 4-h are hard on yall. ours has recently gotten much harder since they really have started judging by the SOP now and since you want to at some point show at different shows then starting off with good stock is the best bet for that as well.

 

[Vamvakas]

Like what hdowden said, Ideal is pretty good though

 

[Criskin]

I agree that if you are really interested in showing, you'll find it worth your time and the extra money to go with a breeder. That being said, I have had great luck with Ideal. I've ordered all the large fowl hens in my laying flock from them for the last couple of years and out of all my orders I've never had a chick arrive dead and only lost one in the brooder. I think bantams can be a little more delicate to ship, however.

 

[Chloe77]

Thanks for all your help. I think I should get most of my chickens from Ideal, and a few from a breeder.