Is there a HUMANE hatchery where I can order chicks from?

[ShrekDawg]

Yeah, i heard they share the facility but have some of their own breeding stock but i can't imagine they have entirely their own since theyd need a whole new hatchery

 

[Poultryboysdad]

But it does say they try to adopt them out first and then humanely euthanize them if they can't and that they are also working on a different way to not euthanize for the next year. To me, as long as they at least TRY to treat them decently I am okay with it, though obviously no kill hatcheries are cool. At least they don't out them in a meat grinder or a trash bag though. The original post asked for humane not necessarily no kill and to me, they are humane because they try to find other ways first and the euthanasia is a last resort.

Seems you have a dog in the fight. I just linked their link that speaks for itself. They euthanize unsold chicks. They don't tell us how many or how they do it. What qualifies as "humane" euthanasia is a matter of opinion and not even revealed by mypetchicken. Macerating chicks is considered a humane method by some.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Seems you have a dog in the fight. I just linked their link that speaks for itself. They euthanize unsold chicks. They don't tell us how many or how they do it. What qualifies as "humane" euthanasia is a matter of opinion and not even revealed by mypetchicken. Macerating chicks is considered a humane method by some.

No actually, I've never ordered from MPC. But I did click the link and read what they said. Which is why i said that. Okay yeah, they don't reveal how they do it but they do mention the practices of others so i can only assume its more humane than that. If not than Ill stop supporting but not without proof.

And it seems you or others may have done selective reading. It does say they euthanize but it says they try to auction them first. Now maybe they don't actually do that and its only to make people feel better but I'm going by what it says on their site right here

 

[Liddy]

Thanks so much for sharing the info on Sand Hill Hatchery! I will definitely order later this year for early in spring 2017.

I've seen firsthand the problems of too many roos. A few of my hens in First Flock still haven't regained their feathers on their backs where the roos raked them out over a year ago, while mounting the hens so often. In the future, I'll be keeping most of the roos in bachelor quarters unless I'm intent on breeding them.

Dual-purpose breeds are the way to go if you can keep the cockerels long enough for them to reach meal size. The odds are not always 50% on straight runs. I hatched out 7 eggs last August, and FIVE of the chicks were male. I rehomed two and ate the others.

The first flock I bought were straight runs of three breeds, a dozen each. Those turned out to be half and half on genders, although not distributed equally by breed. The Dixie Rainbows (hey, it was an impulse buy of 99-cent end of the season sale at TSC, who can resist buying Dixie Chicks?) are a wonderful dual-purpose breed, although the cockerels can get aggressive. Those little monsters began nailing my hands and forearms when I was filling the feeders at 10 weeks. I slaughtered them at 12 weeks, and the dressed weights were 5-6 pounds!