Lancaster fancy fowl help please

[Chicken Egg 17]

Yes they are open, I picked up some chicks today (5/19/2016). They are a Micro Hatchery who are under new ownership this year, they are doing their best to fix the issues the old owner had created, and are brand new to the business of being a chicken hatchery are doing their personal best to make the business work. This season has been bad for everyone in the chicken business (In my area local we have been short chicks in all the stores, even tractor supply), with low egg laying rates and high rates of male chicks hatching its hard to meet the demand for sexed chicks. The owner is doing his best to get chicks out, but rare breeds are not as easy to breed so people need to understand there are delays in orders being processed, and shipped. If you call leave them a name, call back  number and state the reason you are calling, he will do his best to call you back. He received multiple calls while I was picking up and had to let them go to voice mail so he could talk about the chicks I was picking up. Since its only two people working in the business  expect to have to leave a message, details will help them have the answers you are looking for ready.

Tell me about it I got 6 chicks from tractor supply co. And I got 5 roosters out of the six of them

 

[NYChickgirl]

I got 15 bantams from Crackle hatchery and 10 roos. So I ordered from Lancaster fancy fowl, and honestly a two month wait was not to bad for rare breed chicks. Most of the negative comments are people who can't wait for chicks. The fastest I have recived chicks on order was 3 weeks for common chicks from crackle. Tractor supply corperte buys from whole sale people who often load the straight run with 80% to 90% male chicks, that's why they are so cheap and are low quality chicks. People need to understand that Lancaster fancy fowl is a micro hatchery, not a large corperate hatchery.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I agree with u but I didn't know that I thought they were a high demand hatchery but stil cares about the breed standards. I would defiantly consider getting from them in the near future but I already got some chicks and am getting a few more here soon.

 

[sandychi218]

Absolutely! I ordered from Sandhill. I have waited months from other places. I am ordering Pyncheons from Privett Hatchery in NM as only place in U. S. that has this breed, BUT waiting for nice chickens is worth it!!! I read this once and it stuck with me

" It cost the same amount to feed a good quality chicken as bad quality one." Now please understand I have my poultry as pets but to me, if I start out with healthier poultry ahead of time, I have a better chance of my poultry lasting without health issues

 

[stevekwan]

I bought salmon Faverolles from them lasr year, when John still owned it. Back in early March, I ordered more chicks not knowing they had sold. They were supposed to ship in 1-3 weeks. It has been almost 3 months. They should ahip out today, from what he told me 3 weeks ago, but I cannot get them to return an email and they have not called back yet. I'm getti g frustrated and may have to pursue a refund, although it sounds like they don't like to do that without force. I hope they ship my chicks today.

 

[stevekwan]

I got 15 bantams from Crackle hatchery and 10 roos. So I ordered from Lancaster fancy fowl, and honestly a two month wait was not to bad for rare breed chicks. Most of the negative comments are people who can't wait for chicks. The fastest I have recived chicks on order was 3 weeks for common chicks from crackle. Tractor supply corperte buys from whole sale people who often load the straight run with 80% to 90% male chicks, that's why they are so cheap and are low quality chicks. People need to understand that Lancaster fancy fowl is a micro hatchery, not a large corperate hatchery.

I wouldn't have a problem with waiting if they would just tell you that up front. It seems like he leads you on and on with excuses. I get the impression that the new owner doesn't know much about breeding chickens. He seems nice when I actually talk to him. Communication is not very good either, I have got way better communication from other places that I have ordered from!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Since it's a smaller hatchery and they seems like they are a busy place they should have a separate line for calling and asking questions so the workers can keep working without having to answer the phone when people are trying to call and place an order from the same line.

 

[sandychi218]

I really like the fact this place has the breeds I want. I think I am going to wait for them to get their system a little more refined. I truly do not mind waiting. Seems all the chicks I want I have to wait for

I just like to know what is going on!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Ya being the new onwer I would wait a bit to order. Bit with me I could just go pick mine up because there not that far from here though so I could just go down and ask when my order will be ready or at least just go pick them up when they are ready to be picked up.

 

[stevekwan]

I just picked up chicks today from Lancaster Fancy Fowl, the owners are very nice and are helpful. They purchased the company over the winter and are working hard to get the company running and doing what they can to fill orders. I had to wait a while to get the rare breeds I ordered as they have a very limited population of birds and will only sell the best chicks, unlike larger hatchery's who line breed and sell anything that is not obviously flawed. I got healthily chicks Rhode bars, Marrunda Basques, and Barred Rocks, who are much healthier then the chicks I have got from a different hatchery.

 I have noticed with many rare breeds the chicks are more delicate then common breeds( i have bought chicks from person, hatched one from shipped eggs (yes one chick out of 36 eggs from 3 different good sources, 6 arrived broken). I made the choice to drive down and personally pick up as i am not a fan of the USPS system for shipping chicks, and believe that saving the chicks the stress of being like a ping pong ball in a giant system is best for them. They do not ship hatching eggs as they do not believe shipped eggs will hatch often. This is due to the post office is often very rough on any product they ship. Between the rough treatment, random X-ray of packages (which kills embryos), and the rapid and uncontrolled temperature and pressure changes of being air shipped, hatch rates are minimal at best.

The owner personally called me twice and explained the issues causing the delays, you can't control the sex of the chicks you hatch, and this season has been the year of boys. Not only for Lancaster fancy fowl, but everyone as pullets have been in short supply in all my local stores as well, and as I ordered sexed chicks he wanted to make sure I got the pullets I ordered and that they where good healthy chicks who meet the breed standards. I ordered in early February and just got them today. they are a tiny start up company, and all hatcheries experience delays and issues, because lets face it chickens are moody and lay or stop when ever that want as we all know, and when you are only breeding a small flock this hurts. Even large scale hatchery's have delays and issues, I have never had fast shipment of chicks, except when its been a weekly special (overstock), or End of the season clearance. 

As for show quality or not of birds look at the birds descriptions the Show line birds are marked with a "SQ" at the end, and the description tells that flocks they parent stock came from.

I think you are the only person who has had success with these people! I have been getting excuses for months. I wont buy from them again. I have now filed with PayPal for a refund. I hope it doesn't take as long as others are saying it does. I will pursue legal action if needed. I bought from the old owner, John, last year and was very happy! I wont buy from this guy again, he is either a very bad business man or a crook.