Maybe some can help me figure this out..

[Quav qaib]

Well I wanted to get in contact with a local hatchery to buy some baby chicks. Luckly I live in Fresno and there is Belt Hatchery here. I wanted to order 200 baby chicks. I call them up and they told me I have to go to a feed store to buy them. I was thinking now why in the world would I have to do that? Then I politely asked the gal for a feed store name where I can call for prices. I ended up getting a hold of one and asked for prices. Now through the feed store, there was a substantial mark up from the hatchery price list almost double the price for a chick. I felt really mad and bad all at the same time and did not know why the hatchery would put me through all this running around. I can't be able to grasp why would they be taking sales from the feed stores when I never would buy from the feed store anyhow? So after all this number crunching it was cheaper for me to order my chicks from Murray McMurray and pay for shipping and handling than to buy local chicks. What is wrong with that picture? I always thought locally would be more convenient but as it turned out in my case it was a nightmare. So why do hatcheries do this?

 

[emys]

Bio-Security. They do not want other chicken owners wandering onto their property.

It is also easier to sell only wholesale as a policy: less billing, less shipping hassles and less chance of upset customers (except in your case).

 

[FalconerGinwae]

I don't know if it's true for Belt, but some hatcheries have deals with feed stores around this time of year (easter) to take in surplus hatches of certain breeds as ignorant folks with their little children love to go in and buy one or two cute little easter chicks, only to toss them out the door the first time they crow.

Ginwae

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

If Belt doesn't want to work with you, I'd give my money to McMurray. Look around though, if you're buying 100 each of two breeds, there are cheaper places.

 

[cmtigger]

I don't know the entire story, but I do know that Belt is sold out of pullets until at least mid June. Did they refuse to sell to you, or were they just out of what you wanted?
I've got some Cornish cross and some assorted pullets coming in June, but only 25 birds total.

 

[Quav qaib]

Quote:
They refused. It's alright. I just didn't know why someone would not want to sell to a person. They had chicks, I asked and made sure that they had them for the week. I got a better deal anyways by buying out of area. Just seems weird.

 

[cmtigger]

Quote:
Lots of possible reasons- they may not want to ship within their area, and don't want a lot of people traipsing in and out of their facilities- so they refer you to local feed stores. They may have a deal with the stores to not sell in the same general area the store serves. (in general a store would be a bigger annual customer than a person)

And who knows, at least around here, I've gotten birds for about the same price as if I ordered from a hatchery and added shipping costs from feed stores. At many stores they are loss leaders, they want you to get them so that you buy feed from them.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Hatcheries will not allow the public on their grounds. A few will allow you to stand outside the gate and will bring your chicks to you.

Did you ask if you could drive over and pick up some birds? Many hatcheries do not do business that way. Did they refuse to ship chicks to you?

Too bad for them, they lost your business.

 

[oceanwidedesigns]

I know this is almost a month since the last response - but did you try ordering through someone who already has an established relationship with them? I know Deb (of Deb's Birds) in Madera has a relationship with some people there.