- Dec 13, 2010
- 864
- 16
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Quote:
oh my gosh, thats not true. geez, i know most hatcheries ive ever worked with dont do that, and they plan their hatches according to the orders, some may operate deceptively, i know mcmurry does, but many many dont. and its not like your getting a crap bird from a hatchery. we have some of the best looking buff orpingtons around, and they came from cackle. wow, you really hate hatcheries, what happened to you? i bet you have experience with a terrible place like mcmurry.
I see you don't know much about the hatchery business as the others have stated, most loyal hatchery folks don't and don't realy care to and all that is fine. If you think the hatcheries sit at the right hand then you bess think angain. I do completely understand that hatchery buyers are totaly happy with their so call ed kinda sorta close to whatever breed they think their getting, the hatcheries bet on the fact that you don't know what that true breed should resemble and also that the fact that you realy don't care. As long as they are cute and fluffy and you can name them all pretty little names, that's fine my issue is with the fact that hatchery birds are nowhere near what they are advertised as and Ya'll think they are Show quality when they are really just mutts only suitable for the backyard novice. Ok enough said about all that i am happy your happy with your choices, but don't for a second think that hatchery birds compare to real birds of heritage quality. I wish you and your birds the best of luck.
Wow! Why is this an "all or nothing" thing? I truly appreciate the time and energy serious breeders put into developing their chosen breeds (mine is Dutch bantams), and I DO know the difference between breeder quality birds and hatchery birds. That doesn't mean I never order from hatcheries, or that if I do I think they "sit at the right hand," as you put it. It means that sometimes I WANT chickens that are "kinda sorta" a certain type and lay well. NO, everyone who orders hatchery birds does not think they are "show quality," and NO, not every hatchery bird is "junk." Occasionally, hatcheries produce some okay birds. Certainly, they don't cull as one must to produce top quality, but neither is every hatchery in business just to practice deception! Most hatcheries state up front that their birds are not SQ, and sometimes that's just fine. I really don't see why one has to hate on hatcheries to consider oneself a "serious" breeder, but that sure seems to be the way a lot of people on here see it. There is room on my place for both the SQ birds I spend time developing and the "cute and fluffy" utility birds that lay well and STILL make me smile, even if I would never put them in a show. Lighten up, dude ... switch to decaf or something!
ETA: But to get back on topic, if the OPs chicks shipped from Texas, then the drought and heat probably factor in. While I don't blanketly condemn hatcheries as some do, their policy of shipping in such weather DOES raise my hackles. I realize they are businesses that have employees depending on steady work, but the animals are the ones who suffer because of it. That's why a lot of breeders simply won't ship in inclement weather. Hatcheries should implement a policy of "overnight only" handling in such weather, and also insist on including either heat or chill packs in the boxes. It might impact sales a bit, but it would also go a long way toward quelling some of the criticism they receive for not caring enough about their "product".
oh my gosh, thats not true. geez, i know most hatcheries ive ever worked with dont do that, and they plan their hatches according to the orders, some may operate deceptively, i know mcmurry does, but many many dont. and its not like your getting a crap bird from a hatchery. we have some of the best looking buff orpingtons around, and they came from cackle. wow, you really hate hatcheries, what happened to you? i bet you have experience with a terrible place like mcmurry.
I see you don't know much about the hatchery business as the others have stated, most loyal hatchery folks don't and don't realy care to and all that is fine. If you think the hatcheries sit at the right hand then you bess think angain. I do completely understand that hatchery buyers are totaly happy with their so call ed kinda sorta close to whatever breed they think their getting, the hatcheries bet on the fact that you don't know what that true breed should resemble and also that the fact that you realy don't care. As long as they are cute and fluffy and you can name them all pretty little names, that's fine my issue is with the fact that hatchery birds are nowhere near what they are advertised as and Ya'll think they are Show quality when they are really just mutts only suitable for the backyard novice. Ok enough said about all that i am happy your happy with your choices, but don't for a second think that hatchery birds compare to real birds of heritage quality. I wish you and your birds the best of luck.
Wow! Why is this an "all or nothing" thing? I truly appreciate the time and energy serious breeders put into developing their chosen breeds (mine is Dutch bantams), and I DO know the difference between breeder quality birds and hatchery birds. That doesn't mean I never order from hatcheries, or that if I do I think they "sit at the right hand," as you put it. It means that sometimes I WANT chickens that are "kinda sorta" a certain type and lay well. NO, everyone who orders hatchery birds does not think they are "show quality," and NO, not every hatchery bird is "junk." Occasionally, hatcheries produce some okay birds. Certainly, they don't cull as one must to produce top quality, but neither is every hatchery in business just to practice deception! Most hatcheries state up front that their birds are not SQ, and sometimes that's just fine. I really don't see why one has to hate on hatcheries to consider oneself a "serious" breeder, but that sure seems to be the way a lot of people on here see it. There is room on my place for both the SQ birds I spend time developing and the "cute and fluffy" utility birds that lay well and STILL make me smile, even if I would never put them in a show. Lighten up, dude ... switch to decaf or something!
ETA: But to get back on topic, if the OPs chicks shipped from Texas, then the drought and heat probably factor in. While I don't blanketly condemn hatcheries as some do, their policy of shipping in such weather DOES raise my hackles. I realize they are businesses that have employees depending on steady work, but the animals are the ones who suffer because of it. That's why a lot of breeders simply won't ship in inclement weather. Hatcheries should implement a policy of "overnight only" handling in such weather, and also insist on including either heat or chill packs in the boxes. It might impact sales a bit, but it would also go a long way toward quelling some of the criticism they receive for not caring enough about their "product".
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