Meyer hatchery - never again

[Alexandra33]

Can't express enough sorrow over your situation, @OasiVerde . It's never easy losing chicks, especially in those quantities. I'm a firm believer none of this was your fault.

I wouldn't automatically jump down Meyer's (or any hatchery, at that) throat, though, and blame them for all the deaths. More than likely, it was an unfortunate occurrence during shipping, or even the fact that weather patterns are unusually chilly for this time of year. Traveling in a box by mail, lacking proper conditions that allow a chick to thrive, is hard on these newly-hatched puffballs.

All my birds either hail from Cackle, Meyer, Townline, or Eagle Nest, and the large majority are healthy as horses. Including a few that we gave to family/friends, 40+ happen to be Meyer chooks. Never has there been a genetic issue or illness that claimed one from a young age. Wonderfully healthy birds. Cross beak and crooked toes showed up once each. I don't believe any large-scale hatchery worth their salt would knowingly sell sick chicks, and it almost upsets me a little when they're accused of such. If this were the case, no business would thrive. It seems most fatal cases have been caused by trauma during the shipping process.

That said, I understand why this has put a bad taste in your mouth. Unpleasant experiences will do that to a person. Stay strong, and monitor the beautiful little survivors like a hawk!

~Alex

 

[alexa009]

I've ordered from "Chickens For Backyards" and had a wonderful experience. 2 Brahmas, 1 Delaware, 1 Australorp, 1 Red Sex Link and a White Plymouth Rock. All of them are 2 years of age now and still thriving in excellent health. I have given "Meyers Hatchery" some consideration but with everybody's reviews, unfortunately, I will definitely pass.

 

[OasiVerde]

Can't express enough sorrow over your situation, @OasiVerde . It's never easy losing chicks, especially in those quantities. I'm a firm believer none of this was your fault.
Thank you so much. Currently I am just afraid to go and take a look in the brooder, because I am terrified by what I will find.

I don't believe any large-scale hatchery worth their salt would knowingly sell sick chicks, and it almost upsets me a little when they're accused of such. If this were the case, no business would thrive. It seems most fatal cases have been caused by trauma during the shipping process.
I understand your point of view. But if shipping is so crucial, why offer chicks at this time of the year? And I am angry with myself for even ordering chicks this time of year, I absolutely learned my lesson.
But what concerns me most and makes me angry, is the lack of customer care. The lady from Meyer actually offered to send my 4 replacement chicks end of November . Apparently they don;t want to change the timing of their shipments as long as customers still order.
And then also that they keep holding on to their 48 hour policy. It is not that I have had 1 or 2 chicks die. More than half of my chicks died and the rest is still struggling. And Meyer doesn;t seem to care because the 48 hours have already passed. If they would offer me a good amount of replacement chicks in the spring, I would have been a satisfied customer and would have ordered with them again. Now they put my up with financial loss and sick chicks. Just bought Tylan (another expense), trying to save the remaining ones.

That said, I understand why this has put a bad taste in your mouth. Unpleasant experiences will do that to a person. Stay strong, and monitor the beautiful little survivors like a hawk!
Thank you, I will and I will keep you all updated.

~Alex

 

[OasiVerde]

I've ordered from "Chickens For Backyards" and had a wonderful experience. 2 Brahmas, 1 Delaware, 1 Australorp, 1 Red Sex Link and a White Plymouth Rock. All of them are 2 years of age now and still thriving in excellent health. I have given "Meyers Hatchery" some consideration but with everybody's reviews, unfortunately, I will definitely pass.

Thank you, I will look into them. Looking for healthy, strong chicks
I am sick to my stomach from ordering at Meyer. If one could look into the future.......
But I learned my lesson, the hard way

 

[Alexandra33]

Shipping during any time of year can be problematic, from any hatchery. I've heard horror stories where boxes containing chicks were handled carelessly, much to the detriment of the poor babies. These things happen all the time, even during warm months. My December and March orders from Meyer, and February from Cackle, turned out very well. Sadly, it seems to be buy-at-your-own-risk. It hurts me that this has to happen to some.

While I totally understand why you're upset that Meyer won't replace ALL the deceased, they must stick to their 48-hour guarantee, which is in place for those who choose to buy their birds. If customer service was willing to provide you with 11 new babies, they are also obligated to do the same for everybody else in your situation (you're not alone, unfortunately ). At that point, why even have a warranty in place? And we must not forget those who may try to take advantage of Meyer and demand they replace fluffs that passed weeks, or even months, after arrival.

Please don't think I'm against you. Your tender heart shines through obvious love for these nuggets. I see you're doing all you can to save them. But from someone who's raised nearly 200 birds, these things happen, hard as they may be to take. I've lost a few chicks and ducklings, myself.

~Alex

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I've ordered from "Chickens For Backyards" and had a wonderful experience. 2 Brahmas, 1 Delaware, 1 Australorp, 1 Red Sex Link and a White Plymouth Rock. All of them are 2 years of age now and still thriving in excellent health. I have given "Meyers Hatchery" some consideration but with everybody's reviews, unfortunately, I will definitely pass.

ive ordered from there aswell my birds now are generations later from my gle roo i got from there

 

[Alexandra33]

One last thing I must add: I've visited Meyer's facility 3 times now, as we live a little less than 2 hours away. It's unbelievably clean. They always have a few overstock bins, one or more is filled with 200-400+ chicks, depending on when hatch day was. This doesn't include turkey poults and started pullets, which are also available to the public. When picking out extras from their bargain bin, I was astounded by the health and vivacity of each baby. Here's a pic of a few of the cutie pies we saw this summer, which I hope will raise your spirits a little. I picked out a Speckled Sussex, an Andalusian, a Golden Cuckoo Marans, a d'Uccle, and 5 Easter Egger bantams from that hatch.

~Alex

 

[alexa009]

One last thing I must add: I've visited Meyer's facility 3 times now, as we live a little less than 2 hours away. It's unbelievably clean. They always have a few overstock bins, one or more is filled with 200-400+ chicks, depending on when hatch day was. This doesn't include turkey poults and started pullets, which are also available to the public. When picking out extras from their bargain bin, I was astounded by the health and vivacity of each baby. Here's a pic of a few of the cutie pies we saw this summer, which I hope will raise your spirits a little. I picked out a Speckled Sussex, an Andalusian, a Golden Cuckoo Marans, a d'Uccle, and 5 Easter Egger bantams from that hatch.
View attachment 1591875
~Alex

I agree with you. Maybe the OP just got a batch that may have been diseased. Eggs that are a little bit contaminated with microorganisms can affect the chick after hatch causing morbidity and mortality. It also seems that yours are in very healthy condition.

 

[Cayuga momma]

I had a similar situation with Cacklehatchery. They didn't blame me though. They told me that others had the same issues with their chicks. They refunded me (even shipping). They even refunded me on the surviving chick.
We ordered our next batch from MPC and they all thrived.
Ordering in colder months seems to be a 50/50 shot on surviving chicks. I'm lucky as my USPS workers in western NY go out of their way to take care of my chicks. The last time the truck that was bringing my chicks and ducklings from a 1 1/2 hours way, actually put the box on the passenger seat to keep them warm.
I really hope the rest survive and that you have better luck next time!

 

[christwodog]

I've ordered three times from Meyer - twice in summer months and once in winter. My summer orders were 100% survival rate and the winter order was 80% survival rate. I attribute this to shipping stress during winter, and it took one extra day for them to arrive in Miami. So no more winter shipments for me. I am sorry to hear of your losses, it is heartbreaking for sure. I don't think they would knowingly ship unhealthy chicks but sometimes failure to thrive rears its ugly head...