Meyer Hatchery vs. McMurray Hatchery

[JKchickens6]

We just received an order of 15 chicks from Meyer yesterday. We decided on the rainbow assortment layers. Unfortunately, 3 were DOA. They were sipped 2 day priority in a box that had only a very small heating element. At least half of the remaining chicks were not in good shape, but with some serious TLC we thought they would pull through. WRONG. Two more have died after being seemingly healthy, eating, drinking, pooping...just keeled over. Three others are not well and I'd be surprised if they pull through. This is very disheartening and hard to see these poor babies so carelessly shipped. I don't think I'm even going to ask for replacements because I fear the same thing will happen.

 

[matt44644]

When you order chicks in the middle of winter ,you take a chance.

 

[JKchickens6]

I'm fully aware of that, however more than half of the chicks? We ordered from McMurray last year a t the same time and did not have these problems.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I have never ordered from Meyers before, but I have chicks arriving from them in a few weeks. I have ordered from Mcmurray hatchery in the past and their customer service is great.
I was very pleased with their birds in the past, but I got a mille fleur d'Uccle rooster from them last year and was very disappointed with him, not that he was unhealthy or anything, but his coloring was all full, and and several of his chicks hatched with genetic defects and where not very thrifty.

I'm not saying this was really the hatchery's fault, but I have NEVER had those problems before. I think they have grown so much over the last few years, that the quality of their birds has gone sadly down hill.

 

[JFreeman]

I am making three new orders this year. An order of ducklings arriving next week from McMurray, and the other two orders are from Meyer, goslings arriving in April and chicks arriving in July. I have had to call Meyer once, and the customer service was a huge improvement. I also IMed back and forth, and the lady I chatted with was very helpful. I also had to call McMurray and spoke to different people. Everyone was very nice. I have high hopes because this is my first waterfowl order.

 

[whirlwind2357]

I have never ordered from Meyer, but even though i have heard really good stories about MMM, I have had awful luck with them. Last year I ordered 15 bantams from them, set to arrive in march. They postponed my order till the end of April. Then, one day they arrived and I opened up a box of dead chicks. Customer service was good, and they shipped out my replacement order immediately. All of those chicks were dead as well. I would not order from them again.

 

[JFreeman]

I have never ordered from Meyer, but even though i have heard really good stories about MMM, I have had awful luck with them. Last year I ordered 15 bantams from them, set to arrive in march. They postponed my order till the end of April. Then, one day they arrived and I opened up a box of dead chicks. Customer service was good, and they shipped out my replacement order immediately.  All of those chicks were dead as well. I would not order from them again.

Any idea what happened? I just got an order of 16 ducklings from them last week. 3 died, but they are sending me replacements this week.

 

[whirlwind2357]

I never really found out; after having to orders of chicks die i got my money refunded, and found some local chicks. I would have gotten the local ones originally, but I wanted a certain breed that I could not find locally.

 

[JFreeman]

I'm sorry you had such rotten luck with them... I have had good luck with Meyer though. They send cold month orders with heat packs, and McMurray doesn't. I think that was the reason our last year's February order went south... Several died, mostly of one particular breed, the Speckled Sussex.

 

[blucoondawg]

I have ordered twice from Murray and have not had trouble with chicks being dead however I don't like their shipping policy as both times they shipped my birds late on a Friday so I was guaranteed over the weekend shipping which had me worried but the chicks were fine, last time the postal service called from their sorting center on a Saturday and I ran and got them however that sorting plant has since been closed so now my birds will have to wait the full shipping time. I always choose delivery after the cold weather is over and before the hottest weather. I also tend to blame some of the mortality on the USPS not taking proper care of handling the chicks not so much the hatchery stock.