Meyer hatchery?

[Wolfefarmyard]

Has any one ordered from Meyer hatchery before? How is the quality of the chicks? I ordered a golden cuckoo marans, speckled sussex, golden laced wyandotte, and a meal maker. Have you ordered any of these from them before? Thank you!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I ordered from them last spring and got 1each: Speckled Sussex, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Buckeye, Barred Rock, and an Easter Egger. The meal maker they sent to fill the box turned out to be a Leghorn, since everybody else I was ordering was for eggs.
My SS has a couple of curled toes, but otherwise I didn't have any problems with them. Everybody showed up alive, and has grown to adulthood. I had assumed that my meal maker was a Cornish X, and when I realized that the white chick wasn't growing fast enough or getting enough bulk, they happily went and confirmed that it was a leghorn...

ETA, don't be surprised if you have enough 'meal makers' in there to fill up the box to at least 6 chicks. They'll need the company to keep each other warm. They're affectionally known as 'popcorn'.

 

[tash]

Our current flock is all from there. The BR (current avatar) has a split beak and is the top hen. The BO is apparently a runt, she was small when we got her and I was worried she was a banty, but she topped out at 4.5lbs and has significant black on her tail now at 3 years. She is a sweetie though. The wellsummer is always broody. I picked up so I didn't get any popcorn.

Here is the runt BO when she was a baby, I can get some newer pics later.

 

[christwodog]

I have gotten two orders from them and expecting the third next week. No problems, I didn't get the breeds you mentioned but I have gotten the meal makers which were barred rocks both times. I've gotten Salmon Faveolles, Blue Ameraucanas and Barred Rocks, no complaints, all healthy.

 

[PupsNHens]

According to their site, Meyer doesn't include extras, except the meal maker if you order it. Even if you only order 3 chicks. I ordered from them for the first time last fall, though none of the breeds you listed. All healthy, all girls

 

[Frazzemrat1]

According to their site, Meyer doesn't include extras, except the meal maker if you order it. Even if you only order 3 chicks. I ordered from them for the first time last fall, though none of the breeds you listed. All healthy, all girls

I only ordered 5 girls last spring, I got an extra free ‘meal maker’ who turned out to be my leghorn.

 

[PupsNHens]

I only ordered 5 girls last spring, I got an extra free ‘meal maker’ who turned out to be my leghorn.

I've read some comments in which people said they didn't order the meal maker, but got an extra anyway. I wonder if they are so used to people taking the free chick, they don't always look very closely. I haven't personally read or heard of anyone getting more than the free meal maker on a small order. I'd be curious to know if it happens.

 

[MrsChickens]

I wanted to report my experience with Meyer Hatchery 2/2018. I ordered 10 Marans and 5 Buff Orpingtons. The chicks were shipped and received within 24 hours picked up at USPS 10:00 a.m. The outside temps were mid 60's no winds to speak of. Opening the box at home I noticed the 2 white Maran females and the 2 Blue Copper Maran females and 2 Blue Copper Maran females were VERY TINY. The Orpingtons seemed small but I had never experienced that breed. Chicks were placed in NEW brooder with 97* readings on heat lamp, puppy pads on brooder floor, Medicated starter and supplements. I ordered GroGel, probiotics/electrolytes/vitamin packs and prepared Grogel immediately presenting to the chicks - prepared water with filtered spring water room temp with feeder filled with medicated crumble. One of the white Marans was listless and would not take Grogel, water or food. That bird died by end of day. The next morning the other white Marans died. I notified Meyer, they refunded the $23 for the birds. I told them my concerns with the frail/listless condition of the 4 Blue Copper Marans. Over the course of the first week, 2 white Marans, 4 Blue Copper Marans and 1 Golden Cucko Marans femal and all five Orpington were dead. Folks that 11 chicks out of 15 dead within the first week. After the first two losses, I mixed up an ACV in second water in the brooder. Those birds failed to thrive while one Black Copper Marans male, one Golden Cuckoo Marans and one meal maker (?) have survived. Clearly Meyer mailed chicks infected with coccidiosis. I cancelled other orders with two other sources because I didn't want to loose those chicks. I wrote to Meyer expressing all this. Their response is they don't refund chicks older than 48 hrs, directed me to a book that covered coccidiosis and basically told me to pound sand. This is clearly the wrong customer service response. I plan to challenge the $197 credit card charge and will post this on all forums. Order from Meyer at your own risk. They completely failed to step up to a problem that rests solely on their hands.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I've read some comments in which people said they didn't order the meal maker, but got an extra anyway. I wonder if they are so used to people taking the free chick, they don't always look very closely. I haven't personally read or heard of anyone getting more than the free meal maker on a small order. I'd be curious to know if it happens.

My understanding is they have to ship 6 depending on the destination state. I believe Connecticut is one of those states, as TC will sell a minimum of 6.

 

[Gilbird]

We’ve always ordered from Meyer as they are a short drive away and we can pick up the chicks rather than having them shipped. We’ve always been happy with the chicks we received (we have had Golden Buffs, Marans, Australorps, Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Delawares, Campines and more). There are a couple left of our original group that have managed to escape predators and they are 8 years old.

My only small gripe is that the Jersey Giants are not really much larger than our other chickens, but I think that is to be expected with hatchery birds. Also, one of our Delaware hens was actually a roo—but that has only happened once over the past 8 years.

Our chicks are always active and healthy. I’m not sure if that would change if we had them shipped, but we have never had a problem with sick or listless chicks.

Here are a couple Marans chicks we just got. We ordered the Marans collection (3 chicks) and ended up with a Black Copper, Cuckoo and a Splash.