SlipsWife, bigger most certainly does not mean better. I bought white Rocks from a "master" breeder who won the Stockton PPBA show some years ago. Not knowing what I know now, these birds looked large and impressive then. I came to find out later they were larger than average. They were large, clumsy birds that all died in a 2 year period, were poor layers, and certainly not because of poor husbandry, improper diet, or mixing with other birds. There are people, out of ignorance or personal agenda, that will claim all hatchery birds are inferior to birds coming from private breeders. There are good hatcheries and bad ones. There are good private breeders and bad ones. I can say I've never received bad stock from Privett, but have from some other hatcheries. Much depends on the parent stock, nutritional program of breeders, but other factors play a part such as what time of year chicks are ordered, and the distance/time in shipment. Early stress on chicks can compromise much including growth. Not feeding birds properly for those first 9 months of life can also make a difference in the end result at maturity.
