OK, new question.. Are all hatcheries created equal?

[AZKat]

For what its worth, the chicks I ordered from My Pet Chicken are all healthy little birds, although they are only five months old. Before I ordered from them, I read lots of reviews, and most people commented favorably on the health of the bird and several remarked that the birds from MPC and Meyer (which is where MPC gets their chicks) are better quality than one gets from other hatcheries.

 

[CHIC]

Well, I just ordered some from MPC scheduled to be shipped on Monday. Do you have any pics of yours? I guess we will see how it goes

 

[Katy]

I think most hatcheries are pretty much the same. One thing I'd like to see become a rule that they have to go by is that they have to post pictures of their own birds...not pictures of birds that didn't even come from their birds!! To me that is false advertising and shouldn't be allowed. It leads people to think they're getting something they more than likely are not.

 

[faykokoWV]

Quote:
Very good point!

 

[Got5Chicks]

Quote:
I think most people have enough common sense to know that the majority of pictures posted by hatcheries are representations of the breed. I don't perceive this as some sort of major offense that requires legislation....... I really don't see it as much different than buying my vegetables and Fall bulbs from a company that shows prize winning roses on the cover...... Is this some sort of deception?.. MY roses don't look as great as theirs do...?
no........ I have enough good sense to realized that what I was looking at was a prime representation.....
False advertising?........c'mon.................

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I think most people have enough common sense to know that the majority of pictures posted by hatcheries are representations of the breed. I don't perceive this as some sort of major offense that requires legislation....... I really don't see it as much different than buying my vegetables and Fall bulbs from a company that shows prize winning roses on the cover...... Is this some sort of deception?.. MY roses don't look as great as theirs do...?
no........ I have enough good sense to realized that what I was looking at was a prime representation.....
False advertising?........c'mon.................

I really don't think a lot of people new to chickens realize it.

The difference I see between your flowers and vegetables is you have some control how they grow and turn out. Water, fertilize and prune them the right way and they could very well look like the picture in the seed catalog. On the other hand the person who ordered chicks really has no control over how their feather color, lacing or egg color turns out no matter how they raise them.
To me that is false advertising.....showing one thing and selling another.

 

[aussieheelr]

Privitt states on their page that the pictures are of their own stock. If that's what you're looking for.
I highly doubt that anyone that is going to take showing poultry is going to order from a hatchery or buy from a feed store. That would be like getting a dog labled golden retriever at the shelter and showing it ya know?
Doesn't mean they can't be a good dog/bird just not "cream of the crop"

 

[Rex Mom]

I'm hoping this thread is still active... I was looking into ordering from MPC but wanted to find out how much it is with a small order (thinking of a total of 8). They don't give much info on how much shipping costs are in relation to the amount ordered. I know it's late in the year.. but I enjoy my Buff Orps eggs and would like the prospect of more eggs. The Cochins are pretty but have yet to lay, which is my fault for believing what I read on the hatchery sites. It was before I belong to different chicken groups. This time I want to add some Australorps... they seem like they would be what I'm looking for.

Susan

 

[CHIC]

MPC will only ship small orders to major cities.... Maybe you could find somebody to split an order with. That way you could get a better deal. Also they are running some great deals right now. I'm getting my rainbow layers asst tomorrow. I got 25 for 41.50 with no shipping! They also have BR and RIR for the same deal. You should check into that. I'll let you know how mine goes.