Poultry Hollow Hatchery Experience and Poultry Hollow Hatchery Chick "Growth Chart" (PIC HEAVY)

[Lots A Cluckin]

That is great that you had a good experience...maybe we got them on a bad day I don't know but...the odor was not that bad...it was what I expected...but I do think they need to keep there breeds of chicks separated and breed their grown chickens to their alike color

 

[ChickChicHurray]

I went yesterday (5/6/2012) to Poulty Hollow (The long one lane road was an adventure) The smell was very bad, it was a hot day. Lots of birds missing feathers running around, and flys OMG, two adorable little goats. The lady was over an hour late showing up, we were told over the phone to look around. We looked in one row of brooders in the barn, they had mixed breeds in each brooder which were very hot under the lamps. We saw a couple of dead chicks in one of the brooders. I did not check out the rest of the barn because it was just too dusty and smelly. When she arrived she said she was taking a nap, she took us into the barn to look in the brooders. This was my first visit to a hatchery so I cannot compare, my babies were dirty when I got them and all I could think of was "you are going to a better place". I sure did not want to drive 6 hours plus wait around for another hour+ for nothing, so I did buy.

I really want to visit another hatchery now so I can see what it is like, there is NO biosecurity at this place. If you are NPIP certified ( I do not see how this place could be) I would think customers would not be allowed with the chicks, holding boxes and walking around. Is it once certified, always certified??? There should be a website customers can go to to see date and scores of inspections, just like restaurants. If there is, I sure would like to see it.

My babies survived the night and are eating and drinking fine this morning, they are in quarantine and I am hoping for the best. I did see a Myer Hatchery catalog there and she went to it to get the price of my birds so that leads me to believe they order their birds in bulk.

I have seen where Poulry Hollow has responded to some of the negative comments about them, THIS IS MY VISIT AND WHAT I SAW. I wonder if the "Good" reviews are from them??? mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
.

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

she said she was taking a nap!! lol dont they realize that napping while they know that someone is there wanting some chicks is giving them a bad name...If we would have had an hour by our selves we would have looked every where we could...like down that hill where the pond was just to see what condition their birds where in....but we saw enough that will never buy from them again...we only saw what was in the barn and that was plenty enough to decide that we would never buy from them again...but we were in the same place you were though we did not have to drive 6 hours, we drove 1hr 20min but still it is a long drive to go up there and not buy any thing....but thankfully all of our chicks seem to be doing fine.

 

[Gryphon]

This is my first post on byc, although I've been lurking a while. Been meaning to join up for a while but this thread gave me the kick in the pants to do so.

I fully know how frustrating it is to invest so much time, miles, and excitement only to be let down in the end and have nothing to show for it, but the next time you're in this kind of situation I ask you to rethink giving money to people who are doing a job you don't approve of.

I work in a small business at a frame shop. If a potential customer came in, frowned and wandered around but in the end bought something, I would assume they were just in a bad mood or something. If, however, that person came in and started a discussion about how they were interested in getting a frame from us, and were even referred to us by a friend, but they're really concerned with us leaving broken glass laying about and they won't spend their money in such a place. (We don't have anything like that, just using our store for illustrative purposes) Then I see them walk away with their money. I would have to look around and say to myself, "Do they have a legitimate point, or are they just loony?" One person I might be able to dismiss, but two? Three?

For all you know you'd be helping them out. It sounds like they started off decent enough, but maybe something happened. Maybe they hired someone who's not doing as good a job as they should. Maybe when they started out it was all fun and games, but it's no longer such a good idea. Maybe things got a little crazy and there's too many birds to properly take care of and they just haven't realized it yet. In any case, it sounds like what they're doing right now isn't good, and it needs to be brought to their attention. You don't have to be mean, vulgar, or cruel, but it sends a very clear message when your wallet walks away without opening.

Hope everyone's still awake after reading that novel...

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

I realize it is just helping them stay in business but sometimes it is just hard to leave those poor little babies in that condition...and that is the only local hatchery in TN that I know of....if there are any more hatcheries or breeders that have several different breeds I would love to know about them.

 

[GableBabble]

There is one in friendship TN. I'll have to find the link and repost it





err: http://www.myerspoultry.com/ and is not in TN sorry

 

[Gryphon]

Cluckin', you're right it is a very hard and sad thing to leave helpless animals in such conditions, but the fact is you gave them money so they can put MORE chicks into that position. I see that a lot with rescue horses. Some groups will race to auctions and buy the horses FROM the kill buyers. Then the kill buyers turn around and buy twice as many horses to go to slaughter. It's not only not helping stop what the people disagree with, it's actually making it worse.

I wonder if writing to that hatchery about your concerns would help at all. If nothing else, you can say that you tried. As for where to get your chicks, is it possible to post a wanted ad on craigslist, and that you'd like to view the conditions the chicks are in before purchasing? Who knows, maybe you'd meet a fellow enthusiast.

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

Lakenvelder #2 as never been in great shape...has always had droopy wings and wanted to sleep all the time...but now he is even worse....he is so weak he barely has the energy to walk...when we tries to stand he falls right back down...he sits on his butt like he is squatting...we gave all of them Save-a-chick and antibiotics for the first 4 days(we gave the antibiotics because we were not sure what kind of illnesses they had from the hatchery) and today was the first day off of them now they all just have plain water..not sure what is wrong with him but whatever it is, it's from the hatchery because he has been doing this from the time we got him...tonight I gave him some scrambled eggs I had to feed it to him I opened his beak and put on the middle of his tongue and he swallowed it by him self I also gave him 3-4 really good drinks of plain water by dipping the tip of his beak into the water...he kind of seems to be doing better he is kicking more when I am holding him and chirping when I try to feed him or give him a drink..So I am hoping for the best...but am expecting the worst since he is so week and cannot seem to eat and drink on his own...I will let you know how it goes tonight, in the morning

 

[Gryphon]

Good luck! The small hours of the night are always the most dangerous for sickly things. If he's still there in the morning, you have a good chance with a lot of care to swing him around. I hope you hear peeping in the morning from him.

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

right now he seems to be the same as last night....I gave him another drink of water and I am going to fix him another egg and also fix some warm sugar water and see if that helps.