It's been a mixed bag for me this year. Ordered 5 Cream Legbar cockerels and 15 CL pullets from McMurray hatchery along with a 2 RIR pullets, 2 Whiting True Green pullets and 2 Dominique pullets.
First, I was delayed 2 weeks because they didn't have enough chicks hatch. No big deal, I was prepared to wait. But when they finally shipped, I was shorted 7 CL pullets! They were replaced by free males, I think White Leghorn males.
The problem with this is that I asked for no substitutions but they were essentially substituting male White Leghorns for the female CL. They did not call or ask if I would like to wait another couple weeks (which I would have).
I called them and asked for them to send the other 7 on a different week, which posed a bit of a problem because CL are sold out for the rest of the year. It wasn't until I reached a supervisor did they agree to send a make-up order.
But now, I am wishing I hadn't because every single one of the CL is fantastically slow growing, have droopy wings and are in general lacking in vigor. 3 from the first order died within 72 hours. The same thing occured with 2 from the make-up order. Another from the make-up order was the same size at 3 weeks as a day-old chick. My surviving RIR "pullet" (after I lost the other one to some incidents with a scrub jay), turned out to be a cockerel.
Very disappointing.
On the other hand, I am pleased with Cackle hatchery so far. I ordered 25 Buff Orpingtons (straight run) and they sent 27. All arrived on time, within 2 days of shipment. No birds have died, and it looks like most of them are pullets.
I also ordered 10 goslings from Metzer farms. I am pleased with the goslings themselves, but the shipment was very stressful! I did not receive my goslings until the 4th day. Tracking said "In Transit" with no updates. Amazingly, all of the goslings were alive upon arrival, though two have passed since then.
It's a bit ironic, because the chicks from Cackle and McMurray were delivered within 2 days to Southern California coming from the Mid West, but they couldn't get the goslings from Northern California to southern in time! The goslings themselves are doing awesome though, every one is growing at an incredible pace and they have such personalities.
So there, that's my (long) post about my experiences so far this year.
would have ordered directly from it. Got email order confirmation with a ship date of April 3. Actual ship date was April 4 (not a big deal) took the same amount of time for the chicks to get to NY from PA as the turkeys from MO. 
26 happy healthy chicks arrived Thursday morning, all still alive.
