The best hatcheries

[GitaBooks]

Guinea Farm

Blonde
Bronze
Brown
Buff
Buff Dundotte
Chocolate
Coral Blue
Jumbo
Ivory
Lavender
Lilac Blue
Lite Lavender
Opaline
Pastel
Pearl Grey
Pewter
Pied
Pinto
Porcelain
Powder Blue
Royal Purple
Slate
Sky Blue
Violet
White

Assorted Keets
Fancy Assorted Keets
Rare Assorted Keets

 

[GitaBooks]

My Pet Chicken

Lots of people buy small batches of chicks form here to keep as city and suburb pets and it seems to be a great place.

Ancona
Appenzeller Spitzhauben
Australorp
Barnevelder: Double-laced
Black Jersey Giant
Blue Ameraucana
Blue Andalusian
Blue Favaucana
Brahma: Buff, Light
Buckeye
Campine: Golden
Chantecler: Buff
Cochin: Blue, Patridge, Silver Laced, White
Cornish: Dark
Cream Legbar
Delaware
Dominique
Easter Egger
Egyptian Fayoumi
Hamburg: Blue, Silver Spangled
Lakenvelder: Golden, Silver
Leghorn: Exchequer, Light Brown, White
Maran: Black Copper, Blue Copper, Blue Splash, Golden Cuckoo, Silver Suckoo, White
New Hampshire Red
Red Star (Golden Buff)
Sumatra: Black
Olive Egger
Orpington: Buff, Blue
Partridge Penedesenca
Plymouth Rock: Barred, Patridge, White
Polish: Golden Laced, Silver Laced, White Crested Black, White Crested Blue
Rhode Island Red
Salmon Faverolle
Sicilian Buttercup
Silver Grey Dorking
Speckled Sussex
Wheaten Favacauna
White Sultan
Wyandotte: Blue Laced Red, Columbian, Golden Laced, Silver Laced

Surplus Brown Egg Layer
Assorted Brown Egg Layer - Standard
Assorted Polish
Assorted Rare Breeds
Hatch Day mystery Chick (or Poult)
Rare Marans Collection


BANTAMS
Barred Plymouth Rock
Brahma: Buff
Cochin: Black Frizzle, Mottled
D'Uccle: Mille Fleur
Easter Egger
Silkie: Black, Blue, Buff, Patridge, White
Welsummer Bantam
White Crested Black Polish

Assorted Bantams
Assorted Feather-Legged Bantam
Assorted Non-Feather-Legged Bantam
Assorted Silkie Bantams



HATCHING
Biefelder
Black Copper Maran
Blue Isbar
Fun and Funky Assortment
Heritage Dominiques
Intense Egg Colors
Jubilee Orpington
L.C. Niederrheiner
Livin' on the Edge
Ultra Rare Assortment
Hatching Eggs for Education
Assorted Bantam Eggs
Barred Plymouth Rock
Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
Buff Orpington
Cream Legbar
Easter Egger
Instant Gratification Collection
New hampshire
Olive Egger
Partridge Plymouth Rock
Serama (assorted colors)
Speckled Sussex
Standard Assortment
White Plymouth Rock

 

[GitaBooks]

Mt. Healthy Hatchery

I have heard mixed reviews on this, with some saying it is terrible, others saying it is great. There is a concern about a salmonella outbreak in this hatchery, but likely if you order from them the chicks will be healthy.

CHICKENS
Easter Egger (they call them Araucanas/Ameraucnas)
Barred Plymouth Rock
Black Australorp
Black Giant
Black Star
Buckeye
Buff Orpington
Cornish Rock Cross
Comet Chicken
Golden Laced Wyandotte
Silver Laced Wyandotte
Rhode Island Red
White Silkie Bantam

Assorted Heavy chickens
Assorted Bantams
American Meat Makers -- Surplus chicks
Super X Special -- Surplus chicks
Heavy Combo Bargain #3 - Surplus chicks


DUCKS
Giant White Pekin
Mallard Duckling
Khaki Campbell Duckling
Indian Runner Duckling
Rouen Duckling

TURKEYS
Broad Breasted White
Mammoth Bronze

GAME BIRDS
Ringneck Pheasant
French Guinea

 

[GitaBooks]

Hoover's Hatchery

Hoover's is not a bad hatchery, but I hear that it isn't the best either, with birds suffering from diseases pretty easily. However, if you live near them it would be okay to buy from them I'd think. They have a pretty nice website, but sort of boring pictures.

CHICKENS
Asian Blue
Black Australorp
Black Star
Barred Rock
Buff Orpington
California White
Cornish Cross Broilers
Easter Egger (they call them Americana)
Isa Brown (Gold Star)
Production Red
Rainbow
Red Ranger
Rhode island Red
Silver Laced Wyandotte
White Leghorn
White Rock

Assorted Heavy (Brown Egg layers)

BANTAMS
Bantams

DUCKS
Pekin
Rouen
Mallard
Indian Runner Duck

Hatchery Choice Ducks

GEESE
Embden
Toulouse
White Chinese
African Goose

TURKEY
Bronze Turkey
Bourbon Red
Eastern Wild
White Turkey

PHEASANT
Ringneck Pheasants
Melanistic Mutant Pheasants

GUINEA
Pearl
Assorted Guinea Keets

 

[GitaBooks]

Hoffman Hatchery Inc.

They don't have the best pictures or website. A few people say that costumer service seems pretty good and the birds are okay, but I hear it is a "drop-ship" hatchery and that they have poor costumer service. However, you can read more elsewhere to see other facts and opinions, as I have never ordered fro them myself.

CHICKENS
Barred Rock
Black Australorp
Black Jersey Giant
Black Star
Buff Orpington
Cochin: Blue, black, white, buff
Cuckoo Maran
Danish Brown Leghorn
Delaware
Dominique
Easter Egger (they call them Araucanas and Ameraucanas)
Freedom Ranger
Light Brahma
Minorca: Black or Buff
Mottled Ancona
Mottled Houdan
Naked Neck Turkey
New Hampshire Red
Polish: Buff, Silver, Golden laced or White Crested Black
Production Gold Star
Red Cornish Cross Broiler
Rhode Island Red
Silver Cross Grey Broiler
White Cornish Cross
White Laced Wyandotte
White Leghorn
White Rock

BANTAMS
(I think they have mille fluers, silver and golden duckwing OEGBs, Rhode Island reds, Buff and light Brahmas, Ester Eggers (they call them araucanas), White crested black polish, Porcelain bantam. Belgian quail, Black, white and red frizzles, rosecomb (black), White sultan, Buff and blue and black and white silkies
Fancy Bantam Assortment (could include silkies, cochins, sebrights, mille fleurs, Japanese, games, brahmas)
Assorted Silkies
Assorted Japanese Bantams (could include black, white or buff)
Assorted Cochins (could include white laced, red, dark or white)
Cochin Bantams, rainbow assortment (could include black, buff, white or blue)

DUCKS
Black Cyauga
Blue Swedish
Buff
Flying Mallard
Indian Runner
Khaki Campbell
Muscovy Ducks (white)
Pekin
Rouen

Assorted Ducklings
All Ducklings

GEESE
African
Toulouse
White Chinese
White Embden

Assorted Goslings

TURKEY
Black Spanish
Bronze (Broad breasted)
Bourbon Red
Chocolate
Royal Palm
White (broad breasted)
Wild Turkey

GUINEAS
French pearl
Lavender
Pearl
White

Assorted

GAME BIRDS
Bobwhite Quail
Chukar
Ringneck Pheasant

 

[GitaBooks]

Valley Hatchery

CHICKENS
Aseel: BB Red
Austra White
Barred Rock
Black Australorp
Black Star
Black Sumatra
Buff Orpington
Cherry Egger (Red Star)
Cinnamon Queen (Red Star)
Cochin: Blue, Partridge, White
Cuckoo Maran
Delaware
Easter Egger
Egyptian Fayoumi
German Spitzhauben
Golden Comet (Red Star)
Hamburg: Silver Spangled
Jersey Giant: Black, White
Jumbo Cornish Cross
Lakenvelder
Light Brahma
Leghorn: Brown, White
Mottled Houdan
New Hampshire
Phoenix: Gold, BB Red
Polish: Blue, Buff, Gold, Silver, White Crested Black
Production Red (Red Star)
Red Jungle Fowl
Red Sex Link (Red Star)
Saipan Jungle Fowl
Salmon Faverolle
Sicilian Buttercup
Speckled Sussex
Turken (Naked Neck)
Welsummer
White Sultan
Wyandotte: Columbian, Black Laced Cold

Small Order Egg Layer Special (hatchery choice or your own choice)
Austra White, New Hampshire, Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, Production Red, Brown Leghorn, Black Star, Buff Orpingon, red Star, Delaware, Speckled Sussex, Dominique, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Easter Egger, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Light Brahma

BANTAMS
Barred Rock
Easter Egger
Mille Fleur d'Uccle
Silkie: Black, Blue


DUCKS
Ancona
Cayuga
Khaki Campbell
Rouen
Runner: Fawn and White
Swedish: Black, Blue
Welsh Harlequin
White Pekin


GEESE
Hatchery Choice

TURKEYS
Blue Slate
Bourbon Red
Bronze Broad Breasted
Royal Palm

 

[GitaBooks]

Greenfire Farm

Beautiful, beautiful pictures, very rare breeds, amazing website. The down side? The chicks are really, really expensive!

Altsteirer
American Bresse
Ayam Cemani
Barbezieux
Barnevelder: Double Laced
Biefelder
Cream Legbar
Isbar
East Frisian Gull
Lyonnaise
Malines
Marans: Black Birchen
Marsh Daisy
Merlerault
Niederrheiner
Olandsk Dwarf
orust
Pavlovskaya
Spitzhayben
Sulmtaler
Sussex: Light
Swedish Black Hen
Swedish Flower Hen
Twentse
Wyandotte: Chocolate Laced, Lavender
Yamato Gunkei

 

[FrancesR]

I've always had good experiences with Ideal Poultry. My first order with Murray McMurray was a disaster years ago, but subsequent orders since have been just fine. Until this year, I've really liked Meyer Hatchery. Their quality is excellent, however this year all three orders were botched. I was shorted 4 buff orpingtons in one order, shorted one polish and 2 easter eggers in another, and in the third order I was supposed to get 30 polish females, but 5 or 6 are turning out to be males. I expect an odd rooster once in a while, but this is 16 to 18% error rate. At least what I've got is healthy. Sigh. Living in Hawaii means that sometimes sellers think you won't make a fuss because you live in the middle of the ocean. I called on each shortage and they credited me back, but that doesn't replace what I didn't get and I can't raise more in a late order and hope to put them all in the same coop. I couldn't order from Murray McMurray this year because they are only one county away from the avian virus so Hawaii Dept of Ag said we couldn't use them. I will return to Ideal next year. They are reliable and the birds are healthy.

 

[GitaBooks]

I've always had good experiences with Ideal Poultry. My first order with Murray McMurray was a disaster years ago, but subsequent orders since have been just fine. Until this year, I've really liked Meyer Hatchery. Their quality is excellent, however this year all three orders were botched. I was shorted 4 buff orpingtons in one order, shorted one polish and 2 easter eggers in another, and in the third order I was supposed to get 30 polish females, but 5 or 6 are turning out to be males. I expect an odd rooster once in a while, but this is 16 to 18% error rate. At least what I've got is healthy. Sigh. Living in Hawaii means that sometimes sellers think you won't make a fuss because you live in the middle of the ocean. I called on each shortage and they credited me back, but that doesn't replace what I didn't get and I can't raise more in a late order and hope to put them all in the same coop. I couldn't order from Murray McMurray this year because they are only one county away from the avian virus so Hawaii Dept of Ag said we couldn't use them. I will return to Ideal next year. They are reliable and the birds are healthy.

Thanks for the information.

Yes, bird flu has been an issue around here (we live a few states away from McMurray). We ordered from them twice this summer and so far all the chicks except one have been strong and healthy (the one we lost was put down due to neurological problems). I'm hoping to buy from both Ideal and Meyer in the future, however, I'm kind of biased because as a kid I use to dream about buying from McMurray and I would over and over again mark down all the breeds I wanted. When I finally got to buy from them, I got awesome chickens.

I will add, however, that because of Bird Flu we had to wait 3 weeks to get our first batch of chicks. We marked that it would be okay if they changed the order a little if problems came up (such as not enough chicks of certain breeds hatching) so many of our pullets turned out to be roosters. Vanda turned into Vick and Shirley into Sher Khan.

 

[CooperCarolina]

Yeah, I've always liked Cackle. Its awesome. The only reason I was hesitant to put it on my list is because the pictures were not high quality.

Thanks!

Cackle's website is not as "pretty" as some other hatcheries, but it is easy to navigate and they offer additional products and services that many others do not.

I ordered 40 Barred Rocks from Cackle Hatchery a few weeks ago and they arrived this morning. All of them arrived alive, healthy and active despite the fact that it is unseasonably cold and rainy for October in SC. The total shipping time was 2 days.

Note: we were supposed to get chicks from the Oct 7th run (the date given on their website and the one we requested.) However, they arrived a week early and we are still building their coop. Still, the fact that they arrived too soon is the only complaint that we have... and most folks would not see that as a reason to complain!

Overall, I would recommend them to others and will probably do business with them again in the spring.