For a few years now, I have been wanting to add Black Copper Marans to my existing flock, but I am forever lured in by the plaintive chirps of the TSC chick bins. This year, I FINALLY withstood the temptation and placed an order for BCMs from The Chick Hatchery. Decided to get some Crested Cream Legbars as well, since I have a fair number of green eggs these days but am lacking in the blue department. They had a 3/breed order minimum, so even though I really only wanted 2 BCMs and 2 CCL I ordered 6 sexed pullets. Since I haven’t found any feedback on this hatchery on the forum, I thought I’d start a thread about it for others who might be thinking of ordering from them.
Pros: My order was fulfilled right around the date I requested that chicks be shipped. I was able to add on vaccination for each chick, as I had forgotten to request it at the time of purchase. The chicks arrived 2 days after shipping, and were packaged up securely, with a heat source and gel hydration, plus a big note on the box for the post office to call me upon arrival (I live in a small town and had already asked the postmaster to do so, but was glad the hatchery did that). They sent one extra of each breed, and the chicks were all alive and seem quite healthy.
Cons: The chicks are very much hatchery quality, with the BCMs showing quite a bit of white on their feathers that are coming in. I know this may change once they get their adult feathers completely in, and it’s not like I plan to show them or anything, but I was a bit disappointed by that. More concerning is the coloration of my CCLs, as I truly cannot tell whether they are in fact the pullets I paid for. From what I have read, the female chicks are dark in color and lack light spotting on their heads, while males are lighter with spots. I got 2 dark chicks with spots and 2 light chicks without, so I feel like I have to play the “wait and see” game now, which I was trying to avoid, and it makes me question the sex of the BCMs as well. At least if I chose the chicks myself, I’d be able to choose less questionably colored birds.
So, that’s my story for now - I mean, I got healthy chicks in the breeds I wanted, so overall a net positive. I’ll update this thread periodically with their sexes and development so maybe it will help others decide whether they want to place orders at this hatchery.
Pros: My order was fulfilled right around the date I requested that chicks be shipped. I was able to add on vaccination for each chick, as I had forgotten to request it at the time of purchase. The chicks arrived 2 days after shipping, and were packaged up securely, with a heat source and gel hydration, plus a big note on the box for the post office to call me upon arrival (I live in a small town and had already asked the postmaster to do so, but was glad the hatchery did that). They sent one extra of each breed, and the chicks were all alive and seem quite healthy.
Cons: The chicks are very much hatchery quality, with the BCMs showing quite a bit of white on their feathers that are coming in. I know this may change once they get their adult feathers completely in, and it’s not like I plan to show them or anything, but I was a bit disappointed by that. More concerning is the coloration of my CCLs, as I truly cannot tell whether they are in fact the pullets I paid for. From what I have read, the female chicks are dark in color and lack light spotting on their heads, while males are lighter with spots. I got 2 dark chicks with spots and 2 light chicks without, so I feel like I have to play the “wait and see” game now, which I was trying to avoid, and it makes me question the sex of the BCMs as well. At least if I chose the chicks myself, I’d be able to choose less questionably colored birds.
So, that’s my story for now - I mean, I got healthy chicks in the breeds I wanted, so overall a net positive. I’ll update this thread periodically with their sexes and development so maybe it will help others decide whether they want to place orders at this hatchery.
