Trust

[DAO6603]

Who do you trust more for quality birds, a local breeder or farm or a big national hatchery?

 

[Theorrin]

Depends on the people running the local breeders/farm and the big hatcheries. Some are amazing while other are shady. I've never had an issue with Strombergs but have had issues with Hoover's. I've had issues with local farms but others have been better than the hatcheries.

 

[nuthatched]

It depends what you want.
Certain show or high quality breeds are only available with breeder, but I would not buy from breeder without npip certification. breeders clubs websites are good for finding them
If you just want decent quality birds, I'd pick a major hatchery, smaller hatcheries can go either way.
McMurray.
Mt. Healthy
Cackle Hatchery
Ideal
Meyers
Strombergs
Privet
All have decent, Hatchery quality birds.
Hoovers tends to be lack luster.

 

[SourRoses]

Breeders, absolutely.

Hatcheries are all about making money, they only do the minimum necessary. Few of their birds look like they're supposed to.

Breeders are in it because they love their birds. They almost always have put more into it than they plan to get out of it. They work towards quality.
I always check reviews and read their policies carefully, though.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I've had good and bad with local breeders, one bad experience with a small hatchery and all good with Privett. Therefore, I always go with Privett. But that's just me, doesn't mean everyone has the same experience.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It depends on what you mean by quality birds.

If you're talking dependable layers or decent meat birds, then a hatchery will give you that.

If you're talking exhibition quality or quality aligning with the standard for the breed, breeders for sure. Even national hatcheries that claim they have heritage or exhibition lines are still breeding those lines to fill many, many orders. That means less focus is put on each individual bird in the breeding flock and more on producing chicks out of them to sell, so birds of lesser quality remain in the gene pool because they need so many eggs to put in the incubator each week. Some breeders get like this as well, pumping out chicks to make money rather than for the passion of breeding quality birds and producing more quality birds, so you do need to do your research before settling on buying from a breeder just because they're a breeder rather than a hatchery. But if you can find a breeder of your chosen breed that really knows their stuff and has that passion for their breed, they and their birds are worth their weight in gold. And if you can find them locally, all the better!