What are the best hatcheries???

[dutchbunny83]

Now before you say, don't go through hatcheries go to a breeder for quality chickens...

There really aren't any around me.
I don't raise for exhibition, just for fun, but I like to different varieties of really healthy, pretty chickens.
And I like to be able to pay for pullets (though my last batch of 5 had 2 males so that didn't really work out well....)
Also, I can't hatch eggs for the life of me!

In the past I have gone through Ideal Poultry (which I like because you can have a $25 minimum without a certain number of birds or all a certain breed), but they also are the ones that just sent me 2 males.

I went through Estes Hatchery for my Americauna and Welsummer chicks I have in the brooder (though I'm convinced one of my 2 welsummers is a roo as well) as they were reccommended to me for their Americaunas (which really are beautiful).

I also went through McMurray, though they make you place a large order.


Not too familiar with the others out there, I was wondering what people thought were the best and why.

THANKS!!!!

 

[thegoodlife1961]

I've only ordered once & that was this year...just got my chicks a week ago! I had planned on ordering from either Ideal or Meyers, but never realized how quickly they sold out of the breeds I wanted! :-( Next time, I will order plenty early! Anyway, I went looking around for other hatcheries & so many insist you order a minimum of 5 per breed. Well, I wanted a nice variety of breeds & not 5 of a kind. I finally found Hoover's Hatchery out of Rudd, Iowa. You have to order a minimum of 25 chicks, but can order as few a 1 of each breed. The only other disappointment was that they don't carry as great a variety as the bigger hatcheries, but they own all their own breeding stock & had great reviews, so I placed an order. I have been very happy with them! Customer service was awesome & the chicks all arrived strong, healthy & happy. So far, we still have a 100% survival. We also got the chicks the day after they were shipped. Another bonus.. their prices were the absolute best I've found! They also sent 2 extra chicks, so I received 27 instead of 25. In pullets, I got Gold Buff ( gold sex link) , White Rocks, Buff Orpington, Barred Rocks, Ameraucana, Black Australorp, & Silver Laced Wyandotte. I ordered a Barred Rock roo & an Ameraucana roo. They tossed in an extra Ameraucana & an extra White Rock ( hopefully pullets! ).

 

[dutchbunny83]

Up until now I've had a good experience with ideal poultry.
They are reasonably priced, my birds are always healthy, and if you lose any in transit they will send more for free or refund you.

Unfortunately, my last batch with them I ordered some silkies and 5 sexed pullets (2 Wyandotts, 2 RIR, and 1 Brahma.) We recently discovered that 2 of 5 sexed pullets were males!!! I know it's not guaranteed, and they did refund me like $4 (the price for 2 chicks minus shipping), but I raised them for 10-12 weeks hardly worth my $4 back. And where we live, you can't even give roosters away, no one wants them! So I was pretty upset about that. But in general, they are my go to hatchery just because I can order a handful instead of 25....

 

[BScott03]

I just ordered Silkies and Cochins from Ideal just for fun (they're soooo cute) and then I ordered 15 Barred Rocks from Country Hatchery in Wewoka, Oklahoma for my layers

 

[cajun1]

I ordered from Dunlap. Very nice personnel on the phone. Shipped on time & in great condition.