Where do hatcheries get their chicks?

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Dont be so sure of that. If a farm is supplying a hatchery with chicks they most lickly are only raising a couple breeds at most. I would think they would all be free range or at least a rotating free range to help supplement the feed cost of the hens.
 
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seems like 75% or maybe even more "hatcheries" now a days dont even own a single bird. They all are just selling the TRUE hatcheries birds and marking them up.

But yes, those that do have thousands of them, never seen one in person, most likely some really nice ones, and like anything else, most likely some horrid ones. Personally I no longer buy from any of them, all breeder stock for me

I've never ordered from a hatchery, but I know that some of the birds I bought from a feedstore came from those big name hatcheries, and I don't know that I like it. Especially when the quality of the birds is considered "hatchery quality" and not "breeder quality"
 
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Dont be so sure of that. If a farm is supplying a hatchery with chicks they most lickly are only raising a couple breeds at most. I would think they would all be free range or at least a rotating free range to help supplement the feed cost of the hens.

I guess I'm basing my opinion on the sheer numbers of chicks being produced.
 
If hatcheries all had happy, free-ranging flocks the cost for chicks would be a lot more then they presently are. The point of a hatchery is to get inexpensive chicks. In order for them to be cheap, they have to be produced cheaply. A free-ranging flock is not practical for a large hatchery like Ideal or McMurray.
 
I watched one of the few Martha Stewart shows that i've watched that was about raising chickens. Apparently Martha Stewart don't know it all but she did have part of the show at a hatchery. I don't remember which one it was but they have chickens in separate houses according to breed that lay eggs in nest boxes that the floor is actually a conveyer belt. The eggs are collected and put in this huge incubator that would make us all drool. The eggs are put in these carts that hold many shelves with turners. And when it's time they all should hatch they remove the carts and take the chicks out and put them in different trays. As orders are filled they're removed from the trays and put in the shipping box. If the buyer wants them vaccinated they put the chick to this thing that looks like a big staple gun and push a button. The chicks are handled as if they aren't living breathing creatures but more like objects.

I'm sure the chicks that get homes are grateful for the TLC. That is if their new owners are caring.

I saw on a different show several years ago that hatchery chicks that don't get bought are just tossed in a large vat on top of each other as if they're scrap pieces of meat and ground up for dog and cat food.
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I cried and cried when I saw that. So cruel to treat babies that way.

Maybe not all hatcheries don't keep chickens but it seems if they don't hatch them they shouldn't be able to be called a "hatchery".

BTW, after the "hatchery" boxed Martha's chicks she proceeded to instruct how to house and care for them. She had a nice immaculate coop. It looked as if it was just built and had the healthiest birds put in it. There was a separate small room where there where hanging heat lamps. She pulled out newspaper and instructed it was the best to keep new chicks on.

Thats when I turned it. Anybody that has raised chicks should know not to use newspapers. They're too slick and can cause spraddle leg. I would think she would instruct people to use wood shavings or something very expensive. But newspaper?
 
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Yea, ok, but what are those "farms" like? I KNOW they aren't chickens clucking around free range and happy.

they acually do free range.

And who is "they"? EVERY hatchery used by those big name chick sellers has happy free range birds? Id bet not.
 
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Id be very suprised if Martha Stewart ever atually raised her own chicks. Or built her own coop for thag matter. I wouldnt take her word on anything chicken related other than ways to decorate with chickens or liven up a chicken dinner
 
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