Where is the best place to buy chicks?

[deborasmith]

Why avoid hoovers hatchery?

I just received my shipping of ducklings from them. 10 were dead, 1 is dying and 5 were alive, but I can’t say they are well.

 

[grizleyguy]

I just received my shipping of ducklings from them. 10 were dead, 1 is dying and 5 were alive, but I can’t say they are well.

Sorry to hear that. They shipped me 10 black Australorp pullets on Jan 4 and all are happy and well. Then I received my 10 silver laced wyandotte pullets all healthy and well 2 weeks later both from hoover through tractor supply website. Hopefully your replacement ducks won't get such a rough time in their journey from the hatchery

 

[springvalley123]

See above post. :]
Every hatchery I've seen lists the expected number and size of eggs.
Let's just say when the place you work at orders birds from hoovers and they continuously send the wrong information on the birds so you get people come in to yell at you because 'you sold them the wrong birds' and ' you should refund their money for false advertising'. You loose patience with that hatchery quickly.
Edit: personal orders are obviously a different matter, they are better at that

Actually, they don't all list the expected number nor size of the eggs. Privetts for example, lists good, better, etc and I engaged in a dialog with them to try to get integers out of them (range of number of eggs per year) and they said it was just a ranking, excellent is better than good, etc, but no hint of how many. Size of eggs? forget it. Ideal does have some numbers of eggs, possibly size too. But hoover's, you can filter on it.

 

[Shipgirl]

I just received my shipping of ducklings from them. 10 were dead, 1 is dying and 5 were alive, but I can’t say they are well.

That’s sad. I ordered a chick assortment from Hoovers that shipped Feb 1 and all 15 arrived happy and healthy. No losses. I wonder if it’s because of the weather lately that there have been issues?