Which hatchery should I use?

[ronniewayne]

I have gotten chicks from several hatcherys mcmurry, ideal, central hatchery, mt healthy, privet, and the last I got were from sandhill preservation center who as someone stated try to keep the breeds as close to standard as possible. they really went the extra mile for customer service for me. 2 factors for you though might be what breeds do you want? and where are you located? the closer the hatchery the better generally speaking... good luck

 

[ederob]

I live in Louisiana. I want rare breeds, some you don't see everyday. Phoenix, Rhode Island White, Houdan's, Polish, Frizzle's D'uccle's, and stuff like that. I also want some common breeds, Wyandotte's, Cochin, Silkie's, and others. Thank you! : )

 

[dealfinder500]

I live in Louisiana. I want rare breeds, some you don't see everyday. Phoenix, Rhode Island White, Houdan's, Polish, Frizzle's D'uccle's, and stuff like that. I also want some common breeds, Wyandotte's, Cochin, Silkie's, and others. Thank you! : )

How many are you looking for?

If you want a good variety, and don't mind a bunch, try out Cackle's Cackle Surprise. It's $60.95. You get a huge assortment. They guarentee you'll get 40 live birds, but most people get more than that. I've gotten two of them already (and my third next week). I got 54 chickens, 2 ducks and a turkey the first batch, and 48 chicks and 2 ducks in the second. If you only want chicks you can leave a note in the comments when you checkout that you only want chicks, no ducks or anything.

The variety you get is amazing! I got several silkies, several polish, a pair of houdans, many cochins, a pair of Egyptian Faoumi's, several Old English Game Birds, some Easter Eggers, some Barred Rocks, and a few phoenixes. Plenty more, too. I've sold a lot of them!

If you don't want that many, you can try Ideal's surprise assortments. Right now they are $1.25 for straight run and $1.75 for pullets, minimum 25 birds. They also have a bantam assortment.

 

[Michael OShay]

Hi!!! I am ordering some chicks and was wondering which hatchery is the best and most reliable. This is my first time ordering chicks, so I am a little worried I might bring a disease to my flock. I have raised a bunch of chicks my hens hatched, but I have never ordered any. So any tips would help! Thank you!!!

It depends partly on where you are located. It's probably best not to have your chicks shipped any farther than is necessary. I have ordered from four hatcheries over the years--Dunlap Hatchery (Idaho), Murray McMurray Hatchery (Iowa), Cackle Hatchery (Missouri), and Ideal Poultry (Texas) and have been satisfied with all of them (both service and birds). I highly recommend Dunlap Hatchery (assuming they have the breeds you want; they are a smaller hatchery than the other three) as I love their service and birds.

 

[ederob]

Quote:

How many are you looking for?

If you want a good variety, and don't mind a bunch, try out Cackle's Cackle Surprise. It's $60.95. You get a huge assortment. They guarentee you'll get 40 live birds, but most people get more than that. I've gotten two of them already (and my third next week). I got 54 chickens, 2 ducks and a turkey the first batch, and 48 chicks and 2 ducks in the second. If you only want chicks you can leave a note in the comments when you checkout that you only want chicks, no ducks or anything.

The variety you get is amazing! I got several silkies, several polish, a pair of houdans, many cochins, a pair of Egyptian Faoumi's, several Old English Game Birds, some Easter Eggers, some Barred Rocks, and a few phoenixes. Plenty more, too. I've sold a lot of them!

If you don't want that many, you can try Ideal's surprise assortments. Right now they are $1.25 for straight run and $1.75 for pullets, minimum 25 birds. They also have a bantam assortment.

The Cackle Surprise sound great! I might look into ordering that! Thank you for sharing!

It depends partly on where you are located. It's probably best not to have your chicks shipped any farther than is necessary. I have ordered from four hatcheries over the years--Dunlap Hatchery (Idaho), Murray McMurray Hatchery (Iowa), Cackle Hatchery (Missouri), and Ideal Poultry (Texas) and have been satisfied with all of them (both service and birds). I highly recommend Dunlap Hatchery (assuming they have the breeds you want; they are a smaller hatchery than the other three) as I love their service and birds.

Since I am in LA Ideal Hatchery is the closest. Thank you for sharing all of them with me! Y'all have been so helpful!

 

[subhanalah]

Quote:
The Cackle Surprise sound great!  I might look into ordering that!  Thank you for sharing!



Since I am in LA Ideal Hatchery is the closest.  Thank you for sharing all of them with me!  Y'all have been so helpful!

they have 15 pullets assorted heavy breeds for 29.99.

 

[Michael OShay]

Quote:
The Cackle Surprise sound great! I might look into ordering that! Thank you for sharing!


Since I am in LA Ideal Hatchery is the closest. Thank you for sharing all of them with me! Y'all have been so helpful!

Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, Idaho is probably actually a bit closer than Ideal. They are not as big a hatchery (so their breed selection will not be as large), but I've ordered from both hatcheries more than once and Dunlap's service and birds are every bit as good as Ideals. The folks at Dunlap are very friendly and helpful and I have never lost a single chick that I ordered from Dunlap (I have lost a couple from Ideal).

 

[ederob]

Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, Idaho is probably actually a bit closer than Ideal. They are not as big a hatchery (so their breed selection will not be as large), but I've ordered from both hatcheries more than once and Dunlap's service and birds are every bit as good as Ideals. The folks at Dunlap are very friendly and helpful and I have never lost a single chick that I ordered from Dunlap (I have lost a couple from Ideal).

Thank you, but Idaho is not closer to Louisiana than Texas.

 

[subhanalah]

Idaho is far from everything.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thank you, but Idaho is not closer to Louisiana than Texas.

My bad. My mind played tricks on me thinking that LA was Los Angeles. )