I'll be getting ready to order chicks here within the next month. I was leaning towards ordering from Ideal but I don't know. What hatchery do you prefer? Also, I'm thinking of just getting a mix of standard pullets. Has any one gotten a batch? What kind of breeds did you get? Was it a good assortment?
I got the Rainbow Layers from McMurray. I ordered 29... got one free. Out of the 30, 11 died from day 4 through day 9. One that died was a gorgeous blue chick. They somehow had a disease that got going but I fed them milk with Erythromycin and the others that were sick got better and thrived. I've been adding a little sugar to their water and they are a little hyper when I do that. Of the remaining 19. I have 4 Arucanas. 4 RIR or Red Stars. ( 7 of the 11 that died were these) 1 Black Star 8 Barred Rocks.. .these are developing much more slowly than the others. 2 White colored chicks that I have no clue what they are. One is developing white feathers, the other looks like it's developing black and white barrs. I hoped that they were white rocks or delawares. All were supposed to be pullets but it appears that I've got at least 3 or 4 boys among them. They are almost getting too big for the brooder... I've added other boxes to the one big box but I'm keep the temp between 80 and 95 and they have cool, shaded areas to go to in the heat of the day, (I put the brooder in the coop from day 3 on) They are eating and pooping machines and I'm always cleaning!
We ordered 25 BO fro Murray McMurray and we recieved 26 plus a rare all 27 survied until week four one died when we moved it to the coop it looked like it got squashed by the others, six my husband culled because we thought they had major leg problems, come to find out it was splayed leg(our first batch of chicks who knew) just found out I could have maybe saved them if I got on here sooner! We are now on week 11 with the BO and they seem to be doing fine. We are on week 2 with a new set of the cornish x rocks (we ordered 25 got 26 plus a rare breed) they all seem to be doing well no splayed leg yet this time! Here's hopin they stay well....... Can't wait for the homegrown eggs!!!!!
This is my first time ordering chicks. I ordered from Estes. I liked them because they were so personable and I got emails from Judy Estes herself. I wasn't just another customer. They knew us by name. I originally ordered 25 Barred Rocks. Well, after a little research (and lurking here) I decided that I didn't just want Barred Rocks. So even with the payment pending, I emailed and asked if I could change my order since the hatch dates were 2 weeks away. I changed my order to what I received two days ago: 3 Americaunas, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Cuckoo Marans, 8 Barred Rock pullets, 10 Barred Rock cockrells. I got 4 extras. And even though I asked for Cuckoo Maran pullets they only sold straight run but Judy said that she would try to get me pullets. Of course I won't know for many weeks I'm sure, but still. My order ended up costing $15 more and she just asked me to send her a check for the balance. The service was outstanding! The chicks are beautiful. Of course I've only had them 3 days and we will have to see how their health is as the days go by, but so far, I will definitely call Estes next time I order chicks.
I suggest you order from a hatchery that is pretty close to you. It can be very stressful for the chicks to travel over long distances. I've ordered from Ideal twice and be extremely happy both times. But they are just a few hours from us. Our broilers for FFA came from Ideal also. They have been pretty healthy too. I bought chicks at TSC that came from Privett and they have done really good! Most hatcheries are good. They send healthy chicks because they want to stay in business. I just prefer to order from the closest one to make the whole event quicker and less stressful.
I recently ordered from Ideal and all 30 chicks are healthy and strong. I haven't lost one. Very happy with my order! But I also chose Ideal because they are in Texas and so am I. I didn't want my chicks to have to travel a long distance.