Who else noticed Cackle Hatchery started using ugly breed photos?

[Whittni]

Cackle Hatchery is generally known for more expensive, but better quality stock. Like any hatcheries, some varieties are a hit or a miss. For example, excellent silkies, but crappy Golden Sebrights.

I've had some really great birds from Cackles, but have noticed they started using UGLY flagship photos for many breeds, even of breeds I like from them. I do not like the watermarks in cursive either and feel like they're hurting the sale of some breeds showing what their birds should look like to customers, maybe the quality is just going down with the son taking over? Now I feel like they need updated stock videos.

Sad example, the Barred Cochin (one of their best quality varieties actually):

Current photo followed by previous that was gorgeous:

 

[nuthatched]

The watermark is because their pictures were/are being stolen and used in other hatchery/scam sites.
Also to combat a.i leaches.
Chickens aren't always cooperative when picture taking.

 

[Whittni]

It's not the photography that's the issue, it's the birds chosen are much uglier/worse quality.

 

[speckledhen]

I agree about the pictures. I was personally put off by their stock photos, just went through the site yesterday (Oct 23). They show very substandard birds, IMO. Their Delaware and Barred Rocks, both breeds I kept for many years through breeder hatching eggs, are awful-looking in the pictures, the rattiest looking things. It was like they took a lot of those photos when the birds were molting, they looked so bad, but not just that. The combs on these roosters are terrible. Those representations would never make me want to buy from them. The exhibition type lines have much better photos, but their avg ones are awful, esp on some breeds.

Just adding an FYI here. Aside from their sucky photos, I had/still have both Easter Eggers and bantam Cochins from Cackle via a feed store shipment. I encountered genetic hip issues in two of my three buff bantam Cochins, one rooster and one hen, some sort of debilitating genetic issues in the splash bantam Cochins, lost four of them to it at 3-4 yrs old to it, all the same symptoms and downhill slide, plus my Easter Egger hens began dying of reproductive issues at about 2 yrs old. Generally, my birds live to 10-14 yrs of age, though I really don't expect that of any hatchery stock.
Those issues aside, the bantam Cochins have great foot feathering and rooster temperament. The buff hens were very broody while noe one of the splash bantam Cochin hens ever went broody.
The EEs were quite varied in color- I had splash ones, a black that looked like pure Ameraucana and two splashy-looking ones with some wheaten coloring plus a typical wild pattern EE hen with brown and blue coloring (she is gorgeous). They are the nuttiest bunch I've ever seen, though, other than two of the six originals. Only one is really even-keel calm. Three produced beautiful blue eggs, while three had green eggs, no complaints there. They are four-and-a-half years old and they have mostly stopped laying entirely.

 

[CabritaChicks]

I did notice the photos — and honestly, they were kind of a turn-off. They had one specialized breed I was really set on, but what really pushed me away was their customer service.

A friend of mine (who actually teaches poultry science at a university and works at a livestock clinic) ordered from them, and a couple of her birds ended up with clear genetic issues. Instead of helping, Cackle blamed her — which is absolute nonsense. So I guess I dodged that bullet when they refused to deliver to me, using some bizarre excuse about fake laws. Strange.

I went with a different hatchery instead, and so far, I’m thrilled with Meyer. Here’s hoping my fuzzy-footed Wheaten Olive Egger turns out just as handsome as his photo — and my Opal Legbar already has her little mohawk coming in!

So not meaning to bash them, just observations.