best hatchery-Meat pens

[triplejfarm]

Best hatchery to get meat pen chicks from...
Lat year we had a big order, and you could tell that each chick was a different breed or cross..some had yellow legs and never made weight..some had pale legs and were HUGE....
I called the hatchery and they did admit that they order from many hatcheries to fill orders and they just sell "meat chicks"... well, there is a big difference between a white rock, and some of the other broiler chicks out there...

We have to order here in the next week and I just wondered who raises the best show quality meat pen chicks..?

we live in Michigan..
someone mentions eagles nest, any pros or cons..?

thanks for any help...

[Patrick]

Most hatcheries differentiate between the extra cockerels which some people like to raise for meat, which aren't worth even that, and commercial broiler type meat chicks. Maybe yours didn't, you didn't pay close enough attention to the differences when ordering or there was a mix up.

[MattL]

My 4H kids have had the best luck getting production broiler chicks from Ideal Hatchery in Texas-order early as they often sell out. We have tried them all and they are the most consistent.
MattL

[Leisha]

Our club used Hoovers Hatchery in Iowa. Great quality of meat birds.

[Pathfinders]

I have had very good luck with the meat birds from Mt. Healthy Hatchery in OH. In fact, I prefer them over the Ideal birds, fwiw. We've been ordering from them for 4-H for six years now.

[triplejfarm]

thanks !!



This wasnt a case of extra birds, or not paying attention this was an order of over 200 chicks... all Vantress... and ending up with random varieties of meat birds... hatchery admited that they just order "broilers" from other hatcheries and put them together for large orders... there was a COMPLETE difference between birds... same feed, etc....

has anyone used the one in zeeland MI ..??

[Neil E. Grassbaugh]

Understand that none of the mail order hatcheries maintian meat type chicken breeder flocks of their own. They buy eggs from farms that are in business to produce and sell hatching eggs to other concerns. Or, sometimes, often depending on the locality, they will have an integrator (ie Tyson, Pilgrim's, Perdue) that they can get eggs from.

Normally a mail order hatchery will have an arrangement with one of these concerns to supply them with eggs the entire season. They don't jump around from breeder farm to breeder farm if they can help it. But this does not mean that they will always get the same strain of eggs. There is always a possibility that the small hatchery will get mixture of eggs. They might get Cobb 500's this week and an Avigen strain next week. Or perhaps a mix in the same shipment.

Remember to that some hatcheries sell chicks that they bought as chicks. This practice contributes to even more variables.

For a small number of competition meat birds I would insist upon ordering that they be able to supply chicks that are not mixed strains.

My advice for the best compeitive meat birds- buy from a hatchery closer rather than further away. Make certain that the hatchery has proven themselves by being smart enough to stay in a very tough business for years and go for a roaster strain if they have them. Dosen't make any difference what your show weight requirements are - go for a roaster strain.

Now how do you show the winners if cranky OLD Neil Grassbaugh is the judge;

Do the best job raising the birds you can.
Present the exhibit in the best possible condition.
Pay due attention the the meat type and the simularity of conformation, weight, and apperance of the pen members.

If you can achieve all that in good order the exhibitor with the most knowledge for experience, that can be gained only by working with and learning about the birds, will determine the final placings.

See I don't judge chickens. I judge projects. And to me the biggest half of the project is standing beside the cage not in it.

[triplejfarm]

Understand that none of the mail order hatcheries maintian meat type chicken breeder flocks of their own. They buy eggs from farms that are in business to produce and sell hatching eggs to other concerns. Or, sometimes, often depending on the locality, they will have an integrator (ie Tyson, Pilgrim's, Perdue) that they can get eggs from.

Normally a mail order hatchery will have an arrangement with one of these concerns to supply them with eggs the entire season. They don't jump around from breeder farm to breeder farm if they can help it. But this does not mean that they will always get the same strain of eggs. There is always a possibility that the small hatchery will get mixture of eggs. They might get Cobb 500's this week and an Avigen strain next week. Or perhaps a mix in the same shipment.

Remember to that some hatcheries sell chicks that they bought as chicks. This practice contributes to even more variables.

For a small number of competition meat birds I would insist upon ordering that they be able to supply chicks that are not mixed strains.

My advice for the best compeitive meat birds- buy from a hatchery closer rather than further away. Make certain that the hatchery has proven themselves by being smart enough to stay in a very tough business for years and go for a roaster strain if they have them. Dosen't make any difference what your show weight requirements are - go for a roaster strain.

Now how do you show the winners if cranky OLD Neil Grassbaugh is the judge;

Do the best job raising the birds you can.
Present the exhibit in the best possible condition.
Pay due attention the the meat type and the simularity of conformation, weight, and apperance of the pen members.

If you can achieve all that in good order the exhibitor with the most knowledge for experience, that can be gained only by working with and learning about the birds, will determine the final placings.

See I don't judge chickens. I judge projects. And to me the biggest half of the project is standing beside the cage not in it.

Neil....:-P

I agree 100% !!!

My son raised 100 chicks from a mail order hatchery.... he is 11.. he raises DeUccles and Cochin as well... he raised 100 all by him self... water, feed, exercise...etc.... he did his own books, etc.... it was the "agreement" we had for him to be able to do it... he is also required to do "showmanship" for any animal that he shows... its just our "deal"...
This year, he won Heavyweight Grand Champion meat pen, as well as the Overall grand champion meat pen... it was a highlight of our lives that we will never forget....
your right... his animals were well fed, clean, and had been handled daily... he deserved the championship, even though we will never take it for granted... we told him that it was a "once in a lifetime" thing... to savor it...
on the flip side... your at such mercy when ordering those chicks... in our batch of 100 chicks..there were CLEARLY different strains.... and depending on how we split up the order, some kids had ALL smaller strains... or not enough of the bigger ones to choose from...so in essence they never had a chance from the start... even the judge got involved and said he could see a "pattern" ..."yellow legs, no breast..." "pale legs, huge breast"...
I just dont want to make that misteak again... it worked for us, but we coudl have easilty been on the OTHER side of it.... so, I just wanted to get my "chicks in a row" and do the research on the backside..and not just get what the feed mill orders...<G>
thanks for all the advice....!!