Livestock Hatchery Question

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Does anyone know if the descriptions and stats published by hatcheries are actually describing the birds they are raising? Or are from the official show standards? Specifically, I was looking at Buff Orpingtons from both Welp and Murray McMurray, and they have vastly different weights listed for the same breed. I am pretty sure that Orps are supposed to be the 8/10 lbs. (female/male mature weights) that Murray McMurray has listed, rather than the 6/7 lbs. that Welp says. But does anyone know if those descriptions fit the birds they are actually selling, or come from the show standard? Because if Murray McMurray actually has BO's that get that big, I want to get some. But not if they are smaller, like the feed store chicks usually are.

Kathleen

 

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I've asked Murray McMurray about this (via their chat window); hopefully the chat person knows, and they are truthful.

Kathleen

 

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And, the response from the chat person was that, while the weight varies depending on feed, hydration, and so on, they are known for the size of their Buff Orpingtons. So, hopefully, they will be bigger than the ones I've gotten from feed stores in the past. (I like Buff Orpingtons, but they are not supposed to be light-weight, scrawny little birds.)

Kathleen

 

[moldy]

I've been very happy with chicks from McMurray and ideal poultry

 

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I haven't ordered from McMurray for a long time, so wasn't sure.

Kathleen

 

[ioujc]

McMurray is good. I have never ordered from anyone else.

I have never purchased feed store chicks>>>>>>are they scrawny and very light??

I was planning on buying from TSC, but if the birds in feed stores are not as buff as hatchery birds, that's kind of a waste>>>>>was just looking at not having to order 50 at a time>>>yeah, I know they have smaller orders, but they are pretty expensive that way!

 

[moldy]

McMurray also sends an extra chick or two in case one dies. They may not be the same breed though.

 

[summerthyme]

McMurray is good. I have never ordered from anyone else.

I have never purchased feed store chicks>>>>>>are they scrawny and very light??

I was planning on buying from TSC, but if the birds in feed stores are not as buff as hatchery birds, that's kind of a waste>>>>>was just looking at not having to order 50 at a time>>>yeah, I know they have smaller orders, but they are pretty expensive that way!

Tractor Supply and feed stores order from the same hatcheries everyone else does. My DDIL has brought ch8cks home from TS many times... they grow into healthy birds that do well. McMurray birds have always been excellent, but they're getting pretty pricey...

Summerthyme

 

[ioujc]

Yes, they are quite expensive>>>>>will try from TSC!! That way I can just get the chicks I want to!!

I have always ordered the "surplus" of breeds from McMurray>>>Hopefully I can now get "just what I want!!"

I am SO JONESING for SPRING!!! My seeds are CALLING me and I am so eager to get things outside up and running>>>>but it is hard to do with it as cold as it is!! Doesn't stop the thoughts of lush gardens, ripe tomatoes, fresh green beans and baby chicks for filling my head though!!!

 

[WanderLore]

My buffs are from farm and fleet. Really hardy fat big things. The salesgirl told me they were rare breed Bahamas. Not so. But they have done very well.

 

[buttie]

Last year I bought 10 Welsumer's from TSC. Other than 1 bird with an s shaped neck and broken toe they were fine and inexpensive. Eigore is still alive.

 

[33dInd]

McMurray is good. I have never ordered from anyone else.

I have never purchased feed store chicks>>>>>>are they scrawny and very light??

I was planning on buying from TSC, but if the birds in feed stores are not as buff as hatchery birds, that's kind of a waste>>>>>was just looking at not having to order 50 at a time>>>yeah, I know they have smaller orders, but they are pretty expensive that way!

The chicks here at tractor supply and lumber two are ideal hatchery chicks
I like hatching my own as the are more docile and accepting to humans. Especially if you are there when they break free. They do imprint on you

 

[Babs]

I've ordered from both McMurray & Cackle Hatchery with similar results. I stay with McMurray, because they replaced some birds that didn't make it through the first week.

 

[ioujc]

There is a way to tame the majority of your chickens.

When they are about 2 months old, (and this is assuming you already have them tame enough to eat out of your hand) take your hands and gently place them over their wings. Then gently but firmly move your hands down over their wings and toward their tails. This will cause them crouch down and lift up their tails, as though they are ready to breed. This is the subservient position a hen takes when she is ready to mate. This will make your hens very easy to handle and become very affectionate and easy to deal with.

It can also be done with roosters, but this training must begin early and be very frequent for it to work on male chickens

Training in this manner makes for a flock that will easily follow you and definitely come when they are called, whether you have food or not. I did this with my first flock and they would follow me all over the farm!! They would actually come running to me even as I just walked out of the house. They were very happy and easy to handle.

My second flock did not get this training and were much harder to get to come in at dusk when I called them and they would run from me if I tried to catch them.

With my first flock, I also would sit with them in the coop and talk to them as they ate. A number of them would come and sit on my lap. However there is a warning with this>>>>they seem to really like to peck at your eyes, so BEWARE!! This I don't think is any sort of attack, they just see your eyes move and you blink and they probably think it is some kind of juicy bug!!

This will work on any bred, as every flock I have had has been the mixed surplus chicks available from McMurray's Hatchery. Rhode Island Reds are probably MOST receptive to this training, with Brahamas the least receptive.

 

[33dInd]

There is a way to tame the majority of your chickens.

When they are about 2 months old, (and this is assuming you already have them tame enough to eat out of your hand) take your hands and gently place them over their wings. Then gently but firmly move your hands down over their wings and toward their tails. This will cause them crouch down and lift up their tails, as though they are ready to breed. This is the subservient position a hen takes when she is ready to mate. This will make your hens very easy to handle and become very affectionate and easy to deal with.

It can also be done with roosters, but this training must begin early and be very frequent for it to work on male chickens

Training in this manner makes for a flock that will easily follow you and definitely come when they are called, whether you have food or not. I did this with my first flock and they would follow me all over the farm!! They would actually come running to me even as I just walked out of the house. They were very happy and easy to handle.

My second flock did not get this training and were much harder to get to come in at dusk when I called them and they would run from me if I tried to catch them.

With my first flock, I also would sit with them in the coop and talk to them as they ate. A number of them would come and sit on my lap. However there is a warning with this>>>>they seem to really like to peck at your eyes, so BEWARE!! This I don't think is any sort of attack, they just see your eyes move and you blink and they probably think it is some kind of juicy bug!!

This will work on any bred, as every flock I have had has been the mixed surplus chicks available from McMurray's Hatchery. Rhode Island Reds are probably MOST receptive to this training, with Brahamas the least receptive.

That’s a great tip

 

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Tractor Supply and feed stores order from the same hatcheries everyone else does. My DDIL has brought ch8cks home from TS many times... they grow into healthy birds that do well. McMurray birds have always been excellent, but they're getting pretty pricey...

Summerthyme

The 'pricey' part is why I hadn't ordered from Murray McMurray in quite a few years. We'll see how this year's chicks turn out. I lost all of last year's to, probably, a weasel. Something my young LGD didn't spot, in any case, and it looked like weasel to me. So buttoning up the coop, and clearing out brush around it (it's in the edge of a bit of 'woods' at the back of the back yard, which is nice for shade, but gives cover to critters), and hope these survive. The bantams in the raised coop closer to the house are doing fine.

Most of the hatcheries don't, I think, do a lot of selecting for type. What they do select for, probably without really thinking about it, is production, because they -- naturally -- want the most eggs possible to hatch from their birds, as economically as possible. So eventually they all will end up looking kind of the same, because the most productive birds tend towards a certain type. There are exceptions, and certainly hatchery birds are not necessarily bad, but in this case I'm really hoping for some nice big heavy Buff Orpingtons.

Kathleen

 

[ioujc]

Here it is!! I finally found the video that taught me to tame the hens.
Run time: 3:59 minutes.

I am going to try to post it from YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?v=IYNBdc9YEo
LINK will not work!
It says the video is no longer available because they have violated the rules of youtube????

However if you go on You Tube and search for:
How to tame a hen? This massage softens hens and cockerels.

It comes right up???? Weird!

Here is another one that is similar, but not the same way I did it:
youtube.com/watch?v=pKrh4Q5ucow
Run time: 7:17 minutes
The method starts at 4:33 minutes

 

[Firebird]

We always ordered from McMurray, and our birds were always healthy, never disappointed

 

[KMR58]

I’ve gotten both meat birds and Barred Rock hens from Tractor Supply. We haven’t lost any (10 each). The hens are beautiful at almost 16 weeks. We processed 6 of the boys last week at 8 weeks that were 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 pounds dressed. Still have what were the 4 smallest and will process them in the next week. They are all healthy. The hens wait for me to pet them when I let them out in the morning and put them away at night. They just coo and coo.

Next up getting a rooster for my girls

 

[Tonic]

The 'pricey' part is why I hadn't ordered from Murray McMurray in quite a few years. We'll see how this year's chicks turn out. I lost all of last year's to, probably, a weasel. Something my young LGD didn't spot, in any case, and it looked like weasel to me. So buttoning up the coop, and clearing out brush around it (it's in the edge of a bit of 'woods' at the back of the back yard, which is nice for shade, but gives cover to critters), and hope these survive. The bantams in the raised coop closer to the house are doing fine.

Most of the hatcheries don't, I think, do a lot of selecting for type. What they do select for, probably without really thinking about it, is production, because they -- naturally -- want the most eggs possible to hatch from their birds, as economically as possible. So eventually they all will end up looking kind of the same, because the most productive birds tend towards a certain type. There are exceptions, and certainly hatchery birds are not necessarily bad, but in this case I'm really hoping for some nice big heavy Buff Orpingtons.

Kathleen

4-5 years ago they were very popular at APA sanctioned shows. People became frustrated with the judging as it pertained to color and I don’t see many at all anymore like you are describing. Jeff at Cackle has recently added some exhibition type poultry. I would call him and ask if he has acquired any buff Orpington stock. You can find a show close to you by visiting www.poultryshowcentral.com. Might find a breeder near you.

 

[moldy]

I was impressed with ideal poultry. Inexpensive, sexed correctly and good birds.