interesting....about "hatchery stock!"

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(August 13th post)it seems quit of few people have entered hatchery stock in to some shows in the states and they have won/placed! its seems that they are not so bad after all if they are doing well at the shows, esp in the states where they have much bigger shows than we do here..! this, and ideal is where i got my cornish! just thought i would share this as it seems some people look down on hatcheries... sometimes this is the only place to find some rare breeds that "breeders" dont want to part with... i have got 25 to choose from and i will be choosing the best of them for breeding, to build my own flock... anyhow just thought i were to share, i think its awesome that there is still some good quality birds that you can buy from the hatcheries!

My very first birds were hatchery birds from Murray mcmurray. Absolutely loved them...mixed bantam and assorted rare assortment. I got Mille Fleur d'uccles, partidge Cochins, salmon Faverolles, sebrights, and many, many more. I loved my little birds. And they were very nice. That was many years ago, but the quality was quite good, service was great and I'm sure I could have shown with success. Those hatchery birds are what get many of us started.

I tried McMurray birds too when I first got into the purebreds. There were some very nice breeds. My only caveat would be that hatchery stock will be lacking any trait that might reduce the hatch rate/fertility (which is to be expected from a business that has to sell every bird it can). Compared to the Standard, the Sebrights were too big, the Japanese had long legs, the Cornish weren't wide enough etc. I won with my Polish though.

yea i just think its great tho that someone can go buy some hatchery birds, and perhaps win at a show! it proves that not all hatchery stock is crap, there must be something to say about that! you may only get a couple good ones, but thats with any of them, even the ones i breed here, only smaller percentage do i keep for breeding for next year... i think with some it is a good working to start with if you have to!

My first chicken show was back in the Sportex at NOrthlands in Edmonton, back when the Farm Fair had farm animals, when Funseekers used to put on the show. I had a McMurray white bantam cochin, and I won best of variety!

Many show breeders send eggs to mcMurray and other hatcheries, so that is show lines that is available as day olds.

I think that some breeds/traits would be more difficult to breed for show, and thus the hatchery chicks would be 1 in 100 for a certain quality for one breed, and and 1 in 10 for another. We have all heard show breeders say, or post, that they will hatch 300 chicks to find 30 to keep. That is 1 in 100. And that is directly from a show breder, not a hatchery.

I like hatcheries as a great place to start from. You can try a few breeds and see what suits you without spening big bucks on top quality only to find ut you dont like the breed or your coop is not fox proof, or suitable for massive combs. It is also surprising the quality that can pop up from there.

If I was looking for a flock of something to try as a farmyard bird, laying eggs, making meat, I certainly would not go to a show breder and pay $20 a chick for something that is going to freezer camp!

We imported the start of our flock from McMurrays after the chicken flu cull in the Fraser Valley. We lost our original Gold Laced Wyandottes partly as a result of the 2003 Mclure Wildfire and could not replace them with stock from the Lower Mainland because of the bird flu cull. A Light Brahma rooster was Best of Opposite Sex LF the year following our importing from McMurrays. The BLRWs we got from McMUrrays had nice temperaments, but I found them small and mostly diluted splashes. We have since replaced these with stock from another source. This year we have ordered some heritage meat breeds from McMurrays in hopes of raising our own meat birds instead of buying CGs that may or may not end up in the freezer.

The first birds I entered into an APA show were hatchery stock from Perfomrance and Ideal. I was very pleased on how well they did. Now I am just begining to show my own birds whom I have bred along with some hatchery stock. I do have a goal of one day showing the birds I produce. However, I will never forget that what started it all was hatchery stock and I will continue to use hatchery stock as an option when I breed and show.

thats awesome toybarons! i just sometimes think people dont know where else to buy birds, as allot of the "show" breeders dont advertise if they do i have no idea where they do..so if googlig doesnt direct you to what you want the hatchery seems to be the easiest, less expenive rout! and if they have decent quality why not! i am sure 80% of the birds in shows at some point come from a hatchery in last few generations..