Best hatchery for SOP birds?

[BGMatt]

You will spend thousands more dollars, and at least a decade of time breeding ANY hatchery birds anywhere close to the Standard. Take the money to travel to a show and buy from a breeder. Heck go to the Ohio National this fall, if you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exist in quality.

If you are absolutely dead set on having to have birds right this second, and don't care about throwing away time and money, Cackle offers a few breeds they claim are from exhibition stock Buff Orpington, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Barred Plymouth Rock, and Rhode Island Red that can be found on their rare breed page. They also got Dominique stock from Mark Fields in both sizes so those may be ok.

The APA messed with a flock certification program that was supposed to be an incentive for hatcheries to care about quality, it seems to have floundered. Good Shepard Farms are a part of that in their breeds. Murray McMurray had but did not maintain certification in five breeds (Buff, Partridge and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock, White Polish, and White Langshans), the last one of these that I am aware of is Greenfire Farms did at one point have their Light Sussex Flock certified.

 

[charlie1051]

I got several breeds from Cackle a few years back and was more than happy with their quality. And I pay attention to other people's birds and to me, Cackle has great stock compared to many of the other big hatcheries. I've ordered from Greenfire Farms and a few other "high end" hatcheries and they sent great looking, quality birds. But for a big hatchery, I was impressed with Cackle's quality, especially their Ameraucana's.

 

[RememberTheWay]

I got several breeds from Cackle a few years back and was more than happy with their quality. And I pay attention to other people's birds and to me, Cackle has great stock compared to many of the other big hatcheries. I've ordered from Greenfire Farms and a few other "high end" hatcheries and they sent great looking, quality birds. But for a big hatchery, I was impressed with Cackle's quality, especially their Ameraucana's.

I do have to agree with Cackle and Ameraucana's now that I've done tons more research. Not sure I would go to any other hatchery for any other breed I intended to breed from but maybe for pets or production. I prefer to buy from private breeders now

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I prefer private breeders as well. If i could actually get female chicks or hatch female chicks i would buy from this breeder over Cackle. But Cackle does have higher quality chickens than most hatcheries

 

[RememberTheWay]

I can't comment on any other breed other then their splash Ameraucana as I honestly have no clue what the other breeds look like but the splash Cockerel I have that came from there is very nice.

I prefer private breeders as well. If i could actually get female chicks or hatch female chicks i would buy from this breeder over Cackle. But Cackle does have higher quality chickens than most hatcheries

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I can't comment on any other breed other then their splash Ameraucana as I honestly have no clue what the other breeds look like but the splash Cockerel I have that came from there is very nice.

I have a but 2 chickens from there. I like them. Just Orpingtons specifically are better from the private breeder

 

[Folly's place]

I have also been happy with chicks from Cackle, of several breeds. And I like that their biosecurity is good, sometimes a problem with private breeders. Here I'm not looking for show quality, exactly, but want birds that fit their SOP, maybe not perfectly, but good enough. The bird pictured here was a white Chantecler from Cackle.
Mary

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have also been happy with chicks from Cackle, of several breeds. And I like that their biosecurity is good, sometimes a problem with private breeders. Here I'm not looking for show quality, exactly, but want birds that fit their SOP, maybe not perfectly, but good enough. The bird pictures here was a white Chantecler from Cackle.
Mary

Cackles birds are pretty close to SOP.
My bantam cochin won a first place ribbon in a show over the summer. The judge was a APA judge thats known around this area.

The breeder ive been using has great biosecurity, but she is slowly going out of chickens. I plan on trying to get a Orpington hen and maybe a rooster from her before she stops

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Not a big commercial hatchery, but a smaller private one is Papas Poultry. He has actual English orpingtons that are just gorgeous and far better than any commercial hatchery orpingtons I have had (I have orpingtons from 4 different hatcheries not including Papas). The difference between my papas poultry birds and my orpingtons from other hatcheries is night and day difference. He has a website and also has Marans and a few other breeds too. Again smaller, but high quality birds. I know he breeds to SOP for most of his birds besides his projects, but he specifies that those are projects on the descriptions. He also has a website which makes it pretty easy to order. I believe he is in California and I had no problem getting almost 30 chicks shipped to Iowa.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Not a big commercial hatchery, but a smaller private one is Papas Poultry. He has actual English orpingtons that are just gorgeous and far better than any commercial hatchery orpingtons I have had (I have orpingtons from 4 different hatcheries not including Papas). The difference between my papas poultry birds and my orpingtons from other hatcheries is night and day difference. He has a website and also has Marans and a few other breeds too. Again smaller, but high quality birds. I know he breeds to SOP for most of his birds besides his projects, but he specifies that those are projects on the descriptions. He also has a website which makes it pretty easy to order. I believe he is in California and I had no problem getting almost 30 chicks shipped to Iowa.

I wonder if i could get a few to WI. The breeder i hatched from has gorgeous orpingtons. But not as fluffy as english.