Calmest chicken breed?

[Buffbrahmabantam]

i'm so sorry about your experience i totally understand being skeptical of big hatcheries after something like that. what happened, if you don't mind me asking? if you're ever willing to give it a chance again, Meyer has a lot specialty/heritage breeds, including some gorgeous Orpingtons. in particular i've been eyeing their Chocolate Orpingtons and waiting for an excuse to add more birds to my flock, lol. they handle their live shipping well and give the chicks a safe environment, and provide a little cup of GroGel(which provides nutrition and moisture) for them during transit. we only had one failure-to-thrive chick in our batch, and all the rest were very lively and busy immediately upon arrival

When ordering from Cackle Hatchery, several of the chicks were dead on arrival and the shipping was slow. If I recall they shipped the chicks priority mail and so the chicks were in the mail for a long time - like 5 or 6 days and over the weekend. It was so stressful for us. Also, the speckled Sussex hen we got wasn’t true to the breed I suspect - she was a poor layer and aggressive, and her eggs were smaller in size than a normal standard chicken breed.

I understand that chicks sometimes die but all the other factors combined made it a very bad experience to order from Cackle Hatchery, especially compared to Ideal, which gave us a great experience.

I would never order from cackle hatchery again including if they were the last hatchery on earth.

 

[McChooky]

Easier for predators too.

They all have pretty much the same instincts, but only the heavier breeds will have a harder time getting to safety in case of an attack

I put one or both of my dogs outside anytime my chickens are out. Had to spend a lot of time training them because they were adults but it works (hounds) I don't let my chickens out when the weathers bad

 

[sillyduckz]

Several of the chicks were dead on arrival and the shipping was slow. If I recall they shipped the chicks priority mail and so the chicks were in the mail for a long time - like 5 or 6 days and over the weekend. It was so stressful for us. Also, the speckled Sussex hen we got wasn’t true to the breed I suspect - she was a poor layer and aggressive, and her eggs were smaller in size than a normal standard chicken breed.

I understand that chicks sometimes die but all the other factors combined made it a very bad experience to order from Cackle Hatchery, especially compared to Ideal, which gave us a great experience.

I would never order from cackle hatchery again including if they were the last hatchery on earth.

wow, that is just atrocious. i'm so sorry you had go through that. i've personally never heard of Cackle Hatchery before but i definitely will think to avoid them from now on

 

[Amer]

All hatcheries are having trouble with USPS, it's not the fault of the specific hatchery, just bad luck.
The only reason Ideal's birds came faster was luck with the postal system, not the hatchery. No hatchery wants dead on arrival chicks.
I am so against sending birds through the mail I will never do it again. My mother tried her hand at shipping priority express herself and the birds were stuck in the mail for six days. She sent them. Not a hatchery. All the fault of USPS. Fortunately as adult birds, they survived, though hungry and thirsty.

Anyway, hatchery Jersey Giants aren't as big as those by local breeders (hatcheries do not prioritize quality.) However, the hen pictured is rather large.

 

[sillyduckz]

All hatcheries are having trouble with USPS, it's not the fault of the specific hatchery, just bad luck.
The only reason Ideal's birds came faster was luck with the postal system, not the hatchery. No hatchery wants dead on arrival chicks.
I am so against sending birds through the mail I will never do it again. My mother tried her hand at shipping priority express herself and the birds were stuck in the mail for six days. She sent them. Not a hatchery. All the fault of USPS. Fortunately as adult birds, they survived, though hungry and thirsty.

Anyway, hatchery Jersey Giants aren't as big as those by local breeders (hatcheries do not prioritize quality.) However, the hen pictured is rather large.

thank you for the insight, i didn't realize how variable the shipping quality can be. a six day delay through priority express is insane. i'm sorry you had a bad experience as well

 

[Bawkbok]

We've had good luck with Valley Hatchery - birds arrived the next day after shipping. Our local post office called by Noon. Very fast service.
It's always stressful when you know your birds are enroute - boxes being juggled around onto and off of trucks and planes, not to mention the noise factor. So traumatic for all the birds. There's got to be a better way.

 

[AshVau22]

My most lazy, calm doesn't do much of anything other than hang around like an old dog would have to be my Barnevelder hens. I only have two but honestly some days I wounder if they are dead