Meyer Hatchery

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I've had a good experience with Meyer so far. I believe I've ordered from them 3 or 4 times. I can't speak to their live chick shipping though, as I've only done pick-up orders. When I had hatching eggs delivered though, they were packaged well.

Almost all of my chicks have been healthy from there. I think in all my orders I have only lost a total of 2, and they were both Cornish X, which tend to have a slightly higher mortality rate. I just picked up 9 chicks on Monday: 7 Cornish X, a Barnevelder, and a White Plymouth Rock. So far, healthy.

 

[bigsurfwaves]

Just curious, where did you read or hear about this from? I wasn’t able to find anything on their partners, except a few and My Pet Chicken wasn’t listed.

MPC told me openly on the phone. The box from My Pet Chicken says Meyer Hatchery is the origin address. Their websites synch with new availability. In my experience My Pet Chicken sent me bigger more robust chicks. But I may have to eat crow about my long post because this recent order I just got yesterday from MEYER has zero weak birds, they are all healthy and vigorous! My shipment was delayed a day due to the new shipping procedures by USPS (Meyer has no power over this) but the box made it on the express truck on day 2. No problem and nothing was wrong. They were all well packed in 2 separate little compartments with enough room. All 28 survived. I think they packed my box in a bit of a rush due to USPS forcing them into a corner, and I believe they tried their best. I will make the most of what I got.

 

[bigsurfwaves]

I did order Birchen Marans from them and a Swedish flower hen because only one was available. I am supposed to receive them this week. I am only 8 hrs from them near Chattanooga and my past orders - small and large- have arrived overnight no problem. This time they tell me the shipping method has changed and the boxes were packed early Monday. I am watching the tracking and my chicks have traveled an hour north and sat in Cleveland all day long instead of south towards me. The estimated delivery is late on Thursday. I hope this is wrong but I am braced for anything at this point, after Meyer's crazy little substitution yesterday. I will let y'all know what happens. There are bantams, standards and rare breeds in the box. It's an expensive shipment and I'm pretty stressed about the new shipping changes.

Attention ALL. This Meyer order seems way better. Success. I may be eating crow. There ARE some bantams in my order packed with standards and they all survived the trip. The Birchens they packed are a perfect trio of blues, The Swedish flower is perky, they are all vigorous! They packed the large 28 bird order into a double compartment box and separated out the bantams with other smaller standard breeds, they leg banded everything rare, and despite the new shipping procedures set by USPS - the box arrived the second morning. USPS did take the birds north and let them sit in Cleveland a full day, not sure why, but that is not Meyer's fault. Still, no losses or problems. Keeping an eye on them until 48 hrs is up because Meyer will refund or help facilitate a replacement if losses do occur in that window. I'm very happy with the quality on this order. No weaklings in this box. So in the future, I will probably not order last minute 'over hatch' chicks but I will order with confidence in advance and include PLENTY of notes and instructions for substitutions and last minute issues. Like - do not ship without a certain number of this breed" etc. I would advise the same to anyone on the fence.

 

[Isabella7Storm5]

Meyers is the best hatchery I’ve used. I’ve never had a problem with chicks arriving dead, they’ve never substituted breeds (I check the ‘move the shipping date to the soonest the breeds are available’ box at checkout) as opposed to McMurray who didn’t give me both of the most expensive rare breeds i ordered and substituted them for Brahmas and the chicks were sickly.

 

[bigsurfwaves]

Yes some of the birds they ship do come from Meyer, but not all. My pet chicken is the middle man and my biggest gripe with them was with how my chicks have been packed. It’s also a very common business practice when you sub-contract out a product to keep the better quality being sold under your own name and passing off the okay or not quite up to standard to sub-contract companies.

I agree that is a common practice but in my specific case I had an opposing experience. My Welsummer from MPC lays the darkest egg around but my welsummer from Meyer lays light brown. In my boxes, the birds selected by MPC for my shipment were bigger, healthier, and developed into stunning birds. But I think Meyer did well on my recent order so I'm going to back down from hating on them. They also admitted that they had to come in at 3am to pack boxes now due to USPS cornering them. And they also APOLOGIZED for their website/inventory system showing birds that weren't available that day which led to orders reserving birds that didn't exist. They vowed to fix it. I believe them. I guess I'm breeding some partridge penedeseca olive eggers now. lol.

 

[Greg Zeigler]

I’ve seen a few posts here discussing chicks received from Meyer Hatchery. I’m looking at getting some Swedish flower hen chicks from them next spring, and was wondering what everyone’s experience with them has been thus far? I’ve never purchased chicks from them before and am always a little nervous when I buy from new hatcheries.

I've ordered from them twice. Black Jersey Giants(as big as buzzards around 15 months) and another time, White Rocks which got pretty big. They both laid pretty good, too. I've no complaints with them.

 

[greylee]

I have chosen not to go with Meyer Hatchery because they beak trim their older chicks. But for those that find that a non-issue, I know they consistently have good reviews.

 

[Greg Zeigler]

I have chosen not to go with Meyer Hatchery because they beak trim their older chicks. But for those that find that a non-issue, I know they consistently have good reviews.

A lot of hatcheries offer beak trimming. I didn't take such, but I'm sure some has...

 

[greylee]

A lot of hatcheries offer beak trimming. I didn't take such, but I'm sure some has...

They don't just offer it. They routinely do it for all their chicks.

 

[Greg Zeigler]

They don't just offer it. They routinely do it for all their chicks.