Where can I buy quality bantams in the US?

[Albanydog]

I bought bantams from Ideal and far from being show quality, they don't even look like the birds they are suppose to be. We had planned to breed the birds to sell chicks to our local 4H groups since they are harder to find around here and people don't like to buy 25+ birds mail order if they can buy one or two locally. Our Ideal birds look like cross breeds at best. Someone mentioned I need to order from a quality Breeder rather then a Hatchery, I guess I don't know why there should be a difference, since I assumed a pure bred bird is a pure bred bird?
Anyway, can anyone recommend where I can order chicks that are going of better quality then what we got from Ideal?
Do I need to order "show quality" birds to get beautiful birds that look like the breeds standard?

Thank you

These 2 birds are suppose to be Black Crested White Polish Top Hats. That means White body with Black head...... ya right!

This is what we ordered:

These 2 guys are suppose to be Milli Fleur d Uccle, but one has no spots at all, let alone the rest of his coloring doesn't match the Milli's they advertised

This is Ideals photo of what they are suppose to look like:

 

[dickhorstman]

I have seen some very good bantams that came from Ideal. You did not fare as well as others. I have been breeding,showing and judging for 50 years and have never seen a Black Crested White Polish that comes close to the picture. The Polish that you have are White Crested Blue female and a splash male.White Crested Blues will throw some splash and some black as well as blue.The Mille Fleur male with no spangling is probably one of the other colors that Ideal offers.As a chick it would be hard to tell from the real Mille which as you state is not a very good s

pecimen.

I would urge you to get a copy of the Poultry Press. There is also a new online exhibition poultry paper that is free. The American Poultry Asso. or the American Bantam Asso. website would also be helpful.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

very true,
Might add, I breed bcw polish bantams, they are Jim Parkers line, and regardless of what anyone says, THEY DO NOT BREED TRUE , you will get all sorts of colors out of their breeding.
Want show quality or breeder quality birds, DO NOT ORDER from hatcheries. I have ordered from many and all are junk, though all I use them for is color projects in my breeding.
Hatcheries main goals in live is mass production, there fore they are not going to cull anything, if it lays it sells.
Breeders on the other hand focus on the type and color of the breed they are working with, well good breeders do.
With heavy culling etc, they tend to keep the desired traits of the birds as close to perfect as possible.
As for breeders to buy from, well it all depends on what you want. No breeder will have the mass variety of a hatchery because most have 1-5 breeds they focus on in various colors. This is how quality control is maintained. Hard to do if you are keeping 50 varieties in numerous colors per breed.
Like myself, mainly d'anvers, phoenix bantams, and a few crested bantams (houdans, bcw polish, and crevecoeurs)
BUT with those few breeds, I have 60 breeder pens set up for them. Anything with a flaw is culled or given away.
Color projects arent offered for sell til they are breeding true and correct to type if an out cross was done.
Many hatcheries on the other hand will sell a "pure" color when just 1-2 crosses have been made. Many of those rare old English colors you see on there are at best F1 or F2 crosses. I have an old english bantam from Ideal that weight 3 pounds if that tells you anything, and is no where near what was ordered color wise.

So in short, if quality is what you want, find a good breeder with the colors and breeds you like and buy from them. Leave the hatcheries to the folks that just want yard birds, because that's all you will ever end up with. Those that do get a good one here or there are the exception, not the rule when it comes to hatchery stock

 

[gumbii]

i understand that buying from a breeder is the best possible way, but then why do some breeders or enthusiast still buy from hatchery..?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Like I said, in my case it's for color breeding projects.
Some times there are color that dont exisit in a breed and the only way to make them is to out cross to a breed with that color. That being said, quality isnt an issue so hatchery birds will be fine. Once you get the desired color, you have years of work going back to the SQ breed of choice to correct type flaws from the out cross.

Others, well, there's no reason to buy from them outside that to me so I dont know?

 

[kera!]

I have seen some good looking polich from Meyer and my pet chicken some pics are on this forum somewhere. I know a lady who has alot great looking bantams from Mcmurray.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

kera! :

I have seen some good looking polich from Meyer and my pet chicken some pics are on this forum somewhere. I know a lady who has alot great looking bantams from Mcmurray.

yes
It does happen from time to time, but it should not be expected when ordering, count on pet quality and you wont be disappointed.
This is why all of them have a disclaimer saying something to the extent of
" Our chicks will represent the breed or color but quality is no guarantee"​

 

[Albanydog]

kera! :

I have seen some good looking polich from Meyer and my pet chicken some pics are on this forum somewhere. I know a lady who has alot great looking bantams from Mcmurray.

Thank you!​