Comments regarding Cackle Hatchery

We bought 15 Silvered Penciled Bantam Cochins in the spring only to be told by the Judge at the Fair that they were mixed... called Cackle got some lame excuse, denying the possiblity. We took the mutts to an auction, only to be told by everyone under the sun that they were a mixed breed. Highest bidder paid $.50 a bird, what does that tell you. We (and everyone we know) will not order from Cackle again.

ordered 16 chicks , got 17- 4 months old and all are doing great.really big , really nice , begining to lay eggs .ordering from this company was very pleasant . ordered 5deleware xhamp, 5black australorp, 6barred rock would buy from them again.

I purchased a Hatchery Suprise from Cackle and so far this has been the best experience that i have had with a hatchery! I recieved 36 baby chicks and 4 Turkey. I recieved my birds on July 25 and it has been 6 days and everything i got was alive when i recieved them and they are still doing great! I will for sure be ordering the Hatchery Suprise again and any other breed i may need! Thanks Cackle

We ordered our second batch of chicks from Cackle, and couldn't be more pleased. This was our first mail order of chicks and were hoping for the best, and we were not disappointed. They are all doing great, except for one we lost due to our dog. The customer service department was friendly, and timely in notifying us of our chick's arrival date. The only thing I would have changed is the ability to pick our ship dates. But they came in the time we were hoping for anyway. I like the fact that you can order a smaller number of chicks,15 instead of 25, and their shipping rates were fair. We will most likely order again.

As for all the negative comments I have been reading, it seems as though most of you have a problem accepting any responsibility for what your part in the problems were. If this hatchery is so bad, then how is it they are still in business after all these years? And if their chicks were diseased, the state agency would shut their production down until all traces of the contamination were cleaned up and gone. So make sure you follow the directions sent to you, and if you're not absolutely sure about what to do to properly care for your chickens, then swallow your pride and ask someone who has had experience raising chickens. They are your most helpful and best source of information.

Keep up the good work Cackle Hatchery, and we hope to be doing business with you again soon.

God bless you all

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 ESV)

As a past customer of Cackle Hatchery, I would like to add a comment. I have dealt with them before and find the the transactions to be very fair. The one thing that some people don't seem to realize is that ordering poultry through the mail is different than ordering say- a book. While books are stored in warehouses and can be replenished whan the supply gets low, so that everyone can receive their book the day they were promised; the same cannot be said for poultry that is booked sometimes months in advance. The old term 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch' applies here. There are many variables here (power failures, infertile eggs, equipment failure, weather, packaging flaws, etc). All hatcheries have to deal with these problems. The people at Cackle do an excellent job to deliver as promised.

I ordered 15 pheasant checks. The ordering experience was very nice. The company rep was very helpful on the phone. The chicks were shipped on the date they gave me. Then the Post Office lost them. I called Cackle and they promised to make it right with me. I found them in another city the next day. Went and picked them up, expecting all of them to be dead or dying. I had a total of 6 lost, thanks to the postal service, not Cackle. I called Cackle to let them know and within a few days they had credit my account for my lost chicks. Great customer service! The remaing chicks are doing absolutely great at over 2 weeks of age now. I will order from Cackle again!

On June 1,2012 I placed an order over the phone for 15 Easter Egg Pullets, 5 Black Australorp pullets and 5 Speckled Sussex Pullets ( they was the only place that could ship all 3 breeds the same day). When I asked when could I expect to get them I was told I could get them on Wed. June 6. The Post Office called me on June 6 to let me know my chicks was in. I received 27 chicks ( my extras was 1 each of the breeds I had ordered 5 of.) All of my chicks are doing great and will be put on the ground in the next week because they are out growing my chick coop , They are almost fully feathered now and come running when I feed & water them.It has been many years since I ordered from them the last time but I am very happy with my order.

this was my first time ordering from cackle hatchery, they were very polite and eager to take my order, i ordered 25 americaunas/easter eggers, i received my order in less then a week! this was the quickest i had ever received chickens from a hatchery. i live in Maine and was curious as to how the baby chicks would take the long trip but there was 26 healthy chicks all peeping when i picked them up at my post office! there was not one single casualty! the chicks also look exactly as cackle had pictured them on their site with nice tuffs/beards and a great variety of colors. i just wanted to post my experience with cackle because i think maybe not many of the positive experiences make it here, when everything goes good most people will not post here, but when something goes wrong they probably will

"On Jun 20, 2012 12:03 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

thank you very much... What you said is very true. We get many, many emails about the happy experiences but of course they don't make it to the forums. Again, Thanks"

Hi. Just wanted to say that 2 weeks ago i placed an order , over the phone, for 13 naked neck ´turken´ (or as we call them here ¨Piroco´)pullets and 2 roo. I was told my order would be ready to ship on june 11, 2012. That day i received an email confirming shipping. Today, june 13, 2012 i received a call at 6 am from the post office, telling me the chicks had arrived. I drove to the post office and all the chicks were great. The even sent one more, so i ended up with 16. Almost 8 hours after receiving the chicks they are all right. This is great considering the chicks traveled from Lebanon, Mo to San Juan, Puerto Rico! Thats a lot of miles if you asked me!!

I would like to add that the person i talked to when placing the order was very friendly. If nothing tragic happens in the next couple of days, i think i will be doing business again with Cackle!

Ric.

All I can say to everyone is that I am TOTALLY PLEASED and 100%satisfied with my business with Cackle for the past TWENTY YEARS+. I have ordered everything from silkies to guineas and never had a problem, and even when I would change my mind three times on an order they were polite, to the point, and never disrespectful. So, with some of the reviews I have read I am not sure what happened or who they talked to, but my experience has been nothing but professional. Further, their stock is not inbred and weak, the Ameraucanas in particular are VERY much to the national standard and have great tufts and pea combs, and the guineas have proven themselves over and over to be the toughest I have ever bought. I have ordered "sale" guineas from another hatchery only twice to have them either die of the cold or whatever disease they came with. Guineas from Cackle were turned LOOSE after only three weeks, went feral, and we lost perhaps five to predators out of 50 of them--they all made it to maturity in the wild here in northeastern Colorado. My silkies I ordered once in 2000 I had for over ten years until the final white hen breathed her last after many many eggs being laid. I still have decendants from those birds running around! Thanks Nancy and staff--I could not be more pleased. Reverend Mark Shaver, Colorado.

"On May 30, 2012 12:20 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Thanks to everyone who are posting the positive messages here. We do appreciate it. Our staff works very hard to please the customers. and our breeding program people stay on top.....The most problems we have are with postal delivery.... you all know what the post office is doing....you can help by going to usps
site and voicing your complaints. or fill out the form at your local post office....It is the only way we can ship chicks..There is a great need for backyard chicks and
poultry as more and more people are realinzing that
they need to raise their own for health purposed, hobby, teaching their children where their food comes from and i could go on and on...thanks again everyone. Nancy

People I know that helped me get started in poultry get most of thier stock from Cackle. I also picked up a dozen chicks and 8 cornish X's from Orshelins who carry Estes Hatchery stock. All have done well and are growing out nicely. From first hand and reviews there were a number of positives for good/superior (hatchery) type for several breeds I was intereested in.

Since I live less than an hour from Cackle I stopped in on a Wed. afternoon to make purchases directly. The sales person was polite, friendly and helpful - not to mention patient with my decision making process.
The facilities were clean. There was a seperate room stacked with loaded brooders of "older" chicks on SALE. Again, clean, not stanky, no evidence of ill or dead chicks. It's early for keets and I missed out on the few that were available.

I purchased heritage turkeys - 4 Blue Slate (got 5) and 3 Royal Palms (all on SALE). A trio of Black Asuralorps. A trio of RIRs (also on Sale). 2 Pullets SL Wyandottes. 2 Pullets EEs. 5 Pullets and 1 Cockeral Cuckoo Marans. They freebied 3 more chicks but the lil critters are so active I'm having a hard time figguring out what the extras are other than one is a EE. The clerk automatically marked the males which was helpful. I have to say I am pleased to see that the EE's are bearded/muffed and of more Americuna type than the EE's from Estes. The RIR's that are also supposed to be of superior type will have to wait and see how they develop. A few of the chicks (3or4) were smaller but seemed to be a younger hatch and not weak at all.

ALL are healthy, extremely vigerous and active 48 hours later. 8 heritage turkeys and 19 chicks, 3/4ths considered rare, for $80 I thought was VERY reasonable.

Providing they continue to thrive (other's negative health experiences in reviews noted), I will definately recommend Cackle to others and will purchase from them again.

Posted on April 16, 2012, updated April 26, 2012
Posted on April 13, 2012, updated April 16, 2012
Ordering was pleasent, ship date right on, all chicks arrived alive and well. So far are thriving, active and growing. A little frightened by the negative issues posted here regarding infected stock.I have 3 brooders going from 3 different shippers, never mix until all have no issues and get moved to outdoor housing. We handle as little as possible ( ocassional pasty butt)and disinfect between batches when changing water and feeders. Will keep posted on health of birds. So far a very positive order of giants.Thanks

I have ordered from cackle hatchery on two occassions. Always receive on time, all chicks alive, extra chicks in order. First ordered two years ago for Buff Orpingtons. Latest order for meat cackles. Just received current order of 100. Received 106 chicks and 3 ducks. These are great folks to work with. I have no complaints.

I am a first-time chicken buyer/owner, and I called Cackle to place an order on 03/07/12. I placed an order for 5 Australorps, 5 Buff Orpingtons, and 5 Light Brahma chicks. The lady I spoke with initially was a bit clipped, but pleasant enough.

I didn't receive an email confirming my purchase, so I called the hatchery back a few days later and confirmed my email address. I checked my "junk" box and the invoice they'd sent had wound up there - which was totally my fault. So they did send me an invoice.

I called back a third time because I'd just found out that it would be better for the chicks to be vaccinated against Marek's disease, and even on the third call back everyone I spoke with was pleasant and business-like. The chicks were vaccinated and I was sent another invoice (which I got!)

The chicks were shipped on their ship date (March 14th,) and I received all 16 of them alive and well. Yes, even the extra one survived!

It's been over a week now that we've had these babies, and they are ALL thriving and doing wonderfully. They will soon be separated because they were bought to be pets/layers for three different households, but for now are happy and healthy babies. Some of them are even starting to fly and escape the brooder!

Very happy with my experience with Cackle. The customer service was outstanding (and they answered my questions each time I called,) and the babies are each healthy. I would definitely recommend this hatchery!

I ordered by phone and was given a ship date, which was the date they shipped on. 100% arrived alive! The assortment had a great variety, which had obviously been chosen with care.

The birds are happy and healthy and growing like weeds!

Thanks Cackle!

My experience with Cackle Hatchery is a positive one. Last spring, we ordered 20 surplus rare turkeys, 5 Black Breasted Red Phoenix, 5 Silver Laced Polish, and 5 Partridge Cochins. My 4-H kids were thrilled will their little friends and I have been very impressed with the Hardiness of the turkeys. One did die within a few weeks and one was killed by a dog a few weeks ago, but other than that, they have been really hardy birds. We have eaten a few and were really impressed. My daughter took Grand Champion with her BBRP in her class and my son took reserve with his Polish in his class. We had a slight problem with the shipping dates, the turkeys had to be shipped later, but they called me about that. We did receive some Golden Duckwing phoenixes by mistake, but they have been so great about that, too. The cochins are great layers, but did not excel in the county fair. We are definitely ordering from them again and have encouraged others in our 4-H club to do so as well.
Overall a very positive experience.

Posted on February 12, 2012, updated February 12, 2012
We ordered 15 heritage chickens last April for delivery in June. They arrived all in good shape, and I am pleased to report that they all lived, and most will be in the freezer shortly. My only minor issue is that when I ordered them, they didn't give me a ship date, rather there was a comment field to leave requests. In late May I had to e-mail them to request a "general" arrival date. They emailed back apologizing for not letting me know when they would arrive. Great birds, just need a little tweek in the customer service arena.

We received 50 (plus the 2 extra) Cinnamon Queens in the mail yesterday morning. Over the next 30 hours, we lost 15 of them. Now that I've read this negative feedback, I have no doubt that we will lose more. I will not use this company again.

"On Apr 26, 2012 3:45 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Did you call us to discuss this issue? The only way we can handle a problem is if you phone. Thanks"

I ordered 15 Cornish Cross broilers that hatched Oct 4th. I received the chicks the next day at the post office, all 15 plus one extra were alive and well. All were healthy and made it to slaughter weight without any problems whatsoever. I had good customer service when I called the hatchery, no problems placing my order and they called the day they were shipped to let me know my order was en route. My experience with Cackle Hatchery was positive, and I look forward to doing business with them again.

I called before I ordered and asked if their Delaware met the APA standards as far as leg color and markings. I was told yes, definitely. I ordered and the Delaware chicks all had green/gray legs. Many died on their way, the rest were weak. I worked them for a day, then that night put them with my 4 day old silkie chicks so the silkie chicks could continue teaching the Delawares to eat and drink. All of my silkie chicks became ill within a couple of days from Cackle's chicks and died too! Cackle's chicks have a nasty something, most likely a mycoplasma because it had to be egg transferred, and it killed my chicks. Their chicks continued to die off and on, and were not worth the silkies they killed! I would never recommend ordering from Cackle to anyone. I've raised poultry for 48 years and never had hatchery chicks kill my chicks until Cackle's. I'd avoid them at all costs. Cathryn

we ordered a total of about 40 golden comets and 15 bantams and some of the sex links. all the bantams died within 2 months and i have lost all but 6 of the comets. the 2 roosters died and i am now having the checked by my vet to see what is going on. when all the bantams started dying, and i talked to them, they couldn't send me any replacements, but credited me. we have ordered for a few years from cackle and never had problems until now. We have lost $300.00 worth of chickens. When I first told them about the chicks dying, it was said, i must be doing something wrong.I was raised on a farm and know what to do. then i was told i had them to hot or to cold. Been doing this many years. The few I have left are not growing and I was told they would lay eggs early. Well, still waiting.
The vet says depending what is going on with the ones I have left, it may affect my pet goose and my peacocks and some of my older hens that are the grandkids pets.
I will not order from them again. My peacocks I paid 500.00 for.

Posted on June 21, 2011, updated July 4, 2011
Posted on June 5, 2011, updated June 21, 2011
Mid May 2011 we called Cackle Hatchery to order Delaware chicks. We were connected after a short wait. The employee was very helpful even though Delawares were not available for an extended period of time. We ordered Speckled Sussex chicks to be shipped the next week. I called after the ship date to confirm the shipment, again the employee was very nice and efficient. The chicks arrived right on schedule. While the shipping box was a bit battered (USPS), they were alert and active with one extra chick. A couple of the chicks were smaller than the others. That has not slowed them a bit. One week later all were doing very well. This is our first experience with Cackle Hatchery and we are planning to seek Delawares from this vendor at a later date.

"On Jul 25, 2011 5:08 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Let us know how they turned out.
"

Posted on December 2, 2010, updated May 23, 2011
I ordered from Cackle Hatchery in June and they sent me a email stating my chicks would be shipped on the 21st of July. A couple days after I received my chicks at the post office all healthy and alive. I ordered 5 blue silkies, 6 light brahmas, 5 white sultans, 6 buff orpingtons, and 5 splash bantam cochins. Which is a total of 27 birds. I received 32 chicks, so I got an extra of each breed. My chicks are now a little over 4 months old and are turning out beautifully. Thank you so much Cackle! I will be ordering from you again.
Melody

"On Dec 31, 2010 4:24 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Thanks for your kind words. Nancy"

Posted on May 23, 2011, updated May 23, 2011
Posted on May 21, 2011, updated May 23, 2011
I placed an order with Cackle back in March. They took the money right away. ( I thought that was great!)They gave me a hatch/ship date of May 17th. I figured wow that seems to be a long time. Hey it's probably just busy!
Well May 17th comes I'm all set up waiting for my 21 chicks and 6 baby turkeys to come in and my mom answered the phone , It's Cackle........ the person tells her that the order now won't be shipped out until July 5th. I have called them and the phone lines are always busy. I have emailed them trying to express how I feel like almost 4 months for baby chicks is unbelievable. I have never heard anyone say that before.

NO ONE HAS even giving me the consideration to respond. I hope that they let me know why. They don't take the money out they day before shipment they take it out months before hand and don't give you what you ordered.

YES I AM ANGRY! I feel like I have been taken for $. I have 5 children that are dying for the baby chicks to come in. On the website it does NOT say 4 months for an order. Why? CACKLE WHY?......... They are not very RELIABLE! They have NO people skills!

I ordered my chicks from Cackle Hatchery before I found the reviews on here and was terrified after I saw all the negative reviews but it was to late to cancel and so far I am very happy I didn't! I got the 10 chick pullet special with 5 golden-laced wyandottes and silver-laced wyandottes it was the only place that I could find that offered both in such a small order. I called the post office a couple days prior to let them know I had ordered them and she informed me that she would call me around 6:15am the day they arrived. True to her word I got my wake up call and actually asked her if they were peeping because I was freaked out after reading some of these reviews. She said yes that she believed them to have all made it as there was no bad smell coming from the box. I ran down and got them and I opened the box to ten little babies that were all alive and thus far seem very healthy not to mention cute as heck! Got them into the brooder and they were active right away and ate and drank like champs. When I looked at the way they packed them it had a little straw nest to keep them insulated, some green gel stuff that I believe was a vitamin/water supplement and chick feed in there. While there may have been issues for some in the past thankfully my experience so far has been good!

I also wanted to comment because usually the negatives are the ones who speak up. I had a great experience with Cackle. I ordered my 31 chicks on April 30. I got an invoice and ship date on May 9, which was less than the 10 days they request for processing. My ship date was May 16. They called me on the Saturday before, and my answering machine was off, so I called them on Monday. The line was busy the first time, but the second time I tried I spoke to a really nice woman who explained that my order would be shipped May 18 instead of May 16. They had notes on my account about calling me and getting my fax machine. She was very nice and very helpful. I got 33 chicks (2 extra) on May 20. Almost three days later, they are all alive doing well.

10 of my chicks were cochin hatchery choice, and I got 4 different colors of cochins. The 5 americaunas I ordered were also all different colors. I'm very pleased with the birds I received and the service from Cackle. I read these reviews after I placed my order and second guessed my choice. Now I'm so glad I chose Cackle for my first hatchery order.

I feel I should post a review of Cackle Hatchery because reading the reviews here almost stopped me from ordering from them. I wanted Ancona ducks and most hatcheries don't sell them, so, I went ahead and ordered them anyway. This was my first order from any hatchery, but I can't imagine another hatchery doing a better job. I ordered 15 ducks, online, on Thursday, May 12. Received a call from them on Monday, May 16 asking if I would like the ducks sent out. I picked the ducks up at my post office Wednesday May 18. All 20 ducks that they sent me, the 15 that I paid for, and 5 extras, arrived fine, and now, 17 hours later, are doing well. I would order from them again if this experience is the norm.

I had purchased a fair quantity of assorted baby birds from Cackle Hatchery several years ago - my father & I owned a pet store, and we did the whole "Easter thing" each & every year. Colored assorted chicks, assorted ducklings, baby geese..........even a few turkeys. Usually a total of anywhere from 200-300 total birds. Everything always arrived in great condition, and when expected..as promised.
Years later, my family wanted to purchase a few ducklings to have on our property as pets - first company that came to mind was Cackle. I placed an order over the phone. The salesperson who took care of me was extremely friendly, and addressed / answered all of my questions & concerns. We even got cut off during our phone call, and she called ME back to pick up where we left off.......which was very impressive.
I ordered our ducklings, and shipment was arranged on May 2nd. I had already notified the post office of their pending arrival so that I could pick them up there as soon as they arrived. They arrived on May 4th - exactly when promised. Pickup went smoothly, and everyone made the trip in great shape. Ordered a total of 23 ducklings ( 15 Ancona, and 8 Black Cayuga ).
As of today, I am glad to say that all are doing fine, and growing like weeds!! I , too, have an internet based business.......and know exactly how things go sometimes. You ALWAYS are 100% sure to hear from the customers who have a problem, or are not 100% pleased with everything. Even if those customers are a very small percentage of your overall customer base. So, it is refreshing to know when a customer is pleased, or satisfied, with the services provided - which I certainly am !!! And then takes the time to let the business actually know that they have done a good job, or that everything went well with your shopping experience. Which I am doing with this posting.
Job well done folks!! I obviously can only speak on my own behalf, and of my own experiences. But all in all have dealt with this company at least 8 or 10 times - each time I have been perfectly satisfied with everything.
We are now contemplating purchasing some Guineas in the near future.....and I have no hesitation at all with giving Cackle Hatchery my order for these birds as well.

Thanks again - we love our little ducks!!
Darren Valentine - Evensville, TN

I so wish I had visited your site before placing an order with Cackle Hatchery. Never again.
I placed an order, cancelled the order, they called and said they would have to charge me a 10% handling fee (for what, they had not even given me a ship date). A week later
they charged my debit card the full amount AND shipped the chicks. I got an e-mail a day AFTER they shipped.
These people are desperate and unethical do not buy from them

"On Apr 28, 2011 7:58 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

would you please contact Cackle Hatchery. I want to discuss this with you and see what happened. Nancy Smith owner"

I had an excellent experience with Cackle and will be using them again to order my guineas. I called about a billion times before getting through, but I was lucky enough to get Jodi to handle my order. She was extremely pleasant and helpful. I ordered 15 buff orpington pullets and 1 cockerel. They arrived on time and in excellent condition. They are growing very well. I could not be happier. When I do call to place my guinea order, I only hope that Jodi takes my order again. Very pleased with her service. Overall great experience!!!

I had a very positive experience with Cackle. I ordered 15 chicks, 5 each of 3 different breeds.
I called on the scheduled ship date to see if they had actually shipped and was put on hold while the lady went to see. She came back shortly and said that my complete order had shipped that morning as scheduled. She was very polite and answered a couple of extra questions without me feeling she was rushing me.
All arrived alive with an extra chick of the rare breed. This was last week and they are thriving. I will definitely use Cackle again.

I ordered 25 Golden Duckwings,25 Wheaton, 15 Red Cochin, 15 Buff Cochin and 15 White Cochin chicks from Them Last Year in April. Every Single Golden turned out to be so far from Golden Duckwings that it is laughable. The hens looks like a cross of BB RED AND White and Roosters Look like a RED Pyle & Silver Duckwing cross. Wheaton Hens all have black stripes on their necks and the roosters are so so. The Red COCHINS have almost zero feathers on their feet and sharp pointy tails. When I called them about the Golden and WHeatons they were rude and the Supervisor told me to deal with it and that they knew their Goldens had a problem last year but will not offer any kind of discount or refund. Cackle is a Joke and they should not be in Business. DO NOT USE THEM

I ordered chicks, guineas and turkeys last spring. I had to move the order back a month or so after I placed it and they worked with me and never once complained. All my birds arrived happy and healthy and I've had them six months now and all are doing well. Just placed another order for this coming spring because I had such a positive experience. I'll add my birds had to travel from their hatchery to New England. I think they did a great job.

"On Dec 31, 2010 4:23 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Thank you for your kind words. Nancy"

Purchased Australorp pullets, Black Jersey Giant roosters, and Royal Palm turkeys from Cackle Hatchery this July, 2010. Ordered to be picked up at hatchery. Order was ready and all birds were "very" healthy. They have grown well and becoming BEAUTIFUL bids. Had a POSITIVE experience with Cackle. Would definitely do business with them again.

"On Dec 31, 2010 4:24 PM, Cackle Hatchery responded with:

Thanks for your kind words. Nancy"

If you care about your delivery date, pick a different hatchery! I ordered $200 worth of chicks on Sept 1. They charged my credit card immediately and said they would ship them Sept 13. So I spend all this time and energy getting ready for them on Sept 14 and warming up the brooder house overnight, but they don't arrive Sept 15, so then I have to make arrangements for someone else to go get them and settle them in on Sept 16 when I have jury duty, but they still don't arrive. So we call Cackle and find out that they didn't have enough to ship on Sept 13 (but didn't bother to call or email and let us know) so then, without asking us, they were going to ship on Sept 15, but they didn't have enough then either, so now they were just about to call us and change the ship date to Oct 4. I say, "What, are your chickens taking a 2 week vacation?" They say, "no, it is just too complicated for us to change the ship date on all the orders that came in after yours, so we are just moving you to the end of the line." They thought they were being so generous to offer me a full refund! Which I took after I placed an order with Ideal Hatchery today for a Sept 29 ship date. Cackle Hatchery's IT is obviously not up to speed if they can't notify customers of actual shipping dates and ship orders in the order they were received like all other online companies I have ever used. In the case of live chicks, the customer NEEDS to know and approve of the ship date more than for almost any other item you might order online.

This was my 1st order with Cackle; 3 varieties in small numbers. They arrived cute and perky but 2 days later 1 suddenly died. The rest have continued to thrive, (except for the 2 which were murdered by a skunk that tunneled into their house). They are growing into beautiful birds that love their real free-range lifestyle and the companionship of elder "aunties". There is only 1 rooster out of 25. He can be chicken 'wing candy'.

I ordered 2 types of Show Chickens for my daughter. The chickens were to arrive on July the 28th. We went to the post office and asked if our chicks had arrived Thursday,& Friday, we called Friday to see if they had been shipped, they said "yes" Saturday morning we went back to the post office, still no chicks. We then called the hatchery again to see if they had been sent. They said "yes". We were so upset that maybe our baby chicks we dead somewhere we started calling post offices in between the hatchery and our house. We spent hours on the phone. I called on Monday and they said "oh, sorry we are out of your chicks and they were never sent." I was relieved to find that my chicks were not dead. They were to be shipped on Wed. I called Wed. morning to see if the chicks had been shipped and the girl said "I don't know, the paperwork is not in this office." That is when I got angry. After telling her how unprofessional I thought things were she put me on hold and found out that my order had been shipped. The chicks arrived the next day and one of the chicks had a broken beak. We tried to keep it alive, but it died. They turned something that was suppose to be fun into something awful. Don't buy from these people, they don't have it together. I usually buy from Mcmurry and will continue to do so from now on.

Posted on June 10, 2010, updated June 27, 2010
Posted on June 10, 2010, updated June 10, 2010
Posted on May 25, 2010, updated June 10, 2010
I have ordered from cackle hatchery before with great outcomes but this last order has been somewhat disappointing. I placed a order for 25 sultans, 10 white silkies, and 3 female African geese.
I opened the box at the post office to check for dead chicks, none, that was great. I took them home and seen that they have sent me 3 extra of each chicken breed. great!! Then I examined my geese and seen one of the three was small and a different color and has difficulties eating and drinking and wobbles more than the others. I could not get in contact with them the day of delivery due to phone lines are never open. So I elected to email them, well we had emails exchanged and it came out to be that they sent me a African goose but it was from a small egg and would "likely" grow to be the same size as the other two. I don't think so, from my experience (6 years to be exact, 5 years with geese) they die before they get grown. Well this means they will send culls out, that should have been discarded and hatch small eggs knowing this would be a cull. I find this wrong and not fair. I paid nearly 10 dollars for a cull. If they sent her as a extra then I could overlook it but I paid for her.
well today she is still alive but has not grown much since I have had her. they are 14 days old now. As far as the chickens go they are doing okay I have lost several but I find this with all polish breeds I have had. I do not think I will order geese from cackle again and likely will not order anymore chicks. If I do it will because they either make this right or the poor gosling grows to be full size and healthy and all are females, as I paid for them to be females. Beware of them sending culls instead of the best quality they have. Their customer service before they get your money is great but after it quickly will change to somewhat rude or they will ignore you altogether. They also can improve their email responses, not professional.
Needless to say my order for some bantams and more geese have been put on hold till I decide for the next hatchery.
My neutral rating is for the fact that they have some of the best looking birds and great price of all i have ever ordered though mail but this order is changing that.

Posted on August 1, 2008, updated June 13, 2010
This was a great experience for me. I ordered 50 chicks 25 white sultans and 25 german spitzhaubans. I was so happy with them. When I called to make sure they got my order they was really nice, I could not have got a nicer person on the phone. I can't wait until next year when I order some d'uccle and buttercups from them. I highly recomend them. They are a 5 star company. All the babies are doing well. I got them a week ago today, and they are already getting feathers ! Great Job Cackle I will see you again next year.