Comments regarding Privett Hatchery

My private local feed store orders birds from Privett so my experience is second party. I bought a single leftover Dominique chick at my feed store a couple years ago via Privett and poor thing didn't survive past 3 weeks, she suffered a seizure -- things happen with chicks and it's Nature's way to weed out health issues. The sweet pesty friendly personality of that Privett chick left a positive impression on me so this year I ordered 3 Dom chick pullets from my local feed store and was told they were from Privett. I picked them up immediately the day they arrived at the store. They are 9 weeks old now and so far have survived and thrived. The littlest chick had pasty butt for a couple days but I used chick probiotics and electrolytes in drinking water and little Miss Pasty Butt recovered fine by washing and cleaning her up regularly. It's difficult to get show quality birds from hatcheries but then not all private breeders have 100% successes breeding show quality Dominiques either. So, I'm happy as a backyarder to have 3 very friendly, talkative, outgoing, curious, family-oriented Dom pullets in our flock -- sitting on our lap, jumping to our arm, resting on our shoulders, standing on our shoes, exploring our eyeglasses, tasting our hair, pecking at our jewelry, following us around like "two-legged puppies" as one Dom owner describes them. Never had such attention-craving chickens like these Doms before -- they actually love petting and all 3 sit on our lap for the petting sessions. One chick out of our 3 is looking very promising as a picture-perfect standard for the breed. For years I've seen Privett carry a wide selection of chicken breeds, ultra rare breeds, so I would not hesitate to get any Privett birds. I just have to keep in mind that not every chick that's hatched will qualify as a "show quality" bird whether it's from a hatchery or a private breeder.

You hear things about this or that hatchery, some positive and some negative. We ordered chicks from Privett hatchery two times and never had a problem. We ordered mixed pullet chicks three years ago from Privett and couldn't be happier. We received one Rooster in the order and sent him to the farm. He has grown into a fine Rooster and we are all very glad for him. We lost one chicken due to an allergic reaction she had but that is very rare. I would say that if I had to do it all over again I would have chose one or two breeds of chickens. The 3 Wyandotte chickens we have don't lay very well and the egg shells are thin. We also received two sexlink chickens that look closer to a black sexlink but have red feathers and a black head. Those two lay like machines so we have no complaints. The two black sex links we have also lay well and give us no trouble. We just received our order of Golden Comets and they are thriving. All things considered, Privett Hatchery has delivered good chicks in good order. I would buy from them again.

Love this company! Ordered from them last year and will order again this year. Very helpful staff and quality merchandise and did not lose any chicks during shipping. Will continue to do business with them.

I have not yet ordered from them but let me just make some points after reading others comments. when you order from Tractor Supply or Big R or Rural King or any feed store you take that risk.

you have to understand that these companies are about making money, vaccines cost more money per chick so they wont order vaccines in fact these stores will order the "cheapest" possible no matter what.

tractor supply was to blame not the hatchery

second when you call and ask what they do with unwanted males you probably came off wrong, here is the deal, Subaru outback driving, tree hugging, pot smoking liberals love to call these hatcheries and make problems and they usually focus it around the male chicks and what is done with them.. so they probably assumed right off the bat they were gonna have to argue with some PETA jerk...

i asked them and got a nice response , i pointed out that i intend to resell them and asked if they discount the unwanted males as "meat birds" the answer was no, but still a nice answer and left good communication.

i also want to point out to those of you complaining about the "local feed store" let me be clear i know the owners of several feed stores, some large some small.. they don't order from one hatchery, they will get some from privett, some from cackle, some from murraymcmurray and some from belt and so on. did you know there are some hatcheries that don't even hatch chickens? only ducks and geese? did you know these hatcheries are half as expensive as the chicken hatcheries that sell ducks and geese? do you know why? cause the chicken hatcheries buy the ducks and geese from these "other hatcheries" and mark em up double. so no matter what your feed store selection comes from at the very least 2-3 hatcheries, and here you are thinking you got it nailed down to one...

now as for the others complaining about being shorted chicks and or dead ones arriving well thats unfortunate and it happens and i feel for you, but 6 months later you birds start getting sick and start ding? i have raised chickens long enough to know that it was more likely that a disease was introduced by another bird brought in maybe you bought an adult hen off craigslist. if that one was vaccinated it could have been a carrier and your "feed store" birds were not , and there is your explanation.

I have dealt with Privett for at least 20 years. Not that I buy something every year because unless I am buying cornish cross for the freezer I do not need layers every year. I have bought laying hens, meat chicks, turkeys, ducks and geese. If I have anything die I am given credit but I usually receive extras. I live in a warm climate and I still keep my newly hatched chicks inside till they are fully feathered. Our early spring has cold nights with warm days sometimes up to the 90's plus I do like the other person who says they give them electrolytes and feed a medicated feed. The only time I have ever had a problem, we bought them late in the year for a 4-H project. They came from another hatchery as soon as I called I was given credit for the birds and will not buy them late in the year. I bought meat chickens last year from Cackle hatchery and I will never buy from them again. I ended up with a 46% loss and they blew me off. In past years I have purchased 100 chicks and I might lose a few but that has to do with the aggressiveness of cornish cross with each other. Now on my laying hens there is a small percentage that are sexed wrong, but I have never had more than 1 or 2 that are cockrells and those will sometimes be left alone or in the freezer if they are aggressive. On the other birds I have purchased they are great and since I do not want large amounts I usually go in with friends so we get the discount on them. I do agree with the one guy who stated the negatives comments are from those who purchased their birds from feed stores. Where I live the feed stores get tons of chicks from hatcheries and make sure they are all put in cages but really don't take care of them and look forward to them being gone. I will always buy from Privett and look forward to many more years of dealing with them. My hens are 3 years old and still laying large beautiful eggs.

Got my chicks first week in October 2012. Very nice people to deal with. All came healthy and all lived to be strong happy birds. Would do business with them again. Have a big smile to all.

I have done business with Privett a number of times over the years. When I buy chickens from them I buy them by the hundreds so havn't had experience with these little orders but I have found their birds to be superior, they arrive here in excellent condition though we are a couple thousand miles away. They have always been courteous, helpful, and upstanding and I would highly recommend them to anyone.
No where have they ever claimed to be a hatchery of "Show Quality" birds but they don't ask a show quality price either. If you want show quality birds buy from a hatchery producing show stock.

I ordered A group of Birchen Cochin Batams and Golden Lace Cochin Batams. I was very impressed with the health of these young chicks! I have ordered from other hatcheies in the past ans these were by far the best I received. Only one had died and they immedately credited me back for this chick.I will most readily buy from them again!!!

I was a little worried after reading some of the experiences here, but I had already placed my order and glad that I did not cancel...I ordered directly from the hatchery and couldn't be happier. These are easily the best chicks I have received in my short chicken farmer career, and I will be using this hatchery going forward. All chicks arrived healthy and active...no issues at all! All chicks are the correct breeds and continue to thrive. The only thing I do not know yet is the sexing accuracy, but have no reason to believe that there will be any major issues. My order shipped within 1 week of my order, by far the fastest I have encountered in the industry. Over-shipped chicks of the same breed, too. Highly recommended...

This was my first experience with Privett. The order arrived the exact day they said it would. I was on vacation the week before and asked that they not ship early. They did not. All 35 chicks were heathly and exactly what I ordered. It is 3+ weeks later and ALL are still alive and growing. They did not charge my card until the day they were shipped and it was exactly as I was quoted. I am VERY PLEASED with their service and quality and will be sure to try them again for my next order. They offer a wide variety of breeds, including more rare ones and I look forward to another batch next year.

I have lost track of the number of orders I've placed now with Privett, and have been very pleased with the chicks and the service. The lady with the accent who used to answer the phone was really wonderful, and the newer gals not as good. However, I always get a box of healthy, strong chicks, and usually more than I ordered (and always WHAT I ordered, by the way).
Last year I took Open Class Best of Show at the County Fair with my Light Brahma pullet from them, and this year my son took 2nd in the 4-H Asiatic class with his Blue Cochin from Privett. My son also won Grand Champion Market Poultry with his Fast White Broilers for 4-H, and my other son got 2nd in the Broiler class. Needless to say, I have been very pleased with the quality of the birds. Of course, we always order a bunch and cull aggressively for the birds we show. Can't imagine why anybody thinks you can order one or two and expect to win the genetic lottery. Chickens just don't work like that.

The best thing about Privett though, and I didn't realize this wasn't standard industry practice until I had to deal with other hatcheries, is that they tell you exactly what the hatch date is for your order of chicks. They ship them the same day, and apparently at the same time, every time. When I order from them, I know to within an hour of when I will be called to the post office to get them. They have never changed the date without approval from me, and there has never been a surprise about when my chicks get here.

We ordered 30 Cochin Bantam chicks and 32 arrived- one dead. They arrived on the day they were supposed to. The chicks were healthy and alert and they continue to be so. Although it is hard to tell for sure it looks like I have the correct varieties- five different ones. Very happy with our babies!

I have ordered numerous breeds and types of birds from Privett Hatchery over the last fifteen years. I was reading through comments made in regards to Privett Hatchery's service and was rather offended. These people have bent over backwards to get me what I need, and never once complained. The people that are choosing to complain are only the ones that are purchasing through the feed stores, who, let's face it - are out for money, just like the next business. If you want quality service and high quality birds you need to place an order straight from the hatchery, feed stores are going to find the cheapest route in purchasing your order. Don't expect to have all chicks survive, let's face it people, it's the law of nature (only the strongest survive.) Order straight from the hatchery and you will receive the most quality for your money, after sitting in the feed stores for two weeks who knows what they are subjected to? Privett Hatchery knows birds and has been providing quality service to me for over 15 years. Most recently I purchased 9 geese, 6 ducks, 20 pullets, and 50 guineas all of which arrived here perfectly heathly. Thanks to the neighboors dog I have lost only two, but they are now 2 weeks old and thriving. Those of you that complain are probably too busy to take adequate care of your animals. Don't blame Privett's for that!

I ordered from Privett Hatchery for the first time this year and was very pleased with my experience. My initial order had a total loss of chicks, due to mishandling by the post office. The people at Privett were as dismayed as I was, and reassured me this is not a common occurance. I was very upset when I called, and they were both compassionate and professional. They promptly replaced the entire order, let me know when they were arriving, and the next box was full of healthy, strong bantams. I did not lose any of the 40 I ordered, and they are still doing splendidly. I would have no reservations about ordering again and I highly recommend their company. A+

I had a great experience with Privett hatchery. I ordered 25 New Hampshire Reds, 15 Slow Cornish, and 15 Silkie chicks. I was given a delivery date of Feb.20th, 08 and that was right on time. I picked up the birds from the Post Office very early that morning and was very happy when I open the box all was alive and doing great. Never lost one of the birds, but they did ship extras if there had been a problem. I have nothing but good to say about this hatchery. The birds are growing good with no problems after nine weeks. I will be ordering from them again. I think anyone who is wanting to order chicks should give them a chance.

For the second time, I have received a very healthy batch of chicks from Privett Hatchery. They travelled two days via postal service. They are now two weeks old, and thriving. The order staff was courteous and accommodating.

The folks at Privett were thorough and helpful to a novice chick buyer who decided to get a good deal by inviting all her friends and neighbors to get in a good deal by combining orders. It took over a month to organize the different breeds. The folks at Privett patiently answered all our questions.

Our chicks arrived on time and in good shape with extras.

And when we realized we couldn't tell a silver phoenix from a light brahma - they helped us there too. For quite some time they helped me sort out 100 chicks over the phone while a half a dozen women tittered, giggled and Oooo'd and Awww'd over the babies.

There were two dead and we got immediate credit.

We had such a good experience with them we ordered again in the fall with equally excellent results. Every chick I ordered survived to adulthood. In the first order I bought 20 light brahmas and in the second I purchased 10. Out of 30 chicks to have all survive is proof of hardy breeding. A friend purchased Red Speckled Sussex, following my directions to raise them indoors until fully feathered - all 15 of hers survived. Thats 45 for 45. You can't beat that.

The pricing was EASY to understand. Shipping was a breeze. The site isn't perfect but its good and easy to find your way around.

I bought chicks last year, they arrived on time and were all healthy, despite being sent in August. They sent a few extra. All but one showed no disqualifying traits (one had a bent beak). I bought standard cochin pullet chicks as an addition to my breeding flock, and though I did have to thin them out, I got some really nice birds. The quality of the birds was better than I'd expect from any hatchery, much less one so cheap (they even paid shipping- I doubt they do that anymore).

I have bought 20 chicks from privett through my feed store they are some of the hardiest and healthiest chicks I have ever had. I will be buying more chicks threw them next spring. I will be a repeat customer. Thanks Privett

I've ordered from Privett quite a few times in past years. Our local feed mill also orders from them and we've all had great results and success with their chicks. Such a great variety to choose from and the personnel are extremely pleasant to work with. No doubt about it, my next order will be with Privett! I give them an A+.