performance Poultry

[SandyM]

Wait, there's an incubator magazine?? Where does one acquire such an item? Just out of curiosity of course :D

I will get it tomorrow - it's in my office out of view lol.

[Robbie]

This is what I ordered from Performance:
Plymouth Rocks - Buff - Female Standard - Heavy Breeds 5
Cornish - Dark - Female Standard - Heavy Breeds 10
Cornish - Dark - Male Standard - Heavy Breeds 5
Barred Holland - Mixed Rare and Unusual Breeds 10

Just a teeny weeny order........

[windwalkingwolf]

Robbie! 30 chicks is not a tiny order. I've whittled my wish list of breeds down to about 7 or 8. I've got to break it down more, even though I'm waffling about taking one or two off my original list, and still haven't decided on quantities. But it can't be 30 birds. Well, it CAN, but it SHOULDN'T be...I can't really afford it, and I have enough around here to keep me more than busy LOL! I have my eye on silver gray Dorkings, mottled Houdan, black Modern Game, black Silkies, mottled Java, Ancona, silver spangled Spitzhauben, exchequer Leghorns. Yes, there's a bit of a theme there. How to decide? I don't REALLY need more than one white laying breed. The only reason I want the Games is to add their long legs and body shape to my 'roadrunner' project, and breed them to have a more horizontal carriage, so no real rush on that...plus, who knows what quality they are to begin with? And, I don't NEED more than one or two white egg breeds, or do I?
I bought a bunch of black Jersey Giants from them last year with the idea of breeding them 'up' to SOP eventually, and/or making a group of black Javas, but I am SOOO disappointed with their quality. It would take me a decade for either. Not EVEN hatchery quality, they're THAT bad. At 7 1/2 months old, they're the size of my own at 3 months. Not even worth putting in the freezer. I'm not joking. They're tiny, long and skinny with flat tails and many were gypsy faced, some are STILL gypsy faced. Two pullets with black faces. Ugh. Feet bottoms are very white, zero yellow except on one pullet. I believe they must be mutts, either that or so heavily and indiscriminately inbred/crossbred that I am only keeping them as layers, IF that. None of the pullets are laying yet. But maybe I was spoiled by buying sop quality stock for my chosen breed to focus on, right from the get-go? So it's buyer beware at any rate, gods know where he gets some of his breeding stock. Either way, many of the breeds on my PP list are NOT readily available close to me, and chick catalogues always make me a little starry-eyed

[bodabing]

I am confused what breeds you are complaining about? If you don't like them why would you order more? wouldn't be much difference in the Ancona and leghorns probably and pick one crested breed. Pretty easy to chop two breeds quickly. Never that easy lol. Good luck.

[Poultryprincess]

When I ordered from Performance a few years ago, I also bought a few other breeds besides the Ameracauna ( EE's - LOL )
I got some Corninsh ( had veri nice feather pattern ) a few Black Silkies, Buff Frizzles & the Mottled Houdan.
I was Happy with these breeds....the Houdans were Nice looking birds.
When I ran out of space, someone Offered me $ for the Houdans, they wanted them for their breeding program.

I kept 3 of the Green egg layers ( EE's / Ameracauna wanna be )
They are friendly birds & decent layers.

[windwalkingwolf]

I was 'thinking out loud (/in writing)' as I often do, Bodabing :) I've only ever ordered from PP once-- last year, I got black JG chicks. The quality of what I got was my complaint., but apart from that, my experience with them (PP) was very positive. The owner accommodated my order changes and pickup instructions seamlessly, and the chicks I got LOOKED for all the world like what I had ordered, and were hardy and healthy. The fact that the Giants were (oh so) NOT what I expected, and I was expecting yucky hatchery quality to begin with; doesn't sour me on the PP company. I know Performance sources it's eggs and chicks from different breeders and hatcheries. I know some may be ok and some may be . I DON'T expect much difference between anconas and leghorns, but hope breeds eternal lol, and reminding me of that has exed the leghorns of my wishlist. If I can't get them from PSO members, I won't get them.
I also tend to view substandard poultry as a challenge, which was what made me give PP a try in the first place. That challenge though, is what makes me want to give their other breeds that I want a go. Just to see if they're just as bad as the JG I got, if for no other reason. My brain works like that. I suspect some, but not all, are. For example, a guy down the road from me ordered 10 mottled Houdans, straight run, last year. He ended up with 7 cockerels, 3 pullets, and 2 pullets and 3 cocks died, and of what he has left, only one cockerel I, personally, would EVER consider working with if I were breeding them seriously. He just orders various breeds from them every year for fun, to see lots of colour in his barnyard, and kills off his extras in fall. That has a certain appeal to it, and is the reason I breed wildcard Easter Eggers. BUT...that ONE Houdan cockerel gives me pause...if I can order 30 birds for 4$ each, and get one or two worth breeding, that's pretty darn good for a hatchery! Especially if that hatchery is one that people from my area go to every year, so I can piggyback an order with them. I can, and do, eat a LOT of cull chicken :) So, like I alluded in an earlier post, buying from a place like PP is like playing the lottery. Or drinking alcohol, or knitting, or automatically driving the same route to work even though there may be a better way, or using the same bathroom stall in Walmart. We are addicts, creatures of habit. I may be worse than some, but I will own that :D

[windwalkingwolf]

Hope SPRINGS eternal!! Not, `Hope breeds eternal`! LOL!!

[SandyM]

[quote="Poultryprincess"]When I ordered from Performance a few years ago, I also bought a few other breeds besides the Ameracauna ( EE's - LOL )
I got some Corninsh ( had veri nice feather pattern ) a few Black Silkies, Buff Frizzles & the Mottled Houdan.
I was Happy with these breeds....the Houdans were Nice looking birds.
When I ran out of space, someone Offered me $ for the Houdans, they wanted them for their breeding program.

I kept 3 of the Green egg layers ( EE's / Ameracauna wanna be )
They are friendly birds & decent layers.[/quote

This is me being more politically correct.

That's an interesting looking chicken in your profile picture ... What kind is it?

[Robbie]

WWW it's really a tiny order, as I plan to select and cull heavily. From what I gather the male/female ratios are skewed in the straight run selections because when people order specific sexes the hatcheries dump the leftovers back in the mix - and because generally more people want females than males, the proportion of males in the hatch goes way up.
The only males I specifically want are the Dark Cornish. I ordered hens where that was the option. I only want a few Barred Hollands to see what they are like, I probably should have ordered more. I won't be keeping any Barred Holland roosters ( unless........... LOL no really I won't I don't want any single combed roosters. )I'd like to end up with 2 good solid dark cornish roosters.
One person ordered 25 Redcaps last year, almost all died............ so I don't know how many chickens I'll finish with. Better to have too many to select from than not enough I say!!!

[Killerbunny]

Is the picture bird a showgirl or something PP?