Cackle Hatchery®

My friend ordered several batches of chicks from this hatchery, and I have three of the cross beaks that she received. She had gotten several prior to these and called cackle hatchery and was told she could not get a credit for them so her husband culled them. After the three that I have came in, she realized that this is not just a fluke one time, but they have chickens with a defect in their genes to produce these cross beaks. It’s a lot of work to keep them alive and healthy, But I could not handle the idea of them being killed. I love them and they’re doing great. Two of them have a very severe case where the bottom beach is on a 90° angle with the top beak and they have to eat baby cereal and scrambled eggs from a Food processor. They do not grow as well as chickens that can free range and eat all that they need to eat. One of the three is more like a scissor beak and is able to eat food and is growing better and she also Was delivered missing an eyeball or it didn’t develop. It’s hard to tell. There is a tiny hole where the eye should be, but considering the age of the chick when it got there, I believe that it just was A defect during development. So that tells me that Kyle hatchery does not check over their chickens before they ship them out. I would never order from this hatchery again.

Ordered "hatchery's choice" 10 female bantams. The chicks were very well packed, with some kind of heat pack and I think food source, and lots of soft cushioning material. They arrived all the way from Missouri to Washington in three days, alive and mostly well. The tiny game hen chick was smaller than the cochin bantams & brahma bantams, and the trip was too rough for her--she didn't survive past the first day home. However, the hatchery sent 3 extra chicks, so I still ended up with a gorgeous selection of 12 adorable little bantam hens. No accidental cockerels, and a very pretty assortment of colors. Best of all, the hens are healthy and great layers of adorable little eggs.

Ordering was easy. Customer service called to CONFIRM I was driving 5 plus hours to pick them up at the store. Mailing chicks is always a huge gamble. I don't trust the USPS to handle with care. Let alone in a timely manner. I'm happy to see the proactive phone calls. I am looking forward to picking up my new Wyandotte chicks in June. Update December 23rd 2025: All of my hens are alive, full of energy, laying eggs, and beautiful as heck. Cackle has some of the best pattern Wyandottes I have ever seen. Will update me when I get them all home. Ignore the one-star reviews about dead chicks. All those people want someone to blame for choosing to mail chicks. Choosing delivery via USPS is a personal choice and not the fault of Cackle hatchery in the least. USPS sucks. Protect the chicks and pick them up. Updated 6/10/25 Picked up my chicks. Got two extra! They are social and energetic. The 5-hour car ride home doesn't seem to have phased them. Naptime apparently just started. This tends to happen right after everyone drinks and eats. Only had to show one the water and food and the rest followed. Highly recommend Cackle Hatchery. Don't have them shipped. Go pick them up. The hatchery provides the highest quality chicks, its USPS that makes everyone mad. Blame the USPS, Not Cackle Hatchery. Update 7/15/25 All chicks survived. Tons of energy and all were females, so I'm pretty pleased with the purchase. Just pick them up. Update 12/19/25 The Crazy Clan has started laying eggs. Insane they knew today was my birthday. Healthy layers, healthy eggs. Silly birds.

UPDATE 1/11/26 We have had them 5 days. They continue to die 1 at a time. Swelled squishy chests (which they arrived with before ever eating). SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG. We will see if any make it. First let me say that I have been raising chicks for years and have ordered many times, from several companies, including Cackle Hathchery. I rarely lose more than 1 chick. This order was very different. I ordered 20 Leghorns (they sent 2 extras). All were alive upon arrival, but we noticed that quite a few had swelled chests. Then they just started dying off. So far we have lost 11 of the 22 (we have had them 3 days). This was the first time I paid to have them vaccinated for Marek's disease. That is the only difference from the many orders I have successfully raised. SOMETHING IS WRONG ...NOT SURE WHAT. I can say I will NEVER AGAIN have them vaccinate for me. They have said they will credit me for 8 chicks, but I have not seen the credit yet. Very disappointed at this point. Something is wrong with these chicks, and I am not sure how many will even end up living. They seem healthy and an hour later are dead??? I ended up ordering some more from a different company. They were less expensive all around. Hopefully I will get healthy ones this time. Just wanted to share my experience.

Just placed my order for this year that will hatch 5/20/26. I ordered more Brahma’s since all I have left from my previous order are hens. My Brahma Rooster unfortunately ended up with a huge growth on his neck area near the top back of the head not exactly sure what it was but he passed so I ordered a few roosters this time. I also ordered the bargain Turkey Surplus and am hoping to get a variety this time around as my last order only had all black slates which I know can happen depending on what’s available. I’m hoping I ordered early enough this time to get a variety excited to see what I get. I have alway ordered from them and alway received healthy birds so not sure what happen with my Brahma rooster if genetic or what it was. All my others are perfectly healthy and fine.The only disappointment I had was this last order of Turkeys in the Bargin Surplus I ordered and getting all the same kind not a variety. I ordered the Bargain Surplus because in the past when I’ve ordered they have always had a good mix of different colors they sent. I had Royal Palms, blue slates , Bourbon reds and one solid white I believe was a Broad breasted white. They were all healthy and beautiful.Hoping that’s the case this time and I get a mix. I will post an update once I get them in May very excited to add to my flock. All my birds are beautiful and healthy that I currently still have from them and I’ve been ordering from them anytime I want to add to my flock. I don’t blame them for the loss of my Rooster because I know things happen that can’t be explained like the growth he had.

I spent months waiting for these Black Copper Marans, counting down the days and watching the shipping tracker every single second. I had everything ready to welcome them home, but instead of the sound of chirping, I was met with total silence. The postmaster called me minutes before they even opened to tell me "I have your chicks, they have all passed". Mom mode went in and I was their within minutes, desperate/praying I could save them, the postman and I opened the box to a scene of pure tragedy. They were all lifeless. I poured everything I had into reviving them. I drove with two in my palms blasting 80 degree heat and one in my pocket. I managed to bring two back, but the trauma hasn't stopped there. Finally the sweet girl drank and ate on her own. The survivor has severely deformed feet, meaning a lifetime of special care and medical issues. The lack of empathy from Cackle Hatchery has been the biggest slap in the face. They operate on "quantity," but where is the heart? To be offered only a partial refund for this catastrophe—and then to be charged a fee to cancel my next order—feels cruel. I cancelled because I couldn't bear the thought of more babies freezing to death, yet I was penalized for it. They followed their refund policy to the tee. Corporate level. I didn't just lose money; I lost the birds I had already bonded with in my mind. This wasn't just a "transaction" to me, and it’s devastating that it clearly wasn't to them. Lesson learned. Never have any animal shipped.

DO NOT order from Cackle Hatchery. I ordered chicks for My 8 Year Olds 4-H Show Birds. I purchased 5 chicks, they sent 8, all but 2 died (so far)! I knew when Our Post Mistress said to not bring The Kids to pick up the chicks, it would be bad! One chick was crushed under the heat pads (that are not secured down), some could hardly stand or were lethargic. We had chicks die anywhere from a few hours upon receiving them, another the next day and one two days later. The two I have left have major Pasty Butt. I also have a Friend/4-H Advisor/Certified Breeder who ordered from this hatchery whose chicks developed crossed beaks and very bad feet. When I emailed CH, it was basically “sorry” and no refund. Their refund policy says they guarantee healthy checks upon arrival. One was dead and a majority of them looked like they were on death’s door as soon as we looked in the box. FYI, they ship them via USPS, not Overnight FedEx or UPS. Mine were delivered on a Saturday and thankfully we have an amazing Post Office in our rural community who called me as soon as they received them!!

I am not happy with my order at all from crackle hatchery for the Rhode Island Reds I purchased. I ordered seven hens and 1 rooster. I have already lost four total, including the rooster. They are failing to thrive as you see in picture some are smaller than others. I called to explain this to Crackle. I reviewed that they have been on the heat lamp and the apple cider vinegar in the water as recommended with chick feed. I also was using puppy pads as bedding and they told me that it was toxic to Chicks I asked them what was toxic about it and they told me all chemicals were toxic to Chicks. Well, that’s a no-brainer. I basically said, but they couldn’t tell me what was toxic however, as I explained the other breed that I received the LO, we’re doing fine. they told me there was nothing they could do. They wouldn’t give me a refund. I will never order from here again very upsetting. I spent a lot of money.

We ordered 15 rare breed chicks and got 16 in the box. After reading previous reviews we were leary and hoped that those boxes of all dead chicks and sock ones were not the norm. I can happily say our little peepers arrived with 2 that had not survived. 1 additional little one died on day 3. There is 1 more that seems to be struggling but for the most part they are very active and healthy with a good variety of colors. 12 out of 16 healthy chicks through the mail is a win in our opinion. We would have ordered more buy they are sold out of the other chicks we wanted. We are very pleased overall.

1 star I regret ordering these chicks. I ordered 5 chicks from Cackle Hatchery and received 6 -- which at first seemed like a nice gesture, until one died 2 days later. From the moment I opened the shipping box, all the chicks were itching, biting at their backs, and scratching their heads and beaks nonstop. It was obvious something was wrong from the start. When I reached out to Cackle with a short video and details, their contact person, Roxanne, her response was RUDE, dismissive, and completely unhelpful. They questioned my setup, implied I didn't know what I was doing, and seemed more interested in deflecting blame than offering any real support. I've been raising chicks for 15 years -- I know how to care for them properly. Within days, 2 of the 5 remaining chicks couldn't even stand up and were extremely weak. With extra care and attention, I've managed to get them through the worst -- but it's been heartbreaking and exhausting. These chicks clearly arrived compromised, and Cackle knew it -- that's likely why they threw in a 6th one "just in case." I would never order from them again. It's been a very difficult and stressful experience, and as of now (the chicks are about 10 days old), I'm still not sure they're completely out of the danger zone.

I am struggling with this review because the in-store customer service was phenomenal. They helped me prep 6 sexed female chicks for a trip back home, about 8 hours. They were kind and answered all of my questions. I was very happy with customer service. I went in for a female ermine americauna and left with 6 females: an ermine (they only had one left), a lavender americauna, 3 dark brahmas, and a red laced splash Wyandotte. I was absolutely assured these chicks are sexed with 100% accuracy and I would only have females. The ermine was a little sluggish but the employee was very certain "she was just sleeping and she woke her up. Aww how cute." When we got back to where we were staying in town, unfortunately the ermine was very sickly and of course the storefront was closed. I did all the appropriate measures to help the chick thrive - heat, water, food, supplements, electrolytes. The chick passed away a few hours later. I thought - they gave me a deal on the chicks and helped me so much, so I wasn't going to cause a fuss. Failure to thrive happens and no one can predict that. Well, some weeks later and now the chicks are more developed. Two of the three dark brahmas are roosters. So, all in all, 3 of my 6 chicks I received were either not healthy or not what I wanted. The customer service was wonderful, but I'm concerned with their sexing for anyone who buys their females specifically. I'm also concerned with them willingly selling dull or lethargic chicks.

I've visited Cackle Hatchery before, but this was my first time to attend the annual Chicken Festival held every October. It's two days of free family fun that I can attest adults enjoy as much as children. So many games and events--a chicken petting zoo, art tables, Chicken Thief Jail, duck slide, live music, magic show, hard boiled egg eating contest, rubber duck race, on and on. You can tour the hatchery, where thousands of eggs are in incubators at all times, visit the museum of Hatchery history, and of course purchase chicks in many species. Employees are helpful and cheerful despite the lively crowd.

If I could give them negative stars, I would. Do not waste your money on this hatchery. I purchased three peachicks from them in early August, and when the order arrived, there were six chicks included. The invoice explained that they send extra chicks in case some don't survive, which I thought was a great policy considering how expensive they are. Unfortunately, three of the chicks died, which I found terrible, but I appreciated that they sent spares. However, a month and a half later, the spares turned out to be chickens, and I absolutely did not want chickens. When I contacted them, Roxanne's only response was that this is just how they send their orders. Their reply was very poor customer service and rude. Now, I have the most expensive chickens I've ever purchased, which I didn't want at all, and I have no recourse. I strongly advise against doing business with this hatchery.

I ordered 20 male chickens from Cackle Hatchery (paid extra for sexing) for delivery on June 9, 2025. I noticed majority became female after two months. I messaged them about this problem. They first asked how many males I received (about five), then requested photos. I provided clear group photos, after which they asked for individual photos of each bird. I spent hours--hired help, took and submitted individual shots, and shared links--yet I was repeatedly told the images didn't come through and to try different formats or Facebook Messenger. I followed their instructions multiple times and did my best to cooperate, but the process became a loop of "we didn't receive it." Ultimately, my request was closed without resolution. Bottom line: the birds were not as ordered, and the documentation process felt burdensome and unproductive despite my good-faith efforts. I lost money on Feed, care, and space, let alone the price paid to crackle. I hope Cackle Hatchery streamlines their evidence requirements and improves how they receive customer uploads so genuine issues can be resolved fairly and efficiently.

I am writing to describe what is probably the single worst experience my family has ever had when purchasing live animals of any kind. My wife and I own a small farmstead where we raise dairy goats and chickens. We have experience keeping and breeding chickens and milk goats. We often purchase chicks in the mail to build our flock. This year, we decided to improve our flock of silkie chickens by purchasing chicks from two hatcheries, one to source the rooster and another to source the hens. In January of 2025, we ordered 15 straight-run splash silkies from Cackle Hatchery. The chicks were shipped on March 12, and on the 13th I got a call in the morning from the post office to come pick them up. I did so within one hour. The box I was handed at the post office had almost no sound emanating from it, so I opened in right away. I found a total of 18 chicks inside, 16 of them dead, one nearly dead, and another seemingly okay. In the coming hours, several of the most harrowing of 2025 for me and my family, we watched the 17th chick pass away, and were left with one single chick. All of this was witnessed by our small child, who needless to say was traumatized. We immediately contacted Cackle Hatchery to report a loss. They responded the same day and issued a refund of the value of the chicks. What they did not refund was the cost of the shipping, and they did not offer to ship replacement chicks. This left us with a single chick, for which we have paid $52.35. When I asked them about the logic of this practice, and the downright cruelty of charging someone for the delivery of 17 dead chicks, they said the following: "We understand that losing baby chicks is very sad. It is our policy to refund the cost of the chicks that did not survive on arrival. We can only issue a refund for the chicks. We cannot refund shipping costs as they are services and not products. We have to purchase shipping and handling fees to ship chicks to our customers. We have been told by the USPS to tell our customers to file a claim with the Post Office to receive reimbursement for shipping costs." I did contact the USPS, and was informed that like Cackle Hatchery, they are only able to pay for the cost of what was destroyed, not the cost of the shipping. So what they reported above about shipping refunds is untrue. I am writing this review so that folks are made aware of this policy, which I have come to understand is standard in the chick industry. If your chicks arrive all or mostly dead, as in our case, you will be charged for the cost of shipping. Just be prepared. Imagine yourself in this situation and seriously ask yourself if you are ready to deal with a box of 17 dead animals, and the cruelty of being asked to pay for the privilege of receiving them. I sincerely hope that this does not happen to anyone else. I am sure this is a rare occurrence. But just be aware that this could happen, and it is an incredibly cruel, confusing, and painful place to be. My family is grieving.

We ordered 19chicks from Cackle(5blue layers, 5chocolate layers, 3faverolles, 3wyandottes, & 3 exhibition orpingtons for 4H/state fair exhibition). We have kept chickens for ~10y, starting w/my now 21&24yo 4H chicks, at one point we had over 80 chickens&20 ducks, adding each year, then moved twice,so this was the first batch in our new state, younger 3 daughter's first time caring for chicks "on their own,"& our first time ordering from Cackle(we had chickens from breeders, Meyers, McMurray, Hoover, & Ideal). Was a bit worried as we had never shipped so far or in such cold weather(were in Idaho). Plus my oldest young daughter(13) is autistic, how would she handle a box of dead peeps? Or waking to dead peeps everyday for a week? Luckily we will just have to keep wondering!! Everything went perfectly, USPS did an amazing job getting the babies here in 2d, even sent them by plane in a couple instances when they could have sent a truck, we picked them up & had a peeping box of 24! Usps updates are a bit wonky, ours went from "label printed,awaiting shipment-MO" to "delivered to usps sorting center-Boise ID"with nothing in between, so keep that in mind if it feels like no movement, there probably is, you just don't see it. We had 1 tiny runt that was a smidge weak(but similar to chicks from other hatcheries, honestly), 2 chicks with pasty butt(one so bad I couldn't believe she was alive, took over an hour soak in Epsom water to get it off-papertowel wasnt going to do a thing), & 21 super active, super healthy chicks!!(these were comparable to pickup breeder chicks-have never gotten such healthy chicks from a hatchery in the mail!) 24h later the 1h soak baby was still weak, her eyes glued shut, by the end of the day, she had passed-we tried everything, but the stress was just too much. It happens, I do not blame Cackle, she obviously got stuck outside of the huddle or against something cold, & just couldn't recover. Plus, some birds are just a bit weaker from the start, it happens, unfortunately. HOWEVER the other 2 that were a bit weak upon arrival could no longer be distinguished from the rest of the flock!!(obviously tiny was still tiny, but health wise she was everywhere, preening, running around the brooder, jumping on the hotwater bottle, etc), we even have one trying to fly already, oy!! From what we can tell, our surplus blue & chocolate layers have a huge variety, which makes my daughters super happy!! They were hoping for maximum variety & it looks like we got at least 4, possibly 5 types!!! Exciting stuff!! We did get an "eye pecker"(can be fairly normal with a black chick housed with light color chicks-theory is they believe they're bugs on their sibling's face), this should be resolved in a couple days, until then she's in an isolation brooder with another black chick, doing just fine. We are adding the "jungle gym"(just a mini perch setup)tomorrow as they all seem ready for it!! I'm used to waiting a week or so to add it, needing to health them up a bit first. We will add "eye pecker" back with the jungle gym & hopefully that will offer enough distraction for him to keep his beak to himself For anyone curious, we used hydro-hen in their water(mixed 24h prior to arrival with hot well water & set next to the brooder), and chickhouse premium crumble(mixed with hydrohen water straight out of the box for "wet oatmeal" texture, then as is after that). We added a bit of chick-grit at 36h(just in a quart jar lid, not much, as we went to bed on day 2). The combination of premium, healthy chickens and healthy food/water, we have 23 happy, healthy babies going into day 3!!! Couldn't be happier!! I've NEVER not had a decent amount of chick loss(think ~10/20% is normal for shipped chicks, I've had entire shipments lost, never where nearly the whole batch lives). Also,believe a few babies were a smidge older(maybe 2-4d instead of day old on shipping day),that's normal, it happens & is perfectly ok!! Mother nature doesn't hatch all babies on the same day(someone mentioned this as a negative, its not, it's perfectly normal & will happen from all hatcheries & breeders). P.S. they did put orange marker on the necks of a couple chicks, this scared my daughters, they thought the chicks were bleeding when the marker got wet &orange began "dripping." So be aware,check your packing sheet!! We had green heads, green chins, & orange necks(but paid no attention, we can just be surprised as they feather out, but do appreciate the effort!!)

All Chicks Arrived Dead to post office Shipped from Cackle on Wednesday Arrived in CA at PO 12:30 pm Thursday 2025. PO called me soon as they arrived and said they thought they were dead and yes they all DEAD squished heads and bodies smushed by the heat Pack and Cackle charge an xtra $20 for it! there is not nearly enough bedding to cushion them its just tragic these beautiful babies died from carelessness in packaging! NOT OK! Should I publicaly name the person that packed them so heartlessly? No But I let Cackle know who killed them! Im out $29 for shipping Do they refund the $20 death heat pad?

90 percent of the silkie chicks I ordered arrived dead or dying. They had been stuffed into a box, and it took almost a week for them to arrive. What a horrible, horrible company. This was the most awful experience that I've ever had ordering chicks for my farm in the last 30 years. This place should be shut down for cruelty and health reasons. They do not know what they are doing. Nothing worse than opening a box of dead and dying chicks and then, after contacting the company, having them act so matter-of-factly that they were so unhealthy as if they did not care because it happened so often to their customers. Please check other sites for their reviews before buying! They have awful reviews across the board and should be investigated. They refused to refund only a tiny portion of my money. But it all comes down to their horrible way of mailing and their sickly chicks.

Until Cackle starts using FedEx for shipping I would absolutely not recommend them. USPS is completely unreliable and am still shocked they use them and are not over nighting orders. My first order arrived all dead, when I called and spoke to customer service you could hear so many other operators dealing with the same phone calls and all the other "sorry for your loss". Sad they guarantee shipping by just reshipping new live birds. AND beware for refunds, apparently it could take up to 21 days I am told. So they recharge you again if you get more birds. Never again.

I ordered 15 assorted rainbow day old chicks. They were dead upon arrival. I called and emailed within 10 minutes of them being delivered from the post office. They were mailed out on Monday April 28th and received today Wednesday the 30th. They are closed and not emailing me back. Do not purchase through this Hatchery.

I live in California, I recommend not ordering from this company. They are supposed to ship Priority Mail and they did not. I ended up with 25 dead baby ducks because the shipped them usps ground advantage. Needless to say they all froze to death cause they did not arrive in time. When I called them they told me they print their own labels for shipping so obviously they had messed up, they are still trying to charge me the $15 usps fee even though they are the ones that made the mistake. I sent them the picture of the label they had printed then the manager there told me they were too busy and couldn't talk to me any more then she hung up on me. Attached is a picture of the shipping label they printed.

Arrived all in good health. Great experience, was worried about the reviews but if you keep them at the right temperature and show them how to drink water as soon as they come out the box everything should be great. Plus, I hadhad vitamins and electrolyte mix into a gallon of freshwater.

Do not use this company. I ordered 15 silkie chics as a present to my mother n law to be shipped to Mississippi. Seven of them were dead on arrival the rest die that night. When I called them, they wanted to talk to the person who picked up chicks and care for them after questioning her in detail. They informed her that I will be refunded $170 I spent but instead I an email stating I was refunded $58. When I called them they said it was only a partial refund because she did arrive alive and it was heartbreaking for my mother-in-law, all kinds of chickens and ducks in the past

I had issues with them not answering, but went against my better judgment and ordered zombie chicken and a Jersey giant. Some of the zombies didn't look good on arrival, but I didn't complain. I kept their area between 97-99f. One of the zombies progressively got worse. He went from not walking much OUT OF THE BOX to not being able to use one foot. I separated him. He didn't want to eat or drink and couldn't use either foot. I manually fed him and kept him separate. The next morning, he and 2 others had passed, and the remaining birds were acting the same way. They died as well. I have 21 chicken in the same barn. I spent over 12k on a barn and converting it. All of the chicken have separate rooms by breed. They are also divided by hatchery. I go to the extreme to protect, love, and care for my pets. So when I emailed cackle, I was met with several questions from Roxanne. It was almost as if she was trying to undermine me. The company refused to take responsibility, apologize, refund, or replace the chicken. Please believe the reviews below. I am escalating my issue to BBB.

I was incredibly excited to get my very first chickens and Cackle Hatchery managed to ruin the entire experience for me. I put in an order at the beginning of July for a rooster and fourteen hens. I spent HOURS on the site trying to find a combination of birds I wanted and that were available. The site is somewhat poorly organized and the process is overly complex to get different birds that will all ship together. That said, after a few hours of research and trying different combinations, I finally got sorted and was super happy with my selection. I put in my order and everything seemed to go through smoothly and I was issued an order number and hatch date. At no point in this process was I notified that my card type wasn't accepted and never was I given a notification or email that my card was declined or there were any issues with verification. I spent the next several weeks busting my ass to get my brooder box built, get all the feed and bedding and everything for these chicks... spending hundreds of dollars on getting everything prepped for my coop. Once my hatch-date rolled around and I hadn't received any updates or notice that my chicks were ready to go, I checked my order only to see it had a status of "Failed." When I got in touch with customer service the following day (after not receiving a call back from my message), I was told that it was all my fault because they don't accept AmEx (she couldn't quite decide if that was the issue or if there was some sort of zip code verification)... any other eCommerce site would simply just provide an error rather than generating the order and making the customer think it went through. The customer service associate I spoke with, unfortunately, I forgot her name, was incredibly unpleasant and not helpful whatsoever. When I stated that their website isn't functioning properly, she got irate with me. She refused to take any ownership over the fact that their website doesn't function like every other eCommerce site in existence and instead chose to blame the whole mixup on me. Even if she had just offered an apology for the mix-up, I wouldn't be leaving this review. But, instead, she decided to hang up on me mid-sentence. I fully understand that I missed the fact that my card's icon wasn't listed in the row of accepted cards. And, I fully understand that I could be better at checking my credit card statements (and thus seeing the charge never went through). Maybe I should've been proactive in checking in via phone on my order status. But, let's be reasonable here. I was ready to recommend Cackle Hatchery to the hundreds of people in my various homesteading groups asking where I'd ordered from, but now I'll be warning away anyone who will listen. There are PLENTY of other sites that will provide better communication and service. I'll be reaching out to Tractor Supply, Stromberg's, Murray McMurray, Moyers and any other number of places before ever spending a dime at Cackle Hatchery. I was excited to start in on my chickens. I was prepped and had everything ready to go. Shoot. I told everyone I knew about it. Now I'm just staring at an empty brooder box and have no idea if I'll be able to get the chickens I wanted. Thanks for taking an exciting experience and turning it into something frustrating and depressing.

I have used this company in the past and had success so I decided to go back. I preordered and paid for a goose, rooster and 3 hens. I was so excited when they finally came in after waiting for months. I went to the post office immediately and when I got home all were dead but one. I emailed the company with pictures and they asked a ton of questions which I provided the answers for. They then proceeded to tell me that they no longer reship birds due to a $15 shipping charge. They will only refund the money and it can take up to 21 days. I explained to them my displeasure and that I did not want a refund I wanted new birds shipped. Wouldn't it be cost effective to pay the $15 then refund my money? I told them they would lose a costumer over this and all they said was "I will pass along this info to the owner" I have heard nothing since. I will not use this company again and will encourage everyone else to stay away.

All 12 chicks came healthy (Seattle, WA)!!! Even got 2 extra!! Really good receipt and communication of delivery. Love the tips on the site on how to take care of them as I'm a newbie.

I got 7 birds from cackle. 2 died within 24 hours. I emailed them the next morning (48 hours after receiving, although they're trying to gaslight me by saying 3 days) to let them know that they died and to try to get compensation. Mind you, I paid $150 for this order. Apparently, if they're not dead in the box they wont refund you. Those two specific chicks were both lethargic and slow moving upon arrival and I knew they weren't going to make it. Nothing in their live poultry policy says to contact if the birds are sick, only if they are dead. Its astounding to me that for as many birds as they ship out, they don't seem to understand the mortality rate of freshly hatched chicks and instead take the mindset of "well, you're shit out of luck". Every single poor review on their site has some kind of clap back. As long as they get your money they don't care. Would not recommend. Go with a small hatchery instead. Mt Healthy has been wonderful!

Very sickly chicks!! Iv raised chicks for yrs. EE older than 1 day, had wing feathers. 11 hens, 26 roosters. Too high rooster ratio.

I hate to say this, but I think others should know that none of our chicks survived. It was really horrible to open the box. Very nice ppl. I know these are hard times for the chicken industry. Hopefully I am the only one who experiences this, but wanted to let you know.

This was my first time utilizing Cackle Hatchery for live chicks and I am a very happy customer. I ordered my chicks back in the middle of May, I was nervous as I am in California and have never purchased live animals from out of state. I am happy to say 6 months later my hens are all thriving-now laying a beautiful assortment of dark brown and blue eggs which is what I wanted. I ordered 16 chicks and received 19, they all survived and of the batch only 2 were roosters. My girls are beautiful and healthy, thank you Cackle Hatchery!

We order twice from cackle hatchery first we got are chicks in February 1 rooster and 14 females but just 2 survived we had cold and snowing weather snd and they came the 3 day. But we did get aother set of chicks in June and they all survived but one . We that's supposed to be 1 rooster but we got 4 roosters and 12 hens three supposed to be hens was three roosters. It is not cackle hatchery Fault. We order Ducks from cackle hatchery 2 male Ducks and 12 females with two different Ducks but we got 13 all together and they all survived happy and healthy and laying eggs all ready. If we ever need to order chicks or Ducks we will definitely order from cackle hatchery.

After reviewing some of the negative feedback keep in mind, the hatchery has no control over their birds once they enter the Postal service. I have used them religiously over the years. I have had an entire shipment I received dead on arrival to my doorstep. I called the hatchery sent them a picture of what i received and they promptly refilled my order in a very professional way. Keep in mind i can assure you those birds didnt leave that hatchery dead! I received the replacement order on the next hatch day. As a matter of fact I have a shipment due 04/26/24or 04/27/24. When you have a disclaimer on something that says no refunds no guarantees proceed with caution buyer beware, its a gamble. I Am not an employee of cackle hatchery. I am a Medical professional that has had a chicken obsession since i am 5 years old. I currently reside in Oaklandpark FL K.R. Dowdy

My golden sebrit bantam rooster from TSC came straight comb they are to come rose comb I won't buy bantams from TSC they said that's were they get there chicks from I bought 50 chicks from there everything else good all 50 still healthy and are half way grown and doing good.

I should have read all the other reviews before purchasing.....I am beyond upset at the lack of any sort of help or professionalism from this company. I ordered 18 Jersey Giant chicks a couple months ago, expected date to be delivered was 2-9, on the first day they started dying off, by the third day (2-11 a Sunday) 7 had died. I just got off the phone with them 20 minutes ago. When I called them this morning (2-12) an older lady by the name of Pam answered the call. I could tell right away when I told her that they were dying that she was not going to be of any help in any way, as she immediately went on the defense. She started off by going over their recommendations on brooding chicks. She asked what the brooder temp was, I told her 96 degrees, her reply was well we recommend 95 degrees. One degree, I am not making this up.... She asked about the bedding, I told her that we used the same material that they shipped the chicks in, her reply was well we dont recommend that in the brooder, we recommend pine shavings. She asked how they looked when they arrived, I told her I didn't know because my wife received them from USPS as I was not there, but said that they looked ok. She started telling me all about pasty butt, I told her we know all about it and how to prevent/clean it. I explained to her that this is not our first time buying chicks through the mail, as we have done it multiple time without any major issues like this. She really did not seem to care. After all that she said that there was nothing they could do as we waited more than 24 hours after the first one died and did not call, I explained to her that they did not die all at once and that I was willing to accept one or two that died on the first day without complaining. So long story short, I would recommend reading all the reviews here and on Google, I think they filter out anything bad on their Facebook page.

I ordered 8 chicks and received 9, one almost died. I ordered all hens and received 3 roosters we had to get rid of. This was very expensive to have this experience, would not recommend or do again.

Super sad! We love chickens, we have chickens and wanted three more. So, my husband surprised me and ordered me silver laced polish. I have wanted these forever ( due to how cute they are). We got them 5 days ago and he only ordered 3, but 5 came. Of course I was jumping up and down when we got them. They are all hooked up (aka spoiled palace) and a day later one died- which I expected due to the delivery (I figured at least one wouldn't make it). Then I noticed their poop was like diarrhea yellowish nasty and they were pasty butts and just a couple were lethargic. So, I added apple vinegar to their water, cleaned their palace everyday and their bottoms. Did everything the pamphlet said and even called them, they said what the pamphlet said. Next day, another one dead, following day- third one dead. Skipped a day, I was doing a happy dance, maybe that's it, we have it under control- they look great, talking, eating and drinking. Later that night, before bed I noticed one just laying pretty much flat- like the others ones that died - brushed my teeth- came back out- dead. Down to one, trying to nurse her- as I did some research on my own and all the symptoms point to Coccidiosis. So, I ordered some medicine that will hopefully help, I just hope she can make it till gets here, as she is getter weaker. Saddest thing to have to watch and feel helpless at the same time. A week today and I have one barely holding on. Coccidiosis starts at the hatchery. We have raised 3 other set of chicks and had no problem- we got those chicks from Big R- but I always wanted funky hair chickens, so my husband ordered them. Well, I got them and get to see everyone of them die. Not cool.

Ordered 3 Brahma's online. I did have to wait a week for them to ship, but that's understandable. You can't always predict Mother Nature. I opened the box and there was 4! I was NOT expecting that but again, understandable in case one didn't make it. That's a realistic concern that they have taken steps to avoid. When shipping these little babies through the mail, I'm sure things can go wrong. Remember they only have 72 hours from when they hatch to get into their brooder. I made sure that I tracked the package, and took off from work that day so I could run to the post office ASAP. One did wind up passing on at about three month old. The other three are strong, beautiful, and quite great layers for Brahmas. I get three a day sometimes!!! I don't use supplement heat, or supplement light now that it's winter and they are doing great! I must say these babies are some hardy hens. I would 95% recommend getting Day old chicks again and will probably be ordering three more in the next few months to add to my flock. Oh! And their customer service is amazing. I'm not too sure about these other reviews but this was my first flock and I have called and emailed a lot. Anytime I have had questions or concerns they took the time to help me. Thank you cackle for my first flock experience and giving me the joy that is having backyard chickens!

I ordered 6 female chicks, they sent 2 extras, well 1 of them was a rooster, which I didn't want.. Cause I already had 1...this rooster is so aggressive, he's a real pain can't go near him, constantly attacking everyone, killed a couple chickens... If I wanted a rooster I would have ordered one... So now I have to kill him.. Not happy. Will never order from this shitty place again... Thanks for ruining my farm with your asshat bad decisions.. Losers

Cackle did a great job! We ordered 6 chicks for and early February hatch. They shipped out on Wednesday night close to 11 pm, and we received them on Friday morning about 10 AM. As we live in Georgia and they came from Missouri, I thought that was pretty good! When I opened the box all 7 (what we ordered with a bonus chick) were alive. The last few nights have been in the 20's as the chicks were shipped. Cackle had an insulated box with a heating pad in the box as well. The chicks seemed very happy to get into the brooder. They seem very healthy as of now and Cackle had a live chick guarantee. Overall, I can tell they've done a great job!

Two of my chicks died within 2 days of receiving my shipment. The customer service rep blamed me and told me I didn't take care of them right. I will not purchase from this company again. I wish I had looked up reviews before buying from them. Now I see negative reviews everywhere about cackle hatchery

Would give zero if I could. Purchased 5 peachicks and 6 chicks. All peachicks and 5 of 6 chicks died within 24 hours. No guarantees..so I am out of $500. Don't buy from them. I wonder if there's some sort of issue with their stock or disease or something. I am experienced and have never seen this kind of mortality rate in all of my purchases from various breeders and hatcheries over the years. Maybe it's for the best. I don't want my existing flock contaminated.

This year I discovered Cackle Hatchery, and I will say it was the BEST survival rate I've ever had shipping chicks all the way to Alaska! I ordered 15 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and they ended up sending 19. All chicks were alive upon arrival! I ended up losing 3 chicks within the first 24 hours, but that was no fault to the hatchery! Our birds were shipped the 12th of April and arrived the 16th! Thank you, Cackle Hatchery, all 16 chickens are healthy and thriving! I will be purchasing again in the near future.

Would not issue a full refund canceling order just minutes after ordering because after checking out it said my order wouldn't ship for 6 months.

Do not use this company. I purchased 17 baby chicks and waited for them to arrive for months. Sadly, when they arrived they were all DEAD. I called the company and they told me "it happens" my chicks arrived in a tiny little box.

I received the chickens i Ordered with no issues. I was previously mistaken and believed I had more males than the percentage their site gave of 70% for my breed. The chickens are well tempered and Nice to have. Recommend the hatchery for anyone in Virginia.

Ordered an item, they couldn't send out the next day. I asked them to cancel my item (not a live animal), they charge a 10 percent fee for something that never left their business. I called 5 days later to check on status of refund and was told it can take 21 days for them to issue it back. I WILL NOT BE BACK!

I live in Arizona. I ordered two light Brahma hens. They sent four and I'm so glad for that. I called to speak with someone as I've never ordered and shipped chicks. They were very helpful, patient and resourceful. The chicks came when they said they would. They were delayed and they called to tell me. I picked them up from the post office, worried for them after their travel. I followed their instructions and immediately had three peeping chicks. One was a tad lethargic (understandably) and I thought she wasn't going to make it. As they grew in their little set up, which I had in a dog cage in my house because they were so fun to watch, the sleepy one stayed small and one started growing faster than the rest. All chicks moved outside pretty early. I'm in Arizona. It's warm. They were so happy. Well, flash forward five months and I've got four BEAUTIFUL birds. Three hens and one rooster . I love that I have a roo. Since ordering I have moved to a larger property with tolerant neighbors. This roo is so sweet. The ladies steal treats from his beak. For exotic or hard to find species of bird, Cackle Hatchery was best place I found. I am grateful they all lived. It was hard to choose a bird type since they offer all the fluffy, pretty, cooky kinds. The fast growing bird turned out to be my roo, Percy. The sleepy chick is still smaller, Olive, but she's the first to lay! Check out the pics. Through no doing of my own I've got a gorgeous little flock.

Normally I don't put much time into leaving reviews unless its warranted. In this case run and save your money. I ordered eight ducks and got nine in the mail five days later with eight dead on there back with the last one flopping around and taking its last breath of air in my hand! When I called to let them know they could care less and told me "It happens all the time." at least the offered to send more. Look bellow at what you likely will receive to drive home the small box of crammed dead ducks that you could get to open, I think it would help others from wasting there time.

Today I received my second order of beautiful turkey poults. Our turkeys from June are parenting the poults, and they are amazing! My dogs love them and they all came in healthy, strong, and they are bright colorful turkeys. The United States Post Office shipped them to the wrong post office and was giving them to another customer while I was in line! Please privatize the post office! The birds were almost dead from the post office. Thank you Cackle Hatchery for the information on your website, I bought everything you recommend and they are eating and drinking like they were taught! I recommend using Cackle Hatchery to everyone who wants any kind of birds! Thank you also for the two extra poults!

Every single one of our chicks lived from our order! Very healthy and with my preorder, they shipped the exact week we needed them for my daughter's 4h project.

Ordered 25 Japanese Bantams (from the assortment). They sent 29 -- all arrived alive, but lost 1 shortly afterwards, which netted me 28/25 ordered chicks. A great variety, some from each variety they offer. I was happy, considering they were shipped in cold weather from MO to CA. Excellent service, the chicks are all happy and healthy! I can't wait to place my next order.

Customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I ordered 15 Rainbow layers. Their computer changed my address and I didn't notice until they shipped. When I called to ask for help in getting it corrected their response was "is Chicago very far away from where you are" and "it's not our fault". I will never ever order from these people and I suggest you find somewhere else to order from

My original order for 15 brahma chicks/hens included 2 buff brahma roosters. This was in early July and when I received them there were only 10 chicks in the box and one had a damaged leg. They said that they didn't have the full order and sent what they had. They did refund the amount for the 5 chicks. That said the 9 birds I received that were undamaged are all healthy, but mostly roosters. Here's the problem they sent 2 buff roosters and 3 dark brahma roosters instead of all hens. I now have more cockerals then poulets...I had to wait until they are now at 16 weeks to make sure. My impression is that they are poorly run. I would not buy from them again. If this seems like nit picking, it's not. No one wants that many roosters. This is just sloppy handling by obviously untrained employees. Having spent considerable money to raise the additional roosters, which it is doubtful I can sell, or even rehome, I think these kinds of mistakes indicate a business that cannot be trusted.

I called to inform { Cackle Hatchery} that my females were NOT labeled with orange color as said on invoice. NOT Only where they rude and inquiring about the conditions bird boxes and heat lamps BUT they continued to FAIL to address the issue that I called about. I continued to reiterated to them that I had paid more for PULLETs and that alone should have been marked accordingly. THEN the worker committed rudely that for all they know I was lying . Extremely rude and unprofessionally . Previous orders where marked with color inks according to invoice in prior orders. I will not do business with them in the future and nor will I recommend anyone to buy from considering how unprofessionally and rude they were to me. Extremely disappointed as their site only allows them to put in reviews from costumers they allow .I WAS NOT permitted too. I believe the correct thing to do with to either refund me the difference and or the female chicks. Seeing how they would take a complaint and write off the issue . BUT instead they accused me ! CACKLE HATCHERY IS A ZERO ! I will update if they correct the issue.

they all lived don't .... i just wouldn't order straight runs unless you like roosters' 3 different breeds 70-80 percent roosters even on auto sexing breeds they get you

I got a shipment of chicks last Friday and 3 were dead when they arrived. 2 more died that night and one the next day. I live in California so with time shift they were closed on Friday. I did not know they were open on weekends so I called on Tuesday on my lunch hour and their line was busy the whole time and the phone would automatically disconnect me. I called today (Wednesday) and they told me I had to call in 2 days after receiving shipment. I told them I had pictures of dead chicks with times on them and I can send them my phone record that I tried to call on Tuesday and they stuck to their "policy of 48 hours" despite the fact that I didn't receive the chicks till 4 on Friday (california time) and then it was the weekend. Very poor customer service, I will not be ordering from them again!