Reviews for: Back to the Farm

After doing a lot of research, I finally decided that I wanted to raise Delaware chickens. I wanted to have a flock of rare, dual-purpose chickens that were friendly and from everything I read the Delaware breed was for me. My only problem was that because they are rare, they are hard to find! Hatchery chickens are just not the quality of chickens from a breeder and apparently it is hard to find a top quality breeder of this breed.

I asked several people in a chicken forum that I now belong to and they directed me to Paul Harter at Back to the Farm. I was impressed with his website so I decided to give him a call and I was extremely impressed from the very beginning. He was willing to answer questions and discuss his birds even before I made an order with him.

I ended up ordering 18 Delaware, 4 Partridge Rock and 3 New Hampshire.

Once I did make the order, he was very good to call and let me know the status (i.e. when he was planning on putting the eggs in the incubator, when I should expect a call letting me know that they were going to be shipped, etc.).

Paul called me on Sunday and informed me that my chicks were hatching and that he would be putting them in the mail the next day (Monday) around 2:00 pm. I received a phone call around 6:00 am on Tuesday that the chicks had arrived (after only 16 hours in transit). The chicks were in great shape and surprisingly friendly!

I am VERY pleased with the service and quality I got from Paul. I will not hesitate to recommend others to him and would most certainly buy from him again if I decide to get additional Delaware or other breeds that he is raising.

Thanks Paul! It has been a pleasure doing business with you!

Last Spring, when my town passed its Urban Hen ordinance, I bought 4 chicks from Back to the Farm. I explained that I really didn't want any sexing mishaps, since the ordinance was a little controversial, and I was getting exactly the 4 breeds I wanted. Paul was very accomodating, keeping the birds for me for a few extra weeks until he could be certain of the sex. I got a Barred Rock, a Buff Orpington, a New Hampshire Red, and a Partridge Plymouth Rock. When he wasn't sure of being able to provide one of them (the BO, I think), he made sure he would be able to get one from another supplier if needed.

My son and I went to the farm to pick up the birds. The Harters were friendly and happy to show us around the farm so we could see all the birds and where they were being raised. The roosters were so beautiful we really wished we could have one, but again, not in our urban flock!

Paul was extremely helpful on the phone, both as I was placing my order and as the time neared to bring them home. Since this was a new venture for us, I had about a thousand questions, which he patiently answered.

The 4 girls (Rosita, Heidi, Iris and Daniella) have been wonderful layers so far, and I have had no health problems with them at all. I highly recommend Back to the Farm as a source for a backyard flock like my own.