Mixed Results: Elite Runners and Geese, but Caution on Black Muscovy Line ​I am a long-time homesteader in West Texas, and I've had a wide range of experiences with Metzer Farms over the last year. While their customer service is responsive, there is a clear divide in breed vitality and some significant website functionality issues. ​The Standouts (5/5): ​Runner Ducks & Geese: My Chocolate, Fawn & White, Blue, and Silver Runners are phenomenal. They arrived alert and are incredibly hardy foragers in a semi-arid climate. The French Toulouse and White Chinese goslings are the "bosses" of the flock--robust, fast-growing, and resilient to shipping stress. ​General Thrivers: I've had 100% success with their Khaki Campbell, Welsh Harlequin, Buff, Silver Appleyard, and Mallard lines. All are healthy with steady growth curves. ​The Concerns (1-2/5): ​Black Muscovy Line: I have had a 100% mortality rate with this specific line over two orders. Most recently, a replacement female developed neurological distress and seizures at 2 weeks old despite strict nutritional protocols (VitaMetz and niacin/yeast). A previous male also died prematurely. There appears to be a significant vitality issue or shipping sensitivity specific to the Black Muscovy line that isn't present in their other ducks. ​Cayuga Vitality: I experienced a "failure to thrive" case with a Cayuga that developed acute wry neck within the first week. ​Note on Website: I've attempted to leave these as individual product reviews for a week, but the website's submission and contact forms consistently hang and fail to send. ​Summary: If you stick to their Runners, Geese, or standard Mallard-derived ducks, the quality is world-class. However, I would be very cautious with the Black Muscovy line if you are in a challenging climate. read more

Second time ordering from Metzer farms. There was a slight mix up. I contacted their customer service and was treated incredibly well! Ms Ashley is truly a wonderful human being! Thank you for taking care of us as our family will be Metzer customers for life! read more

Awesome website and follow up I just wanted ducks and chickens but i live in Sunnyvale i searched for quiet ducks and Muscovy came up i have followed Metzner for long long time i finally made a purchase 2 female ducks 1 male with feed i have a beagle i know i will never be afford a farm like i had in India with 20 geese 200 cows and 300 hens but atleast i can be happy at 64 years old with ducks i did not get them earlier due to Grumpy complaining neighbhour renter but i know i dont care Grumpy neighbor is better now with my beagle Thanks guys my order comes in april 20 th to sunnyvale Thanks Metzner Farm read more

I ordered 12 ducks and shipping took over 30 hours. Ducks came weak, exhausted with no food or water and no heating pad. Two of them had nasal discharge. After I put them in the brooder and provided food and water they started to feel better. One duck didn't make it. Just died in my hands day after. I am sure if they stayed warmer during shipping it probably wouldn't happen. I don't know. But it's sad. read more

I had a very disappointing experience with Metzer Farms and would not recommend them. I ordered 10 chicks, and within less than 72 hours of arrival, six of them died from coccidiosis--a preventable illness they clearly had upon arrival. Despite immediately starting Corid treatment (which I had to drive two hours to get due to my rural location), the losses continued. I contacted Metzer multiple times via email and voicemail, providing photos of bloody stool as proof that the chicks were sick. While they did respond, they never acknowledged that the chicks were sick. Instead, they asked for pictures of my brooder and sent me a link to chick-rearing instructions, as if I was inexperienced or caused the issue myself. I have been raising poultry for 8 years and have never had losses like this. At first, they told me they could only offer a refund, completely ignoring my request for replacements as stated in their policy. After I continued pushing, they suddenly changed their response, saying they were having a production issue and that I could receive replacements--but not until August. If that had been the case from the beginning, why not say so in the first response? Instead, I had to go back and forth just to get a clear answer. I also requested that my email be escalated to a manager because of how poorly this situation was handled, and I have yet to receive a response. At this point, it seems I would be better off getting a refund and ordering from another hatchery. If you order from Metzer Farms and receive sick chicks, do not expect proper customer service or accountability. read more

My family and I decided to get ducks about a month and half ago and I started researching online where to get them from. I came across Metzer Farms and liked that they were in California and that the ducklings wouldn't be shipped across the country to me. They had a nice selection of birds including chickens, geese and guineas and you were able to pick when your ducks could be shipped (depending on breed availability). Metzer Farms specializes in waterfowl though and their website reads that they hatch 19 different breeds of ducks and 16 breeds of geese. I settled on 4 ducklings - 1 female Pekin, 1 male and 1 female Rouen and 1 female Buff Orpington. The ducklings shipped on a Tuesday and I received them on Wednesday. Unfortunately, 2 of them did not make it through the night. I'm not sure what happened, it could have been a number of issues, but in the end, I chalked it up as my own inexperience. I contacted Metzer in less than 24 hours and they were very quick to respond. They apologized and we're very sympathetic. They offered to issue a refund or ship out 2 new babies free of charge (FYI - they will do this if something happens within the first 48 hours). I decided to have them ship out new ones and give it another try. They arrived 2 days after they shipped the following week and I am happy to report that they are healthy and happy! I would like to point out that I read on other reviews about people saying that they were rude and unresponsive - that was definitely not the case for me. They answered every one of my calls and emails - they even sent a follow up email to see if I had received the new ones. I will definitely be purchasing more ducklings when the time comes. I would highly recommend Metzer Farms! read more

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I added six Welsh Harlequin ducklings to my family in April. They were shipped safely to me overnight, all energetic and ready to explore. We also have black Runners and a pair of Buff ganders from Metzer. I could not be happier with my purchase, but wish I'd ordered four more females because my two baby drakes might not be happy with only eight females between them. I'll definitely buy ducklings from Metzer again. read more

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If I could give a zero I would. In my opinion, this company is unhumane. I live less than 7 hours by car from their physical location. I ordered 3 Indian Runner ducklings and 1 Khaki Campbell. Shipping took 3 days! One of the Indian Runner ducklings was so weak it died within minutes of pickup at the post office. They sent two replacements (the second of which I had to pay for due to their policy not shipping a single duckling alone). BOTH ducklings took 4 days to arrive and both were dead on arrival. Absolutely inhumane shipping practices. 0/0 would not recommend and will never purchase animals by mail becuase of this terrible experience! Yes, customer service was nice and helpful and responsive, but that doesn't excuse inhumane practices. read more

I bought two female Cayuga ducklings from here and I would highly recommend ! This was the first time I ordered ducks in the mail and I was so nervous they patiently answered my questions via email . They are arrived healthy and I couldn't be happier ! read more

Metzer Farms - Two female cayuga ducklings - Farms Near Me - Gonzales, California

Great service, all my ducks arrived perfect. Had an issue with one dying a week later, I had bought the insurance and they fixed everything quickly and sent me a new one along with a friend when they had more available. Will be buying more in the future.... read more

These guys are the best. I've had three delivers of ducks and geese from Metzer over the last three years, the most recent being seven months ago. I've bought Golden 300 layers layer ducks, Duclair ducks, White Chinese geese and Pilgrim geese. I've been happy with my purchases every time. The layers produced frequently when averaged across our little flock. The geese accomplished what I wanted from them, though I don't recommend White Chinese geese. After a year they dropped in the pecking order to a Muscovy drake and they turned real nasty. Started chasing our kids around the yard. Course they were never that friendly to begin with so there's that. Pilgrim geese are fantastic though. Anyway, I was about to order some more birds and I saw the negative reviews. That's been far from my experience and I can't recommend Metzer enough. Going back for order number four. Lastly, when I wanted to change my order they were super friendly when I called in and very helpful. read more

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This hatchery was unwilling to resolve a shipping issue with ducklings and goslings. The package got stuck at the local facility right near them instead of shipping out of state. They were unwilling to go and retrieve the box of live animals so they had a chance to survive. Instead they let the baby ducks and geese die in a box. Customer service representative told me they talked to USPS but were unable to provide a name or number for who they talked to. They came more about making money than they do about the welfare of their animals. Do not purchase from this hatchery! read more

Metzer Farms - Geese and ducks - Farms Near Me - Gonzales, California

I was very nervous to order my ducklings and have them shipped. We ordered three female Peking ducks and I am thrilled to say they all arrived happy and healthy. We received our tracking number Tuesday midday and had our chicks at our local post office Thursday before noon. When they arrived they were all very alert and you could tell they dipped into the vitamin pack (I ordered as an add on just to be safe). I showed them their water and food and they all started immediately eating, drinking and grooming themselves. I'm very impressed and thankful at how they all arrived. I'm in Florida also so it was a pretty long trip. read more

This is the second order of five African Geese we have received this year. Each shipment was properly packaged with bedding and water. We have not suffered a single loss of Geese and are very happy with the Geese and Met zers attention to detail. Bill and Ramona Dos Borregos Ranch read more

Ordered two ducklings. Arrived quickly and very healthy. No problems at all! Great job packaging and shipping, these ducks are amazing! read more

Metzer Farms - This is an hour after they arrived! - Farms Near Me - Gonzales, California

Been a previous happy customer, employee didn't remove my old address as requested and blamed me on phone to save face(like some kind of Jedi mind trick) also not explaining the small order fee which would have changed my order. Worst, management blamed me for the dead duck sent to the wrong city for not verifying my e-mail ~ horrible read more

Metzer Farms - Farms Near Me - Gonzales, California

We got our Chinese white 10 st run . And African 8 females and two males twenty in all. Seven weeks ago all are doing very well. Only one African turned out with angel wing .And that was my fault The starting feed them was to high in protein. Now they are running around almost all feathered now. I had a two year old gander he is now a happy goose and watches over them. read more

The ducks we ordered were healthy and well packed. The problem with this company is phone etiquette. These are rude folks. Their phone number is buried on this website, and that should be a clue. I'm sure they love animals, but I'm also sure they don't really like people. read more

I ordered 6 ducklings from Metzer last October and they are doing great! I ordered 1 Welsh Harlequin Male, 2 females, a buff, golden layer and white layer. Since the main season was ending, they were out of a few of the breeds I wanted, so I called them for suggestions based on what I was looking for and the woman I spoke with suggested a Buff. She is quiet and friendly. The ducklings arrived active and healthy and I am getting more eggs from them than my chickens. They are free range in my 1/4 acre backyard and we like them so much (and the eggs), we are going to slow down on chickens and get more ducks! read more

Metzer Farms - I added a ball valve drain to a kiddie pool. No pond needed, they think its great! - Farms Near Me - Gonzales, California

Seriously, do not buy ducklings from them. They do not breed good quality ducks. Almost three years ago, I bought 2 welsh harlequins and 3 Indian runners. Now, only one welsh is constantly laying eggs. The other welsh stoped a year ago and the Indian runners stoped two years ago. I just thought I was unlucky and ordered two more ducklings from Metzer Farm. Just so that I could have more than one duck egg a day. Lol My first order was in the winter. They shipped priority mail and I got the ducklings the next day. However, this time I ordered in spring and I guess they thought it's warm enough so they decided to be greedy. They didn't ship the ducklings priority mail and it took three days. Of course, one poor duckling didn't survive the shipment :'( Btw, I paid the same expensive shipping fee for both orders. Anyways, I contacted Metze Farm and ask them to ship the replacement to me because the remaining duckling needed a friend. Then I was told I had to get a companion duck for my replacement and had to pay extra. If I didn't pay extra, I would get a random breed of duck they pick. Bad business practice!! Who would want a random breed of duck without knowing it's sex? I have a small yard and really can't have one more duck. But I had to do it so that my duckling wouldn't be alone. This time, I begged them to use priority mail. Of course they didn't. Luckily, both ducking survived. I paid for a male welsh harlequin as the companion duck but guess what? It's not a male. I figured sexing ducks are not 100% proof. So I accepted the fact that I have three more females now. However, the story got worse. This welsh harlequin not only is not a male, but also loves to scream. I don't care if she does it during the day but she screams through out the night, for no reason. All my old ducks and the other new ducks do not make noise at night. I searched online and tried to figure out why only she screams at night. Then I fund out that good farms get ride of ducks scream at night and do not breed them. At that moment, I just connected the dots from my first and 2nd orders... It's clear that Metzer Farm does not care what kind of ducks they breed! That's why I only got one good layer duck and got a night screamer. Because I live very close to my neighbors, I need to give up the screaming duck which I already attached to. I don't want to leave her at a pound and would never ever kill my pet... but I don't have any place to give it to either. read more

Unless you ask them, Otherwise they will not provide the tracking number.If something goes wrong, they will take about 5 business day to ask USPS what happened. important thing is I got 1/3 unfertilized eggs，They don't reply to any mail! read more

Ashey decided to hang up on me, and was extremely unprofessional once I called back. Will never have a business with Metzer Farms again.

We ordered 15 Welsh Harlequins and 15 Cayugas from Metzer. The Welshies arrived first with one extra, but three dead. Metzer placed additional Welshies in the box when they shipped our Cayugas. All of the second shipment arrived alive. We are very pleased with the service and animals. read more

Customer service is excellent and prompt. My ducks came when promised healthy and ready to play. The assortment is great but makes it hard to choose which ones you want! The information on their site is great especially for first time duck owners like me! The comparison chart really helped me decide and now I'm ready to order more from them to add to my flock. read more

I have had a good experience with Metzer Farms. The only downside I would say is that shipping did take longer than expected and one of the two ducklings I had ordered did not make it because of length of time and the abnormal heat of that March. But they were quick to refund me. I also have had questions about my ducks that they were quick to answer and they even asked the owner of Metzer Farms for me. They were very helpful. read more

I ordered 10 ducklings from them to be shipped to Cheyenne, WY as we couldn't find anywhere local to get female-only birds. We got 6 of the hatchery choice and got 2 ducklings of 3 different breeds! VERY PLEASED and all our ducklings were happy and healthy (though a bit thirsty) when they arrived. We had exactly what we ordered and, again, were very happy with their condition. They shipped on Monday and arrived Wednesday morning. read more

Awesome customer service! I ordered duck eggs from these guys and I order all my supplies from them. Very fast shipping. They have been in business a long time! Five stars from me! read more

I ordered 4 sexed toulouse geese and 12 cornish chicks. I picked them up and all were healthy. There was 1 extra cornish and theyre still doing great!. My only complaint was the customer service. When i ordered over the phone, the lady who took my order was rude. She was snotty, like she had more important things to do. I talked to someone else at a later time, as i had a question, and she had attitude in her voice as well. Its like they dont have the time. read more

I have been getting duck eggs shipped to me from Metzer for quite a few years now. I have an allergy to chicken eggs and the ducks eggs taste the same and allow me to bake and have eggs which is really nice for me. They arrive perfect and if some are cracked they credit me. They are easy to get a hold of and very nice. read more