Meeting typical hatchery demand means proper culling will likely not be accomplished.
I agree wholeheartedly. This is what I tell folks. You have to understand the goals of the hatchery and the goals of the breeder. What is a hatchery's goal? Simply put, to make as much money in a fairly short period of time as they can. So by definition they simply cannot be focused on QA & QC.
Most of us who breed for show know that we aren't in it for the money. If it made us money it would be a "business" and most of us have a "hobby".
Another thing to keep in mind is that unless Meyer, or any other hatchery, actually has birds on their premises and they are actively involved in putting the breeding birds together, then they won't know for sure what they are getting. In other words, if they are buying eggs from someone who is supposedly selling them Wheaten Ameraucanas, they have NO way of knowing for sure what they are getting - or what they would be selling.
So, not only is it possible that the quality of the birds could be poor but it is also possible that one could wind up with something that isn't even an Ameraucana. If you don't think this happens far too often, just read some of the poultry sites and get a glimpse of the number of folks who order eggs and wind up with something totally different.
I could send you a few emails from folks who've sent me pictures and said, "What's this? It was supposed to be..."
God Bless,