Getting to Know Your Meyer Hatchery Team: Customer Service Call Center

Meyer Hatchery has a dedicated group of customer service representatives (CSR) who work to bring you the best experience possible when calling the Meyer Hatchery office. Whether you need help with placing an order or have a question about your flock, the Meyer Hatchery CSR team is here to help. Recently we had a chance to interview the Call Center CSR staff to learn more about this great team.

Tama – CSR Manager and Wholesale Manager

• What is your favorite part of your job? Assisting the customers.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? One of the better companies I have worked for. I have learned lots of information, I started with just knowing how to cook a chicken!
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Do a lot of research, make sure you are looking for predators. Don’t jump into owning chickens without research. Owning chickens is not something you jump into.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Rock garden, refinishing antique furniture.
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Orpington
• What is your daily motto? Do unto others as you would have done to you.  Be kind.

Bethany  –  Administrative Assistant

• What is your favorite part of your job? People I work with.  Fun to talk to customers, lots of good things.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? Family atmosphere, the chicks.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Research, know the basics.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Cooking, baking, crochet.
• If you could be one bird, which would you be and why? Speckled Sussex – unique and fun.
• What is your daily motto? Every day is a new, try to make it better than yesterday.

Susan  –  CSR / Assistant to the Administrative Assistant

• What is your favorite part of your job? Talking with the people all over the US, and it’s close to home.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? Enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the hours.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Build their coop like Fort Knox.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Winemaker, gardening, dogs, fishing, trips to Canada, beekeeping.
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Barnevelder
• What is your daily motto? Treat people the way you want to be treated.

Additional Tips from Susan:

1. For lethargic birds that are just picked up at the post office, use an artist brush to try to hydrate the bird. Sometimes using an eyedropper, it can go down the wrong pipe if you do not know what you are doing. Brush the tongue and sides of mouth with the water.
2. When going into a molt give them our vitamins in that time period. It takes a lot of nutrients to regenerate feathers.
3. If your chickens are roosting on top of the waterer and messing in it, put an upside-down tomato cage over it will stop them.
4. People seem to forget about starter grit for the chicks. Then switch them to regular grit around 16 to 20 weeks of age.
5. Oysters shells should be given at 20 weeks of age, this is given to them their entire laying years.

Tom – CSR / on staff artist and video editor

• What is your favorite part of your job? The variety; not knowing what is coming at you.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? The family-oriented feel.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Be Patient – it’s not difficult to own chickens.  Follow the basics and have fun.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Musician, artist, film editing, Star wars collection, models trains, and much more.
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Buff Orpington rooster in molt.
• What is your daily motto? Make somebody laugh, laughter is a stress reducer.

Jeff  – CSR

• What is your favorite part of your job? Talking to the people and customers
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? Talking to the customers
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Go to the help section on the Meyer Hatchery website and read it all.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Taking care of my children.
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Wood Duck, or a Phoenix
• What is your daily motto? Try to do today to make tomorrow better.

Additional Tips from Jeff:  

1. Feed, you are only as healthy as what you eat. Buy quality feed.
2. Pine shavings are very useful bedding to prevent a lot of different problems.
3. Leave the chicks alone the first week… the less stress the better.

Holly – CSR – Backup for Tama

• What is your favorite part of your job? Different calls, never the same thing twice, people I work with.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? People in general, people can give you a good day.  Interaction with others, family oriented.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Be prepared for the unexpected.  No matter how much you research.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Love anything outdoors, being with family, camping, hiking, and volunteer at the Ohio state reformatory.
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Easter Egger, never know what you’re going to get.
• What is your daily motto? Live for today, everyday I wake up is a good, new day. You only live life once. Live for today, you never know what is going to happen.

Pam – CSR

• What is your favorite part about your job? Talking with the customers.
• What do you love about Meyer Hatchery? I like the supervisors, and the environment to work in.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? Don’t believe everything on the internet
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Pulling draft horses
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Black Jersey Giant Rooster
• What is your daily motto? Take each hour as it comes, because you just never know.

Dee – CSR

• What is your favorite part about your job? I like working with people, meeting new people on the phones.
• Why do love Meyer Hatchery? Good company to work for, they work with you, meeting your needs, and we meet theirs.
• What is your best advice to give to someone who is new to owning chickens? To go by the guidelines we (Meyer Hatchery) have in place for them such as feed.
• What sort of hobbies do you have, outside of chickens? Photography
• If you could be one chicken or any other bird, what would you be? Delaware
• What is your daily motto? Be thankful for the day.

L to R: Customer Service Reps Susan, Jeff, Tama, Holly, Tom, Bethany, Pam and Dee