Free chick from McMurray

[cbascom]

I have 6 other EE in the batch, but this one doesn't look like them.

 

[wendychicklawyr]

Maybe a Phoenix ..look at pics of others

 

[wendychicklawyr]

Oh yeah I'm betting Phoenix and omg they are gorgeous here's w pic I found

 

[Magilla]

Well, 13 hours later I am finally back home. What a nightmare, 4 hours at the border, 9 DOA, 4 more on the way home, 3 not looking good.

Long story and I'm beat, pics and details tomorrow. Did I mention 4 hours at the border, grrrr, too mad to talk about it.

 

[wendychicklawyr]

Awwww sad how many days in transit were they

 

[Gingersnap722]

Aww, Magilla I'm so sorry. 4 hours at the border?! UGH!!! I hope your others make it!

 

[Magilla]

So lost a few more over night, that makes 19 causalities.

out of my order of 6 each black star, australorp, EE, and buff rock with 12 cornish X I have 19 survivors.

I have one black chick so almost all the black stars and australorps passed. They were the smallest birds.

I have 5 EE, 3 or 4 buff rock and the rest meat birds. On a positive note 3 of the EE have tufts I think.

The birds were hatched on the 16th, shipped on the 17th and arrived on the 18th, so shipping time was reasonable. The biggest issue I have with Mcmurray is the complete lack of communication. I originally tried to order on line but as my cc was based in Canada I could not complete, had to call in info. I asked but did not receive e-mail confirmation of the purchase. I also paid for chick starter and the broiler supplements but did not receive.

I called on the 17th and asked for delivery info was told they hatched on Fri. had been sent out and were in transit. Lady said that was all the info they could provide. I phone post office on 17th twice looking for package.

I was called 7:30 am by different PO, much farther from border than one I asked for. I left as soon as possible and was there in record time. I brought a large card board box, installed 100* heat pads in one end and covered with towels. Also brought treated water and FF starter. I activated pads an hour from PO and turned up heat in car. As soon as I got them in the car I opened box, dipped beaks of the live ones and placed in port-a-brooder.

One was almost done, I held her (EE) in my hand while driving to border and she revived. Got to the border in 30 mins. When asked how many chicks I had, I asked live or dead (first mistake). There is a law up here that prevents us from transporting compromised animals as it is inhumane. The border guard decided that I was transporting the dead birds inhumanely! I had to wait 3 hours for a gov. vet to arrive to asses the birds. When he did, he agreed that I was not the cause (I pointed out that the only inhumane thing going on was keeping the live chicks in the car all this time) and wrote an authorization for transport so I could leave. The kicker? I had to go straight to a vet with the dead chicks and pay for a necropsy. Unreal, it is now 4 pm, I phone 6 vets and no one could do it. They talked about making me stay over night til when I snapped. Gave them a choice, let me go home with the remaining live birds (3 died at the border) or arrest me cause I'm leaving. That got them motivated and I was given conditional permission to travel. Now I have to call my vet to and take dead chicks over to him today as gov. vet is calling him to make sure I do.

I took of my shirt got in the car and drove for 3 hrs sweaty hours home. Needless to say, I am not impressed with the Can. gov.

Almost forgot, my dog is a hero! When the vet was out looking at the chicks he left the lid off the box! When I got back to the car 5 chicks had jumped/fallen out and were very cold. I am sure these are among this mornings deaths. I noticed after an hour or so that she had been lying very quiet in the back. Great, I think to myself, now she's not feeling well. I pull over and look behind my seat to find that she had nosed a chick (6 jumped out) into the folds of my jacket and was licking it. The poor thing was soaked, it held it next to my stomach for the rest of the way home, it is one of the survivors, a Buff Rock.

So ends the great chicken adventure of 2014. Not sure I am going to order hatchery chicks again, this was way too stressful.

 

[wendychicklawyr]

omg that is horrible

it sounds like its an issue with you being out of country?? or do you think it was mcmurrays fault? the babies got to cold??
Quote:

 

[Magilla]

While the communication was non-existant, I don't think it was Mcmurrays fault, the transit time was fine. It must have gotten very cold on the plane tho, there was no doubting how the first chicks died, they were pancake flat from being on the bottom of the pile. I attribute another 6 or so deaths to the idiots at the border.

I have ordered an incubator and a dozen each EE and Cream Leg Bar eggs. At least if they don't make it they never were and I don't have to feel guilty about the needless death.

Enough of the negative for me tho, next post will be cute chick pics!

 

[Gingersnap722]

Oh da--! I would be so incredibly upset and furious. What a horrible thing, I'm so sorry!!