Meyer Hatchery - 4 of 15 chicks dead

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MsChickenMomma said:
That's exactly why we paid extra for the overnight shipping. That way we know that they will be here the next day, and they won't be sitting in a postal facility somewhere for hours at a time.

Overnight shipping was very pricy. It was more than the chicks themselves. But it will be worth it when our chicks arrive safely. (hopefully) It's nice to hear that your chicks arrived healthy and the day after they were shipped. Makes me slightly less anxious
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I hate ordering chicks online. We had no choice this time, because we just moved here and had no idea what chickens or local TSC has, and we can't have straight run because we already have enough roosters. I just went to TSC today and they had chicks. All pullets, except for the bantams. If I need chicks next year, I will gladly get them from our TSC, now that I know they don't do straight run.
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You know, I think it is a trade off. There are some advantages. I think all the major hatcheries that hatch their own birds, and have their own breeding programs are very careful about disease, and keeping things clean. I also knew these chicks would be coming with no lice, mites, or skin grunge. I also could get them vaccinated because I wanted them to be. TSC gets their birds shipped to them, the same way you would get them to you. I guess it just comes down to knowing what to look for. I asked the people at Meyer a lot of questions. They were very helpful. I also really liked the videos they put out of their breeding pens, and hatching procedures. The place looked efficient and clean. The woman started her business from a small store front to the company is today. It made me think she would take pride in operations. I think if one is using a local breeder you have to be just as cautious. Ask to see her birds, her facilities. You can asses pretty quickly if it is a clean place, and if the birds are in good condition. Any breeder worth their salt won't mind if you ask to see her birds, and a quick inspection for skin issues. I have a friend that bought some chicks from a breeder locally. Those little chicks brought a serious case of mites into her flock at home, and it was a very hard thing for her to get rid of. Know who you are buying your birds from. I am looking into adding Heritage birds this summer to add to my hatchery flock and I won't buy from any breeder who is not NPIP certified, and also who is reputable with plenty of good references. Another great aspect to BYC. You can find a lot of members and ask so many questions in the Breeds forum when you are looking for a specific breed. You can find people who have that breed, breed that breed, and have bought from certain members. Nothing like an honest good recommendation from a fellow BYCer!

Good Luck all!
MB
 
Melabella said:
You know, I think it is a trade off. There are some advantages. I think all the major hatcheries that hatch their own birds, and have their own breeding programs are very careful about disease, and keeping things clean.  I also knew these chicks would be coming with no lice, mites, or skin grunge.  I also could get them vaccinated because I wanted them to be.  TSC gets their birds shipped to them, the same way you would get them to you. I guess it just comes down to knowing what to look for.  I asked the people at Meyer a lot of questions.  They were very helpful.  I also really liked the videos they put out of their breeding pens, and hatching procedures.  The place looked efficient and clean.  The woman started her business from a small store front to the company is today.  It made me think she would take pride in operations.  I think if one is using a local breeder you have to be just as cautious.  Ask to see her birds, her facilities.  You can asses pretty quickly if it is a clean place, and if the birds are in good condition.  Any breeder worth their salt won't mind if you ask to see her birds, and a quick inspection for skin issues.  I have a friend that bought some chicks from a breeder locally.  Those little chicks brought a serious case of mites into her flock at home, and it was a very hard thing for her to get rid of.  Know who you are buying your birds from.  I am looking into adding Heritage birds this summer to add to my hatchery flock and I won't buy from any breeder who is not NPIP certified, and also who is reputable with plenty of good references.  Another great aspect to BYC.  You can find a lot of members and ask so many questions in the Breeds forum when you are looking for a specific breed.  You can find people who have that breed, breed that breed, and have bought from certain members.  Nothing like an honest good recommendation from a fellow BYCer! 

Good Luck all!
MB
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I get what you mean :) That's not why I don't like ordering chicks though. I personally dont like it because ordering small amounts of chicks can be dangerous for the chicks. I can't order more than 15, and even that's a little low. TSC orders lots of chicks all at once, which ensures that they will all stay warm and they aren't rocking around the box as much. Other than that, I don't mind ordering them. I just worry that my chicks will get cold and injured because I could only order ten... We used to order chicks every year when I was young. We used to order 25-30 chicks at a time then, so it was much safer. If I could order that many again this time, I would feel much safer about ordering them online.
 
Hmm... They offered overnight for me. Maybe they offer that when you order small amounts of chicks. I thought they offered it to everyone. This is the first time I've personally ordered chicks. My dad always used to before, but he always ordered 25-30 chicks at a time.
 
Well this just proves that ordering alot at one time doesn't really help much considering I ordered 31 and they added two extra and 21 died.
The 10 that were healthy this morning are doing well and went to the outdoor brooder with the TSC chicks earlier today. I still have 2 hospital chicks in my room who aren't really improving but they aren't getting worse either
 
NotableNancy said:
Have you tried using a dropper with electrolytes yet? It's worked for 2 of mine. You can get it at TSC or get the Nutri Drench if you can. It's amazing stuff.
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I haven't used an eye dropper but all of the chicks waterers have sav a chick in them and I've been dipping the hospital chicks beaks in water frequently and they do drink. I've also been giving them watered down yolk. They mostly seem weak but they can stand. Even though they are wobbly and they move around their bin. If they make it through tonight I think they will be better since these two have been in the hospital since yesterday.
 

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