reviews on hoover's hatchery?

[SunHwaKwon]

I just got my chicks from Hoovers at about 6 this morning. They were pretty cold - the heat pack was already cold and hard. One of the barnevelders is not looking so good but everyone else seems okay. The five rare that they sent me are all either light brahma, more Salmon Faverolles, or Wheaten Marans. I haven't taken a close look yet because I was more concerned with getting everyone under some heat. For right now I will say I am happy with them but I will post back over the next couple of days to let you know how well and healthy the chicks are and how they recover from their journey.

ETA If any of my rare breeds are in fact Faverolles I'll be a bit perturbed since my Faverolles were ordered sexed and my rare breeds are straight run and no one is marked different. Luckily they are easy to sex via feathering quite early, as are the wheaten Marans.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I pulled out the packing slip a little bit ago and noticed that at the bottom it is stamped "Mareks Vaccination Completed". I really hope that is an error! I'm waiting to hear back from them

ETA they said they don't know for sure but its likely they were vaccinated, but its okay because they won't charge me for it

Three faverolles have died since this morning. All the rare breeds they sent were faverolles, so I don't know if the ones that died were my pullets or straight run rares. (sigh)

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Update
It's been just under 26 hours since I picked up the chicks from the post office. So far I've lost 1 Barnevelder, 1 Amberlink, and 5 Faverolles. 40% of my chicks.

 

[barred2rock]

Update
It's been just under 26 hours since I picked up the chicks from the post office. So far I've lost 1 Barnevelder, 1 Amberlink, and 5 Faverolles. 40% of my chicks.

I'm so sorry! This us supposed to be a time to celebrate new life, not to morn it.

Have you contacted Hoover's? If you need it, I can PM you direct contact info.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'm so sorry! This us supposed to be a time to celebrate new life, not to morn it.

Have you contacted Hoover's? If you need it, I can PM you direct contact info.

!
I have 48 hours from arrival to report deaths so I'm waiting until this evening. Another faverolle seems to be on her last legs I have bought lots of shipped chicks and this is my worse loss ever. I'm not sure if its to do with Hoover's or the weather.

ETA I did also receive 35 assorted bantams from ideal yesterday and 1 was DOA and 5 more have died. I really think the cold snap was too much as the heat packs in both shipments were cold and hard already.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Final (I hope) death toll: 2/4 barnevelders, 1/3 black Giants, 3/3 faverolle pullets, 5/5 rare breed ( also faverolles).

From the ideal shipment I lost 15/35.

They are brooding with six chicks from tractor supply that I got Saturday. No losses with those. (Sigh)

 

[barred2rock]

Final (I hope) death toll: 2/4 barnevelders, 1/3 black Giants, 3/3 faverolle pullets, 5/5 rare breed ( also faverolles).

From the ideal shipment I lost 15/35.

They are brooding with six chicks from tractor supply that I got Saturday. No losses with those. (Sigh)

That's really sad!

I hope your remaining 20 are and will remain doing well. Keep us posted...

 

[SunHwaKwon]

That's really sad!

I hope your remaining 20 are and will remain doing well. Keep us posted...

I felt like my yard was turning into a chick cemetery

The thing is only a few only have signs of declining health. Everyone would be running around and then BAM dead chicks. I'm not new to chicks, and I kept checking to make sure there were enough warm and cool areas so no one would get dog piled trying to get warm, or not be able to escape the heat and get hot, and there were enough food and water spots, and so on.

I am pretty sad not to have my salmon faverolles after all. I really hope the barnevelders are girls, at least.

 

[wcfinklized]

So we are 3ish weeks out all mine have survived.... But 2 seem small....one of the two is catching up but one i have dubbed pretty virl is not much bigger than when we got them. Both are rhodes. Contacted hoovers via email and am waiting for a reply. The smaller ones are plenty active and pretty girl tends to hang with our americanas lol. She loves to cuddle and is the most docile out of all of them

 

[SunHwaKwon]

So we are 3ish weeks out all mine have survived.... But 2 seem small....one of the two is catching up but one i have dubbed pretty virl is not much bigger than when we got them. Both are rhodes. Contacted hoovers via email and am waiting for a reply. The smaller ones are plenty active and pretty girl tends to hang with our americanas lol. She loves to cuddle and is the most docile out of all of them

All of my Hoover's birds are growing a bit slower than the EEs that I got from Tractor Supply a few days later but are maturing about the same as the RIRs from TSC. Maybe RIRs are slower to develop? I didn't think so, assuming they are production quality not heritage.

The Amberlinks are definitely production birds and supposed to be fast maturing, I thought, but they are going a bit slow as well.