2021 Chick Order

[JCaseyHammond]

I've noticed they seem to need extra heat right after they come out of the shipping box. And of course they are cold, thirsty, and hungry all at once, and a heat lamp lets them drink & eat while warming up.

After you get them all warmed up (heat lamps), you might be able to remove the heat lamps again tomorrow or the next day.

I’ve had luck with chicks hatched in November (stubborn broody hen). I mixed B complex in warm water. Then gave it to the side of the chicks beak by a drop at a time to warm the chick from the inside.
Edited to add, or use Nutridrench if you have that (niacin has a warming effect)

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

You won't be after feed costs are calculated and realize how much you hae to clean rheir dirty shavings

We are hatching 120 coturnix ssc quail eggs this month.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Down to 19, with yet another questionable. So far I've lost 3 Cochins (think they're all barred, but one or two didn't have headspots so they may have been the frizzles) and 8 golds. I will say though, the silkies are like the hardest out of all of them. One was iffy but all 5 are doing great now

 

[Chookchicken]

Down to 19, with yet another questionable. So far I've lost 3 Cochins (think they're all barred, but one or two didn't have headspots so they may have been the frizzles) and 8 golds. I will say though, the silkies are like the hardest out of all of them. One was iffy but all 5 are doing great now

I hope the rest go well. I am sorry for the ones you lost

 

[JCaseyHammond]

Down to 19, with yet another questionable. So far I've lost 3 Cochins (think they're all barred, but one or two didn't have headspots so they may have been the frizzles) and 8 golds. I will say though, the silkies are like the hardest out of all of them. One was iffy but all 5 are doing great now

Wow will the hatchery make good on your losses? Clearly they got too cold in transit. Isn’t there a Heat Pak for shipping chicks? Hurray for the Silkies

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Wow will the hatchery make good on your losses? Clearly they got too cold in transit. Isn’t there a Heat Pak for shipping chicks? Hurray for the Silkies

Well, I'm hoping so, but I'm not sure. We had called when we first opened, but almost 2x have died since then. I'm emailing them though with a pic to prove so they don't think I'm lying to get more credit back.

They didn't put a heat pack because it was a minimum fulfilled order and there really wasn't room anyways for one. They were really rather crammed in the box. I get that bantams are smaller, but I really don't agree that 30 is fine for a 25 standard box.

I'm wondering about the golds if there was just poor genetics in play. I lost some Cochins too, but I lost all but one gold total today, and they were a literal third of my total. I'm down to 16-17 now out of 30, something that's never happened before.

I'm ordering more golds from IDEAL, they claim that they're avaliable to ship as soon as next week, which is when the first order from them is coming, but id i cant then ill try for april 5th with my murray McMurray

 

[NatJ]

Isn’t there a Heat Pak for shipping chicks?

Usually, the chicks stay warm by their own body heat. The hatcheries have it all figured out--you put this many chicks in this size box with this many air holes. They can vary it a bit depending on the weather (tape over some air holes in cold weather, put fewer chicks per box in hot weather.)

That's the reason so many hatcheries have a minimum order of 25 chicks, or 15 chicks, or whatever: it's based on box size and body heat.

 

[JCaseyHammond]

Well, I'm hoping so, but I'm not sure. We had called when we first opened, but almost 2x have died since then. I'm emailing them though with a pic to prove so they don't think I'm lying to get more credit back.

They didn't put a heat pack because it was a minimum fulfilled order and there really wasn't room anyways for one. They were really rather crammed in the box. I get that bantams are smaller, but I really don't agree that 30 is fine for a 25 standard box.

I'm wondering about the golds if there was just poor genetics in play. I lost some Cochins too, but I lost all but one gold total today, and they were a literal third of my total. I'm down to 16-17 now out of 30, something that's never happened before.

I'm ordering more golds from IDEAL, they claim that they're avaliable to ship as soon as next week, which is when the first order from them is coming, but id i cant then ill try for april 5th with my murray McMurray

Thanks for answering my questions. Have not ordered from a hatchery. Hope the weather cooperates!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thanks for answering my questions. Have not ordered from a hatchery. Hope the weather cooperates!

I really do recommend IDEAL for a hatchery.

 

[PeepOverlord]

Awesome. I had tried to find Dunlap experience but hadn't seen any so I wasn't sure if this was normal. I have noticed that they do not seem to respond to emails. Dis you get exactly what you ordered or were there some substitutions?

Honestly I only ordered from there because it was the only place I could find the bantam NNs, since their website was a little hard to figure out and I really am not a phone call person

I got exactly the 25 breeds I ordered, and for some reason there was an extra chick of one of the breeds I paid for. Dunlap is a small hatchery, with a limited selection. Usually it's the owner Miss Angie who answers, esp if you call late 208.459.9088. Very nice people.
TBH these are the happiest, healthiest chicks I've ever gotten. One Barred Rock (at 4 days old) is already "roosting" on a low branch I put in their brooder. One Delaware is already charging at anything that seems sketchy (like the branch I slowly lowered into the brooder, or a moth that flew in last night.)