70% Dead Chicks - Meyer Hatchery

[CarolJ]

I'm sorry for your sad experience. I've ordered from Meyer several times before - and have never had a sick or dead chick. I have another order placed that will arrive in August.

I believe that most problems encountered with shipped chicks are not because of the hatcheries but because of the post office. No matter how careful they try to be (and some likely aren't careful at all), they will occasionally drop a box or the box gets tipped over or they overheat in the back of a truck. Hatcheries would not be able to stay in business if it was the norm for chicks to be DOA. I doubt there is much difference from one hatchery to another of the number of chicks dying. The best route may be to pick them up in person whenever possible - as long as it's from a reliable source. However, I will continue to order from Meyer based on my own past experience and knowing that the birds I get will be healthy.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

If Marek's has ever been on your property, whether you cull or not, you are passing the disease on to unsuspecting people. The virus is masked by carrier birds and you would never know it. So, those birds you culled? They weren't carriers, the rest of your flock are the carriers...those birds? They were actively infected. Any birds that have lived on your property now are carriers and anyone you sell those birds to are now at the risk of having the disease in their flocks. My reason exactly for not getting birds from backyard breeders.

I did my research...I chose the breeder I did for many reasons and still ended up with Marek's. I will take my chances on hatchery stock..I've never read a thread from someone whose hatchery birds brought Marek's in.

Good luck to you with not immunizing. That is your choice. But, if you sell birds that have been on your property and exposed to your dirt, air, etc...you are passing on a deadly disease and not warning your buyers of the risk that they are taking!!!

I completely agree, I will gamble with hatcheries over losing my whole flock, just not worth the risk to me. I will not even purchase from a feed store that has had the birds shipped to them.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

As far as getting chicks in the mail, that's out for me since I can't even get a second day guarentee on anything! But it seems like a large corp should reemburse you on money paid for product not received...ie the vaccinations you paid for and technically didn't get get on the horn and talk to someone up the ladder and insist on a full refund for the chicks that died..I sure would...the clerk you talked to may not have even thought about that.
just to share a postal story we just ordered and paid top dollar for a fed ex delivery, the guy drove by our place, blew the horn and kept going, he blew the horn again driving off the ridge and never stopped....can you believe it? He put on his report that delivery was declined to the next day, by the customer. I think this guy has lost all his marbles. The order came the next day, by someone else, and i think the other guy is now in psych eval.a

 

[leadwolf1]

I do not believe that Mareks has been eradicated from hatcheries at all......... Mareks vaccine does not prevent transmission of the virus. It prevents the symptoms which often result in death from showing up (the tumors, paralysis, droopy wing, etc.). The birds can still carry the disease forward if bred even though they never exhibited any symptoms. I am a particular, small, local breeder working on various Heritage breeds. I choose not to vaccinate my birds for Mareks as I want to know who is a carrier so that I never breed it forward and can eventually eradicate it from my closed flock (I think I am there). I have had to cull a few birds with Mareks in years past, sad, but I would rather do that than do a disservice to potential buyers by selling them carriers that I did not know about because I gave the vaccine and it masked the symptoms........ It takes lots of culling and individual attention to breed tough, hardy flocks. I do not believe most large hatcheries have the time or the inclination to do this. Just my two cents worth

Marek's is not carried forward in breeding...just the opposite may be true. Many people with chickens that have been exposed to Marek's, and lived, have noticed that their offspring hatch with immunity. Eggs hatched from a Marek's infected flock, on another site, do not carry Marek's with them. It is perfectly safe to get eggs from someone whose flock has/had Marek's and not have a problem.

 

[rosewolf22002]

I am sorry for your loss. I will tell you that I always order from hatcheries. I have had really great chicks and I have had a few bad ones. I can tell you that the chicks I received to replace were healthy and the hatchery even called every few days after for the first 2 weeks to make sure the new and old were ok. I know it really hurts to find your little ones dead. That does not mean you should give up. They could have had birth defects and would have failed to thrive or could have been dropped by PO, over heated, gotten to cold. Tons of things. I am waiting on my 3rd order this year and I have only lost 3. It was within the first 3 days so they were replaced. The others are doing great! I ordered 25 polish and 25 EE. I am waiting for 25 more polish from a different breeder so my group has diversity. Please enjoy your babies! Good luck!

 

[tommysgirl]

I just got my delivery of 8 healthy seeming lively little girls from mypetchicken. We are also on the west coast. I just wanted to help you to not worry.

 

[Erica]

Shipping chicks is nothing like shipping parrots or pups. As soon as they hatch, they've got about 2 days' worth of food and water stored in their abdomens. They're quite cosy and comfy if the box is the right size (not too airy) and they're handled well, without extremes of weather.

I would say it was poor handling on the part of the postal or courier service. Sorry for your horrible experience.

I've had shipped chicks several times now, with only one hatch coming with dead birds. That was due to improper packing at a hatchery that had recently changed hands (they chose a really large airy box, and made gigantic air-holes, hence even in mild weather the babies chilled). It was terribly upsetting, but I've never had anything like that happen again.

And I agree with others who mention the health problems you can encounter buying chicks from backyard sources. I've had about 50% clean and 50% diseased birds when buying from backyarders. While vaccines are really just props to support low immunity, they can be useful to get a clean breeder flock, after which I've seen no reason to vaccinate as long as the flock is closed.

Good luck with next time, if you have another go,
Erica

 

[DelcoChix]

Hello Fellow chicken fan in Wasilla, Alaska (page 1),
Please help my confusion (not an unusual thing for me!)....Meyer is in Polk, Ohio, not Iowa. they are about 60 miles from Cleveland, which is where I'd assume they ship from...was your experience with them good or bad? I've been to Meyer to pick up my chicks the last couple of years so I have seen the place and met the folks who work there, but have not had chicks shipped, so my only experience was in person. The folks I have dealt with both on the phone and in person, have been wonderful. The facility is very clean and well kept and I cannot imagine them knowingly shipping ill-looking chicks--bad for business. I'm sorry to hear that you and your neighbors have had less than positive experiences with them. And I'd have to agree that a lot of the problem comes from the post office and lack of experience/concern/knowledge...

(Sorry--I sould have clicked 'quote' on my reply, not just reply...or this would have been linked to the post I was referring to!)

 

[cassidy22]

I had some turkeys I ordered, when my local post office called they told me it didn't sound good. By the time I got there, the only one they heard peeping was dead. 25 dead turkey poults. I looked closely at the box - they had left the hatchery 6 DAYS before they made it to my local office. I know my local folks wouldn't have ignored baby chicks, but they got lost in the mail for almost a week. I'm surprised even one of them almost survived that.

Can't always blame the hatchery, but yeah, think about being a day old baby and stuffed in a box and shipped. This is why I am trying to hatch most of my own birds now!

 

[CorinneP]

sorry you loast so many : ( sad