Anyone that ordered from Ideal this past March/April

[journey's end]

Has anyone had birds get sick/die more than the average new chick losses? What symptoms did they exhibit?

 

[hunterjumper999]

i had quite a few boxes early march to april . . . most arrived doa. once we got live ones i had the usual faded babies but i lost a TON at 3-4 weeks at a rate of about 5 chicks per night. they would just get listless and die, usually quickly.

Started in the house, then when feathers came in a bit
I had them in groups of 6 on untreated grass, in tractors that are 8x4x4 moved am and pm. They were fed medicated chick starter and untreated well water ( same all animals get) and had access to heat 24/7.

I want to say I lost anywhere from 30-40 chicks this season, not all from ideal, but they were mixed in the tractors.


WHY?

 

[journey's end]

Because I just had my entire flock put down because of ILT and the only affected pen (out of 6 pens) was the one with the Ideal chicks. 6 others in the pen but all were hatched at home here so they were safe (it doesn't pass through the egg). I'm trying to figure out where it came from so I can avoid getting it again.

 

[hunterjumper999]

okay, i was worried that it was something that I could have here.

I'm done with Ideal, cackle all the way for us.

 

[texasdixiechick]

We have ordered over 200 chicks from Ideal since April and have only lost 5. We are very pleased with Ideal and would not hesitate to order from them again.

 

[shelleyb1969]

A friend of mine ordered over 100 chicks from Ideal in April. She only lost a few...nothing out of the ordinary. When I saw this thread I immediately called her and asked. She buys a lot of birds from Ideal every year...as well as all the other hatcheries. She hasn't had any problems at all.

As for ILT...it is VERY easily transferred. It can even be carried over from someone else's farm to yours on clothing, shoes, just about anything. So the culprit isn't necessarily the chicks...it could actually be a 2-legged being that brought it home to your flock.

 

[cedarcreekchickens]

I recieved an order from IDEAL in March and one in May. All recieved alive and in good health. No more deaths than usual. I am very pleased with my birds and will definitely buy from them next year.