Baby chicks are in the house!

[Salacker]

Our first chicks arrived on 9/29 just before noon! Thank you My Pet Chicken and Meyer Hatchery! I have not met them yet cause I just got home from work. They are in the brooder box sleeping under the brooder heater. Wife says all 15 are doing fine and have been very active all day and eating like pigs! They were shipped on 9/28 at 1:52 p.m. and arrived at the post office at just before noon on 9/29 (my birthday). Can't wait to meet them in the morning!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Our first chicks arrived on 9/29 just before noon! Thank you My Pet Chicken and Meyer Hatchery! I have not met them yet cause I just got home from work. They are in the brooder box sleeping under the brooder heater. Wife says all 15 are doing fine and have been very active all day and eating like pigs! They were shipped on 9/28 at 1:52 p.m. and arrived at the post office at just before noon on 9/29 (my birthday). Can't wait to meet them in the morning!

Congratulations on your new chicks!
Post photos if you are so inclined

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Oh, and Happy Birthday!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Congratulations!!

 

[Shezadandy]

Our first chicks arrived on 9/29 just before noon! Thank you My Pet Chicken and Meyer Hatchery! I have not met them yet cause I just got home from work. They are in the brooder box sleeping under the brooder heater. Wife says all 15 are doing fine and have been very active all day and eating like pigs! They were shipped on 9/28 at 1:52 p.m. and arrived at the post office at just before noon on 9/29 (my birthday). Can't wait to meet them in the morning!

Awesome! I've been happy with my My Pet Chicken chicks- same experience- they come out of the box raring to go.

Do keep an eye out for pasty butt - it does happen no matter what you do. It can start with just a little dried bit of poop hanging onto the rear and build into a bigger problem. So- at the first sign, clean it off, the sooner you do it the easier it is. Check everyone at least twice a day - generally about 3-5 days in it becomes much less likely.

My favorite technique for clearing pasty-butt is to wear a long sleeved shirt with the cuffs loose enough that the chicks can hide their heads while they get the rather indignant butt rinse. i.e. pick them up with your non-dominant hand with your palm against their back, with their head facing into your sleeve on the underside of your wrist, and use your fingers to support the legs. Then use a warm stream of water to clear the blockage with your dominant hand, trying to keep the chick as dry as possible ....

The key to happiness in drying is good quality toilet paper. Think of it like a hotel quality robe for chicks, and much softer on their delicate skin. Paper towels might seem OK butt (hahah) for the delicate posterior of a baby chick, quality toilet paper is much better. Once the toilet paper has dried them as much as possible, I use a hair dryer on the lowest setting to regain the fluffy look. Run the hair dryer until it's warm before using it on the chick.

Letting the chick "hide" under your cupped hand can help the entire process- they feel safe like they're under a momma hen.

The return to fluffy look is very important because a non fluffy butt shows off the constantly moving vent to curious siblings, who might then peck it because they can see it while the chick is damp or just ... unfluffy. Dry isn't the same as fluffy.

Congrats on your new additions!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hi! Congratulations! I got my nine fabulous flock members from Meyer Hatchery also back in May of this year also via the USPS and we did not have a bit of trouble with them in spite of the fact that one of the USPS employees apparently couldn’t read or didn’t care to read the instructions on the courier box which said fragile live animals inside handle with care. He wanted to juggle and throw them around like they were a football or a toy of some kind. It’s a wonder they didn’t make it at all. I almost freaked when my husband told me what he witnesses him do. I called and reported him. I didn’t go with him so because he didn’t report it on the spot right then and there like he should have it didn’t do much good I am sure. I think you will be very happy with the services from Meyer though. My chicks have been 100% healthy so far and they had a terribly hard and just awfully hot summer to survive in. I say just simply to survive in because to even get their breath as well as keep on repeating the process one after another in the eggcessive heat was almost too much for a lot of more hearty animals and birds. They had been put through it in our MS heat and they made it great. I never had one chick with even one remote episode even close to pasty butt.

 

[Salacker]

Awesome! I've been happy with my My Pet Chicken chicks- same experience- they come out of the box raring to go.

Do keep an eye out for pasty butt - it does happen no matter what you do. It can start with just a little dried bit of poop hanging onto the rear and build into a bigger problem. So- at the first sign, clean it off, the sooner you do it the easier it is. Check everyone at least twice a day - generally about 3-5 days in it becomes much less likely.

My favorite technique for clearing pasty-butt is to wear a long sleeved shirt with the cuffs loose enough that the chicks can hide their heads while they get the rather indignant butt rinse. i.e. pick them up with your non-dominant hand with your palm against their back, with their head facing into your sleeve on the underside of your rist, and use your fingers to support the legs. Then use a warm stream of water to clear the blockage with your dominant hand, trying to keep the chick as dry as possible ....

The key to happiness in drying is good quality toilet paper. Think of it like a hotel quality robe for chicks, and much softer on their delicate skin. Paper towels might seem OK butt (hahah) for the delicate posterior of a baby chick, quality toilet paper is much better. Once the toilet paper has dried them as much as possible, I use a hair dryer on the lowest setting to regain the fluffy look. Run the hair dryer until it's warm before using it on the chick.

Letting the chick "hide" under your cupped hand can help the entire process- they feel safe like they're under a momma hen.

The return to fluffy look is very important because a non fluffy butt shows off the constantly moving vent to curious siblings, who might then peck it because they can see it while the chick is damp or just ... unfluffy. Dry isn't the same as fluffy.

Congrats on your new additions!

Thank you for sharing this knowledge. Sounds like sound advice.

 

[ILoveBabySilkies]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge. Sounds like sound advice.

I got my original 6 from my pet chicken! They all arrived on time and all made it they are all now 14 weeks! I ordered all females and got 1 cockerel which is ya know not ideal but it’s only 1 so I’m pleased(he’s still with me now). Oh and of course pics if you can!

 

[SnootyHen]

Just got a new batch from Meyer yesterday too! I bet ours were in the hatchery together. Can't wait to see pictures and ditto on the pasty butt. I have 2 already but they all came out healthy and happy and once I got them drinking, they are full of songs and energy.

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge. Sounds like sound advice.

Years of accidentally learning on the job.
How are you enjoying your first day with chicks?!?!