Bad Experience with shipped chicks

donnavee

Crowing
13 Years
May 7, 2009
828
129
276
Hillsborough NC
I have ordered chicks through the mail over the years and never lost any. It's been a while so I ordered 22 from a hatchery I have dealt with before. I won't name them since I don't blame them for what happened.
The chicks were shipped on Mon, 6/11 with expected delivery between 6/12-6/14. The tracking showed them leaving their origin, but from then on it would only say in route to next destination. By Thu, I was frantic and started calling USPS. Unfortunately, you can never talk to a person so I got no answers. Finally on Fri, my Postmaster told me she did some checking and the box was damaged and returned to the hatchery.
Then on Sat, she calls and tells me the box has arrived and there are some peeps. I picked them up with a lot of dread as I knew it couldn't be good. I opened the box to find a pile of mostly dead chicks. Eight were still alive but very weak. I gave them water with electrolytes but by Sun morning only one was left alive - a little Austra White. By some good fortune, I found a local person with some little chicks and I was able to get 2 buddies for it. It really perked up when I introduced it's new friends and I'm hopeful it continues to thrive.
The hatchery is replacing all the chicks and I hope not to have a bad experience again - but it was very depressing.
I was wondering how many other people may have had similar experiences. More than one person has told me the Post Office doesn't do a good job with them any more.
 
We have ordered Chicks by mail several times in the past, and often had bad experiences, usually due to our location. Things ship past us to a more populated area's PO first, then back to us. They often take an extra day or two to arrive, and we've had very depressing box openings.
 
Post office has greatly degraded, I don't feel comfortable ordering online. I know a breeder who is actually leaving the industry because of the system. Just stick with local birds if you can, or get hatching eggs.

Yes, I think I won't be ordering through the mail again. I have replacements coming and hope it will be OK. After that, I will go local only.
 
donnavee,
go to your feed store and buy the small bottle of Bovidr Labs Poultry Nutridrench. Electrolytes are good but they still need to be digested. You need to jumpstart the G.I. tract and restore the immune system in these shipped chicks before they reach a tipping point and their body systems start a cascade of failure. Drench does not need to be digested.. It mainlines directly into the bloodstream. Measureable there in minutes. All natural. It will help keep your shipped chicks from dying of travel stress.
Give each chick one drop only by mouth on arrival. Repeat as needed for any needy chicks every 8-10 hours until perky. Put 1 1/2 teaspoons of Drench in a quart waterer for the first week as they adjust to their new home. No need for any other water additives other than the drench. Give them Greek Yogurt for probiotics. Start them on chick grit when they are 1 week old.
Best,
Karen
 
Post office has greatly degraded, I don't feel comfortable ordering online. I know a breeder who is actually leaving the industry because of the system. Just stick with local birds if you can, or get hatching eggs.

I only get new chicks from in my own state now. I just see who has chicks of breed's in my states thread here in BYC. It make's thing's much more simple, and none of them die. All of the ones that I got here in my state are all healthy when I get them.
 
helps What is the physiological condition of shipped chicks when they arrive at their new home?

In a perfect world , the chicks are fed and watered within 6 hours of hatch. If feed is withheld for over 24 hours it has a negative effect on the chicks welfare. It is a myth that the yolk sac is for the chick to use as feed for the first three days. It can use it for this purpose but that is not nature's intent. The yolk sac is biologically reserved for the myelination of the muscles and the development of the G.I. tract.
When the chick needs to use it for energy (as when it is shipped), it arrives at its new home in depleted condition and needy in these areas. The development of the G.I. tract is correlated to the development of the immune system. The G.I. tract undergoes tremendous development during the first 12 days of life. Anything we can do to support this development will have positive effects the birds well-being for the rest of its life.
The Drench jumpstarts the G.I. tract , without stressing the G.I. tract with more things to digest. Drench also helps restore the immune system. Pretty much the bottom line in chick welfare is that its all about the height of the villi and
the depth of the crypts in the G.I. tract. These two factors answer so many of the needs of the baby chick. I guess one could say they are keystone hallmarks to look for and promote in baby chick welfare.
http://www.nutridrench.com/poultry-nutri-drench.html

Best,
Karen
 
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USPS has returned several of my shipments and say I refused them because I did it one time on hatching eggs that were exposed to extremely high temps...and lost in transit for 8 days! They are terrible anymore..... my shipments go Kansas city MO to Kansas city Kansas then back to MO, does that make any sense??? I am looking for local farms to get chicks or eggs from that way I can pick up right here local no shipping involved...
 

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