Bad McMurray Experience

[Kittys Coop]

Last year i had 6 or 7 batches in the mail (2 were replacement batches do to losses). 3 did poorly, the rest did amazing. But the poor ones were when it was a cold snap mainly. 1 of those also was packaged poorly and had all the air hold blocked besides one, and 1 was delayed so it arrived on a monday instead of a friday or saturday.

The warmer season ones (including a McMurray order) only lost one out of maybe 50 in the package and then another very weak one a few hours later. The other 48 did great apart from the ones that decided to fly out of the bin and get chilled during the night

I’m glad you had a positive experience. I wouldn’t want anyone to deal with what we did. I just expect better from them and their reaction wasn’t one I appreciated. Losing 1 or 2? Normal. 25? Not.

 

[Iluveggers]

I’m so sorry to hear about your order. Very surprised about their customer service. I’m petrified to order chicks in the winter. We split our chick order this year. 15 from McM, 12 from local hatchery. This way I know I’ll have chicks (he didn’t have all the breeds we wanted but his birds are friendly & healthy). I’ve never ordered online. Hoping it goes well. Did a June order partly because NY weather can be unpredictable. We get a random snowstorm in May every 10 years or so. June will avoid any freezing temps.

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

How awful! As someone who has experienced quite a bit of death surrounding chickens mainly, it never gets easier. I cry like a baby every time. Hope that you can heal from this experience, it sounds so stressful & sad!

 

[mdonnel68]

That’s very disappointing. They seem to have some really nice birds in their catalog. I may just go then with the hatchery out of Lebanon Missouri then and plan to pick them up myself.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

My order from them came dead few years ago but that was the postal systems fault as they sent them in a back of a pick up in 20° weather I did get a refund and ordered from meyer instead.

 

[Poodlemum]

I’ve honestly had better luck from Hoovers. Not awful from McMurray, but I’m not 100% blown away. We’ve got a Meyers order coming up next month and then another McMurray order if I don’t cancel. It was all bantams and I’ve been picking up a bunch locally. The only drawback is my husband's silver Polish would be sexed vs trying to find that colour in straight run. It was supposed to have been in our last order, but it was cancelled and I picked no replacement

 

[Aunt Angus]

I’ve honestly had better luck from Hoovers. Not awful from McMurray, but I’m not 100% blown away. We’ve got a Meyers order coming up next month and then another McMurray order if I don’t cancel. It was all bantams and I’ve been picking up a bunch locally. The only drawback is my husband's silver Polish would be sexed vs trying to find that colour in straight run. It was supposed to have been in our last order, but it was cancelled and I picked no replacement

Yeah, that's the big appeal to me: getting the breeds and sexes you want. Let us know how it goes with Meyer. There are a couple of us with future orders coming in from them.

Good luck! I hope all goes well. Shipping is nerve-wracking.

 

[Poodlemum]

Yeah, that's the big appeal to me: getting the breeds and sexes you want. Let us know how it goes with Meyer. There are a couple of us with future orders coming in from them.

Good luck! I hope all goes well. Shipping is nerve-wracking.

Thanks! Hope y’all have good luck too. The Meyer order is actually going to someone else and I added on a few on (salmon Faverolles and buff laced Polish). So it’s a bit of a relief that I won’t have to be the one to open the box

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks! Hope y’all have good luck too. The Meyer order is actually going to someone else and I added on a few on (salmon Faverolles and buff laced Polish). So it’s a bit of a relief that I won’t have to be the one to open the box

Those are 2 on my breed wish list.

And, yes, that box opening is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying.

 

[RaisinChicks7]

Oh my gawd. I am so sorry. I have had shipping disasters, too, but all 25????!!! My heart breaks for you.

I swore off ordering because I lost all of an order from MPC within a week. I always just picked them up from feed stores, but if there are specific breeds you want, that's not going to cut it. I broke down and ordered from Meyer. I'm PRAYING I won't have another bad experience.

I am SO SORRY. I was thinking about having my DH open the box for me when I get my order in May. I am also thinking about canceling. I just can't open another box like that. I really am so sorry....

Wow that’s horrendous. I know it’s the post office. They really don’t care about how they handle the babies. We’ve seen it. They aren’t gentle not to mention we don’t know what they go through enroute. Obviously there’s a huge handling problem. We have ordered from McMurray and Meyer. There was a snake in the box from Meyer that killed one chick. I can’t say who’s fault that is. It could have happened anywhere. They were gracious about it and gave us a credit. They were also astounded because they hadn’t heard of that happening before. The scenarios that run through my mind are endless concerning what these little chickens endure after they leave the hatchery. It’s not good. So I think there needs to be a major shipping change to a carrier that actually CARES about transporting live animals. All of our chicks arrived healthy but we lost a few from Meyer last Fall and so far this year, no losses from McMurray. My husband says he notices how they are not handling the chicks carefully like they used to years ago (before I met him he raised chickens for years.) He also said he’s never seen so many issues with chickens like we had with the Cornish X and the sudden deaths. Hopefully we can find a breeder and go and pick them up in person. I would prefer that at this point and I’m sure the chickens would be thankful.