Behaviors of Mail Order Chicks vs Non Mail Order Chicks

[howtogrowanegg]

Hi All,

I have a curiosity about mail order chicks vs non mail order chicks.

Early April I received some mail order chicks which seemed to be overly stressed during transportation (shipping container had been up-side-down and I ended up lossing 10 out of 22).

The remaining 12 are now over 5 weeks old and all are doing fine now. I remember these chicks being very loud (probably due to the stress of transportation). They always seemed to have a chatter about them, but nothing like the first day. I've become accustomed to the chirping chatter.

Yesterday I picked up a second batch of chicks that came from the same hatchery, but didn't come via USPS. I ordered them via a local farm store and since they had ordered 3,500 chicks they had there own delivery service (according to the manager).

There were 22 in my box and all seem to be very quiet and content. Most of the time I can't tell they are there. They are active ... eating, drinking, and sleeping ... they are just quieter.

Has anyone else noticed similar behaviors?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[columbiacritter]

I've found the longer they are in transit the more stressed they get and the longer their stressed behavior lasts.

When we picked up chicks straight from the hatchery they rarely were ever noisy.

 

[sparkles2307]

We just got 100 from Cackle, shipped Monday and arrived Wednesday morning...they were REALLY loud when they arrived, like freaking me out loud. By the next day we couldnt tell they were there and they are all happy and active and healthy, but nice and quiet. Not very snuggly tho! The ones from the feed store are much more sociable.

 

[Chickenmaven]

Our first chickens(30) were shipped. We didn't lose but a couple. They were pretty noisey. Our most recent chicks are 3 home-hatched by a hen and 12 from a local breeder. The 12 were "scarey quiet" on the way home from the breeder's place. They bonded instantly with the mama hen and are very content - and quiet. What I have noticed is that the hen communicates with them constantly. That seems to appease them.
Perhaps these noisey chicks are stressed AND seeking a parent?

 

[walkswithdog]

Shipped birds really are louder, and the worse it was the longer. Since I started hatching my own I'm surprised by one that starts making any real racket. The chick is stressed something is up.

All the ones I have now were hatched here and at a friend's and driven here. Not a long trip. They were all pretty quiet except for one I thought was not well, and peeping and I gave her vitamins and she just up after about 45 minutes.

Then today I separated the older lot from the younger group so that the poults and older chicks would have some wing room. Though I thought I'd noticed it before (the wee thing kept trying to follow the poult to a nearby exercise cage) I became immediately certain ... one of the young chicks had befriended a poult and completely freaked when I removed his friend. He went to peeping and cheeping constantly, silly little beast. So unlike his buddies, he's in the big boy cage cuddled up to his turkey buddy. He looks more like a big poop, than something that belongs in there.

A noisy chick is a stressed chick, whether it's food or momma or something it can't know but senses - too cool, going into shock, low vitamins, hypoglycemic for some reason.

Happy chicks make almost no noise.

 

[sheeshshe]

Quote:
THIS makes me happy!!!!!

I just got mine today from the local feed store... they ordered them, but perhaps it was a quicker shipment... I believe it is overnight or something.. I got them today and they barely make a sound. they do peep on their way from sleeping to eating etc LOL! but yeah, most of the time no noise. very quiet. So, since they are quiet that means that they are happy and that makes me very happy!