Chick versatility @ 1 week old

[JoPoKa]

Hello everyone, I'm new to BYC. I have no chicks as of yet but I am planning on getting some in April 2018...

With that being said, a little back story--I'm from Canada and have done a ton of research on raising chicks but when it comes to shipping..? I have no idea what to expect, here...

Now, I'm not looking to starting up a huge poultry farm.. just a little backyard hobby, really.. so I ordered 9 chicks from British Columbia (3 Orpies, 3 Austras and 3 Ameraucanas) but the provider says that at that time of year, what with the cold and all, it's better off to order more so the chicks have each other to keep warm even with a heating pack coming along for a ride in their shipping box. They will be shipped via air in early April at a week old and the flight entails 6.5-7hrs air time along with at least one stop to transfer over to another plane!!!

So my real question here is... in your experience with shipping chicks, do they fare well in the cold with a heating pack and smaller numbers? I was going to ask him if he could possibly ship them in a smaller container so help keep them warmer on their journey here.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[lilmillefleur]

Welcome JoPoKa! We are so glad you joined us!
I have not had experience mail order chicks yet, but I think they will be able to handle the cold as long as they have that heat pack.

 

[debid]

Hatcheries have seasonal minimums for ordering because more bodies in the box keeps the temperature up. And, they are limited to postal approved packaging so "just use a smaller box" isn't an option. They aren't telling you this to sell more chicks but because they have experience with shipping in your climate. I also know this about heat packs from shipping aquatics -- they fail in temperatures below freezing and they use oxygen to operate. There has to be decent ventilation so they don't deplete the air supply but if it's too cold in the box, the heat pack can actually stop working.

You have options. You can wait until later in the season when it's warmer. You can buy more chicks than you need and sell off the extras. Some feed stores allow special orders to be tacked on to their large order. Or, you might be able to find chicks locally when you're ready and just accept that you may not get the specific breeds you wanted.

 

[JoPoKa]

Aw man.. maybe I should just go with the "local" I found... the BC hatchery sexes them but are expensive ($9-$15 per chick depending on the breed) along with a $180 shipping cost while my "local" who is 6 hours away (still kind of far hence the "s lol) sells them at $6 per chick but... They are straight runWHAT DO I DO?!?!?! Suggestions? haha I am SO indecisive, it's a fault of mine

 

[venymae]

@BantyChooks you are a Canuck aren't ya? Any advice for shipping chicks?

 

[BantyChooks]

Aw man.. maybe I should just go with the "local" I found... the BC hatchery sexes them but are expensive ($9-$15 per chick depending on the breed) along with a $180 shipping cost while my "local" who is 6 hours away (still kind of far hence the "s lol) sells them at $6 per chick but... They are straight runWHAT DO I DO?!?!?! Suggestions? haha I am SO indecisive, it's a fault of mine

Get straight run and eat the males?

I really don't recommend shipped chicks that time of year, especially with such a long flight. Even in summer I found that they get cold/shaken up easily and cold temps on top of that is just a recipe for disaster. Could you wait a few more months? June or July will still have them big enough for winter, generally.

 

[Laodicia]

Aw man.. maybe I should just go with the "local" I found... the BC hatchery sexes them but are expensive ($9-$15 per chick depending on the breed) along with a $180 shipping cost while my "local" who is 6 hours away (still kind of far hence the "s lol) sells them at $6 per chick but... They are straight runWHAT DO I DO?!?!?! Suggestions? haha I am SO indecisive, it's a fault of mine

I hatch eggs. are you near NS?

 

[JoPoKa]

@BantyChooks - I don't know if I'd have the heart to kill them lol but I guess I better buck up and get with the program or I'll end up giving up before I've started lol how early are chicks sexed? I could go straight run and try to rehome the roos if I know I don't have the balls to do any chopping lol
The brreeds I'm now leaning toward are Easter Eggers, Olive Eggers, Ameraucanas, Australorps, Orpies... basically colorful egg variety along with winter hardiness and friendliness in general

@Laodicia - I'm in Mid-West QC along the Ontario border

 

[BantyChooks]

@BantyChooks - I don't know if I'd have the heart to kill them lol but I guess I better buck up and get with the program or I'll end up giving up before I've started lol how early are chicks sexed? I could go straight run and try to rehome the roos if I know I don't have the balls to do any chopping lol
The brreeds I'm now leaning toward are Easter Eggers, Olive Eggers, Ameraucanas, Australorps, Orpies... basically colorful egg variety along with winter hardiness and friendliness in general

@Laodicia - I'm in Mid-West QC along the Ontario border

You can generally tell by a month or two of age. Re-homing might work, but bear in mind they're often eaten. If you don't want to process yourself you could send them to a butcher? I don't like killing birds either & and avoid it whenever possible.

 

[JoPoKa]

God, I never even thought of selling them to a butcher! *face palm*

Well I think you've definitely swayed me to just go with my local. Now to just get the woman to message me back