Chicks all arrived dead

[psycoforsilkies]

i have gotten silkies from ideal several times and have never had problems with illness i have quite a few grown chicks right now in my yard. they are always very helpful if you call. thier is always risk if you get anything shipped in the mail. esp live animals When they leave there they are exposed to germs every where and sittign in a cold truck doesnot help

 

[MadabtChickens]

So sorry! That's just horrible! I would never order from a hatchery that doesn't ship overnight though. Those poor little babies! I'm surprised more people don't receive a box full of dead chicks with the stress those poor things have to go through. I'm getting ready to start my first chicken family and at this point if I can't get the breeds I want locally then I will see what I can get. I've had reptiles shipped to me before, but it doesn't feel right having chicks shipped via USPS.

 

[silkiechicken]

Best of luck with your new shipment!

I don't know of any other method than usps to send chicks. I don't think fedex or UPS will ship live birds so you are limited by the shipping system itself.

 

[Texasmja]

We got an order from Ideal that arrived today and all are doing great. I picked them up at 6:30am and got them warmed up fast.

 

[kmb221]

Mine were shipped from Ideal on Wed. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow (Fri). I'm just worried sick about them. I'll have everyone nuts till they get her and I know they are okay.

 

[MadabtChickens]

I can imagine. I was a wreck when my reptiles were en route and it was only 12 hours. I hope everybody gets there safe!

 

[NickyPick]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I was looking into ordering from Ideal at first but then read some reviews. Apparently a lot of them arrive dead or die not long after delivery. Quite a few people believe there is something wrong with the chickens in their breeding system as a fair amount of them die from repiratory problems. I hope your next shipment goes better.

I don't believe that at all. Most all of the bad reviews I've read are people who have their chicks shipped in winter temperatures and then expect that the hatchery is responsible for what the Weather and/or the Postal workers do. For a hatchery that ships a couple million chicks a year, if they had bad breeders, the bad reviews would be hundreds of pages long and I haven't seen anything to suggest that.



Quote:
That's going to be an issue. The only postal service that will ship chicks is the USPS and they do not do overnight. At all.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't believe that at all. Most all of the bad reviews I've read are people who have their chicks shipped in winter temperatures and then expect that the hatchery is responsible for what the Weather and/or the Postal workers do. For a hatchery that ships a couple million chicks a year, if they had bad breeders, the bad reviews would be hundreds of pages long and I haven't seen anything to suggest that.

I agree.
First of all, if a business shipped dead chicks all the time, they wouldn't be a business long.\
Not that many years ago, most chicken orders from hatcheries were shipments of at least 100 - i.e. experienced poultry people. Now most orders are for 25 or less - that means most are backyarders (not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm one)
As for respiratory issues and all, I think with so many new chicken people, a good number start with little chicken knowledge.
You can tell that from the volume of telling questions that post here.
Most new chicken people coddle their birds with too much heat and a lack of proper ventilation. That equals dead chicks.

 

[gg706]

I am getting my chicks in April. I was planning on putting them in a box with the heat light on one side of the box....should i change it from a box to a clothes basket to get more ventilation?

I agree.
First of all, if a business shipped dead chicks all the time, they wouldn't be a business long.\
Not that many years ago, most chicken orders from hatcheries were shipments of at least 100 - i.e. experienced poultry people. Now most orders are for 25 or less - that means most are backyarders (not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm one)
As for respiratory issues and all, I think with so many new chicken people, a good number start with little chicken knowledge.
You can tell that from the volume of telling questions that post here.
Most new chicken people coddle their birds with too much heat and a lack of proper ventilation. That equals dead chicks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I am getting my chicks in April. I was planning on putting them in a box with the heat light on one side of the box....should i change it from a box to a clothes basket to get more ventilation?

A lot of people use a box but I don't keep them in any type of container. Mine are always in an outbuilding with some type of barrier initially to keep them where they can find the heat lamp. That can be lumber, flashing, cardboard or hardware cloth. Give a heat source but plenty of room to get away from heat.
That is the way a mamma will raise them. They run under her for warmth but most of the day they're running around in a cool area, especially after the first week. The broody doesn't keep the entire coop at 95 degrees.

here's two methods I use depending on the number of chicks, ambient temps and age.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/image/view/id/4802283/album/6135523

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/image/view/id/4802250/album/6135523