Dealing with McMurray

[DK]

My chick arrive on march 23 look ok all alive they just look so weak.I put sugar in there water to try to perk them up but it did not help and then they started to die one at a time the black silkie were the first then the golden campines lost 4 in all and I know that not that bad but Iv not had one to die before and I know I had in the hundreds from McMurray.I email them about the lost and got a email back from a lady name pat who said the chick probably been chill in shipping and the stress was to much on some of the chicks. Too make a long story short I got a refund for the lost chicks with out a problem. All the other chick are doing fine so far. DK

 

[debilorrah]

Are the rest of them ok now? 4 is alot out of 23.

 

[luvarabhorses]

I have always used McMurray but switched to Ideal this year because I wanted Malays and Shamos, So far I think the quality was better with McMurray. They ALWAYS sent extras and I had most survive even though I did not know what I was doing for years. Silkie chicks are fragile, don't know about campines. I put the silkies and anybody else weak looking in a different box to keep from being run over by the ultrahealthy. Use lots of lamps, put vitamin drops in the water. Hope that helps with the rest.

 

[DiVon80]

When I get my chicks I also get the gro-gel they love it. Its for a 100 so I give it to them for a few days. Its fun to watch them when you give it to them. Its full of good things to help with the stress of shipping.

 

[Spires6]

i have also ordered many times from McMurray and never had problems. Occasionally there might be a dead one in the box that got smothered from huddling during shipping but never had trouble once here. They always sent me extra also. This year I ordered from Mt. Healthy and lost 3 right at 72 hours. This was the first time I ever had them vaccinate for Mareks. I suspect they had a bad reaction to the vaccine. They were fine and then started acting weird and went downhill and were dead with in a few hours. Never seen anything like it. The others are all fine today.

 

[jossanne]

McMurray does have good customer service. I've been very pleased with the health of their chicks. I'm sorry you've had bad luck. I had that kind of luck with my March 16 Ideal shipment this time, losing 4 out of 25. They must have also gotten chilled in shipping, and Ideal took care of me as well as McMurray took care of you.

HUGS for the loss of your babies. I'm sorry that happened.

 

[the_great_snag]

I think this horribly cold spring has caused all the hatcheries to see higher than normal mortality rates on their chicks. McMurray may seem worse than the others right now simply because they are more northerly than most of the other major hatcheries. I also THINK that most of their shipments go out through Minneapolis/St Paul airport, and I can assure you it's been cold as hell in MN this spring. We are still sitting under more than a foot of snow with night time temps in the teens.

I'm afraid to order chicks yet...

I feel badly for the hatcheries having to take so many losses on birds lost in shipping due to this horrid weather, but I think it speaks highly of their integrity that they do so...

I have had great luck with McMurray and I love the quality of their birds.