Duckling Watch 2k17!

[MillersFarm]

One more week left as of today! I'm anxious to get the little ones settled into their brooder, even though they haven't even hatched yet.

Oh you're hatching them?! How cool. How many eggs are you hatching?

 

[Merosmar]

Oh you're hatching them?! How cool. How many eggs are you hatching?

Oh no, my mistake for unclear wording, I'm ordering them as day olds from McMurray Hatchery. I'd be way too anxious to try and incubate eggs without a broody hen!

 

[Merosmar]

I wasn't expecting my order until the tenth, but McMurray's website says it's already shipped...!!!

No notification or anything otherwise, and I'm not sure when exactly they shipped. Is this normal? I'm so nervous!!

 

[Merosmar]

So it's 7:30am in my neck of the woods right now... haven't slept a wink, being extremely anxious about the ducklings. Also pretty frustrated that I haven't heard from my post office yet. I have a really, really uneasy feeling about this and I can only hope my birds are okay.

 

[Merosmar]

Well. 2:43pm now. Drove to the post office, no birds. They told me they'd arrive at another PO and that they'd call me there -- tried to contact that office and they wouldn't give me any information on my package without a tracking number, which McMurray did not provide. Call me a worrier but at this point I'll be pleasantly surprised if my ducklings don't arrive DOA. Hopefully everything will work out.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would contact McMurray and tell them you need a tracking # and that your ducklings are lost some where in transit.

I sure hope they will be okay.

 

[Merosmar]

I would contact McMurray and tell them you need a tracking # and that your ducklings are lost some where in transit.

I sure hope they will be okay.

Thank you so, so much for sending this message!

As I went to contact McMurray, I decided to look at my order once again. At the bottom was a newly added tracking number. They shipped out at 3pm today!!

The odd thing is that on my account on MMH's website, my order definitely moved from being listed under "not shipped" to "shipped" on Saturday (or at least, that's when I noticed the status change). That went against the vast majority of information I'd read from McMurray directly and from numerous accounts from others who had ordered day old poultry, but I ignored all that under the assumption that surely their website couldn't be wrong. I'm so glad it was though! I feel like I can breath again after fretting and assuming the worst all day!

Here's to safe arrival for the little ones

 

[Merosmar]

This has been such a frustrating experience.

The tracker said that yesterday at 9:16 am the package left the origin facility in transit to my local post office. Again today, the tracker updated and said that at 9:16 am it left for my PO. So did it leave today or yesterday? Or has it been in transit for over 24 hours? Hopefully my birds won't end up having to spend four days in a box. This is so, so frustrating.

 

[Merosmar]

Hello everyone! Ducklings arrived safe and healthy this morning. I'll post a full review of the experience in a couple of days once they've settled in.

 

[Merosmar]

So they've been here a full 48 hours now! Time for a review.

McMurray has been wonderful, right from the start. The only problem I ever had with them was their website saying my order had shipped when it actually didn't until two days later. That caused a bit of anxiety, but other than that, McMurray has been fantastic for me and I will absolutely order from them again!

My birds shipped on the 7th around 3pm, at which point I noticed a tracking number added to my order on McMurray's website. I was not otherwise notified, and I only noticed because I happened to check and see it.

My birds arrived on the tenth; I got the call from the post office at 7am to come and pick up my 'baby chicks'!

When I got to the PO I only needed to tell them that I was called to pick up a package, he scanned it and handed it over, and I went on my way. I wasn't asked for ID or anything else as has been some others experience.

I got the ducklings home and opened the box -- without my requesting it McMurray included what looked like a heat pack...? and a cup of gro-gel in a small cup taped to the side of their sturdy shipping boxes. The box had my number on it with clear instructions that I be called immediately upon its arrival. There was also a packet with a receipt of My order, care instructions, information on how to identify the breeds of day old waterfowl, the leg band colors of sexed birds for each breed, and guidelines on protecting yourself from dangerous germs when dealing with poultry. My only complaint is the the two labels + packet covered over half of the ventilation holes on the lid of the box, but my ducklings arrived extremely healthy and in wonderful condition!

Because my birds were sexed they did have the aforementioned leg bands; I just snipped then off with a pair of scissors while putting the ducklings in their brooder.

And that's all I have to say pretty much! Perhaps too detailed, but I really wish I'd have found something like this to help me make my decision before ordering. I like to be as informed as possible.

The ducklings are doing amazing -- my only regret is not saving money by purchasing more in my initial order. I'm looking forward to enjoying fresh duck eggs after so many years!