Excitment has changed to grief

[BeckyLa]

Do they only ship on Saturday? I think I'd ask for a refund and reorder from another hatchery, one that ships the first of the week. I've read way more nightmare stories about chicks that are shipped on Saturday than on, say, Monday. It's like the weekend messes things up at the Post Office. imho

 

[Frizzledhen]

Quote:
The legs don't go out to the side. The chicks are actually walking on the lower legs at the knee or errrr elbow? One of them tried to stand and it looked like it had only one toe. I checked it out and it has 4 but 3 of them are shriveled and don't spread when the chick stands.
My grandson is happy with the cute little balls of fuzz but is still sad because so many had to die. Thank you for asking Miriam.
Gayle
Chi lady in Michigan

 

[shadi]

Sorry hun, If you dont wanna deal with the dead kids refuse the delivery,why break yours and your kids heart

 

[I_Love_Chickens]

Thats so sad to hear these horror stories of the little chicks. I thought it sounded neat to order through the mail but now i'm thinking i'll stick with the local hardware store here. They get them shipped through trucks and some die but at least I won't have to see it I guess. When I got my chicks the girl told me the reason that they didn't have any guineas in is that the shipment got left out all night and they all died. Thats horrible. I didn't want guineas but they are neat little birds and I like to see them in the store. So anyways hope your chicks get better. Thats really not right that 4-H makes you have to get chicks shipped to you and then you have to see this. Thats just horrible. I got my 10 little babies a week and a half ago and they grew fast. Mine aren't bantams so they are getting HUGE already. They have wings and they are starting to look like chickens. Its cute. So good luck with your chicks.

 

[4H kids and mom]

Thats really not right that 4-H makes you have to get chicks shipped to you and then you have to see this. Thats just horrible.

Just to clarify the last post, 4H doesnt make you have chicks shipped to you. Their only requirment for showing them in fairs is that they are hatched by a certain day. Kids in 4H can choose any hatchery they wish, and nearly any breed. They can even order from a local feed store. 4H allows you to show fancy chickens, rare breeds, meat birds, bantams...pretty much anything. They also allow other poultry related projects, like raising a laying flock or raising meat birds for sale or slaughter. But to show a bird in a county/state fair, they require that the bird be a pullet or cockerel of a certain age, which is why we (4H members) have to order our chicks earlier in the season then some other people do, and may loose some in the process due to colder weather. For 4H, all projects (wether shoing a bird, raising a flock of layers or meat birds) must be products of the current year. Generally, the cut off for hatch date on chicks for showing is the first or second week in March, though it varies slightly by county or state.​

 

[chickflick]

So sad! That's got to be really tough on your grandson. Where in MI are you. I'm just east of Flint.

 

[ginasmarans]

That is so sad. I don't know what to say other than that,it defies words. That's one of the reasons I am deathly afraid to ship chicks to anyone. I agonize over every egg I ship. I'd lose my mind if they were already hatched. Hugs to you and your grandson.

 

[Frizzledhen]

Up Date Well we now have 5 out of 31 chicks. The two who couldn't stand didn't make it. I never in a million years would have thought I would be cleaning itty bitty bantam bird butts.

Three have pasty butt. My grandson has named one Tumbleweed because he tends to fall a lot. He gets to running around and will fall and just lay there cheeping his little head off. I have learned to check on them when I hear this distress sound. It is always Tumbleweed laying there waiting for me to pick him up. He is a strange little guy. He doesn't seem to have a neck and he walks upright and is all legs. I have yet to figure out what kind of feather leg bantam he is. He is black with a yellow belly and beak. He has a couple of yellow streaks on his head. Any suggestions?

As for getting replacement chicks, we will do things a little differently this time. Since it is too late to use any of the replacement chicks for 4-H, we will have them delivered 6 weeks from now and they will be shipped to a different address. That way I can bypass 2 post offices and they will be insured for a million clucks, errrr bucks.

My grandson and I appreciate all the concern and suggestions from many wonderful people on this group. Thank you. BYC ROCKS! Now just pray that nothing happens to Tumbleweed because he has won the heart of my grandson and myself.

Gayle
Chi lady in Michigan

 

[SpottedCrow]

Sorry about the little ones...
Hope Tumbleweed makes it.

 

[CarriBrown]

Awwww, Little Tumbleweed. I really hope he makes it, too!