Extra Care for shipped Chicks

[CrazedCowgirl]

My husband got me 10 chicks from Ideal Hatchery that will be delivered next week. I've always gotten chicks locally from either breeders or the feed store. What do you recommend for a little added TLC?

I was already planning on getting them some electrolytes and some mash/ fermented for feed for the first day or so.

Any advise would be much appreciated!

 

[ChickNanny13]

You sound like you're prepared, have you got a heat/warmth source? Read up on Blooie's thread = MHP.

 

[CrazedCowgirl]

I do have a heat source and brooder. This isn't my first round of chicks, just my first ones shipped directly from a hatchery so I wasn't sure if they needed extra love or not due to added stress from shipping.

We're supposed to get pretty cold here next week when they're scheduled to be delivered so I'm getting extra shavings and straw tomorrow to add to their brooder just in case we get snow or ice.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You're ready! Enjoy & bundle up. We're having rain after more rain, ground is muddy & icky! Winter weather is a hard one

 

[Shezadandy]

I would recommend being on the paranoid side watching for pasty butt. Shipping is stressful and you're the one that sees them first after that. Obviously teaching them to drink right off the bat can help as they might be riding the line where the yolk they absorbed is gone depending on how fast the USPS gets them there. Having a little cave out of the light they can go into to decompress and really relax can help them recover.

Of the 2 batches of shipped chicks we got, those were the biggest issues. Good luck and enjoy your new babies!

 

[lazy gardener]

My husband got me 10 chicks from Ideal Hatchery that will be delivered next week. I've always gotten chicks locally from either breeders or the feed store. What do you recommend for a little added TLC?

I was already planning on getting them some electrolytes and some mash/ fermented for feed for the first day or so.

Any advise would be much appreciated!

As for the electrolytes, you can save your money, and make your own. Simply do a google search for home made electrolyte solution, or home made GatorAid. It's stupid simple to do. Spend your money where it counts! I always start a batch of chicks off (no matter where they come from) with Poultry Nutri-Drench. (be sure to change it out every day, b/c any thing other than plain water is a bacteria magnet) A bit of sugar water will be helpful as well, as newborns (even the human kind) have a bit of trouble keeping blood sugar up initially. Heat the water up to a comfortable temp so they won't have to expend vital energy heating it up with their body heat. Baby chicks can be chilled by the transport.

FF is great, but I start chicks out with crumble sprinkled on the floor of their brooder, initially, as that feeds into their instinct to peck at such things. You can certainly put out FF the first day, but be sure it's such that they can't fall into it, and it's thick enough that they won't get wet if they play in it. A jar lid is good for starters.

I'm a huge advocate of heating pad brooding. Will never go back to a light, unless sheer numbers make HPB not feasible. Even then, I think I'd simply buy an other HP. I already have 2 dedicated to chick brooding. It makes an incredible difference in the socialization of the chicks, how quickly they feather out, and decreasing their stress level. They literally trill themselves to sleep. Never heard such a sound using a heat lamp.

As for chicks being sent through the mail compared to feed store chicks: Feed store chicks come through the mail, usually! The big difference as far as I can see, is this: When you order direct, you get that 48 hour live guarantee. Feed store? At least where I come from, once it leaves the store, all bets are off. If the chick dies in the parking lot, that's just too bad for the buyer. By purchasing direct, you know how the chick has been handled straight out of the box. No worries about some incompetent dropping the chick, or handling it and putting it back into the wrong bin. No worries about multiple sets of not so clean hands touching it. Just be sure you have good verbal communication with your post office, and instruct them to call you immediately when the chicks arrive at the PO. Be available to pick them up immediately, no matter what time of day or night. Have the brooder warmed and ready.

HAVE FUN!!!!

 

[CrazedCowgirl]

Got the brooder all set up just need to add water, feed and some babies! My littles shipped out today so hopefully they'll be here by Friday. I'm so excited.

 

[Shezadandy]

Which breeds did you decide to add to your flock?

 

[CrazedCowgirl]

5 amerucanas and 4 "surprise me" heavy breeds plus what ever male "packing paenuts" they send my way.

 

[Shezadandy]

5 amerucanas and 4 "surprise me" heavy breeds plus what ever male "packing paenuts" they send my way.

Neat! I do love their feathery faces and beards!