Got my chicks on Wednesday

[Jack Sparrow]

I got my order of 26 chicks from Meyer Hatchery on Wednesday, picked them up at the post office at 8 AM. All seemed fine when put in the brooder but by 2 PM one had died. The rest seem healthy and active are drinking (water with vitamin/electrolyte mix in it) and eating (Purina medicated chick starter). Meyers had included an extra chick so I still have 26 but the one that died was a Cuckoo Maran and I really wanted that breed.

Sooooooo I guess chicken math has gotten me too, I was just looking at their website to see when the Marans would be available to order.

Will post pics of the chicks and the progress on my new coop as soon as time allows.

 

[opalwednesday]

congratulations! I hope that the rest stay healthy for you. I placed my order with meyer today, I'm in for the august 16th shipment. Is it hot where you live? It's blazing here, I really worry about the heat in transit being too much for them.

which of your chickens did you get from meyer? I'm really impressed by what they offer, I can't wait to get the seven breeds (16 chickens) that I picked out.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I placed my order with Meyer on June 21, with a ship date the week of July 18. I ordered 33 chicks and I am worried about the heat, as well. I had always intended to order from McMurray, but the hatch dates for the four breeds I wanted was too spread out to order from them. Plus, Meyer was a lot cheaper and Polk, Ohio (417 miles) is a lot closer to me in Virginia than McMurray is in Iowa (1,075 miles), so less travel time in the heat.

I ordered:

11 barred rocks (straight run)
5 speckled Sussex (straight run)
5 buff orpington (straight run)
12 Cornish cross (cockerels)

 

[Jack Sparrow]

I'm in New Mexico, it's been averaging 104/105 here for weeks. I was really concerned about the heat and the chicks but when I picked them up, the post office was cool in fact the gal said they are probably too cold in here. It was cute, I heard peeping as soon as I opened the door.

They were shipped priority mail (which they do when you order 25) on Monday, June 27 right after they were hatched. I called the post office to tell them that the chicks were arriving either Tuesday or Wednesday. I got a call at 8AM on Wednesday to get them.

I got them all from Meyer except my 6 adults (Barred Rock, NH Red, EE, Buff Orphington and 2 Austrolops). There is quite a variety in my brooder.

I got lucky with my brooder, my daughter just happened to have a commercial brooder. It's 3 feet square and about 15" tall with screening on 3 sides, wire bottom (which I am using bed chux pads to cover) and a poop tray. I have a heat lamp on one side and they have plenty of room to run around which they do a lot.

 

[opalwednesday]

that's reassuring, thanks. It is to be 111° here today, not so different from where you're at.

your brooder sounds great, I use a horse trough

lol

 

[Dutchgirl]

Newly-hatched chicks often die suddenly. I'm not even sure what causes it. It's not really uncommon for one of ours to seem smaller (b/c it's not growing) over a few days, and then just get sick and eventually die.

We had one case where a little chick survived for weeks like that. Her name was Dewey and that's what we call cases like this... "Oh dear, I hope it's not going to be another Dewey." She was so cute! Eventually her hatchmates got so big that we had to tote the poor thing around to keep up with the mother hen and the other chicks. Then one day she just seemed kind of weak and more sickly than other days, and she died. Mysteries like this happen every so often, and I don't have an answer for them.