Got new chicks, first time from the mail! :O Story inside

[RoseTeas]

So, long story short, I wanted to expand my first flock from 13 to 20. Made plans to go to my local Tractor Supply and get 7 chicks but in my research, they don't sell all the breeds I wanted. So I needed to order chicks for the first time. Scary!!

I did get 4 chicks from my local Tractor Supply -- 2 Americaunas and 2 Silver Laced Black Wyandottes. They are 1 week old yesterday.

When my chick order from Mt. Healthy Hatchery came in! I chose Mt. Healthy because of the excellent reviews I read here about them and also because of the fact that they were the closest hatchery to me. Ohio to North Carolina is an ~8 hour drive. I knew they'd arrive the next day. And so they did.

The local post office forgot to call me at 8am, and called me at 9am - I had been up and waiting since 6am (lol) so we rushed down there and picked them up.

The guy who handed it over couldn't help peeking (there were peeping sounds coming from the box) and said "oooh it looks like 2 didn't make it" and handed me the box. My husband and I were like, prepared for that, but still just kinda walked to the car steeling ourselves to look inside once we got in the warm car (the post office was FREEZING cold with AC).

We opened the box and sure enough, one was on its side, neck splayed back and looked to all appearances to be dead. One was beak down, wings out but if you pet it, would move a little bit. So I told my husband to hold that one in his hand on the drive home and cradle it for warmth. I ordered 4, 2 French Black Copper Marans, 1 Buff Orpington and 1 Red Laced Blue Wyandotte. They sent an extra French Black Copper Maran. The one that looked to be already gone. It was the little Buff Orpington who was shaky, wobbly and cold. My husband did spy that the one on it's side "might" be breathing.


About 15 minute drive home and hubby was cradling the little one. The other chicks all surrounded his hand in the box for warmth. He was beaming <3 He loved every second of it. I was making a plan for what we were going to do when we got home. I ordered a vitamin pack from the Hatchery that came in the box so had to make that.

When we got home I went to take this pic and then spy on the one on it's side. It was in fact breathing!!!!!

View attachment 3875549We got home and I put the box in the brooder, took out the 3 active and healthy chicks and set them under the brooder plate and put the little Buff Orpington in the choicest, warmest spot under there too. I picked up the one that was on it's side and it had more signs of life that I could have possibly imagined. I needed to make the vitamin water and nutri-drench stat! So I put the little sweetling in my husband's hands to warm.

View attachment 3875550

Don't worry, he cradled and cupped it after this pic to keep it toasty.

I had a whole anxiety attack (not really, exaggeration there lol) about the math related to dilution. WHO THE HECK MAKES 128 gallons of something?! I'm not an industrial farm here, JEEZ help a lady out. And I cannot do math when I am trying to SAVE A LIFE okay?!

Anyway, neded up calling Mt. Healthy hatchery for dilution (they were SO NICE) and made both the Vi-Tal and the Nutri-Drench (Nutri-Drench is much easier)

Everyone who has experience with this stuff already knows this but I didn't. THIS STUFF IS MAGIC GUYS.
View attachment 3875551That little Maran chick was nearly dead. And today she is not.

We gave out some to all the chicks, with extra special full doses (1ml each, twice, hours apart) to the little Buff Orpington and the tiny Maran. They fought. They fought to live.

They aren't out of the woods necessarily -- I've read the stories of chicks just dropping dead overnight. But this first night, they made it. They are mingling with the other chicks, eating and drinking and pooping. I am *amazed* and did NOT realize that would be so rewarding.

I am not going to even pretend that I am not absolutely more in love with those two I had to nurse to liveliness than the others. Is that awful of me?! It got my motherly instincts going and gosh, I'm protective over them. lol

I'm trying hard not to dote on them like pets. These are just egg laying ladies for us and will be free ranging on our pastures but dang if I don't love them all anyway.

So now our flock will be 22

I can keep this thread updated with their progress.

View attachment 3875566

I know this has come and gone but was rewarding to read anyway.