Has anyone purchased chicks from Hilltop Farms in California? *Do not buy from Hilltop Farms! Negative experiences are in the thread!!!*

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Also did you treat everyone with the sulfa stuff or just Frankie?

I treated all of the chicks with the sulfa powder in their water!

 

[BurbMum]

I treated all of the chicks with the sulfa powder in their water!

Thank you! Sorry, I just realized Frankie was the one that passed away, but didn’t delete fast enough

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Thank you! Sorry, I just realized Frankie was the one that passed away, but didn’t delete fast enough

That’s ok! The one I have that’s alive right now is a splash Ameraucana named Gracie!

 

[KinSanDiego]

Same happened to me. Picked up 4 chicks. One died in 48 hours. Got a replacement. The replacement had bloody stool. I changed to medicated feed. Then the other 3 died. I thought it was because I'm inexperienced with raising chicks and I felt awful about it. I only have the replacement chick left and it's starting to look like a cockerel.

In January 2023, I pre-ordered 6 chicks (2 black copper marans; 2 cream legbars; 2 whiting true blues) from Hilltop Farms. As of today, all have died except two. One is a French Maran, which they gave me because they couldn't find a second black copper when I showed up at my appointment to collect my preordered chicks. The other one still alive is a whiting true blue. The French Maran is a complete bully, so I have had to keep it isolated from the rest of the chicks that I purchased from another hatchery (all of whom are 100% healthy and well adjusted) . This morning, the whiting true blue is acting like it has Mereks. Oh, and by the way, I paid extra for the Mereks/Coccidia Vaccine. I spent a total of $165.30 for 6 chicks and, in the end, I only have the one French Maran, which I didn't preorder and who is a total bully. The amount of time and heartache I have gone through with these 6 chicks has been literally awful. By the way, I have been a chicken keeper since childhood and have rarely, if ever, lost any baby chicks to illness before this experience with Hilltop Farms. Ugh!!! Also, I emailed Patrick Aldea from Hilltop and told him of my situation. I haven't received any response whatsoever.

 

[greylee]

So is it a boy?

I got my first 4 from Dare2Dream in Lompoc, delivered to my house in Fall and they are doing well. One turned out to be a roo and got picked up to go back to the ‘gentleman’s club.’ They were great about it.

I just got a mix of 4 baby chicks from Hilltop Farms on Tuesday and on Thursday I was seeing bloody poop from the blue-red laced Wyandotte. I was told they were vaccinated for coccidosis but I went ahead and started them on Corid by Friday morning.

Wynona the Wyandotte is really struggling, super skinny and malnourished. I’ve been hand feeding her yolk and probiotics as well as Corid drench. This morning she looked so sad I almost asked my partner to cull her, but she amazingly perked up a little a few hours after Durastat oregano treatment. Fingers crossed everyone makes it.

Hilltop staff was great, but if you do buy from them consider either medicated food (nulling the vax, from what I understand) or a preemptive Corid course esp if mixing breeds.

It was my understanding that they were vaccinated for Mareks but not coccidiosis but I could be wrong...
I'm still not entirely sure of the sex of the one chick that survived. It's 11 weeks old now and I should be able to tell by now but I think it's growth was stunted. It's still looking like it'll turn out to be a cockerel though.

In January 2023, I pre-ordered 6 chicks (2 black copper marans; 2 cream legbars; 2 whiting true blues) from Hilltop Farms. As of today, all have died except two. One is a French Maran, which they gave me because they couldn't find a second black copper when I showed up at my appointment to collect my preordered chicks. The other one still alive is a whiting true blue. The French Maran is a complete bully, so I have had to keep it isolated from the rest of the chicks that I purchased from another hatchery (all of whom are 100% healthy and well adjusted) . This morning, the whiting true blue is acting like it has Mereks. Oh, and by the way, I paid extra for the Mereks/Coccidia Vaccine. I spent a total of $165.30 for 6 chicks and, in the end, I only have the one French Maran, which I didn't preorder and who is a total bully. The amount of time and heartache I have gone through with these 6 chicks has been literally awful. By the way, I have been a chicken keeper since childhood and have rarely, if ever, lost any baby chicks to illness before this experience with Hilltop Farms. Ugh!!! Also, I emailed Patrick Aldea from Hilltop and told him of my situation. I haven't received any response whatsoever.

Yeah, my one surviving chick from them is a breed I hadn't originally wanted because it was a replacement chick for the one that died within 24 hours, and now I think it's a cockerel. It's really frustrating to have spent so much money to only have one surviving chick so I sympathize with you.

 

[BurbMum]

In January 2023, I pre-ordered 6 chicks (2 black copper marans; 2 cream legbars; 2 whiting true blues) from Hilltop Farms. As of today, all have died except two. One is a French Maran, which they gave me because they couldn't find a second black copper when I showed up at my appointment to collect my preordered chicks. The other one still alive is a whiting true blue. The French Maran is a complete bully, so I have had to keep it isolated from the rest of the chicks that I purchased from another hatchery (all of whom are 100% healthy and well adjusted) . This morning, the whiting true blue is acting like it has Mereks. Oh, and by the way, I paid extra for the Mereks/Coccidia Vaccine. I spent a total of $165.30 for 6 chicks and, in the end, I only have the one French Maran, which I didn't preorder and who is a total bully. The amount of time and heartache I have gone through with these 6 chicks has been literally awful. By the way, I have been a chicken keeper since childhood and have rarely, if ever, lost any baby chicks to illness before this experience with Hilltop Farms. Ugh!!! Also, I emailed Patrick Aldea from Hilltop and told him of my situation. I haven't received any response whatsoever.

Oh my gosh, how awful.

My original flock is vaccinated for Marek’s but now I’m super worried I’ll cross-contaminate if Marek’s is spread via dander.

I was just reading about the Marek’s vaccine and it has very strict procedure and quarantine process. I wonder if Hilltop is following all that…?

I hope your survivor turns out ok

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

In January 2023, I pre-ordered 6 chicks (2 black copper marans; 2 cream legbars; 2 whiting true blues) from Hilltop Farms. As of today, all have died except two. One is a French Maran, which they gave me because they couldn't find a second black copper when I showed up at my appointment to collect my preordered chicks. The other one still alive is a whiting true blue. The French Maran is a complete bully, so I have had to keep it isolated from the rest of the chicks that I purchased from another hatchery (all of whom are 100% healthy and well adjusted) . This morning, the whiting true blue is acting like it has Mereks. Oh, and by the way, I paid extra for the Mereks/Coccidia Vaccine. I spent a total of $165.30 for 6 chicks and, in the end, I only have the one French Maran, which I didn't preorder and who is a total bully. The amount of time and heartache I have gone through with these 6 chicks has been literally awful. By the way, I have been a chicken keeper since childhood and have rarely, if ever, lost any baby chicks to illness before this experience with Hilltop Farms. Ugh!!! Also, I emailed Patrick Aldea from Hilltop and told him of my situation. I haven't received any response whatsoever.

What Mareks like symptoms does your chick have? I'm definitely hoping my last 3 hilltop chicks don't have any sort of contagious illness like that... My current flock has a mixture of vaccinated and unvaccinated and so far I haven't seen anything in the unvaccinated girls. They've been exposed to the hilltop chicks dander for almost 2 months now so I feel like symptoms of anything would have already been showing in my unvaccinated chickens. I hatch chicks from eggs that I buy and re-home the roosters so definitely hoping my flock will remain healthy...

 

[Kaliforniamac]

I have ordered my chicks from Cackle Hatchery and had nothing but Great results and they included extra free Chicks and we live in Temecula California.

 

[BurbMum]

We lost the tiny little Whiting True Blue (that I didn’t order, they offered that instead of the 2nd Olive Egger when I went to pick up) over night. My first chick death...and of course my daughter’s favorite. I have to tell my 8 year old when she wakes up, ughh

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

We lost the tiny little Whiting True Blue (that I didn’t order, they offered that instead of the 2nd Olive Egger when I went to pick up) over night. My first chick death...and of course my daughter’s favorite. I have to tell my 8 year old when she wakes up, ughh

Oh no I’m so sorry! Trust me it’s not you. Something was seriously wrong with chicks this year from hilltop