Hatchery chick mortality

[MuranoFarms]

I got my first hatchery chicks from the feed store this Tuesday. 1 died this morning. I have hatched a few dozen chicks from ebay breeders and BYC members. I've never had a chick die at almost a week old. So now I'm wondering, was it just a fluke or is this common for hatchery chicks?

 

[thechickenchick]

I wonder if it has something to do with the shipping. I have hatched my own also and haven't lost any a few days later. I ordered from a hatchery last year and lost 1 out of 8, so not bad. Not to long ago I bought 6 guinea keets and lost 3 in the first 24 hours. I am curious what others think about this too.

 

[underground chickenman]

I think I lost 4 out of 26 in my last batch from McMurray. One was DOA and the others died within a few days. I think that is within the range of normal. If you get them through a feed store, I wouldn't be surprised to see slightly higher mortality. My feed store puts them in the same brooders occupied by whatever else happened to be there before. I think the same brooders have been used for years without cleaning in between. That can't be good.

UGCM

 

[robk0220]

We got our order in and only lost one so far... that was within the first 36 hours or so... one out of 42 is pretty good, considering the idiots put them in the back of the mail truck for the ride to our post office (55 miles @30 degrees outside) They were never so happy when I put them in our truck (which i thoughtfully left running outside the post office as i waited, with the heater running full blast...)

I think that's pretty good, considering the 2 year old was carrying one around by the neck... (not the one that we lost, surprisingly, that's the energetic happy run around one now LMAO)


And I gotta throw in a fuzzbutt picture

 

[Elphaba2140]

I got my order of 25 Bantams from McMurray on Monday and as of today have lost 8 chicks.

I think they got cold during shipping. They had no heater pack in the box. I think that would have helped. It was 34 degrees here the morning I picked them up. Also the meanies at the P.O. wouldn't give them to me until after they officially opened (even though they called me very early in the morning to tell me they arrived). Who really knows?

 

[MuranoFarms]

My feed store uses huge cardboard packing boxes for brooders, and this was their first shipment this year. I got them within a day of arrival, and they weren't overcrowded. They had feed and water and a heat lamp. I really can't fault the feed store. I only got 4. 2 standards, 2 bantams. 1 of the bantams died. Hubby bought me a brand new brooder from TSC (one of those $99 coops they have now) so my brooder is clean. This just confuses me.

Cute chicks robk0220!

 

[littledel]

I have never really had any problems from hatchery chicks. I just make sure to give them a little sugar water and good chick starter when I get them and I like to put something shiny in the water where they drink to get them to peck at it and learn to drink quickly.

 

[robk0220]

Quote:
Thanks!