I ordered 14 chicks last month and knew they would arrive the week before last. I oddly received three consecutive days worth of email notification beginning Tuesday evening ("Your order was shipped, should arrive within 72 hours"). Three days in a row I was notified that my order was "just" shipped. I called the PO and asked them to call me as soon as the package arrived, left two phone numbers and called every morning to check...just in case.
On Saturday morning I called the PO and was told that the order had arrived but the chicks were ALL dead on arrival so no one bothered to call and they were en route to my house because they were still obligated to deliver. I immediately called Ideal and notified them. I was told there was a "problem" with the shipping and that many others reported dead chicks from the same delivery. She proposed that the chicks may have stayed on a closed truck too long. Logically, I know I didn't kill those chicks, but I felt responsible. Had I just used local sources, the shipping ordeal wouldn't have claimed the lives of the chicks I ordered.
She said they would ship out the following week. I waited. On Wed. I received the notification (this time it came only twice on the same day which made more sense). On Saturday morning at 3:30 am I received the call about my chicks, I went to the PO when they opened (sometime around 9 am) and picked up the box of chicks. There were 10 males added to my order of 14 chicks (for warmth). 2 of the 3 Russian Orloff pullets I ordered were dead on arrival, one Golden Campine pullet (of the 3 I ordered) was smashed and dead on arrival. Once I brought them home and immediately put them in the warm brooder I noticed 2 (of the 5) Salmon Faverolle pullets and the last Russian Orloff I ordered were abnormally sleepy and drunk acting. I separated them, put them under the light in a warm box, checked the temperature, offered them some sugar water, ensured they had access to mash. They died within an hour or so. 6
I am so overwhelmingly frustrated! I've had chickens for almost 4 years now! We brood chicks every year and though we've had some issues (spraddle leg, pasty butt, unexpected loss)...it all seems way more reasonable than this! First, all of my chicks died, now nearly half of my order (6 of the 14) are dead within 24 hours of arriving. Of course, the "extras" are all fat and happy and stomping around (trampling and pecking on dead bodies). Is this normal? What can I do? Even if they do replace them (I was so looking forward to the Russian Orloffs and now they are completely dead...I only ordered the Golden Campines as "filler" but I promised them to a friend who I now have to disappoint.
This is NOT what I expected when I paid 40 dollars for 14 chicks! I now have 8 chicks and a BUNCH of roosters that I can't keep. I understand adding males for warmth but I'm afraid the tightly packed 24 chicks killed the fragile half of my bunch by trampling them. Is this normal?! I totally regret ordering chicks now. I am so disappointed. I can't imagine doing this again.
I did split an order with another BYC member a couple of years ago. I drove about an hour to meet her and my chicks were totally healthy, all arrived in excellent condition and to my knowledge she had no losses either. This was in late fall (so much colder temps than what we are experiencing now) and the chicks took much longer to get to my brooder. She did order through a different hatchery though. I hope this is not standard for Ideal.
On Saturday morning I called the PO and was told that the order had arrived but the chicks were ALL dead on arrival so no one bothered to call and they were en route to my house because they were still obligated to deliver. I immediately called Ideal and notified them. I was told there was a "problem" with the shipping and that many others reported dead chicks from the same delivery. She proposed that the chicks may have stayed on a closed truck too long. Logically, I know I didn't kill those chicks, but I felt responsible. Had I just used local sources, the shipping ordeal wouldn't have claimed the lives of the chicks I ordered.
She said they would ship out the following week. I waited. On Wed. I received the notification (this time it came only twice on the same day which made more sense). On Saturday morning at 3:30 am I received the call about my chicks, I went to the PO when they opened (sometime around 9 am) and picked up the box of chicks. There were 10 males added to my order of 14 chicks (for warmth). 2 of the 3 Russian Orloff pullets I ordered were dead on arrival, one Golden Campine pullet (of the 3 I ordered) was smashed and dead on arrival. Once I brought them home and immediately put them in the warm brooder I noticed 2 (of the 5) Salmon Faverolle pullets and the last Russian Orloff I ordered were abnormally sleepy and drunk acting. I separated them, put them under the light in a warm box, checked the temperature, offered them some sugar water, ensured they had access to mash. They died within an hour or so. 6
I am so overwhelmingly frustrated! I've had chickens for almost 4 years now! We brood chicks every year and though we've had some issues (spraddle leg, pasty butt, unexpected loss)...it all seems way more reasonable than this! First, all of my chicks died, now nearly half of my order (6 of the 14) are dead within 24 hours of arriving. Of course, the "extras" are all fat and happy and stomping around (trampling and pecking on dead bodies). Is this normal? What can I do? Even if they do replace them (I was so looking forward to the Russian Orloffs and now they are completely dead...I only ordered the Golden Campines as "filler" but I promised them to a friend who I now have to disappoint.
This is NOT what I expected when I paid 40 dollars for 14 chicks! I now have 8 chicks and a BUNCH of roosters that I can't keep. I understand adding males for warmth but I'm afraid the tightly packed 24 chicks killed the fragile half of my bunch by trampling them. Is this normal?! I totally regret ordering chicks now. I am so disappointed. I can't imagine doing this again.
I did split an order with another BYC member a couple of years ago. I drove about an hour to meet her and my chicks were totally healthy, all arrived in excellent condition and to my knowledge she had no losses either. This was in late fall (so much colder temps than what we are experiencing now) and the chicks took much longer to get to my brooder. She did order through a different hatchery though. I hope this is not standard for Ideal.
