Ideal Poultry's chicks and ducks, this happen to you?

[Freestep]

Quote:
What I have is not shipping stress. The first chick showed symptoms about 72 hours after I received the shipment. She was arching her head over backwards, falling onto her side and back, tremoring, seemingly unable to control her movements. I thought she had been trampled and isolated her. She recovered within a few hours so I didn't think much of it.

Then I had two more chicks with similar symptoms several days later.

I did not give them vitamins/electrolytes. Plain water and unmedicated feed.

Ideal wrote in an email to me: " If you vaccinate for Mareks, then you must always vaccinate. Mareks can stay in the flock or ground for two months, and even more if you have anything that produces feces in the pen. "

I have seen Mareks before. These symptoms look very different. Also, Mareks does not usually appear in chicks this young.

I have never complained about losing chicks. All of my prior shipments, from different hatcheries, have arrived vigorous and healthy. Still, chicks die sometimes, and I've never blamed anyone for that... it's nature, and not every bird thrives, it's just part of the deal. But these symptoms were so strikingly different than anything I'd ever seen, and in chicks this young that haven't even been out of the brooder, it really raises a red flag.

Carla

 

[elliemay0305]

i got 25 chicks from ideal in feb. of this year, they are bantam and they are all doing great except i do think i lost one or two but they seemed sick when i got them. however it was still early in the year and cold. so anything can happen during shipping. it was my ducks that i had the biggest problem with. out of 25 of those i have 6 left but anything can happen. i think something was wrong with the ducks. it didnt start until about day three i have between 5 and 6 die at once!!

 

[NateinFL]

I can say that I just did my first order ever from Ideal and was VERY pleased with the smooth process, all 12 chicks came in great, healthy, vibrant, and they were received Thursday morning, shipped Weds. morning. I wont go to any other hatchery now.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I ordered 26 chickens and 3 ducks, only lost 1 chick the 1st day I got them and the rest are all doing GREAT!!!! I've had them since April 09.

 

[walkswithdog]

I've ordered from Ideal four times. Lost one chick.

I had problems with chicks that did not do well, or act right, or thrive from other hatcheries before I started with ideal, never since.

And I just did a short order of bantams and they all came in fine. And are a couple/three weeks old and driving me nuts. Which is perfect.

Three days is still well within the window to suggest that something happened to them in transit and shock set in and they never over came it.

Electrolytes are only dangerous if given in too high a concentration. I've used them dozens of times. Ditto vitamins. Poly vi sol, no iron, is perfectly safe given responsibly.

I liked McMurray's gro-gel when I used it. But didn't like their chicks.

I feed game starter, offer water and electrolytes interchangeably. And keep an eye on "weaklings." A badly shocky chick can dehydrate quickly and once they dehydrate they die. Weakness in shipped chicks is usually shock.

Offering electrolytes in water, or water may not help if the chick is choosing not to drink often enough and saving one is a matter of forcing fluid intake. I try to feed a weak chick a 1/4 of a CC at a sitting and make it drink two or more times an hour. Still even four or five drops repeated every 15 or 30 minutes can make all the difference. Warmed fluids help at times if there's a chance chicks have been chilled. Chilling shuts down internal organs first. Digestion primarily. If the intestine will do nothing with it, eating won't help.

A lot of things can be going on in shipped chicks that are not superficially apparent.

 

[chixie]

I ordered 10 silkies and got 10 packing peanuts and all are doing great at 51/2 months old... I am definately ordering from them again next year...

 

[tothemoon]

I ordered 9 bantam cochins from Ideal and got like 15 packing peanuts. My cochins are doing great, they are 5 months old now. I re-homed the peanuts so I dont know how they are doing but i did loose one a day after i recieved them. He was swaying and trembling and just fell over and died a few hours later. My blue cochins are beautiful and so are my patridge, my buff are smaller (not sure if that is normal) and thier leg feathers arent as long and fluffy as the others. Overall I was satisfied with the order and would order from them again, hoever, I was wondering if anyone had ordered from mypetchicken and what they thought of that hatchery. Thanks for any info.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I've had problems with every single bird I've ordered from Ideal this year. Out of 25 BR pullets (ordered on special for my Grandpa as replacement birds) I have 2 left. Out of 25 Porcelian d'Uccles (sold 8) I have 1. I've stopped ordering. I have better luck buying eggs and hatching them myself.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I ordered from ideal once and only lost a few (the few I really wanted) to this day they are happy healthy little fertilizing factories

MM however I lost half my order over the course of 2 weeks. EVen tho they made things right it was emotionally devistating to the point that I will never order from them again.

 

[Vanessabuffsnsilkies]

My Ideal chicks are a month old now and so far so good. I have one silkie chick that I thought wasn't going to make it but she is ok...much smaller than the other silkies. I'm not real sure I like the way the silkies are looking though. Don't think they are as pretty as Cackle silkies. But they are only a month old so we'll see. The rest of them (favorelles, BR, wellsummers and EEs) look really nice, pretty girls.