Lost three meaties from McMurray anyone else?

[Hay Belly]

I ordered 26 Cornish x, two Salmon Faverolles, one Jersey Giant and one Americauna. All arrived healthy (plus extra Faverolle which I'm sure is a rooster) but three meaties have died. They just laid down and died. No diarrhea, no pasty butt, no nasal discharge, no sign that anything was wrong.

This is the third time I've ordered meaties from McMurray and I have other chickens on site. I've never had chicks just die with no warning. WTH?

 

[gratefulmags]

I'm having a similar problem. Almost two weeks old and we've lost 5 now. No symptoms that I can see. This is our third time raising them and the first year we've lost any.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Just the way it goes with meat birds...

They grow so fast any weakness they may have when they hatch kills them. Some batches are better than others, mine average around 10% mortality through the season and we do hundreds.

I've had zero mortality until week two than have them drop like flies. Always seems to be day 10-16 when I have the highest losses. Than the times I don't they die in the tractors.

I think it depends on the healthiness of the hatch honestly. I've had groups of 50 where I've lost 16 and had groups of 100 where I've only lost 3.

Always order at least 10% more than you need, worse case you but a few extra birds in the freezer.