Here are the babies today!
Louise:
Georgie and Mabel:
Mabel again:
Elda, who had to be out with me.She was 'helping' me type:
Kit (left) and Elda (right) in my lap. I am totally in love with these two little Dorkings!
AWWWWW
Ok Pip - you will have to give this newbie a run down of picking up chicks in person at Meyers. What to expect, what to bring, what NOT to bring, etc....
no seriously , they keep extra chicks and bb turkey poults for sale in bins inside the store...along with just about everything chicken you could ever want or need. The one time I went, they had a huge variety of pullet chicks , that's where I got my Sultan, Columbian Wyandotte's, and buckeye.
I've already paid for mine & I have a list of things I want to buy there because they are cheaper or more convenient (because they will be all at the same store & we are there, so why not). I also want to get a couple of their chicken decorative signs for my coop!Not Pip, but I've picked up chicks at the store before. Most important thing to bring : your wallet! Or a pair of eye blindersno seriously , they keep extra chicks and bb turkey poults for sale in bins inside the store...along with just about everything chicken you could ever want or need. The one time I went, they had a huge variety of pullet chicks , that's where I got my Sultan, Columbian Wyandotte's, and buckeye.
You pretty just walk up to the desk, tell them you are there to pickup your order and they will bring your box out from the back room. Then you just pay and are in your way
Of course I love chatting with the ladies in there for a while and shopping the chick bins. So I might be there for a half an hour, thank goodness I'm 3 hours away
They do have a lot of stuff in there! Of course, I was eager to get my babies, so I didn't look around a whole lot. They didn't put one in my order of 8 last year, but they did this year with my order of 5, and also a couple years ago, again when I ordered 5 chicks. They called us this year as we were on our way, at around 8:30 or 9:00 am, and that's when I added my second Dorking to the order. 
I had just checked the 'available now' page on my phone and was in a toss up between it, the Easter-eggers, and the Ameraucanas they had available that morning, but I'm glad I got a second Dorking anyway because they are just darlings!
I am planning on putting the chicks inside a bigger tub in the back seat, away from vents...my son wants to be near the chicks & to block direct sunlight & drafts. We will stop a couple of times on the way home to check for pasty butt probably and because the small human has a bladder the size of a pea.Yup, that's pretty much what I would have said!They do have a lot of stuff in there! Of course, I was eager to get my babies, so I didn't look around a whole lot.
I think they'll add the heat pack to smaller orders like yours, so you might not have to buy one. At worse, I'd bet they would put one in if you asked them to.They didn't put one in my order of 8 last year, but they did this year with my order of 5, and also a couple years ago, again when I ordered 5 chicks. They called us this year as we were on our way, at around 8:30 or 9:00 am, and that's when I added my second Dorking to the order.I had just checked the 'available now' page on my phone and was in a toss up between it, the Easter-eggers, and the Ameraucanas they had available that morning, but I'm glad I got a second Dorking anyway because they are just darlings!
Oh, I will add that the past couple times now, I've brought a blanket or a jacket or something with to cover part (but not all) of the chick box, preferably the side facing the vents or windows in the car. That way, we can run the AC or have the windows open on the way home without worrying about chilling the poor babies!
How long of a trip are you making? I'm in northeast Indiana, so it's about a 3-hour trip one way for me, but I feel so much safer picking them up than shipping them through the mail, you know?
I don't think I was clear - I am going to keep them in the box they came in & set that box inside the bigger tub. that tub can be strapped in the seatbelt. The tub won't have the lid on or anything. My back seat has contoured seats, so this will help stabilize the box so it can't move at all!Oh, I don't know if I would do that... The boxes they come in are nice and small and cushioned, so the babies don't get bounced around a whole lot. And with the lid on, it helps to keep the heat in as well. I think they would be safer in the box they come in for the car ride home. Just my opinion, though.
Your babies don't come until July, right?How long of a trip are you making? I'm in northeast Indiana, so it's about a 3-hour trip one way for me, but I feel so much safer picking them up than shipping them through the mail, you know?
). Pasty butt is usually a result of stress, especially from getting too cold, so if they stay plenty warm on the way home, they'll be fine. They also won't need food or water immediately. They'll be about a day old when you go to pick them up. Because they absorb the yolk right before hatching, they can go another day or two without eating or drinking. That's how they can be shipped safely without anything. If you're worried, I believe they have GroGel that they can add to the box, which is kind of both food and water in a gel form and you don't have to worry about anything spilling and making a mess.
