Meyer hatchery - never again

[EggWalrus]

6 weeks old? Possibly Mareks? If OPs land was already infected, the time line work be about right. New chicks keep in a brooder for 2-3 weeks, then let out to do chicken things, another 3 weeks and they are dropping? Just one possibility, but there ain't no telling!

 

[OasiVerde]

6 weeks old? Possibly Mareks? If OPs land was already infected, the time line work be about right. New chicks keep in a brooder for 2-3 weeks, then let out to do chicken things, another 3 weeks and they are dropping? Just one possibility, but there ain't no telling!

@EggWalrus Thank you so much for thinking with me!
The chicks are 3 weeks old at the moment. I want to put them in the coop in 3 more weeks or longer (depending on how they are doing and their feathering). They have been outside, but on a section of my property where my flock doesn;t come. And the hatchery vaccinated them for Mareks. I looked at thepoultrysite.com to read about the symptoms for Mareks. He doesn;t seem to have one of those. His vision is good, and he doesn;t have paralysis of his legs, to me it seems more like weak muscles or not good balance.
I have no clue what is wrong with the cockerel and I feel so bad after all that these chicks have been through already.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

@Alexandra33 Awh, thank you for asking !
I have 5 left. The 4 pullets are doing very well. They are super active and lively. As I am used to with chicks. They had their first field trip outside last weekend. The weather was great. They loved to scratch and dust bath . So much fun to watch. The cockerel is still struggling. I don;t know what is wrong with him, but I think something with the brain. He looses his balance a lot, has to lay down and is growing significantly slower compared to the pullets. But he is still eating and drinking and doesn;t seem to be in pain or discomfort. So, we'll see how it goes.
But, I can't wait for them to go into the coop outside. Because of the rough start I keep them inside until 6 weeks or fully feathered. It was not my intention to keep them inside, so they are in my study, but it is getting a bit dusty
I will take a picture of them tomorrow when it is light.

My Meyer chicks are almost 3 weeks old now. They seem to be all healthy, but the one I am pretty sure is the rooster is also growing much slower than the others. I assumed it was because he barely survived shipping, but now I am wondering....

 

[OasiVerde]

This is the bunch . The cockerel is second from the bottom. He is much smaller in size and doesn;t have as much feathering as the pullets.

 

[OasiVerde]

My Meyer chicks are almost 3 weeks old now. They seem to be all healthy, but the one I am pretty sure is the rooster is also growing much slower than the others. I assumed it was because he barely survived shipping, but now I am wondering....[/QUOTE
I am sorry that I can't help you with that. Did all your chicks survive the shipping? I am so happy for you that they do are healthy.
With my cockerel I will keep an eye on him. I just gave them food and he started eating right away, just like the pullets. He is drinking enough and his poop looks normal. It is just that sometimes he looses his balance and when I hold him he will lay down in my hand . While the pullets are standing up tall and flap their wings.
Enjoy your babies !!

 

[SomeChickinTN]

View attachment 1601837
This is the bunch . The cockerel is second from the bottom. He is much smaller in size and doesn;t have as much feathering as the pullets.

Man they are so hard to keep still lol.

It's still way early, but I think my roo is the one in the corner with the slightly more orange head, and lighter wing tips. He's been the smallest one, and is feathering slowest.

 

[Alexandra33]

@Alexandra33 Awh, thank you for asking !
I have 5 left. The 4 pullets are doing very well. They are super active and lively. As I am used to with chicks. They had their first field trip outside last weekend. The weather was great. They loved to scratch and dust bath . So much fun to watch. The cockerel is still struggling. I don;t know what is wrong with him, but I think something with the brain. He looses his balance a lot, has to lay down and is growing significantly slower compared to the pullets. But he is still eating and drinking and doesn;t seem to be in pain or discomfort. So, we'll see how it goes.
But, I can't wait for them to go into the coop outside. Because of the rough start I keep them inside until 6 weeks or fully feathered. It was not my intention to keep them inside, so they are in my study, but it is getting a bit dusty
I will take a picture of them tomorrow when it is light.

You're more than welcome. I didn't forget about your little ones.

Thank goodness the remaining pullets seem likely to pull through....I'm sure you're breathing a sigh of relief! Watching them go about life, displaying normal chook behaviors has to be so rewarding. Your hard work wasn't fruitless.

Poor little guy....I'm rooting for him! Could be a neurological issue he was hatched with, or simply a sign of overall weakness. Are you able to pump extra nutrients into that little body? I've always used yogurt and Nutri-drench on my wobbly peeps, and it seems to do wonders. Even a mixture of yogurt, feed, molasses, and a smidgen of water makes for a lovely "porridge" to be spoon-fed.

~Alex

 

[Monguire]

Just chiming-in with another thumbs-up for Meyers. Just received my 11 chicks during this recent cold-snap. Was very worried about what I’d find when I opened the box. To my surprise all 11 were happily peeping and romping about the ample straw that they were packed with.

 

[Onslow's Hens]

I have been ordering from Myers for several years now. My experience with Myers has been great. The Customer Service is terrific and I feel their policies are fair and responsible. All the chicks I have gotten from Myers have been very good quality and very healthy - I have only ever lost 1 Myers chick that arrived DOA. It was refunded without hassle and they were very nice about it since I was kind of upset. I did order 2 Speckeled Sussex Roos that actually turned out to be hens - go figure! Leave it to me to get hens instead of roosters!! LOL. But, when I made them aware of the gender mistake, they immediately sent me a replacement order so I now have my beautiful roosters. With live animals, sad things can happen and it is very upsetting. I agree with everyone on here that the shipping experience for day old chicks can be very stressful for them. Losses happen. It's sad but happens sometimes. My experience with Myers is very positive and I will order from them again without hesitation. Hope this helps.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

I sit here tonight, just prayin and a worryin. I know I ordered from a different hatchery, but I am scared sick. My order arrived a week ago DOA. I figured it was my own stupidity for letting them ship on the coldest day of the year, but Hoover's was great about getting a replacement on the way quickly. Now I sit. Anticipating that call from the PO in the morning. Wiil it be , "come get these little chatterboxes" or anither sad, :I;m sorry, they aren't making any noise"