My experience with McMurray

[Want Less]

We just got our order of chicks from McMurray yesterday. It is the first time we've ordered from them. Here's the current run down:

1-- They shipped our 30 chicks on a Saturday from Iowa, which means according to the tracking number check in time, they had to spend over 24 hours sitting in a cold post office warehouse on Sunday less than an hour away from us before they were delivered to our town. When I got the box from the post office yesterday morning, the chicks were screaming in there. Not just regular peeping, but "something is wrong" peeping. I think they got too cold and stressed.

2-- One arrived dead. Two died shortly after arrival. We have 3 that are very weak. The rest so far look good 24 hours after we got them home but a few of the chicks are a bit on the small side and I'm having to keep an eye on them.

3-- They did include 2 extra chicks. One of which was the dead one in the box. The "exotic rare breed" free chick they included with the order died about 2 hours after arrival.

4-- The shipping packaging was nice, they had plenty of bedding, and they use woven hay mats that insure they have plenty of traction in the box. I'm just surprised they chose to ship out on a Saturday, adding a whole 24 hours to the journey, and because of that I probably will not order from them again.

I'm more familiar with hatcheries (and breeders, etc) shipping out on Monday specifically to avoid a Sunday layover.

 

[dolphinlvr4]

Wow, shipping on a sat?? That's awful n just stupid. I got mine shipped on a mon n got them Wednesday morning because my post office called and I got there as soon as they opened. I ordered only 5 and mine had a heater thing under the straw. It stayed warm long after I put my chicks in thier new home. I ordered from mypetchicken.com just because I didn't want a large order Shipping was a lil high but this was in nov and they had quite a distance to travel. All were lively and continue to thrive. I guess I got lucky because these were the first chicks I'd ever had. I'm really sorry for everyone's losses n really hope you don't lose anymore

 

[pcappy2]

We drove down to McMurray because I didn't want a large order. I was able to met the minimum requirement of chicks but they added extra chicks I blieve for warmth even tho I was picking them up. I really don't have room for extra chicks,,but oh well. I just wonder what the point is of having a minimun if they just add chicks anyway? All chicks look good. Some are very very small. Our exoctic free bird was a meat bird

 

[dolphinlvr4]

I always thought the min order for shipping them was for warmth but if u were picking them up I'm not too sure. I've heard they always throw in extras cuz they expect a few to die but my friend ordered 25 about 3 yrs ago, they threw in 3 extra and none of them died so maybe it's just dumb luck? I dunno...

 

[ddpbk1]

I've ordered from them twice last year once in March and again in June. The June shipment had one dead on arrival and one dead within 24 hours but they will credit you. I also purchase the gel and electrolytes for them. The March shiment was 27 chicks that turned out well. I believe the June shipment was heat related. Great customer service.

 

[vtmom]

We too just got our chicks yesterday, which had the Sunday wait at the post office :/ 2 were doa including the rare exotic one, and have since lost 3 more. 2 more are still pretty weak and are looking quite grim. It's odd that the the chicks are doing the worst are just one breed, the other breeds are doing great.

 

[MIchickens]

A little info on Murray McMurray. I received my chick a week ago (27 Jan 13). I ordered 47 total chicks of various breeds. I even went as far as to call my main post office hub and ask them to call me and I would pick them up whenever they got there. I received the call at 11:00pm on a Sunday. I drove the 2 hours round trip to get them faster to reduce the stress....if I had waited to get them from my local post office...who knows how many more would have died. 2 of the chicks were DOA in the box when I opened it. Later that day 3 more died. And the next day 3 more died. 1 day after that I only lost 1.

Also, I ordered 4 Golden laced Wyandotte's...they didn't ship them to me. Their was a sticker on the inside of the box that said they said they ran out. Now keep in mind I ordered these chicks 3 months in advance. So there's no excuse for not sending them.

OK, now I have 3 chicks with crossed beaks and 1 with an eye problem. I will probably cull them tomorrow.

I would suggest trying to find a local hatchery around you and buy them from there. I am not happy at all with McMurray. Although their people were very nice on the phone each time I called...I believe their chicks are sub-standard. Be prepared to lose a 1/4 of them due to death or sub standard breeding.

I'm just sayin....lol

 

[MIchickens]

sorry...for whatever reason it double posted.

 

[tommysgirl]

According to the customer svc rep I talked to, they always ship on Saturday. I don't get why but it was info that prompted me to cancel my order and opt for less variety in favor of less-stressed chicks. Don't know if it is accurate but I read on here that the chicks hatch Thursday and Friday, are shipped Saturday for pick up on Monday. That's at least four days w/o food and water...I know they don't NEED it the first couple of days but I wasn't willing to take the chance.

I know people have had good experiences and I love their variety but feel like they should work to avoid that Sunday lay over.

 

[SamanthaBrooke]

Glad I did not go with them, I bought from Ideal and they are shipping mine tomorrow morning, they are hatching tonight or as we speak!
I talked to a rep this morning to see if I should purchase insurance for my 30 peepers and they said that they all should arrive alive and if 4 die they will ship more or refund me, she felt very confident that my babies would make it all alive or they'd stand behind their service so now I'm feeling pretty confident, I will be praying for my babes trip that they are all alive.