MyPetChicken.com good no more

[Tempus]

I've ordered day old chicks from them several years ago with good results. The chicks arrived in a heated box (self heating pad used in gloves was on the floor under a pad) but with an order I just placed and received I must say I will not be ordering from them in the future. Beware. I ordered 4 day old chicks and when they arrived, two were clearly on the way out, possibly because the box was unheated and it is still cool here. By the end of that day they were both dead. Of the remaining two, I just found one dead and the other down. I spent y time with the survivor, making sure it drank some water and tried to get it to eat some starter feed but now will be worried about her constantly, to say nothing of the fact that she is now alone. MyPetChicken has also started recommending against using infrared heating lamps in favor of a "safer" heating panel. I got one for $60 dollars and must say I am highly suspicious that it is part of the reason for the 75% fatality rate. I'm going to get a lamp ASAP and use the panel to keep a brewing keg of beer warm, or a sourdough starter at the correct temp. The problem is the panel doesn't seem to emit enough heat to cover the safe distance between it and chicks under it.

To say the least I'm heart broken and angry, feeling like I've been scammed by a once-decent company. I quickly placed an order with another hatchery in hopes I can get more chicks quickly enough to keep the sole survivor company (and to provide mutual body heat warmth).

Be very leery of ordering from MyPetChicken.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have ordered from MPC multiple times. I personally wait until it's warm enough and I get enough for them to stay warm. My order will come on the week on May 22.

Last year the PO was slow in shipping them, but all but a few small bantam made it.

I will continue to use my trusty heat lamp because I like the control it gives me over my chicks temperatures. Plates and heating pads rely on the chick going under them and I believe the chicks have to stand up under them too. Weak chicks need the heat.

Freshly arrived chicks need extra care, though for some the journey was too long or rough. Sorry you lost yours, and had such a bad experience.

 

[Red5]

Mailmen have been known to kick, throw and just plain abuse boxes with birds in them. Are you certain they died from being too cold? I'm not sticking up for the aforementioned company at all, only that I have been told stories by people that did such things from above or witnessed it. UPS, etc are even worse.
Do they guarantee their birds to live two days past arrival date or offer to replace dead ones at all? I would call them and inquire about it and let them know your displeasure.

 

[dekel18042]

I've ordered day old chicks from them several years ago with good results. The chicks arrived in a heated box (self heating pad used in gloves was on the floor under a pad) but with an order I just placed and received I must say I will not be ordering from them in the future. Beware. I ordered 4 day old chicks and when they arrived, two were clearly on the way out, possibly because the box was unheated and it is still cool here. By the end of that day they were both dead. Of the remaining two, I just found one dead and the other down. I spent y time with the survivor, making sure it drank some water and tried to get it to eat some starter feed but now will be worried about her constantly, to say nothing of the fact that she is now alone. MyPetChicken has also started recommending against using infrared heating lamps in favor of a "safer" heating panel. I got one for $60 dollars and must say I am highly suspicious that it is part of the reason for the 75% fatality rate. I'm going to get a lamp ASAP and use the panel to keep a brewing keg of beer warm, or a sourdough starter at the correct temp. The problem is the panel doesn't seem to emit enough heat to cover the safe distance between it and chicks under it.

To say the least I'm heart broken and angry, feeling like I've been scammed by a once-decent company. I quickly placed an order with another hatchery in hopes I can get more chicks quickly enough to keep the sole survivor company (and to provide mutual body heat warmth).

Be very leery of ordering from MyPetChicken.

Did you call them What did they say? Temperature wise May can be a very iffy month and your order was small so less body heat so wondering why there was no heating pack.
I ordered a larger order three years ago due to arrive the last day of April and it was uncharacteristically cold and I lost some even with a heating pack. Ever since I've been afraid to order shipped chicks.
And if you have rare breeds or something you really want often they are sold out for the year if you try to reorder.

 

[happybooker1]

I got an order last month from MPC & was nothing short of amazed. It arrived to me in LESS that 24 hours after it shipped. So quickly the tracking number wasn't even updated before my PO was calling me!!

I ordered 17 chicks of 5 different breeds. They all arrived alive but I lost one @ 2 days. That's it! The rest are over 3 weeks now & growing like weeds.

I was happy with MPC.

 

[JAGriffith]

I'm sorry to hear about this, I ordered my first chicks this year from MPC. I ended up ordering 21 total by the time it was all said and done (we are splitting the order with our neighbors so it worked out well). So far, they are 6 weeks old and everyone is doing great. the box came with a large hand warmer in the bottom (looks to be a custom size specifically for their shipping) and their customer service was amazing... What I did discover in all of this is that they actually drop ship their chicks from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio or at least for my order they did, which I've since heard they do for all their orders though I can't confirm that... I did have an issue with my order where they ended up running out of the Blue Copper Maran's before my order was pulled, but they made it up to me by sending me a Jubilee Orpington... Overall so far so good - very happy with the results!

 

[azygous]

You need to call MPC and they will give you credit for the dead chicks. Ask them about the heat panel and proper placement for new babies so as to provide maximum effect. I'm suspecting you may have positioned it too far from the chicks to adequately heat them.

This spring, we've had some pretty radical weather variations. I'm not trying to defend, MPC, as I've had my own issues with them, but they may have shipped the chicks just as the forecast went from good to very bad, as it's doing right now again. Chicks go rapidly into shock when the temperature takes a sudden dive and they often are unable to recover from it.

I urge you to reconsider using the heat lamp and investigate the heating pad system. It offers safe heat in a manner closely resembling a broody hen with direct contact with the chicks' bodies. Blooie has a wonderful thread on this topic on this forum. Please take a look.

 

[chickjoy11]

I've ordered day old chicks from them several years ago with good results. The chicks arrived in a heated box (self heating pad used in gloves was on the floor under a pad) but with an order I just placed and received I must say I will not be ordering from them in the future. Beware. I ordered 4 day old chicks and when they arrived, two were clearly on the way out, possibly because the box was unheated and it is still cool here. By the end of that day they were both dead. Of the remaining two, I just found one dead and the other down. I spent y time with the survivor, making sure it drank some water and tried to get it to eat some starter feed but now will be worried about her constantly, to say nothing of the fact that she is now alone. MyPetChicken has also started recommending against using infrared heating lamps in favor of a "safer" heating panel. I got one for $60 dollars and must say I am highly suspicious that it is part of the reason for the 75% fatality rate. I'm going to get a lamp ASAP and use the panel to keep a brewing keg of beer warm, or a sourdough starter at the correct temp. The problem is the panel doesn't seem to emit enough heat to cover the safe distance between it and chicks under it.

To say the least I'm heart broken and angry, feeling like I've been scammed by a once-decent company. I quickly placed an order with another hatchery in hopes I can get more chicks quickly enough to keep the sole survivor company (and to provide mutual body heat warmth).

Be very leery of ordering from MyPetChicken.

I had a recent similar experience, but I had an infrared light with the correct temperature. I have to say that their customer support was great.

 

[pitbullmomma]

I'm so sorry about your chicks and your experience! It sucks when they die, and especially 3 of them.

However, my experience with MPC was nothing short of awesome. First time chicken owner, my babies are 2.5 weeks old now. I got 6 bantams shipped and the littlest one who was weak from the get go, did not make it. She lived 2 days and then died. I talked with their people constantly via phone, email, and chat, and they were so nice and very helpful. They refunded me for the dead chick. I had another one who became weak and their advice and that of the people on here pulled her through. They are all doing great now.

Contact them and let them know what happened, they should refund you. They have one of the best customer service I have ever dealt with, hands down!!

Cindi

 

[Blooie]

I have ordered from MPC multiple times. I personally wait until it's warm enough and I get enough for them to stay warm. My order will come on the week on May 22.

Last year the PO was slow in shipping them, but all but a few small bantam made it.

I will continue to use my trusty heat lamp because I like the control it gives me over my chicks temperatures. Plates and heating pads rely on the chick going under them and I believe the chicks have to stand up under them too. Weak chicks need the heat.

Freshly arrived chicks need extra care, though for some the journey was too long or rough. Sorry you lost yours, and had such a bad experience.

I love using a heating pad, but I am the first to say that if a heat lamp fits your chick raising needs and you are comfortable with it, then it's the best choice for you. I do want to say, however, that used correctly, the chicks don't have to stand up to use it. They snuggle right down under with the heat right at their backs. If they have to stand up to use it, it's too high. These chicks are standing at the front, but don't have to stretch to touch the underside of the pad. In fact, as you can see, they are slightly crouched. The pad slopes down gently at the back, and they lay down there to sleep.

I feel terrible that you lost chicks, @Tempus. I've ordered almost exclusively from MPC many times. This year they didn't have my Silkies available (I waited too long to make a final decision) so I ordered from Cackle. Ordered 15, got 18, and only 10 of them survived. I don't blame Cackle, and some chicks die even when hatched at home under a broody hen. And I do know how to properly care for shipped chicks and give them the best possible start. Shipping is most generally the culprit when it comes to mail order chicks. I know about @azygous issues a year or two ago, and that situation WAS caused by a series of errors on MPC's part. But as a rule, I've found them to be accurate with their identification, sexing, and their customer service has been exemplary. What happens between the time chicks leave the hatchery and arrive at our post offices is due in large part to the weather and the attention of the postal service.