New chicks - Some have problems...

Ok, that makes sense... What comb type did it have? What comb type do the other white chicks have?

The Erminettes have a regular single comb, but the Chantecler have an almost non existent cushion comb. In the pic of the chicks it looks like it is a single comb barely starting. Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see!
 
Although I also did some research on this and a few other places, I'm not sure I would try to compare them to the large hatcheries you mention. Their basic goals seems somewhat different from a large hatchery. As for health - they are NPIP certified, like any hatchery of any size seems to be. Not a guarantee of overall health by any means, as genetics plays a role in addition to contagious illness. As for quality, I can't say as the chicks have to grow up in order to see what they are like according to breed standards. However, there is a hatchery that I've seen mentioned on BYC that sells chicks for $$$ and gives the impression of very high genetic quality, but as other BYCers that have purchased from that other hatchery will point out to those thinking of purchasing the $$$chicks from that particular place, the fine print indicates that the chicks can be of widely varying quality....and seems many have been disappointed in the quality from that particular hatchery given the advertisement and high cost.

We have purchased some chicks from an OH hatchery for a very good price and have gotten some lovely quality (according to APA standards) birds - of the ones they advertise as "exhibition quality", whereas the other breeds we've gotten from them (not listed as EQ) have been more variable in size and feather patterning, and not the best examples of the breed. We purchased some random chicks from the "extra" bin at a large OH hatchery and one of them is a breed that they sell for over $50 per chick (yikes!!), and several others breeds sold for somewhat higher prices. Of the seven chicks we got, only two were really nice examples of their breeds, so I think that there is wide variation when hatching the many hundreds that a hatchery hatches.

For us, this will give us some experience in some new breeds, and we are looking forward to that, and we were able to get some harder to find breeds at a reasonable cost. So, time will tell as to whether we have gotten some decent quality chickens or not.
Perhaps you have mistaken my post for something negative against SH — clearly not the intent.

The original post dealt with problems with chicks upon arrival, so I was sharing advice as to how I would have went about ordering chicks.

SH does not deal with poultry alone. They sell a wide variety of products, and because they are not on a large scale, or strictly poultry, then their poultry is most likely not their top priority.

What I’m trying to say is that if one is to order chicks/ducklings /goslings/etc., I would prefer them to order from a hatchery that only sells poultry — not that you won’t experience problems, as I, too, have done so.

Sorry for any confusion and/or comments that may seem offensive.
 
Perhaps you have mistaken my post for something negative against SH — clearly not the intent.

The original post dealt with problems with chicks upon arrival, so I was sharing advice as to how I would have went about ordering chicks.

SH does not deal with poultry alone. They sell a wide variety of products, and because they are not on a large scale, or strictly poultry, then their poultry is most likely not their top priority.

What I’m trying to say is that if one is to order chicks/ducklings /goslings/etc., I would prefer them to order from a hatchery that only sells poultry — not that you won’t experience problems, as I, too, have done so.

Sorry for any confusion and/or comments that may seem offensive.


Not offensive at all. And you are correct that SHP is spread across several focus areas, which may indicate lack of focus on any one area. The the classic saying "Jack of all trades, master of none" can sometimes apply in situations like this.

However, my impression with the poultry is that they concern themselves with numerous breeds to help maintain genetic stock, and focus is more on trying to maintain breed standard vs high show quality. I also ordered seeds from them and from Burpee. Well, I got *exactly* the number of seeds stated on the Burpee package along with very good germination rates, but the SHP packages came with many more seeds than stated on the package (a bonus due to the fact it is easier to purposefully overfill them and meet regulations than to count seeds) and also very good germination rates. And then there are many more areas in which they operate (sweet potatoes, geese, ducks, turkeys and more), but they have been in business for around 30 years, so they have established practices, which helps with handling the huge variety.

Prior to ordering, I was aware of the myriad problems and challenges they had with mink killing stock and then the long term health issues of the wife (looks like those are finally turning into a bad memory). Normally, I would have waited to order to see if things stabilized, but with the variety they offered and our desire to try new breeds (and a poultry loving kid totally game for more breeds), I figured we would give them a try as we could accept chicks any ship date this year, and nearly all subs would have been acceptable. Time will tell how these current chicks fare! Now 2 days after receiving the chicks, the splay leg ones (2) are improving and we may remove the braces later today to assess their stability, and as the splay leg issue wasn't extreme, they should likely turn out fine. The one with the toe issues is still 50/50 in my eyes, but it was eating and drinking on its own yesterday evening, so I was happy to see that.
 
Update: Everyone is doing great! Only lost the one chick with severe leg problems.

The crooked toes (that seriously looked broken), are totally and completely normal!

The couple of pecked beaks (a bit bloody) are all healed!

The two with mild splay legs were hobbled and after 2 days are all fine, no mobility issues and legs are under the bodies and they are running around!

The couple of eyes that we weren't sure if they were pecked, or abnormal, all seem fine! Of course, I cant say that we've checked all 27 sets of both eyes for the specific purpose of making sure they are all ok, but haven't noticed any problems with the ones we've managed to catch an hold.

Lethargic ones are fine - everyone is running, climbing, finding the heat plate and eating. We gave all NutriDrench when they arrived, and any lethargic ones got 1-2 more doses. Personality wise, it looks like some are just not quite as jumpy or energetic as others, but they look fine, and not lethargic!


Only 2 have had poopy butt today, so we will keep an eye on them for that.

Overall, I'm glad to see that the 27 chicks are doing well.

In a few weeks I'll be on the "Breed and Gender" forum to ask which are boys and which are girls as these are straight run!
 
Update: Everyone is doing great! Only lost the one chick with severe leg problems.

The crooked toes (that seriously looked broken), are totally and completely normal!

The couple of pecked beaks (a bit bloody) are all healed!

The two with mild splay legs were hobbled and after 2 days are all fine, no mobility issues and legs are under the bodies and they are running around!

The couple of eyes that we weren't sure if they were pecked, or abnormal, all seem fine! Of course, I cant say that we've checked all 27 sets of both eyes for the specific purpose of making sure they are all ok, but haven't noticed any problems with the ones we've managed to catch an hold.

Lethargic ones are fine - everyone is running, climbing, finding the heat plate and eating. We gave all NutriDrench when they arrived, and any lethargic ones got 1-2 more doses. Personality wise, it looks like some are just not quite as jumpy or energetic as others, but they look fine, and not lethargic!


Only 2 have had poopy butt today, so we will keep an eye on them for that.

Overall, I'm glad to see that the 27 chicks are doing well.

In a few weeks I'll be on the "Breed and Gender" forum to ask which are boys and which are girls as these are straight run!
This is good news! I hope all continues to go well for you.
 

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