Hi All,
I have been lurking on this site for some time and have found so much great information. I have made a few post but felt like it was time to introduce myself. I live in Arkansas near Texarkana.
So the story begans..
My daughter Morgan (hence the name of our chicken farm Morgan's Manor) decided to buy 4 chicks from her cousin on Easter (1 RIR/Dominique hen, 1 Sexlink hen, 1 RIR hen, and 1 RIR rooster). We lost the rooster to our first hawk when he was about 2 1/2 months old. I enjoyed my hens much so and even more than I could imagine. We built a chicken tractor and the three girls lived it for about 4 months at night and they free range from daylight to dark.
In May I started researching and wanted to add to the flock so purchased 31 day old chicks from McMurray's Hatchery which included:
5 Buff Orpingtons Hens, 1 Buff Orpington Rooster, 5 Partridge Rock Hens, 1 Partridge Rock Rooster, 5 Golden Lace Wyandotte Hens,
3 Columbian Wyandotte Hens, 5 Black Australorp Hens, and then got a Free Rare Exotic Chick which turned out to be an EE Rooster
My order was scheduled to ship out Sunday July 8, 2012. I called the post office that morning and told them I was expecting chicks then I called the nearest distribution center and also let them know I had live chicks on the way. After no call on Monday or Tuesday I was going nuts...
Luckily the temperature in the area was cooler than usual for July but I was still worried that when I did get the call I would be picking up a box full of dead chicks.
On Wednesday morning I called McMurray to let them my chicks had not arrived. They apologized and offered to replace what chicks they could (but some had been the last batch of the season) with the the next hatch. By Wednesday afternoon I was broken hearted and still no word from the post office. Finally, at 6:30 pm I got a call from the distribution center in Shreveport and my chicks had arrived. The first question I had was "Do you hear any chirps" to my surprise the man on the other end of the phone said "yes" they are a noisy bunch.
I told him I am on my way and he said I could get this on a truck to Texarkana that would arrive at midnight if you can be there to pick them up. So I was at the post office at midnight with water and grow gel in hand to pickup my babies. My husband came along as well as my 5 year old daughter. She sleep most of the trip but was insist about going to the post office with us.
It was a long night. We ended up with 33 chicks in the box and one DOA. My husband and I spent the next 3 ½ hours making sure the others were drinking, eating and caring for the 3 chicks that had pasty butts. We were able to save one but the other two were too far gone. Oh what an experience!
So the next morning we moved the chickens to the brooder (which was a converted hog trap I borrowed from my father –in law).
Thanks for reading....
--
I have been lurking on this site for some time and have found so much great information. I have made a few post but felt like it was time to introduce myself. I live in Arkansas near Texarkana.
So the story begans..
My daughter Morgan (hence the name of our chicken farm Morgan's Manor) decided to buy 4 chicks from her cousin on Easter (1 RIR/Dominique hen, 1 Sexlink hen, 1 RIR hen, and 1 RIR rooster). We lost the rooster to our first hawk when he was about 2 1/2 months old. I enjoyed my hens much so and even more than I could imagine. We built a chicken tractor and the three girls lived it for about 4 months at night and they free range from daylight to dark.
In May I started researching and wanted to add to the flock so purchased 31 day old chicks from McMurray's Hatchery which included:
5 Buff Orpingtons Hens, 1 Buff Orpington Rooster, 5 Partridge Rock Hens, 1 Partridge Rock Rooster, 5 Golden Lace Wyandotte Hens,
3 Columbian Wyandotte Hens, 5 Black Australorp Hens, and then got a Free Rare Exotic Chick which turned out to be an EE Rooster
My order was scheduled to ship out Sunday July 8, 2012. I called the post office that morning and told them I was expecting chicks then I called the nearest distribution center and also let them know I had live chicks on the way. After no call on Monday or Tuesday I was going nuts...
Luckily the temperature in the area was cooler than usual for July but I was still worried that when I did get the call I would be picking up a box full of dead chicks.
On Wednesday morning I called McMurray to let them my chicks had not arrived. They apologized and offered to replace what chicks they could (but some had been the last batch of the season) with the the next hatch. By Wednesday afternoon I was broken hearted and still no word from the post office. Finally, at 6:30 pm I got a call from the distribution center in Shreveport and my chicks had arrived. The first question I had was "Do you hear any chirps" to my surprise the man on the other end of the phone said "yes" they are a noisy bunch.
I told him I am on my way and he said I could get this on a truck to Texarkana that would arrive at midnight if you can be there to pick them up. So I was at the post office at midnight with water and grow gel in hand to pickup my babies. My husband came along as well as my 5 year old daughter. She sleep most of the trip but was insist about going to the post office with us.
It was a long night. We ended up with 33 chicks in the box and one DOA. My husband and I spent the next 3 ½ hours making sure the others were drinking, eating and caring for the 3 chicks that had pasty butts. We were able to save one but the other two were too far gone. Oh what an experience!
So the next morning we moved the chickens to the brooder (which was a converted hog trap I borrowed from my father –in law).
Thanks for reading....
--
