Ordering baby chicks, is it harmful?

[Lunafarmchickens]

Hi! I've lost a lot if members of my flock from disease... I sell eggs locally and I just dont have enough hens anymore. Firstly I would like to know if it matters if the chicks are vaccinated, will it prevent them from getting the disease? I think its merecks disease, so ya... Its pretty serious. If not then no way will I get any more, even if it means I cant sell eggs. But if its ok, I would like to know how ordering baby chicks works. Is it harmful to them? Is it expensive? Will they show up dead in the mail? Will they be vaccinated? Can I get the breeds that I want? Will they all be sexed? I have so many questions. I want some Americanas, Orpingtons, Silkies, and Wyandottes (all pullets) I don't have to have all of those breeds, but definitely one or two and all pullets. Is that reasonable? There is no rush, because I have to get my flock healthy before I can do any of this. Thanks for reading!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Murray McMurray Hatchery. For a little bit more you can order them vaccinated. They have a lot of chickens and have been doing it for 100 years. I wouldn't put the new chicks with the ones that are sick, though. You can order pullets that are already started, too.

 

[Roscoe2k2]

From sites I've read...you can order just about any breed/type you'd like.I'm not in this stage right now to get chicks
...but most sites seem easy to navigate to purchase...just saying...welcome..in.new bee...I'm same way too...new..

 

[Roscoe2k2]

From sites I've read...you can order just about any breed/type you'd like.I'm not in this stage right now to get chicks
...but most sites seem easy to navigate to purchase...just saying...welcome..in.new bee...I'm same way too...new..

Folks here will help...just ask...I did....

 

[mill-j]

Mailed chicks are usually healthy, we've ordered 100s for years and I've seen dead chicks but never any diseases. as far as dead chicks go, the hatchery generally adds several extra just in case and if they're all dead they're guaranteed so you'll get replacements. I'd recommend Cackle Hatchery https://www.cacklehatchery.com you can add stuff to your cart and it'll calculate to the penny how much it's gonna cost before you even check out.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I've heard good things about Cackle Hatchery. Cackle and Murray McMurray Hatchery seems to be popular. I've bought chicks from RT farms and they order from MT. Healthy Hatchery and the chicks seem to be good.

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

You can order sexed or straight run. You can choose to vaccinate them or not. You probably have to get on a waiting list for Silkies. There is a minimum amount chicks, but that will vary with different hatcheries. I know Purely Poultry has great priced meat birds, but I'm not sure about layers... Best of luck getting your chicks!
-Allie

 

[Folly's place]

If you have Marek's disease in your flock (is it actually diagnosed) then by all means you can order chicks.
Have them vaccinated at the hatchery, and then they must be TOTALLY ISOLATED from your environment for about three weeks, so they can develop immunity from the vaccine. It's hard to do this at home; might be better at another location.
Silkies are supposedly very sensitive to Marek's, so I'd avoid them.
The vaccine does NOT prevent infection; it's designed to prevent the tumors that afflict infected birds.
I've ordered and had excellent results from Cackle and MurrayMcMurray, and plan to order again this spring.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

As Mary said if you have Marek’s in your flock get the chicks vaccinated. The vaccination does not stop them from getting the disease and spreading the disease but it stops the lesions that cause the problem from forming. Your flock will always have Marek’s so do not sell or give away any of your chickens as they will spread it to another flock. Some chickens seem to have a natural immunity to Marek’s, that’s why some of your chickens survived. But they can still give Marek’s to other chickens.

You can still sell the eggs. Marek’s does not harm the eggs but it can be spread by dust and dander. I’d rinse the eggs off and keep them refrigerated since you will have removed the bloom by rinsing them. That way you can be sure of not giving the disease to another flock if a buyer has chickens.

There are several different hatcheries we use. They are all different with different policies and business practices but they are pretty much all family owned small businesses. It can be challenging sometimes to get through to them on the phone but if you can get them they are usually really nice in answering individual questions and helping you with your order. If one is within driving distance you may be able to pick them up yourself and avoid mailing.

When the chick’s hatch they absorb the yolk. They can live off of that yolk for over three full 24 hour days without eating and drinking. Occasionally you can have a shipment take too long, it happens, but the vast majority of the time the chicks arrive on time and healthy. The other issue is warmth. The chicks are mailed in a special box with air holes so they can breathe. Many hatcheries have minimum orders so they have enough chicks in that box to keep each other warm even in winter. That can vary depending on the hatchery and the time of the year, they all have different policies. Some will ship just a few but for a price they will include some artificial heat source to keep the chicks warm. If the weather looks bad some hatcheries will include what we call packing peanuts to get the numbers up to generate more heat. These packing peanuts are going to be males that they can’t sell anyway. If you don’t want any males it’s probably worth a phone call to tell them no packing peanuts. A lot of people get surprised by extra chicks that turn out to be males.

Occasionally a hatchery will include an extra chick or two of what you ordered. This is in case one dies you will still get what you ordered. These are not the male packing peanuts for warmth. They never know exactly how many chicks will hatch or how many will be pullets so they have to hatch extras to have enough. They’d prefer to give the pullets a chance at living and make the customers happy. I’ve never had a dead chick when a shipment arrived but I did have one chick die a couple of days later. I’ve had the same thing happen when I hatch them myself, either in the incubator or under a broody hen. Most don’t die but occasionally one will. Many hatcheries do not do this.

You can order chicks either all male, all female, or what they call straight run, which mean they will not be sexed. You can get any mixture of male or female chicks in a straight run. I once got seven out of seven pullets (no males) in a straight run order. Some get all males. Straight run is just the luck of the draw.

In the breeds you are talking about they will have experts vent sex the chicks. They squeeze the poop out and look inside the vent to try to determine sex. The process is not perfect, they can make mistakes. Most hatcheries give a 90% guarantee that the sex will be correct but you can still get an occasional male if you order all pullets. Most hatcheries will not even try to sex bantams like Silkies, they are just too small. Each hatchery is different, you may get lucky, but sexed bantams from a major hatchery is rare.

My suggestion is to go online and search for major hatcheries near you. If you can drive so much the better, but a nearby hatchery may result in reduced shipping times. That’s less stressful to the chicks. Look for hatcheries that have the breeds you want and all that.

Different hatcheries have different pricing structures. Some require you only order in minimum batches per breed, five is a normal number. Some will allow you to order as few as one of a breed. There is often an additional charge if you order different breeds in an order because that means additional handling for them. They have different minimums for the total order. Some charge you a certain price per chick for the Marek’s vaccination, but some may have a minimum charge if any get vaccinated. When I ordered from Cackle about a decade ago their charge per chick for the Marek’s vaccination was pretty cheap but they had a minimum $10 charge if any chicks were vaccinated. That made a few not really cheap.

Go through their online ordering sequence until you get to the point you can see the total bottom line cost for the chicks, shipping, and special charges. Look at shipping dates. Do that for a few different hatcheries before you place the order so you can get a comparison.

Avoid ordering so the chicks are shipped on a holiday weekend. You will notice an increase in complaints on here because of shipping problems around holidays.

You normally have to place the order so far in advance you don’t know what the weather will be like. A freak blizzard or a tornado in the wrong place can mess up delivery schedules. A really strong heat wave can put stress on a summer shipment. It’s normally better to order the chicks a little later in the spring so the weather is nicer, but I’ve ordered chicks in winter and haven’t had those problems. There is a lot of luck involved in this part.

I hope I’ve hit the high points for you. The vast amount of the time you do not have any problems with ordering chicks in the mail, it works out great. But if one hatchery is hatching 80,000 to 100,000 chicks a week in season you are bound to occasionally have a problem. Those problems are what you read about on here.

 

[Lunafarmchickens]

As Mary said if you have Marek’s in your flock get the chicks vaccinated. The vaccination does not stop them from getting the disease and spreading the disease but it stops the lesions that cause the problem from forming. Your flock will always have Marek’s so do not sell or give away any of your chickens as they will spread it to another flock. Some chickens seem to have a natural immunity to Marek’s, that’s why some of your chickens survived. But they can still give Marek’s to other chickens.

You can still sell the eggs. Marek’s does not harm the eggs but it can be spread by dust and dander. I’d rinse the eggs off and keep them refrigerated since you will have removed the bloom by rinsing them. That way you can be sure of not giving the disease to another flock if a buyer has chickens.

There are several different hatcheries we use. They are all different with different policies and business practices but they are pretty much all family owned small businesses. It can be challenging sometimes to get through to them on the phone but if you can get them they are usually really nice in answering individual questions and helping you with your order. If one is within driving distance you may be able to pick them up yourself and avoid mailing.

When the chick’s hatch they absorb the yolk. They can live off of that yolk for over three full 24 hour days without eating and drinking. Occasionally you can have a shipment take too long, it happens, but the vast majority of the time the chicks arrive on time and healthy. The other issue is warmth. The chicks are mailed in a special box with air holes so they can breathe. Many hatcheries have minimum orders so they have enough chicks in that box to keep each other warm even in winter. That can vary depending on the hatchery and the time of the year, they all have different policies. Some will ship just a few but for a price they will include some artificial heat source to keep the chicks warm. If the weather looks bad some hatcheries will include what we call packing peanuts to get the numbers up to generate more heat. These packing peanuts are going to be males that they can’t sell anyway. If you don’t want any males it’s probably worth a phone call to tell them no packing peanuts. A lot of people get surprised by extra chicks that turn out to be males.

Occasionally a hatchery will include an extra chick or two of what you ordered. This is in case one dies you will still get what you ordered. These are not the male packing peanuts for warmth. They never know exactly how many chicks will hatch or how many will be pullets so they have to hatch extras to have enough. They’d prefer to give the pullets a chance at living and make the customers happy. I’ve never had a dead chick when a shipment arrived but I did have one chick die a couple of days later. I’ve had the same thing happen when I hatch them myself, either in the incubator or under a broody hen. Most don’t die but occasionally one will. Many hatcheries do not do this.

You can order chicks either all male, all female, or what they call straight run, which mean they will not be sexed. You can get any mixture of male or female chicks in a straight run. I once got seven out of seven pullets (no males) in a straight run order. Some get all males. Straight run is just the luck of the draw.

In the breeds you are talking about they will have experts vent sex the chicks. They squeeze the poop out and look inside the vent to try to determine sex. The process is not perfect, they can make mistakes. Most hatcheries give a 90% guarantee that the sex will be correct but you can still get an occasional male if you order all pullets. Most hatcheries will not even try to sex bantams like Silkies, they are just too small. Each hatchery is different, you may get lucky, but sexed bantams from a major hatchery is rare.

My suggestion is to go online and search for major hatcheries near you. If you can drive so much the better, but a nearby hatchery may result in reduced shipping times. That’s less stressful to the chicks. Look for hatcheries that have the breeds you want and all that.

Different hatcheries have different pricing structures. Some require you only order in minimum batches per breed, five is a normal number. Some will allow you to order as few as one of a breed. There is often an additional charge if you order different breeds in an order because that means additional handling for them. They have different minimums for the total order. Some charge you a certain price per chick for the Marek’s vaccination, but some may have a minimum charge if any get vaccinated. When I ordered from Cackle about a decade ago their charge per chick for the Marek’s vaccination was pretty cheap but they had a minimum $10 charge if any chicks were vaccinated. That made a few not really cheap.

Go through their online ordering sequence until you get to the point you can see the total bottom line cost for the chicks, shipping, and special charges. Look at shipping dates. Do that for a few different hatcheries before you place the order so you can get a comparison.

Avoid ordering so the chicks are shipped on a holiday weekend. You will notice an increase in complaints on here because of shipping problems around holidays.

You normally have to place the order so far in advance you don’t know what the weather will be like. A freak blizzard or a tornado in the wrong place can mess up delivery schedules. A really strong heat wave can put stress on a summer shipment. It’s normally better to order the chicks a little later in the spring so the weather is nicer, but I’ve ordered chicks in winter and haven’t had those problems. There is a lot of luck involved in this part.

I hope I’ve hit the high points for you. The vast amount of the time you do not have any problems with ordering chicks in the mail, it works out great. But if one hatchery is hatching 80,000 to 100,000 chicks a week in season you are bound to occasionally have a problem. Those problems are what you read about on here.

Wow thank you! This is way more information than I got from looking it up online! I'm relieved that I can still get chicks, and keep my egg business going!