Rec'd Two Orders w/High losses - Help anyone!

[ChickenCat]

MM has always shipped on Saturdays, i received mine on Easter Sunday last year at the main postal office about an hour away. It is not MM's fault, it is the new shipping routes for the postal service. This year i had high losses from 2 shipments, took 4 days and 3 days. I left phone mail at the main office several times, concerning my shipment. No response either time. Both times they kept the chicks overnight in a cold warehouse, onto a cold truck for the delivery to our home town post office. Look at the news of the troubles the postal service is having. chicks have been shipped for over 100 years through the mail, things are gonna change.

 

[chickens on grass]

OMG!!!! I am having the same problem! they have replaced my chicks three times now. They say it is brooder pneumonia. but whatever it is its pissing me off. put duramyicin(sp) in their water and that helps a little.

 

[countrychix]

I'm so sorry about your chicks.

I was going to be placing an order from them too, and I'm only about an hour from you. It really has me wondering whether I should go ahead and do it. Like you, they are the only hatchery that has available the varieties that I am looking for. I can also attest to the fact the the USPS is horrible delivering packages in a timely matter over this way. I had ordered hatching eggs and they were in transit 12 days via Priority Mail! Luckily most are developing nicely and should hatch in 8 days.

Have you tried giving your chicks a drop or two of Poly-Vi-Sol w/o iron. It really helped a few of my chicks that we had thought that we would lose. Rite-Aid carries the generic of this in the pharmacy. (I had an awful time locating some.)

 

[goosemama]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts - its so helpful! Yes, I have given Poly-vi-sol by dropper and their water has 3T sugar per quart of water with added Durvet electrolytes and vitamins. They seem to eagerly eat the grated hard boiled egg sprinkled on the floor and on their feed. I was getting encouraged this evening as only two were laying down (the rest walking about and eating) so I dipped their beaks a couple times in water and when placing them back in the cage they went to the waterer and drank some more. About 45 min later I checked again and two were dead flat on the floor!!!!

I agree with Chickencat, I don't think its MM's fault - I think its the postal system and the convoluted shipping routes they are using. Jeepers I would pay extra to have them air shipped, but don't think they offer that at MM.. I had only 6 survive from the first batch of 27 and so far I have had l8 surviving (9 dead) so far and am keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be left with at least one or two hens out of the survivors from both shipments. Just my luck they will all be roosters! If I can get one or two hens to start laying fertile eggs I can put them in the incubator instead of ordering chicks by mail.

Interesting to read some of you have had 3 replacement orders from losses but I'm getting afraid to do that after two bummer shipments. But thanks guys for all your support and helpful advice.

 

[medan]

buy local try craigs list under farm and garden

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
You usually can't find unusual breeds locally. In my area, all I ever see on Craigslist are Buff Orpingtons. I wanted a variety of breeds so got a few locally and a few by mail order.

 

[nhc]

Several of us placed an order for 25 chicks and ducks with Estes Hatchery (Missouri) and they hatched last Wednesday and were sexed and mailed the same day and arrived in Pittsburgh on Thursday in great shape. I wasn't the main contact person but communication between our contact and the hatchery was excellent.

 

[Chic Chick]

A woman that is buying some silkies from me just emailed me about her bad experience with Mcmurray yesterday also. It seems like about 15 -20% of the chicks were dead upon arrival at the PO, and then more died when she got them home. Most hatcheries are aware of the postal problems with shipping on a Saturday and it sounds like Mcmurray has to change their shipping dates before they lose their reputation AND customers.
A double problem is that us Canadians must cross the border and pick them up in an american post office, pay to have them vet checked and then we can bring them across.....not good if a large % of them are DOA! We can't drive for 20 hours to pick up replacements.

 

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

That is a high mortality. The highest mortality rate Ive had is my orders from meyer hatchery, which is a couple thousand miles away. Provided youre not really far from Iowa, you shouldnt be having that high of losses.
And THEY HATCH/SHIP ON SATURDAY? THAT'S THE MOST RETARDED THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!!!!! What loons! Dont they realize that yolk really only provides nutrients for a max of 48 hrs? After that, the babies need feed and water. If theyre shipping sat that absolutely guarantees they will sit at least one night in a postal facility that is cruel to the babies!
And if youre getting them FOUR DAYS after the hatch date...Thats why ur losing sooooooooooo many.
Sugar works in a pinch, but gro gel I hear is best. Me, personally, I mix a bit of poweraide in the water.
Anyways, Im really sorry bout your babies. That absolutey sucks. Time to call Mcmurray again

What breed was this?

 

[Cindy in PA]

Got bantams from MM last June. They hatched and were shipped on Friday and I got them in SE PA Sunday afternoon. All were fine, but lost 2 later in the week out of 27. They did have grogel and they were not in transit long.