Shipped Chick Poll

[Susan Skylark]

I’m curious about your experience with stress in shipped chicks (GI, respiratory, etc), particularly your average rate of chick death and illness within 2 weeks of getting your birds? I’m talking average or overall, not one particular disaster shipment here.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had three different shipments of day old chicken chicks, each from a different hatchery, totaling around 75 chicks. I have had zero deaths and zero illnesses other than two or three chicks having pasty butt, all of those from the same shipment.

 

[MROO]

My first chick shipment was an absolute disaster. They were stuck in a warehouse for days. By the time they got to me, only two of the six were alive and one didn't make it home. The lone survivor was a hatchery quality Silkie cockerel. Not including lost work time, I ended up spending $72 in equipment and medications.
The hatchery replaced the chicks for free, but charged me for shipping again. I added a three more chicks, but was smarter, this time. I met the again delayed shipment at the post office with my supplies in hand. I opened the box right there on the post office floor and individually dosed each little one with electrolytes, cleaned up a few pasty butts and moved them to a clean box lined with paper towels and portable hand warmers. They all survived, but the pasty butt nearly cost me two more Silkies.
I know my experience isn't the norm, but I no longer trust shipped babies. I've bought shipped hatching eggs with pretty good success and I've driven hours to pick up directly from a breeder, but that first shipping trauma - especially with children involved - made me overly cautious. Unless I'm hatching, my flock is officially closed!

Bonus: The experience was not a total loss. I've been on a first name basis with the post office crew since then and get asked how my chickens are doing on every single visit!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I usually lose 1-2 chickens per batch. Generally 1 in smaller ones and 2 in larger ones. I get 10-25 chicks in any given order.

 

[AntiqueB]

I've had a total of 11 chicks shipped, in 3 different shipments, and only had 1 die, but she was weak from the start.

Don't ask about shipped pullets. Did that once, never again.

 

[Sefirothe]

I've had about 30 chicks shipped over three orders. The first order was perfect, no issues at all.

Second seemed to be a case of rough handling in transit. Four chicks were doa, to the point of having blood on beak and faces of some of them when I first opened the box.

The four doa's were reshipped by the hatchery and one arrived weak and passed within 24 hours.

The third and most recent order had two arrive weak, one bounced back and one didnt, ended up passing within 12 hours.

 

[Echelontheory101]

I’m curious about your experience with stress in shipped chicks (GI, respiratory, etc), particularly your average rate of chick death and illness within 2 weeks of getting your birds? I’m talking average or overall, not one particular disaster shipment here.

My first order was of 9 chicks and only three were alive at the time of arrival. But it was 100% the hatchery's fault they were still using their summer boxes and it had way too many holes for the fall weather at the time. They claimed they checked the weather and picked the appropriate box based on the temperature which obviously didn't happen and refunded me shipping and the lost chicks. I got another 8 chicks delivered literally a week later from the same hatchery with the same temperatures if not even colder during a snap and told them they needed to pack them appropriately and sure enough, what do you know, they used their winter box, which has way less holes, it stayed warm enough and every single one survived. I have not lost a chick after they were in my care, only the ones that were already dead on arrival.

I'm ordering 3 Roosters from that Hatchery this coming summer because I don't want to ship anymore, its too anxiety inducing for me lol. I will be hatching and breeding my own with those roosters and my current hens. Ordering 3 because I do want to account for any additional shipping problems that way I don't have to have anything reshipped at order minimums if I lose one or two of the roosters in transit.

Not sure if it was just luck or the fact that my anxiety made me research more than any person probably ever would need to and I was incredibly consistent and precise and probably overkill helicopter mom with their care LOL

I'm also too nervous to buy from the Facebook farm pages in my state for biosecurity reasons. And the closest npip Hatchery is 3 hours away so I could drive up there if I ever wanted new chicks/breeds not shipped but their breeds are limited. But 3 hours in the car is better than 3 days in the mail for sure!

 

[5Australorpasaures]

2 shipments from McMurry back in the early 90s of 24 each, lost one.