TSC chicks keep dying despite ideal conditions

[NatJ]

but maybe people need to pressure the hatcheries to start using private carriers. At least for carriers like fedex and ups there's some market pressure when they screw up because they're not the only game in town.

But UPS and FedEx will not ship baby chicks.

That's why everyone is still dealing with the Post Office.

 

[Tilhana]

But UPS and FedEx will not ship baby chicks.

That's why everyone is still dealing with the Post Office.

Awww weeeeak...

So that explains why USPS is fail, then. They know they ARE the only game in town and no one has any other option.

There's clearly a need for a private carrier that will ship chicks in an efficient and responsible manner. Whoever finally corners that market and get a business going is going to make millions.

 

[Laura Anne]

Last Friday we picked up 6 bantam chicks from TSC and went back Saturday to pick up a few more since ours were doing so well. The 5 we brought home on Saturday started dying within a few hours of being home and all 5 were deceased within 24 hours. My 6 from Friday were still ok but I’m very concerned to say the least. The original 6 had a little pasty butt that we were able to control quickly but the second group didn’t even have that issue. I woke up this morning to one of the pasty butt chicks having passed even though he was fine last night. We have been raising chicks for well over a decade and expect a few losses but this is mind boggling and emotionally difficult. We use the heating pad brooder, electrolytes and keep all new babies in our kitchen so we can closely monitor them the first week. I called TSC to let them know the situation because I was concerned something was wrong with the whole batch. The manager was also concerned as he had numerous reports from other stores as well as his own. According to him my chicks came from the same shipment on Friday and my 5 from Saturday were the last oh that batch. I noticed that our TSC had started using a new brooder system and hypotheses that that is a possible culprit considering my Friday chicks had just arrived when we picked them out. I had planned to allow my broody to take over the chicks after the first night but I’m scared to introduce the chicks to my flock even if they make it through. Any insight?

I was in TSC last spring and a guy came in and said all of the chicks he had bought there had died. I got mine from the local stockyard. We also have a great local feed store that sells chicks. I just don't have a positive impression of our local TSC.

 

[Coralista]

Hey All,
I wanted to jump in with my experience with chicks this spring. I bought 4 from a nearby Wilco last Saturday, and then I bought 4 assorted bantums from a nearby TSC on Sunday. All of the Wilco babies died within the first 3 days; the TSC babies are doing great.
I know that on a local level this has been a big discussion (in Oregon), and it seems like there is a lot that is at fault with the brooder (which others have already posted about). An employee also shared with me the shipping issues that have been going on and how many DOA chicks they had with the shipment my new babies came from. I know that some hatching eggs I ordered recently (sent 3 day priority Via USPS) showed up after exactly a week and all of them were shattered, despite the quality packaging from the breeder. So, shipping is definitely a part of the equation.
I do think the coccidiosis aspect could play a part with some shipments, but I had tried mixing my birds and none of them have shown any signs of any illness...I have two home hatched chicks that were around the sickly bunch and both are still super healthy. It has been more than the 4 days for coccidiosis to develop and I have seen no signs to cause concern. However, it does make a lot of sense that it could also be playing a part in all of the 1000’s of chicks death across the country right now.

Can you point me to the thread on the Oregon discussion? Thx!

 

[yakitori]

Chicks are way too tempting at the moment, our TSC has just got their first chicks in. they looked so lethargic I was thinking that they were just hatched in store or something... it's so cold, I can't imagine chicks being shipped right now. Reading this thread, I'm definitely going to hold off until the warmer weather, and until the learning curve with the new brooders are done.

 

[CSolis]

Our local TSC only gets in three batches of chicks a year, while others in the state get more batches, and during different times of the year. I got 2 BSL pullets, 2 Cinnamon Queen pullets and 2 Ameraucana straight run. One of the two Cinnamon Queen pullets lived about 24 hours and died in spite of my efforts, the other survived. The 4 other chicks are also doing great. I did notice the CQs standing with their eyes closed in the brooder at TSC and was suspicious but got two anyway. So 5 outta 6 in the survival department this year. Last year was a boondoggle on sex. I got 3 BR pullets, all were cockerels, and 3 black Asians. Of the 3 BA's one was a BSL pullet, and the other two were Cockoo Marans cockerels. Seems TSC here doesn't know their stuff or mislabel the bins. The local co-op doesn't sell chicks, nor does the other local feed store since TSC started selling them. Did have better luck with chick survivability with a local breeder, but he got his eggs from somewhere else, and the 6 EEs turned out to be mostly cockerels, and one of the two pullets doesn't lay blue eggs. I got a Nurture Right 360 this past weekend, and that will be my go to source from here on out. May be mixed breeds but at least I know what the mix will be since I have enough pens to separate and do my own experiments with breeding.

 

[father0fnine]

I don’t know why anyone buys chicks from TSC.

I can get 4 or 6 of a breed of chicken instead of 15 or 25 or whatever the minimum is for the hatchery in question.

 

[father0fnine]

Ok, I think I've caught up on this thread. I thought I'd chime in here. I posted a longer story in another thread but I purchased the home version of the brooder that TSC is using. The heating plate they use is the same heating plate I've used for the past three years in my bin brooders. I wasn't worried about. The heating element part isn't new. I do wish I could drop it a bit lower for the first week. I might try to rig something myself or use the legs off my old ones to get it to rest on the floor.

I purchased one of the brooders, set it up, and turned it on. I also "built" a table for it out of scrap 2x4s and an old pallet I had laying around. (I was proud of myself because I'm an IT professional, not a handyman). My first group of chicks are now three weeks old. I had 3 out of 26 die and 2 of them were expected weak chicks that wouldn't have made it in my old brooder either. I got a second brooder and put a 10 ducks and 15 chicks I hatched in it (I wasn't ready for the chicks and had nothing else set up). After a week and a half, everyone of them is doing great. I love the new brooder and I'm getting a third and, eventually, a fourth (probably).

I was a little concerned about the temp issue but figured TSC has been using this set up for a few years in some of the stores so I gave the first one a try. If it didn't work I would use the legs from an older heating element like I said. For me and my farm, it works very, very well -- better than the bins ever did. Still, I did have a large number of bodies in the brooder each time. I don't know what would have happened if I only put in a few. I'm sure the extra bodies helped with the hear. Also, I don't know if I would trust the units outside in some of the colder regions. I keep mine indoors and I keep my house at around 74 during the day. It probably gets colder at night but not as cold as outside temps.

D

 

[Finnie]

There's clearly a need for a private carrier that will ship chicks in an efficient and responsible manner. Whoever finally corners that market and get a business going is going to make millions.

I don’t think it would be cost effective. Otherwise Fedex and UPS would already be doing it. I have heard of courier services that will transport pets, but their fees are very high.

One factor to remember is that chick sales for the most part are in the livestock and food industry, not the pet industry. Apples to oranges.

 

[MARANMAN2011]

I say find a breeder in your local town that is selling chicks they hatched. Yea you are going to pay more but they wont be held up over the weekends in the post offices very cold shipping facilities.