What's up with Mcmurray this year?

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

I am reading on here that they have sold sick chicks this year? Is that true? I was going to order some Standard Salmon Faverolles from them next month-- but not if they're sick! Are they sick with a contagious disease or just weak on arrival? Has anyone ordered Mcmurray's Salmon Faverolles or Sumatras this year? Are they healthy or not? Opinions please!

 

[Buster]

I can't answer for this year but my Salmon Faverolle rooster came from MMH last year and he was beautiful before my top hen beat him up. Good luck with your chicks. MMH is a good hatchery.

 

[greyfields]

The big hatcheries are inspected very vigilantly for all communicable diseases. I think you can say with 100% certainty that birds you get from any of them will not be disease carriers.

It's mostly the conditions during transit which causes sick and weak birds. They were most likely perfectly fine when they left. But 24 hours of heat fluctuations, stale air and varying humidity takes a lot out of them.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I have created a sick breeds list in the "emergencies, diseases and cures" area. if you would like to see the breeds that are affected so far just check out the post

 

[plfreitag]

According to another list I'm on, there was an issue with some of the litter they ship the chicks on and it was making them sick. They are replacing all sick birds as quickly as they can, but you have to call and let them know what kind of problems you had and how many you lost. The symptoms have been weakness, lethargy, inability to walk, not eating or drinking, and death. I know a lot of people on the other list have lost birds.

Trisha in MO

 

[MaransGuy]

I have not heard anything about the pads they use during shipping causing a problem but I do know that one person had a problem with chicks getting sick 2 WEEKS after they arrived and assumed that McMurray was the problem. It was blown way out of proportion and started a lynching mob against McMurray, all based on one person's wrong assumption. It is kind of scary to see how people will jump on the band-wagon based on such little information. Even when you get several people (often referred to as "a lot") that have a problem it is hard to say that it is really the hatchery's fault. 100 chicks getting sick out of 50,000 shipped that week is really not something to indicate a problem. I used them once a couple years ago and got perfectly healthy birds. I did not lose any or have any problems at all with them.

Richard

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I saw alot of healthy looking peeps in the Feed store today they had just unloaded from a big box from McMurray...several different breeds and all just thiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssss close to coming home with me, loL!!!

 

[Buster]

My birds came from McMurray and were great. I plan on using them again in the future. I will definitely wait until April or May before ordering and I will not put them on cedar shavings. Chicks have a high mortality rate and if you took a poll of all the hatcheries you would find people who have had positive and negative experiences with all of them, yes even similar problems in the same years. Things happen, especially weeks after you get your chicks home and the mortality rate for chicks is high, even if you were to hatch your own.

 

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

Quote:
After reading Brent's post and hearing that his order from Mcmurray were diagnosed with AE, and with so many other people having Mcmurray chicks with the same symptoms, I have decided NOT to order anything from Mcmurray this year.

 

[granites2001]

I will never jump on the bandwagon...........My first shipment died as it was way tooo cold. MMH replaced them right away............Batch two........Chicks were fine until week 2............can not stand up, shaking, etc.........comparing notes with a lot of people across the country.............all of our birds are experiencing the same problem...............I called mmh and they told me my chicks were probably crop bound............we feed only medicated chick starter, which has baby grit already in it...........I lost 1/3 of my chicks.........Actually not lost yet as I am making sure they get water!

I thought, again, not mmh fault...........However, checking in with other chicken people............The majority seems to be losing the same amount of chicks with the same exact symptoms.........We thought mareks at first, but the other chicks are fine! Don't always blame the buyer!

Lisa