When you get your new peeps....

[Blondie]

I've got 25 plus one coming from MM hatchery next week. After reading Foghorn's disappointing experiences, I'm kind of worried - although I live in mid-Georgia, not CT.

Questions:
1. If you have 26 chicks in a box, how can you tell which one is the bonus chick? I find it amusing that people on the board here can identify their bonus chick when I thought all they do is throw in an extra chick who happens to be in the right place at the right time.
2. Mine will be vaccinated for Mercks and Coccidioissis (sorry about the spelling). MM hatchery says if they are vaccinated, do not feed them medicated feed. So I got the organic feed. When I went to the local feed store, they said DO feed them medicated feed. So I also got the medicated feed. What to do?? Organic first, then medicated? Mix it together?

Thanks.

 

[jimnjay]

I have never gotten chicks vaccinated for Cocci, but it makes sense to me that if they were vaccinated they should not need medicated feed. Many people never feed their flock medicated feed with or without the vaccination. I would definately do what the hatchery people tell you to do, Chickens are their business. Most feed stores do not have qualified people to give advise about raising chickens. Many on this board have had very bad advise from TSC and their employees. We have a few here who work for feed stores and those stores are the lucky ones.

As to identifying the Rare chick, many of us refer to Feathersite, where you can find a tremendous accumulation of photos of different breeds and the related chicks. If you have ordered an assortment, then identification would be a bit harder but if you have 25 of the same breed then your rare chick will stand out. Even in the assortment, they usually send 4-5 of each breed and so the one that is different if easy to spot and then compare to their own catalog or to feathersite for identification. Many chicks have similarities but in many cases there are distinct characteristics that will identify different breeds. Part of the fun is trying to decide what they have sent.