Why so young?

[m2wandc]

Why do hatcheries ship chicks out at a day old? Why not wait longer until they are bigger and more 'established'???

Is it OK to ship chicks when they are 5-6 weeks old?

 

[hikerchick]

I think they ship them then because they have enough yolk to last them for 2-3 days so they will be fine without food that long. Otherwise they would have to try to send baby chicks, food, and water...

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Because when they are day olds they do not have to worry about feeding them as the chicks are still getting nourishment from their yolk. If the hatcheries waited a month then they would have too many birds at one time and wouldn't be able to ship as many, especially for the breeds in high demand.

ETA: If the birds were "established" then they would be used to the environment of the hatchery. Shipping a bird, that has already settled, into a new environment will just cause more stress to the bird and lead to more problems.

 

[m2wandc]

ahhhhhhhhhh thanks!

 

[Tiramisu]

Hiker chick is right.
They would have to give food for adults and very few birds would have to be shipped if adults too.