Will my new chicks come vaccinated or not?

[lightspeed]

Hi everyone! I’m getting ready to purchase two or three very young chicks to be the eventual companion to my little bantam rescue hen and rescue rooster. I will be getting these babies from the local farm supply store in Tell City named Orchelins. I wonder if they will come vaccinated or not. The staff probably wont have a clue when i ask them, so...is it typical that baby chicks at the local farm stores are vaccinated? Or not? Whether they have been or not is necessary to know so I can decide whether their starter feed should be medicated or not. Also the book says that the chicks MUST be kept at 95 degrees and even their water should be heated?! Will the Titan Brooder hen plate work? I bought one because I don't like the idea of a red heat lamp set up in my house. Will the Titan keep them warm enough? And how do I heat their water? Perhaps I should wait until the first chicks are sold to get my 2 or 3...that way they could be at least a week old and less fragile? Please advise. I dont want the little ones to die. Thank you.

 

[Percheron chick]

Some feed stores vaccinate. Others do not. The only way to know is to ask. Don't count on the clerk's knowing. Ask the manager who orders the chicks.
Set your brooder up. Turn the heat plate on and after 2 hours, check the temp at floor level. Raise or lower the plate to get the temp that you want. 95* is too hot in my book but let the chicks tell you how they like it. If they spend most of their time on the fringes, pant and hold their wings away from the body, they are too hot. If they huddle in the center and chirp loudly, they are too cold. If they are running around, they are just right. The water will be warm, if you place it near the plate.
I like picking up chicks a few days after they arrive. If any are stressed from shipping and are going to die, it takes care of it. The flip side is you might show up on Weds and all the bins are empty.

 

[lightspeed]

Some feed stores vaccinate. Others do not. The only way to know is to ask. Don't count on the clerk's knowing. Ask the manager who orders the chicks.
Set your brooder up. Turn the heat plate on and after 2 hours, check the temp at floor level. Raise or lower the plate to get the temp that you want. 95* is too hot in my book but let the chicks tell you how they like it. If they spend most of their time on the fringes, pant and hold their wings away from the body, they are too hot. If they huddle in the center and chirp loudly, they are too cold. If they are running around, they are just right. The water will be warm, if you place it near the plate.
I like picking up chicks a few days after they arrive. If any are stressed from shipping and are going to die, it takes care of it. The flip side is you might show up on Weds and all the bins are empty.

Thank you SO MUCH! Your advice heartens me; it is scary not being confident regarding chickens...I know very little about them! I wouldnt have any chickens at all except that the little banty hen flew over my fence and my dog IMMEDIATELY shot after her! She came from the animal hoarder down the way, and I didnt send her back. Heck, I cant even decide on whether to get two chicks or three, ugh!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What do you mean wait until the first chicks are sold? Do you mean the first batch of chicks? Stores have batches come in almost every week during chick days so they're always under a week old. And they may be vaccinated for mareks depending on the hatchery, but most don't have a coccidiosis vaccine and those that do usually charge more for it and stores don't tend to buy vaccinated chicks for that one

 

[lightspeed]

What do you mean wait until the first chicks are sold? Do you mean the first batch of chicks? Stores have batches come in almost every week during chick days so they're always under a week old. And they may be vaccinated for mareks depending on the hatchery, but most don't have a coccidiosis vaccine and those that do usually charge more for it and stores don't tend to buy vaccinated chicks for that one

What I meant was it will take about a week for all of their banty chicks to be bought. This store only gets chicks every several weeks...so, if I wait a bit, the chicks will be older and presumably less fragile for me to raise. You see, I have never done this before...I hope this turns out well. I do want to hand raise them because they will be less afraid of people then.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Well, even hand raised ones can be quite skittish around people. Almost all of mine are. But I guess waiting a bit makes sense. I would rather wait and pick out the ones I want when they're unloading them.