I just wanted to post about our recent experience with ordering this years batch of chicks. First of all, I live in Wisconsin and its roughly 22 degrees out right now.
Our children are in 4-H this year and wanted to give raising poultry a try, so our first big choice was the hatchery to order from. Obviously, Murray McMurray comes up first and they are supposedly 'the best'. My children wanted a specific breed, and McMurray's prices were beyond the means of a first and second grader (they wanted to buy them). They're price for the order we wanted was $56.25 plus shipping of $9.25 for a total of $65.75. So, I began looking at other hatcheries.
I was warned by others that the 'smaller' or 'family' hatcheries had 'lower quality chicks' or that they'd had 'poor shipping experiences'. I went on anyway.
I came across Sun Ray Chick Hatchery and decided to give them a try. We ordered 25 St. Run Americana chicks on a Tuesday. Our cost was $27.50 plus shipping of $4.50 for a total of $32.00, which was still far less than McMurray's price. We were told they'd arrive by Thursday, and so we waited. On Wednesday, the post office called and told us our babies were there! We drove to pick them up early that morning. It was VERY cold.
When we arrived, we noticed several other boxes as well as our own, and I decided to be nosey. Of the 5 other boxes, 4 were from McMurray and one was from our local feed store. The chicks in the feed stores box were healthy and pipping. In THREE of the 4 McMurray boxes, all but a few of the chicks, poults, ducks, or geese within were perished. The vent holes on all boxes were left wide open for cold air to blow right through. There was a few pieces of long hay on the bottom of the boxes, but nothing else. The fourth McMurray box contained a mix of ducks, geese, chicks, and poults (and possibly guineas?) and most were dieing. The live geese were picking at the dieing chicks. Very sad.
Anyway, our box had tape over most of the vent holes and contained shredded paper for warmth. At first glance, all chicks appeared healthy, minus one that had been at the bottom of the pile and was no longer living. We collected our box and headed home.
When we removed each chick to place in the brooder and counted them, we realized that Sun Ray had sent us 30 chicks instead of 25 at no charge! Minus the one lost during shipping left 29. Over the next few hours, two that had appeared weak from the box began to show distress and despite my best efforts, we had to put them out of their misery. We now had 27 healthy chicks.
It has been a week. All 27 chicks are live, healthy, and growng quickly! The variety of colors is amazing too! Some are growing ear tufts, some have beards, some have neither, and some are rumpless. We are quite pleased with their varieties! We were so pleased with our experience with Sun Ray that we intend to use them again, as well as tell everyone looking for a hatchery to give them a try. Due to what I saw in the McMurray boxes at our post office, I doubt I will ever order from them. Poor babies.
If you've had any experience with Sun Ray, please tell me about it!
Our children are in 4-H this year and wanted to give raising poultry a try, so our first big choice was the hatchery to order from. Obviously, Murray McMurray comes up first and they are supposedly 'the best'. My children wanted a specific breed, and McMurray's prices were beyond the means of a first and second grader (they wanted to buy them). They're price for the order we wanted was $56.25 plus shipping of $9.25 for a total of $65.75. So, I began looking at other hatcheries.
I was warned by others that the 'smaller' or 'family' hatcheries had 'lower quality chicks' or that they'd had 'poor shipping experiences'. I went on anyway.
I came across Sun Ray Chick Hatchery and decided to give them a try. We ordered 25 St. Run Americana chicks on a Tuesday. Our cost was $27.50 plus shipping of $4.50 for a total of $32.00, which was still far less than McMurray's price. We were told they'd arrive by Thursday, and so we waited. On Wednesday, the post office called and told us our babies were there! We drove to pick them up early that morning. It was VERY cold.
When we arrived, we noticed several other boxes as well as our own, and I decided to be nosey. Of the 5 other boxes, 4 were from McMurray and one was from our local feed store. The chicks in the feed stores box were healthy and pipping. In THREE of the 4 McMurray boxes, all but a few of the chicks, poults, ducks, or geese within were perished. The vent holes on all boxes were left wide open for cold air to blow right through. There was a few pieces of long hay on the bottom of the boxes, but nothing else. The fourth McMurray box contained a mix of ducks, geese, chicks, and poults (and possibly guineas?) and most were dieing. The live geese were picking at the dieing chicks. Very sad.
Anyway, our box had tape over most of the vent holes and contained shredded paper for warmth. At first glance, all chicks appeared healthy, minus one that had been at the bottom of the pile and was no longer living. We collected our box and headed home.
When we removed each chick to place in the brooder and counted them, we realized that Sun Ray had sent us 30 chicks instead of 25 at no charge! Minus the one lost during shipping left 29. Over the next few hours, two that had appeared weak from the box began to show distress and despite my best efforts, we had to put them out of their misery. We now had 27 healthy chicks.
It has been a week. All 27 chicks are live, healthy, and growng quickly! The variety of colors is amazing too! Some are growing ear tufts, some have beards, some have neither, and some are rumpless. We are quite pleased with their varieties! We were so pleased with our experience with Sun Ray that we intend to use them again, as well as tell everyone looking for a hatchery to give them a try. Due to what I saw in the McMurray boxes at our post office, I doubt I will ever order from them. Poor babies.
If you've had any experience with Sun Ray, please tell me about it!
