Losing chicks

[Ruthlacy98]

We purchased 40 chicks from Murray mcmurray. They were shipped out on Monday and arrived on Wednesday. We had two dead in the box and a third looking very sad. The rest seemed fine. Then in the next 48 hours we had lost 7 total. None had pasty butt yet. They would be fine and then I would find them dead. Murray mcmurray was very good about refunding us our money no questions asked. They believed the losses were due to stress. Immediately I had given them electrolytes and honey, plenty off food, a 300 gallon trough, and two red warming lights. They all had plenty of room to run. It has now been a few more days, I found one with wry neck and this morning another seemingly healthy bird was dead. Two more are acting lethargic and stumbling around. They were all vaccinated against coccidiosis and mereks. I have changed their bedding and their water often. I have never lost this many! Help!

 

[azygous]

It's likely the weather took a dive during their transit in the mail. If you had ordered a much smaller number, you probably would have lost all of them. Chilling during transit is the most common killer of new chicks just a day old, and the damage doesn't manifest right away.

If you look at the weather between you and the hatchery, during the time the chicks were in transit, you will likely find it had been below freezing at some point. A careless employee may have left the chicks on a cold loading dock.

Another thing, though pretty rare, is a careless employee didn't note that there was a food on dry ice shipment and put the chicks on the same one. The carbon dioxide gas kills chicks, even a small amount.

 

[crowdofmyself]

I came here to grieve a little after having received my four day-old chicks today, all of them dead. Poor little babies! I feel so bad! I ordered them from My Pet Chicken, but they were apparently shipped from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, OH, yesterday at 3 p.m. and arrived here in Athens, GA, at about 1:45. The heat pack was still hot. I checked the map to see how they would have come, and if they were driven, not flown, there is road construction all up and down the highway between here and Ohio. They'll ship me more chicks, of course, but now I'm scared they'll arrive dead, too. I'm just really sad.

 

[aart]

a 300 gallon trough, and two red warming lights. They all had plenty of room to run.

@Ruthlacy98 Do/did they have a place to cool off?
Can you post pics of your brooder setup?

 

[crowdofmyself]

They never made it into the brooder. They were stone cold in the shipping box.

 

[Ruthlacy98]

I came here to grieve a little after having received my four day-old chicks today, all of them dead. Poor little babies! I feel so bad! I ordered them from My Pet Chicken, but they were apparently shipped from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, OH, yesterday at 3 p.m. and arrived here in Athens, GA, at about 1:45. The heat pack was still hot. I checked the map to see how they would have come, and if they were driven, not flown, there is road construction all up and down the highway between here and Ohio. They'll ship me more chicks, of course, but now I'm scared they'll arrive dead, too. I'm just really sad.

I came here to grieve a little after having received my four day-old chicks today, all of them dead. Poor little babies! I feel so bad! I ordered them from My Pet Chicken, but they were apparently shipped from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, OH, yesterday at 3 p.m. and arrived here in Athens, GA, at about 1:45. The heat pack was still hot. I checked the map to see how they would have come, and if they were driven, not flown, there is road construction all up and down the highway between here and Ohio. They'll ship me more chicks, of course, but now I'm scared they'll arrive dead, too. I'm just really sad.

I'm so sorry to hear that! I would feel devastated too. I hope this next batch makes it.

 

[debid]

We purchased 40 chicks from Murray mcmurray. They were shipped out on Monday and arrived on Wednesday. We had two dead in the box and a third looking very sad. The rest seemed fine. Then in the next 48 hours we had lost 7 total. None had pasty butt yet. They would be fine and then I would find them dead. Murray mcmurray was very good about refunding us our money no questions asked. They believed the losses were due to stress. Immediately I had given them electrolytes and honey, plenty off food, a 300 gallon trough, and two red warming lights. They all had plenty of room to run. It has now been a few more days, I found one with wry neck and this morning another seemingly healthy bird was dead. Two more are acting lethargic and stumbling around. They were all vaccinated against coccidiosis and mereks. I have changed their bedding and their water often. I have never lost this many! Help!

I had a couple thoughts after the wry neck mention. Check the manufacturing date on your feed bag. It should be on the bottom seam tape. Old food may have vitamin imbalances as some will degrade and, of course, mold which can cause some weird symptoms. And if your red lights are new, check the boxes to see that they aren't the "shatter proof" type.

 

[Ruthlacy98]

I had a couple thoughts after the wry neck mention. Check the manufacturing date on your feed bag. It should be on the bottom seam tape. Old food may have vitamin imbalances as some will degrade and, of course, mold which can cause some weird symptoms. And if your red lights are new, check the boxes to see that they aren't the "shatter proof" type.

The feed is new, and the lights are just the red lights that we have always used for chicks, no shatter proof. I'm wondering if it might be genetic? No other bird has wry neck. They have one of the water jugs filled with save a chick electrolytes.

 

[Ruthlacy98]

@Ruthlacy98 Do/did they have a place to cool off?
Can you post pics of your brooder setup?

 

[debid]

The feed is new, and the lights are just the red lights that we have always used for chicks, no shatter proof. I'm wondering if it might be genetic? No other bird has wry neck. They have one of the water jugs filled with save a chick electrolytes.

I wasn't suggesting that you bought the food a long time ago, I was suggesting the food might not have been fresh when you bought it. I've seen food as old as 10 months on the shelf even though store policy is to pull it at 6 months.