My chicks from Meyers were due today, so I checked with the post office twice. The last time was a few minutes ago because their last delivery for the day was a 1 pm PST. No chicks. I called Meyers and they said the chicks were shipped yesterday, but they frequently don't arrive until 3:00. This doesn't work since the last delivery for our town's central post office is 1:00. So are my poor chicks sitting in a truck or warehouse somewhere in the great frozen East? I know they are suppose to be able to survive for 72 hours after hatching--but I don't want them to just survive, I want them happy and healthy and here. It is only 6 chicks with a heating pad and although the weather here is not bad--I know it is in Ohio where they are coming from. I wanted to order from a nearby hatchery, but none offered to ship less than 25. So I strongly suggest that if you can order from closeby, you do.
But on a happier note: Congratulations to all whose hatches are going so well!
No chicks! Now what?
I once had the post office call me at 8:30 at night, because my chicks had come to the plant after hours. One of the night clerks dropped them off on his way home that night. Annother year, There was a snowstorm and the postmaster took put them in the bathroom with water and heat over night. They are usually pretty considderate when it comes to chicks. I usually get ot the PO to pick them up and they are being cuddled by the clerks.
I'll pray for your little half-dozen....scott
CALL YOUR POST OFFICE! They can tell you if they are at the main POst Office, and if you can go get them. I had the option of going to get them, if only they had called ME in time...
wish you luck!
tf
It WAS the post office! They had them all the time. Half an hour after I left to go back to work, they called to ask that I please come pick up my chicks. Apparently they had been left on the back dock. The clerk who said they weren't there was totally confused when I showed up again. But the chicks are beautiful! 2 Welsummers, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 RIR, 1 Cuckoo Marans, and 1 Delaware. The Bonus chick appears to be another RIR, which I am very happy about. They are running around in the brooder and pecking at mash (and each other). The littlest one is the Marans, and a few of the chicks have tried to gang up and peck at her--but she has attitude. When I dipped the others beaks in the sugar water they just drank--but she screamed bloody murder! I will keep a close watch, just in case they get too mean. My Orpingtons and Australorp chicks never bothered each other. But this is a whole new gang. I'll send pictures as soon as I can. I am so happy!
Wonderful, Cat, I am glad they got to you allright.
As my Michigan counterpart says, our Post Offices are pretty accomodating with chicks, at least here they are. When I went to pick mine up last year, my postmistress had them sitting under the heater to make sure they didn't get too cold or get caught in a draft. Of course, she is now one of my egg customers.
That little girl sounds delightful. Screaming bloody murder because you picked her up to help her learn to drink.
That's what I like about this place, we can all get a chuckle with other's foibles.
i am so glad they found your chicks [they weren't exactly lost but they should have been inside!]
tf
Thank you for all your encouragement. I really was panicking earlier. I love the chicks. They are doing great--very active, eating and have found the food and water. The Barnevelder are sort striped like pheasant chicks. Only one problem--I have a vicious chick. One of the Barnevelders is attacking the eyes of the other chicks. I went in to check and one of the RIR had down removed from around one eye. I watched and saw the bigger of the Barnevelder chicks repeatedly attack other chicks' eyes. It is not just a peck--she grabs hold and pulls while the other chick "screams" and struggles to get away. It is scary to watch. I am thinking of separating her from the others for a day or two. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have a bad feeling it may spread......
Try putting some shiny things in the brooder or hang a shiny bead or something from a string above them. They love to peck at anything shiny and a little black eye would fit that bill. I've put marbles in the water dish to entertain and occupy chicks and ducklings. I wear a ruby ring and they go for that as soon as my hand goes in. It's instinctual for them to hunt and peck (kind of like my typing). Maybe even a few dark pebbles in their litter as long as they are too big to eat.
Thank you so much jylgaskin! I hadn't thought of that! I am going to hunt around in my jewelery box right now.....None of my jewelery is valuable enough to worry about it turning into grit--but I'll go for the bigger flashier stuff for the chicks' sake.
I've now lavished my chicks with jewels and bottlecaps (they are red) and of course all the chicks went for them, except the vicious Barnevelder. But the other chicks are learning: when ever she comes near, they turn their backs on her. It is funny to see a half circle of chicks with their backs all turned toward the socially dysfunctional one. I think she is likely to be the most dominant, but the tiny Marans may give her a run for the money. The Marans is so loud! When she is unhappy you know it. I hope I am able to hatch some of LoraK's nice, quiet, well-behaved Marans
Somewhere the chicken gods are smiling down on you!!!
Oh, awesome, Cat! I know how excited you are to get your
new chicks. Mine also love a handful of alfalfa sprinkled in
their brooder. It's mayhem till every last bit is gone. :o)
Nothing says spring like a new bunch of chicks!
When do you plan to hatch the Marans eggs?
Thank you, truest, and I hope to try a hatch after I get back from my work trip in mid-March. When you say alfalfa, do you mean the kind you get in a bale? Just the soft fluffy leaves? Alfalfa is a major rotation crop around here and I sometimes get a handful from the fields for my rabbits--but I would be nervous giving green alfalfa to the chicks. I'll buy a little bale at the pet store and see how that goes. Of course the little bales cost as much as a full-sized bale, but it is raining again and I have nowhere to store a big one.
Thanks too, Maineiac. Are there chicken gods? I mean in terms of social anthropology? We used to joke in school, that if your experiments weren't working, you needed to walk around the lab chanting and sprinkling chicken blood--because it was all voodoo anyway. Now that I have chickens, I consider raising them far more challenging than the research : )
When I first gave my chicks (slightly less than a week old)
alfalfa, and I gave them a couple handfuls of the leafy part
over the course of a day, they developed diarhea, or pasty
butt. Only my polish chicks got this way, and I have 24 of 3
breeds in that brooder.
I cleaned them up and gave equal parts corn meal and
starter for a couple days to clear it up. Now, I only give them
a small handful- leafy and small stems, for 24 chicks for the
whole day. No more diarhea- and it is the highlight of their
day! (besides the carnival rides). :o) They like to chase each
other with the stems, & gives them something to do.
So, a bale might dry out before you could use it. I have it on
hand already, for the horse and goats, so it's not a problem..
another treat you might try is dried parsley, just the flakes you get in canisters in the spices and cooking aisle at the store...
i am so glad you are enjoying your chicks!
Thank you truest and TamaraFaye. All my chicks have pasty butt today--but I don't think it is serious. When I first got them, they hadn't had anything to eat yet and they mostly drank and drank. The first "poop" was clear and like water. Since they have been eating and eating and eating it is really firming up and I suspect after today they will be fine. They hate being cleaned up, but it is easier than I thought.
I am going to try the dry parsely soon and eventually give them the leftover alfalfa leaves from my rabbits.
They aren't as "pecky" today either, although the viscious Barnevelder did peck at me as I tried to clean her. The other Barnevelder is smaller, darker, and quite nice. The little Delaware is very sweet and the tamest so far. The RIR are the fastest runners and very determined not to be caught. The Orpington doesn't seem to have much personality--but she may just be bewildered by the antics of the others. My Orpington roosters were so sweet and friendly, I hope she will be too. The Marans' "cheep" is quite unlike the others, very piercing, and she is the noisiest--but on the whole they are very quiet and extremely active. Which is a good combination, I think. I will post pictures of them later--have to go back to work now.
Uh, Correction! It is a vicious Welsummer, not Barnevelder. I wanted both, but Meyers only had the Welsummers, so thats what I got. I am planning on trying to hatch Barnevelder eggs later this spring.
Somehow "vicious Barnevelder" sounds better than "vicious Welsummer" :)
Just name the chick "barney"
My original plan was to name them all after cooks: Nigella, Rachel, Paula, Julia etc. Now I am leaning toward cheese names: Pecorina (for the mean one), Cheddar, Stilton, Brie, Ricotta, etc. And "Monterey Jack" if there is a rooster. Maybe not. But Wikipedia has an incredible list of cheeses from around the world and some are very pretty sounding. And I love cheese omelets. My first chicks were given names like "Daisy" and "Sophie", but I had to rename them when they started crowing. If these are roosters, I will name all future chicks with male names to break the curse.
This message was edited Feb 22, 2008 1:09 AM
LOL!
I like the cheesy names! LOL. My DGD named the buff cochin
Pearly Girl, but I am starting to think he is a roo. I must come up
with a theme for naming. Thanks for getting me thinking on that.:o)
my son's first chciken is named Apple because she was yellow, others were red... now her chick is named Apricot. Then he named his BLACK Australorp TOMATO! Says he will name all his chickens after food, & he loves to eat, bet he will never run out of names LOL
maybe the buff cochin roo can be Flame? ;-)
Love the cooks names idea. We tend to name ours after dishes...Chicken Frank, catchatori (sp?), Dumplings, Noodles, fried and of course the rooser is "Cock Au Vin" Or Vinny for short.
A friend was disconcerted this christmas when I gave her frozen rabbit meat. I tend to write names on the packages....Peter, Playboy, Benjamin, Easter.....She didn't see the humor. Hey, ANYBODY can write "Rabbit " and the date on a package......
I live a creative life.
this should all be in the chicken naming thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/814455/
we gave away a rooster with the wrong comb at a local thing when he was only six months old. he was so huge nobody believed he was a cockerel! He was a raffle for our church food pantry. His name was STEW, and the deal was if nobody bought tickets he was going in a pot! The winners still have him, they renamed him after her beloved grandfather!