Cornish Cross Spring 2019

baymule

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I ordered 50 CCX chicks through Tractor Supply on April 8,2019. There was very little information, such as, where they were coming from or when they would ship, like you get when dealing directly with a hatchery. I finally got a notification that they were shipping and would be here on April 12. That's a LONG time to be bounced around in the mail, but they got here on April 11. Great.....a day early! I opened the box, it already stunk with the odor of dead chicks. NINE were dead, SIX more died within a couple of hours with 2 MORE looking sickly, that died too. I contacted their customer service, got a reply a couple of days later. By that time, more had died. I was disgusted. The upshot is, they gave me credit for the 17 that were dead/died right off the bat. Whoop-de-doo. I think there may be 20 left living now. Worst. Chick. Experience. Ever.

So today we got 20 CCX chicks at the TSC store. They are bright, healthy and look good. Why the difference? Durned if I know.

So my 2019 CCX has started.
 

Lazy Gardener

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I have had similar experience ordering chicks to be delivered to a feed store. ABSOLUTELY HORRID EXPERIENCE. Never again. My last dealings with the incompetent bumbling employees at the feed store, in addition to a comatose chick made me vow that I would NEVER, EVER order chicks by that method again. So, I raise my own. If I get hatchery chicks, I order direct. There is risk involved in that also. My last batch of chicks were in transit way too long. I am at the end of the line as far as postal service goes, no matter where I order my chicks from. In spite of that, all arrived alive, and I only lost one.

Order direct and the hatchery is liable. Order from feed store, and my experience has been: I pick up my chicks, slip the comatose chick into my pocket (in hopes that the heat will help) and am told: once the chicks leave the front door of the store, there are no refunds.

One thing I do with all my chicks, no matter what their condition: They get Poultry Nutridrench for the first week. Then in decreasing amounts through the rest of the first month.
 

baymule

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The first chicks were shipped to the post office. They just didn’t look healthy from the get-go. Since these are CCX I can’t raise my own chicks, have to order them. Buying chicks from TSC is a whole ‘nother thing. Even employees said they don’t order chicks through TSC online. I never will again.
 

baymule

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No dead chicks today in batch #1. Batch #2 are all happy and healthy.
 

NH Homesteader

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Selfishly I'm glad I read this because I had thought of ordering ducks from TSC and the breed I want is not cheap! The best luck I have ever had with chicks is ordering from my feed store. They're started, healthy, they absorb the losses, healthiest birds I've ever had.

Sorry about your rough start but glad you've got chicks now!
 

frustratedearthmother

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@ NH Homesteader - Sure sounds like your local feed store might be the best idea!
@baymule - hope this new batch does better than the first batch!
 

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If you are willing to sell them, after putting all that work into them, there should be no reason why the first batch wouldn't be as appropriate to sell as the second batch. You didn't load them up with antibiotics, did you? I'm guessing that any chicks from batch #1 that have survived and are growing well now will be just fine.
 

baymule

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No antibiotics. 2 more dead this morning. At this rate, there won't be any left. Nope, even if the remaining chicks grow to slaughter size, they will go in our freezer. I only sell the best to my (few) customers. If I sold them any from the first batch, I would feel that they were getting substandard chicken.

I am going to have to grow out some more in the fall, this won't be enough for us and Daughter and her family.
 

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