# Never get chicks from chicken show or feed stores



## Bedste (Nov 7, 2012)

My chickens were diagnosed with Mereks disease and all were culled yesterday....  Very sad day..... but now onward and upward and looking forward to clean fresh start...

Texas A&M said it came from chicks purchased at the local feed stores or the chicken show.  He said ONLY buy chicks from an authorized hatchery.  He also said even walking through a chicken show at your local fair you should change clothes and dispose of your shoes before going home to your birds.  Auuuggghh!


God Bless Southern by choice for all the moral support and prayers!


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## Pearce Pastures (Nov 7, 2012)

So sorry.  That really bites.


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## Alice Acres (Nov 7, 2012)

I'm sorry


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## bonbean01 (Nov 7, 2012)

So sorry 

I learned this the hard way also two springs ago...not just the ones I bought, but some of my favourite hens too.


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## meadow1view (Nov 7, 2012)

Sorry this happened to you.

Just wanted to state that our feed stores are supplied by the local hatchery(which is nationally known).  In fact, it is cheaper to buy chicks from the feed store than it is directly from the hatchery that supplies the feed store.


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## Bedste (Nov 7, 2012)

I do know of a local feed store that gets their chicks from Ideal.... awesome hatchery, but I also know of two possibly three feed stores in Montgomery County who also buy chicks from individuals and sell them.   I ordered directly from Ideal Hatchery and was only charged $2.29 a chick.... along with a $7 fee for my order being less than 100 birds.  They do NOT charge Shipping and Handling. I would have spent close to $7 on gas on the two way trip..   I also was charged 10 cents a bird to get them mareks vaccinated at hatch.  They should be here tomorrow.  http://www.ideal-poultry.com/


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## Bedste (Nov 7, 2012)

I am keeping the new chicks in a brooder box in a different area on the property away from coops for the next 2 months...


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## Stacykins (Nov 8, 2012)

A lot of hatcheries offer to vaccinate your day old  chicks against Mereks disease for a small fee. It may be a good idea if the virus is already present on your property, as I do not know how long is persists.


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## EllieMay (Dec 26, 2012)

The smaller local feed stores sometimes get their chicks from local farms.
However, the larger feed stores (like Tractor Supply) get their chicks from the same hatcheries you would buy your chicks from.
Buying from these larger feed stores eliminates the need to pay for shipping and the requirement of buying in large numbers.


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## rittert3 (Dec 27, 2012)

Just food for thought, couldn't the hatchery chicks be contaminated at the feed store by another customer before you get them? Sorry for your loss Bedste


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Dec 27, 2012)

rittert3 said:
			
		

> Just food for thought, couldn't the hatchery chicks be contaminated at the feed store by another customer before you get them? Sorry for your loss Bedste


Yes, you're exactly right. My local feed store regularly puts chicks in bins for people to see and handle them, so they are exposed to who knows what constantly.

After a few years experience Ive learnedly to keep a closed flock and use a lot of bio security. I don't let people into my coops and I request they wear shoes that have not been in there barn or chicken area. I never buy chicks from feed stores and only buy hatching eggs if I really want something. I have been lucky enough to not need any new outside stock in quite awhile though. I am looking for nonhatchery white Jersey giants though, so I may have to compromise and do some quarentineing if I cant find eggs. (Think I miss spelled that one, lol!) But feed stores are the worst at maintaining any kind of bio security, shows run a very close second. 

Most people would be better off finding a private, non-showing breeder with clean habits.less risk IMO.

OP, I am so sorry for your loss and all that it entails. I think marecks stays in the ground for awhile, so you may have to look into ways to try to treat the area the infected birds were living to try to eradicate it. Might also want to notify your local farm bureau and see what they say, see if it needs reporting or anything.


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Dec 27, 2012)

pridegoethb4thefall said:
			
		

> rittert3 said:
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OP sorry for your lose.

I second finding a small non-showing breeder.  I have been raising chickens for a long time.  I do not bring anything alive in here.  They come in as hatching eggs or they are hatched from our stock.  I too practice bio security.  very similar to what pridegoethb4thefall describied. 

I have three customers in the last few weeks who purchased birds from a local swamp and they either died or all ended up being roosters, when they paid for pullets.


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## Symphony (Jan 20, 2013)

ThreeBoysChicks said:
			
		

> pridegoethb4thefall said:
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I'm so sorry for your loss.  Swaps I liken to Cattle Auctions as the bio-security isn't the best.  The few I've been too I learned quickly to change my clothes upon coming home as I too lost some birds some years ago.  My flock is mainly closed now and we only buy from a certified hatchery.


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## cuteincamo (Jan 30, 2013)

OP I am so sorry for your loss.
I work at a local farm store, and while we do buy from a nationally known hatchery we don't "spring" for the Marek Immunization. Our store in specific is pretty picky about letting outsiders handle the chicks. We have a store rule customers cant handle the birds, even buyers, they arent allowed to handle them while on store premise. 
 I've always ordered my chicks from a hatchery in the spring, with the Marek Immunization. My mother in law offered to give me a few additional laying hen's, after my older ones quit laying, I politely said no and she was offended. She's always going to chicken swap meets, and she usually has a few "suspicious" deaths a year. I didn't want to risk my birds, and she couldnt understand that. As a matter of fact it led to a pretty awkward Christmas dinner, lol.


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## boykin2010 (Jan 30, 2013)

So sorry to hear about your loss.   That's tough.... 

Even backyard breeders sometimes vaccinate their chicks for mareks. It is cheap insurance... 
I ordered some chicks for my eating eggs from McMurray and was very pleased.  All the rest of my breeder birds came from other breeders throughout the Country and the UK. 


-  www.ewecrazyfarms.com


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## Bedste (Jan 30, 2013)

My new birds are now nearly three months old.  Even though they are not laying yet it does feel really good to have a healthy flock.  I am still a bit nervous, because most of my deaths happened right as they became old enough to lay.  Thanks again for all your support everyone...


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## Missnu01 (Feb 7, 2013)

I bought a hen with 7 chicks locally, and 2 of the chicks had to be culled. I guess some were resistant. What worries me about the whole thing, is that the vaccinations for Marek's disease can take up to 2 weeks before they are in effect, and marek's can travel in the air. I have read that if you have chickens then you have marek's. Most adults are impervious to it, because they have most likely already been exposed. There are usually only symptoms for chicks that are less than 24 months, but most of the time adult birds drop dead for no apparent reason, they test positive for Marek's. Is it the Marek's that killed them? Who knows, but the statistics look like yes. So...It is everywhere, and pretty much unavoidable. I just figure that so many out of however many chicks will be affected. I am hoping that through this I will eventually have an impervious flock one day. If in fact breeding 2 resistant birds makes for more resistant chicks on down the line.


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## little farmer (Mar 19, 2013)

So sorry for your loss!!! That's really disappointing. 
My local feed store orders from a hatchery in New Mexico called Privett Hatchery. I'm getting three chicks from them in two days. Think they'll be alright?


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## Bedste (Mar 19, 2013)

OMG I am not an expert..... just sharing the experience I had.  I have never heard of Privatt ...  I love baby chicks.... I have some that are almost 3 weeks old now too...


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## little farmer (Mar 20, 2013)

Yea, I hadn't heard of them either, until I asked my feed store where they get their chicks. I'm on the East Coast, so my chicks are coming from a long way. My Dad was joking that they'll have southern accents.  Oh dad.


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## babsbag (Mar 20, 2013)

Bedste said:
			
		

> OMG I am not an expert..... just sharing the experience I had.  I have never heard of Privatt ...  I love baby chicks.... I have some that are almost 3 weeks old now too...


Our feed store orders from Privatt and they will even order them vaccinated for me. 

But I want to say that Marek's dosn't always have to come from a person, place, or another chicken. Wild birds carry it too. 4 years ago I bought 9 young bantams from a local fancier that babies her flock beyond belief. She has never had Marek's and never vaccinates so no chance of it lurking undetected.

I brought the birds home to a place that had never had chickens, no chickens within a mile or more, and no visitors that had chickens. I do not show and have not been to any shows or fairs. I lost 7 or the 9 to Marek's . Had a necropsy done. No one will ever know where it came from and the breeder's flock was fine. 

Since that time I have had over 100 chickens in and out of my place. (chicken math is wicked) and I have had a few with Mareks, but most do not get it. It seems that the ones the broodies raise never have a problem. I have bought vaccinated and unvaccinated birds and over the course of 4 years I have seen both succomb to Marek's type symptoms. It is a tough disease and there are other diseases that mimic it closely. 

I am sorry you lost all of yours, that must have been hard.


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## littlelambx3 (Mar 25, 2013)

I don't trust store bought animals. From dogs, to chickens, to cats..
All come from bad places usually.


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## Petty (Mar 17, 2014)

Wherever birds congregate is a haven for disease transmission. As a biosecurity measure, you must change you cloth and shoes, take a bath before seeing your flock. You mustn't dispose your shoes, you can just disinfect them.


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