Never get chicks from chicken show or feed stores

[pridegoethb4thefall]

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.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

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.

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.

 

[Symphony]

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.

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.

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.

 

[cuteincamo]

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.

 

[boykin2010]

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

 

[Bedste]

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...

 

[Missnu01]

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.

 

[little farmer]

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?

 

[Bedste]

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...

 

[little farmer]

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.