Stress in Mail-Order Chicks

Stress in Mail-Order Chicks

Reading Time: 4 minutes

by Rebecca Krebs It’s spring, the season of mail-order chickens. You may be getting started with chickens, or you may be a poultry veteran with your eye on a new rare breed. Either way, you’ve decided to bring some chicks into your life. But you’ve heard the recent horror stories about shipments of chicks arriving dead or so stressed that they die shortly after arrival. How do you ensure that won’t happen to your chicks? You can take several steps to lower the risk of your chicks experiencing shipping stress and save them if they do.

Where to Buy

The first step is to select the best place to order chicks. Besides the business’ reputation, the most crucial factor is how far the chicks must travel to reach you. They will benefit from less travel time and fewer climate variations if they ship from a nearby hatchery. Even better, you can eliminate any shipping stress by picking up chicks from a reputable local breeder. Refrain from buying within a specific region if you find better options elsewhere; be aware that shipping conditions are more unpredictable the farther the chicks travel, even though they usually survive long-distance trips without adverse effects.

Ordering Considerations

Now that you have found a hatchery, it’s time to plan your order. Chicks are vulnerable to exposure and shipping delays caused by harsh weather, but you can prevent this by scheduling them to arrive in a mild season. Mid-March through mid-October is usually a safe time frame in the north, and in the south, avoid hot summer temperatures. The fewer chicks in the shipment, the more cold weather affects them, which is something to remember when purchasing from small-order chicken hatcheries.

How the chicks are shipped is almost as important as when. USPS Priority Mail has been the most common service used to ship live chickens in the United States. No shipping method is immune to delays or rough handling, but Priority Mail Express is the most reliable, generally arriving within three days. Mail-order chickens can handle three days in shipment, though two days is preferable. Casualties are high if they are in transit for more than three days. Still, I recommend paying the extra fee to ship via USPS Priority Mail Express if the hatchery offers that option.

Pre-Arrival

Your order is placed, and you’re eagerly expecting your chicks. While you’re waiting, purchase everything you need to raise them. Set up the brooder and stabilize the temperature under the heat source at 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours before you expect the chicks. Time is of the essence if the chicks arrive stressed, and you want to be prepared when they need help recovering.

Please pick up the chicks immediately when the post office notifies you of their arrival. Keep your vehicle toasty for the ride home, but don’t put the chicks directly in front of the heater.

Reviving Stressed Chicks

Understandably, mail-order chickens are always somewhat stressed by shipping. It is normal for chicks to huddle together in the box and peep loudly. In most cases, they recover soon after you move them into the preheated brooder with warm water (with added chick electrolytes) and food. Gently dip each chick’s beak into the water to help them find it, and you may need to dip their beaks a few times before they get coordinated. After they drink, show them the feed by mimicking a mother hen’s rapid tuk-tuk-tuk food call while sprinkling feed.

Some chicks are inconsolable if they arrive severely stressed, while others are too weak to stand or cheep. They may not open their eyes when handled. If they have been in transit for more than three days, if there are dead chicks in the box, or if the box is damaged, assume the surviving chicks are extremely stressed.

Time is of the essence if the chicks arrive stressed, and you want to be prepared when they need help recovering.

Constant warmth is critical for stressed chicks, and those that arrive shivering or weak from the cold need to be warmed up rapidly. Ten to 15 minutes under the blow dryer does the job. Monitor the temperature by holding your hand at the chicks’ level. They are too hot if they pant.

When chicks are dehydrated and too weak to drink, you can hand-water them with an eyedropper until they are strong enough to drink on their own. Tip back the head, open the beak by gently squeezing the corners of the mouth, place one drop of warm water inside, and allow the chick to swallow. Repeat until you can feel a slight bulge of water in the chick’s crop. Use the same method to hand-feed weak chicks with your fingers or tweezers, dropping one millet-sized piece of food at a time in the back of the mouth. Keep them dry and warm while you work with them.

Eggs are the perfect food to boost stressed chicks’ nutrition for rapid recovery and good early growth. For this reason, I recommend feeding scrambled or boiled eggs to all shipped chicks. Offer one finely chopped, well-cooked egg per 15 standard-breed or 20 Bantam chicks twice daily for a week.

Stressed chicks’ environment should be low-key, and they shouldn’t be unnecessarily picked up or taken out of the brooder. However, they can lose their will to live if they feel abandoned, so spend time mothering them while they stabilize. They thrive on baby talk.

Post-Arrival

Even after chicks begin to recover, monitoring them for stress-related problems that develop several days post-arrival is essential. The most common issue is pasty butt — droppings stick around the vent, potentially preventing waste elimination. Clean chicks in warm water and mild soap and completely dry them with a blow dryer before returning them to the brooder. Grit and probiotics in the diet alleviate pasty butt.

Also, watch for chicks that don’t learn to eat or drink. They cheep grouchily, stand hunched, and run around aimlessly. Reshow them the water and food; if that doesn’t work, try hand watering/feeding until they clue in.

Despite all you do to prevent and alleviate shipping stress, sometimes chicks don’t survive due to uncontrollable circumstances, and you shouldn’t blame yourself. However, you can save many severely stressed chicks and see them grow into strong adults with care and perseverance.

Originally published in the March/April 2023 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.