The First Chick Shipment For This Spring

Tuesday was our very first chick shipment for this season.  We hatch on Monday nights and ship on Tuesday mornings.  Chick shipping day is always a busy, hectic, run myself crazy day.  The first thing I do to get ready is mix up the grow gel.  Each box gets 2 little cups hot glued in the corners to hold the grow gel.  The chicks eat this along the way and it keeps them hydrated during shipment.  Grow gel is mixed with water.

The end product looks like green jell-o salad and the chicks seem to love it.  I was afraid when I first began to use it.  I wasn't sure if the chicks could find it in the box.  After asking customers what they see, it seems the chicks find it just fine and eat it all.  Most hatcheries charge for grow gel, we don't, I think it's just worth it to put it in the box and have healthy chicks arrive at their new home.

 

Grow gel has all the stuff a day old chick needs to start out right, protein, fiber, fat...

 

Then it's time to open the hatcher and start filling boxes with little fuzzy butts.  You wouldn't believe the fluff that goes flying in the air when I open that door.   Each breed has it's own compartment in the hatcher since some breeds can look so similar as chicks.  The chicks in this photo are Blue and Black copper Marans, they can hatch in the same compartment.

 

Each box gets a heat pack in the bottom of the box under the grassy pad.

 

Boxes are filled, weighed and labeled.   Each customer is called and notified that their fuzzy butts are on the way.  That is the funnest phone call I ever get to make, grown men and women act like little kids at Christmas time when you tell them their babies are packed and ready to go. 

 

All packed and ready to head to the post office.  God's speed little fuzzy butts, may you stay warm and safe on your travel.