We hit a bit of a snapfoo with the chicks. To start from the beginning, we decided to order through a local hardware store in hopes to avoid some of the issues that came with day old chicks – mostly dead arrivals and the nail biting of setting up day olds – in order to save me some sanity as Vaughn dictates my schedule right now.
When we called to place an order for our speckled sussexes, in mid March, we were told two weeks. Nothing was said about the store having to sell out of what they had first.
I called at the end of March. The order hadn’t been placed, but they were looking to place the order in the next few days and the chicks would be in around mid April.
Mid April comes, and we have no word from the hardware store. I call them and am told that they won’t be placing the order until the 28th. They will be in on the 29th. We call on the 29th and are told the chicks will be a day late. Nothing is mentioned about a hatching calendar and how speckled sussexes are a “speciality” under the hatchery that they order from.
Car troubles arise and we’re stuck with Joe having to jet out directly from work, drive close to 45 minutes to the hardware store while eating dinner in the car, only to find out the the 8 speckled sussexes that we had specifically ordered back in mid March are not there. There are no speckled sussexes are all. Nada. He’s given some run around by the assistant manager and comes home ripped. I don’t blame him. I was pretty peeved off myself.
Come to find out, apparently there’s a calendar that they have in the store of when speckled sussexes are available. Oh, and they also don’t place specialty orders unless they’re out of chicks at the store.
We ended up getting 8 Araucunas. This is the first and last time we try to work with this specific hardware store for chicks.
