Yes, chickens can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.
that can receive overnight (1 day) Express Mail deliveries from you.
Newly hatched chicks and ducklings/goslings can be sent priority mail (2 days). You will need to talk to the person who handles Express mail at your post office and make sure that he/she can schedule it for you. They have to
be sure that the box will get to the airport, fly to the recipients area, and be trucked to the post office for pick up or home delivery..... all within the 1 day/overnight parameters.
As for cost.... it is expensive.... count on at least $35 shipping for a single box, depending on the destination and the weight. You can estimate the cost at the USPS Rate Calculator site which will also give you an estimate as to when the package would be delivered (next day or 2 days).
(
http://postcalc.usps.gov/ ) Add up the weight of the size box you will use plus the weight of the chicken(s), plus some extra for shavings/hay and a piece of fruit. Put in the fruit so that the bird has something to eat that contains water/fluid.
In addition to the shipping charges, you will need to buy a special shipping box
with biofilters (required for shipping all birds except newly hatched chicks, ducklings, and goslings. Horizon (formerly PetPorts.com) now at
http://www.hm-e.net/ makes biofilter protected boxes for shipping "lives". Some feed stores carry a few. If you are shipping more than one bird, you can tape up to three single boxes together to cut down on the costs or put them in a larger box if they wont fight. A single box will hold one adult stantard chicken or two bantams if they arent too big.
The USPS now contracts with Fed Ex for a lot of the Express mail, and there have been a lot of complaints that Fed Ex doesnt seem to know what "overnight" means when it comes to shipping live animals. It took nearly 3 days for my box of geese to arrive in CA from TX. Somehow, they had spent an extra night in TX and then a night in Memphis (!!) before finally making it to the wrong airport in CA!
Chel
