6 out of 25 DOA. :( And a couple of questions ...

[DouglasPeeps]

I am sorry for the loss of your chicks.

Did you call your postoffice before they shipped to tell them they were coming? I always call as a heads up. I have picked up chicks on President's Day at my postoffice. Though they don't deliver mail on those days, there are people working. They just told me to come to the back door to pick them up. I might consider talking with them.

Hope the rest of your little peepers do well!

 

[the_eagle69]

Sorry for your loss But #1 call MM Now telll thelm of your loss and when recived mine hatch sat night and shiped sunday arived this morning with kinda the same results most ppl got there chicks on tuesday #2 mail does move on holidays and weekend even when local post office is closed #3 wonder what part of va you are in and if the problem may be in one of the larger hubs. The one chick you are talking about i would guess is a free one they add in the last few orders i have elected not to get that one (i want my chicks for breeding and production) not looks good luck and do call MM as soon as you can they are very good about handeling this or have been in the past with us.

 

[magsrags]

Ouch!!! Poor little guys. I feel for you!

 

[havi]

First off I want to say Im sorry about your loss.

Its always so hard losing babies like that.

Even though there was no mail delivered Monday, mail was still moving. There is always people at the post office and mail trucks running. I ordered from Ideal and they were shipped out Monday and I recieved them yesterday.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Call them. Express your anger in a gentle way and tell them about your losses and concerns. McMurray is an old and honored establishment. They will make it up to you. By the way, chicks hatch is 21 days and you can be assured they know that too. Somebody goofed.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm sorry for your losses.

I've had chicks in transit that long or longer, without losses. That makes me think it may have had more to do with the fact that it's the middle of winter. When you order chicks in the middle of winter, there are a lot more losses. You see it on the forum this time of year, every year. That's just the way it is. I like to wait until spring to get chicks shipped and it works out much better.

Whenever I have anything live shipped through the mail, whether it's chicks, fish or plants, I look at what the temperatures are where they're being shipped from, as well as where I'm at. I don't like to have them shipped in freezing weather. I also don't like to have them shipped when it's really hot. That can cause losses, also. Although lots of times it works out in worse weather, I just don't like to gamble like that.

 

[Scratchn By]

I lost all my Mcmurray chicks. DOA = 36... You can probably find my old thread. I was mad a them also, but you know it's out of their hands once they get into the hands of the USPS.

Funny thing... I asked the USPS for the shipment info and there was a huge gap of two days in the shipping chronological account. They left McMurray and were shipped the same day, but when they arrived in Coppel, TX the info was not there as to what happened for two days until I got them. The USPS deals with so many packages. They don't care if it's live poultry or a box of books. It all gets thrown around and left in the cold.

I truely think the account of my chicks shipment was deleted by a postal worker that realized they were all dead.

Who knows?

The losers are the chicks... And Mcmurray who lost money on the deal.

GL

 

[Four Acre Bliss]

Okay THANK YOU for the tip about grinding the food. Because they were hanging out around the food tray and pecking, I thought they were eating, but I went in after I read your post and really looked, and they were dropping more than they were eating. So I gave them a tray I ground by hand and it was GONE in minutes. They were hungry!

Is it safe to put chicken feed in the food processor? Grinding by hand (mortar/pestle) is really hard and messy.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
I put mine in the blender. A food processor should work just fine too.

 

[halo]

Quote:
Ill play the devils advocate here. Not to defend McMurray, but from Saturday afternoon to to Tuesday afternoon is 3 days, not 4. Every time Ive ordered chicks from McMurray, I havent gotten them until Tuesday. Every Single Time. Ive lost a couple, but Ive ordered a lot, so I dont consider the loss excessive. Its not McMurrays fault that Im 3 days delivery time from them. Your issue is not with McMurray, its with ordering chicks in the dead of winter. I live in Florida, and I wouldnt order chicks in February. You can assume McMurray knows what they are doing, because they do. If you are willing to take the chance on ordering chicks this time of year, they will ship them to you. Thats your choice, not theirs.