Chick shipping?

[silverfern]

How do they ship chicks? do they just stuff them in a box and off they go, in the dark box with no food or water and no heat for 3 or 4 days?

 

[ARose4Heaven]

New chicks still have enough of the yolk from the egg in them to provide for their needs for up to 3 days. They are in boxes with ventilation holes...



If you ask, they put in a heat pack with the chicks. If you don't order enough chicks to fill a box, they add packing peanuts (rooster chicks) to keep everybody warm.

 

[GAchick]

Some hatcheries also put in a glob of green gel that will nourish and hydrate the chickies a bit. My Pet Chicken did that when I ordered from them, although I don't know if they actually consumed any...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would not call it stuffing. There is some space in there but they do need a fairly small space so they can keep each other warm from their body heat.

As was mentioned, they get enough from the yolk to easily go three days without food or water. Often they can go longer, but it does get to be a problem if they go too long. You'll find that most arrive within two or three days, so it is usually not a problem, but if you are in a fairly "post office" remote area, it could take longer. It depends on what the shiipping route from the hatchery to you is. Something to avoid. Do not order so they are shipped around a postal holiday. You will notice the posts about shipping problems going up around postal holidays. Also try to avoid shipping them just before a weekend. Some post offices will receive them on a Sunday and call you, but many will not.

Other than shipping delays, a risk is that they get cold during shipping. Some places that ship a very few chickens will put a chemical heat source in the shipping container to help keep them warm, but they charge you pretty good for this service. That is understandable since it is more expensive to them. Other hatcheries have minimum numbers that they ship, usually 15 or 25. This is so their body heat keeps each other warm. Often, they include what are called "packing peanuts". These are extra chicks, usually roosters, that are in there just to provide extra heat. They don't charge you for those, but if you don't want roosters, they can be a problem. How many packing peanuts and whether they are added or not depends on the weather forecast when they ship.

There is another form of "packing peanut". It is not unusual for a chick to die during shipping. Many chicks are not going to make it whether they are shipped or go straight into a brooder. The stress of shipping doesn't hep, but unless you have unusual circumstances, most of these chicks would not have made it anyway. Many hatcheries add an extra chick or two to your order to replace the ones that might die, sort of insurance. This type of packing peanut is just another of what you ordered. It can be male or female.

I prefer to wait until warmer weather to get chicks shipped. There are less risks that way. Many people will be getting them shipped pretty soon and a majority of those shipments will go pretty well, but there is always a risk when dealing with live animals. If you consider how many get shipped and how many have problems, I think they do pretty well. But postal holidays, weekends, and bad weather will cause a spike in the problems.