Chicks by mail mortality rate

[Cybeckie]

I'm wondering if the higher than normal mortality rates being experienced this year are due to new procedures put in place due to covid. We are considering a mystery box from Meyers Hatchery (which we've ordered from several times and never had a problem) but I may decide not to based on all the problems being experienced by others.

 

[Aapomp831]

I'm wondering if the higher than normal mortality rates being experienced this year are due to new procedures put in place due to covid. We are considering a mystery box from Meyers Hatchery (which we've ordered from several times and never had a problem) but I may decide not to based on all the problems being experienced by others.

Yes. That is precisely the reason why. We were lucky and got ours within the three days but others had delays due to covid and their babies died of starvation... breaks my heart. We decided to do our own hatching this time; I figured the cockerel risk was safer than the desire for all pullets mailed to me and having some of them suffer and die. Sadness

 

[Niki1313]

I had bad luck with the post office this year, ordered 20 delaware chicks, 5 dead on arrival, lost another 8 within 3 days of pickup, tried nutri drench, but had not much luck. They had 4 days of traveling. I believe they got chilled and just couldn't recover. It was below freezing when I went to pick them up at the post office, and they were left outside on the loading dock. That was a month ago, maybe it's gotten better since then.