Eggs in November or December. Again.

[3KillerBs]

I thought I was placing my chick orders nice and early, hoping for April delivery. But Covid Chicken Fever strikes again!

My Ideal order couldn't be shipped before mid-May and my Welp order couldn't be shipped before early June -- unless I left off the Blue Australorps which are my #1 desire to have more of.

That part may be my own fault because I've been telling everyone I know who is interested in chickens how great the Welp Blue Australorps are.

So, instead of new layers starting up in August we'll have them starting up in November and December again.

*sigh*

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The USPS (which I always admired) has been a problem for the last 6 months or so. The chicks I've shipped express have arrived very late. I had a priority mail envelope shipped from New York to Missouri. It left on January 6, made it to Indianapolis 8 days later and took another 8 days to travel the next 250 miles. Pony Express would have cut that time by 70%.
I've talked to a hatchery that expressed problems too but they said live animal shipping has improved.

 

[3KillerBs]

The USPS (which I always admired) has been a problem for the last 6 months or so. The chicks I've shipped express have arrived very late. I had a priority mail envelope shipped from New York to Missouri. It left on January 6, made it to Indianapolis 8 days later and took another 8 days to travel the next 250 miles. Pony Express would have cut that time by 70%.
I've talked to a hatchery that expressed problems too but they said live animal shipping has improved.

The issue is availability of the chicks.

The very nice and helpful lady who contacted me from Welp told me that the Blue Australorps wouldn't be available until June and offered me the option of moving the entire order or subbing something else.

Since the Blue Australorps were my #1 desire I moved the entire order. That made it possible that the Blue Plymouth Tint's *might* not be available, so she let me add a list of backup breeds to substitute in case they weren't available so that my order would be ready to go when the time came no matter what.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Not all hatcheries can produce an unlimited number of breeds and varieties of each breed they offer at demand. When one considers the staff, acreage and buildings it takes for a hatchery to produce tens of thousands of birds of hundreds of breeds/varieties weekly, it is an insurmountable task.
If one gets a rare breed/variety they want, when they want, they should consider themselves lucky.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not all hatcheries can produce an unlimited number of breeds and varieties of each breed they offer at demand. When one considers the staff, acreage and buildings it takes for a hatchery to produce tens of thousands of birds of hundreds of breeds/varieties weekly, it is an insurmountable task.

Yes.

I thought I was ordering my birds nice and early but apparently everyone else ordered even earlier.

The customer service person I was speaking to was WONDERFUL.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yes.

I thought I was ordering my birds nice and early but apparently everyone else ordered even earlier.

The customer service person I was speaking to was WONDERFUL.

I'm sure you ordered in a timely manner. But hatcheries have to plan how many eggs to set a good year in advance, how many productive hens to have in breeding pens and how to parry that with other breeds.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm sure you ordered in a timely manner. But hatcheries have to plan how many eggs to set a good year in advance, how many productive hens to have in breeding pens and how to parry that with other breeds.

Yes.

She explained very nicely about the unanticipated demand and I had no problem with that. In fact, I just posted a thread of public praise for the way they handled the situation in the breeders and hatcheries section.