Peep, peep! Help! It's so cold in here. We got put in this box when we were only a few hours old and shipped across the country. Maybe we'll be fine but maybe it'll get too cold and we'll die on the way or shortly after arriving. Wish we didn't have to go until it was warmer inside this delivery truck. Don't you know we can't produce our own heat yet? Remember folks, shipping day old chicks might work out for you in the early months but it might also kill some/all of them. The hatcheries do all they can like double-boxing and heat pads etc. but the fact is that baby chicks are totally subject to their surroundings and the person most responsible for the chicks dying is the person who orders them before outside temps are agreeable. It will work out for you most of the time because chicks are surprisingly tough but don't blame the hatchery or the postal service when your babies show up dead or dying in Jan-March.
Agreed and well said. Though I do think the hatcheries have a responsibility. The fact that they are willing to ship - and this is the business they are in - leads customers to believe they know what they are doing and wouldn't ship if it wasn't safe. If I were a newbie and a hatchery agreed to ship to me in January, I would just think "Well, they're in the business so it must be okay". I think hatcheries should be banned from shipping in the cold months. People who live close enough to them to pick up could continue to do so but shipping would be off limits within certain dates. This would send a strong message to hatcheries that the lives of the chicks matter and to customers that chicks can't be treated like merchandise they can order from Amazon.
Completely agree. We had very mild weather here and it changed drastically 2 days before my shipping date. When I talked to the hatchery they said it would be fine, they'd throw in an extra heat pack and I had to convince them that I couldn't even get to the post office to pick up. Roads are closed. We have over a foot of snow (which is crippling in this area as it's very rare) and temps at 19 below tonight. There is NO WAY that's ok! Much, MUCH thanks to the posters who told me to cancel that order immediately and not ship in the winter ever. I absolutely would have believed the hatchery and they would have absolutely been dead if I could even get there to pick up. Even if your weather isn't bad, it can turn very bad along the way and trust me, if anything had to come through Kentucky en route, it would sit here for days. We are at a total standstill for 3 days now with mail, garbage collection, UPS, everything.
Thank you for posting this reminder, especially for folks who may not have been aware of the risk. Receiving DOA chicks would certainly take a lot of the joy out of what is supposed to be a delightful experience, and it's not fair to the chicks to slowly perish from the elements and lack of water/food.
The farm market where we get our feed, sells chicken on a pre order basis. You order and when the weather allows , chick's are delivered. Seems to be pretty ideal. Though every farm box store has had chick's for 3 weeks and it's currently below 0 :\
I definitely agree that the hatchery shares responsibility. I know there are a lot of folks who simply don't know that just because it's possible to order chicks in the coldest months, doesn't mean it is a good idea. It doesn't take much time for a chick to die of exposure. Good luck everyone with your chicks. I currently have a broody mille fleur and she doesn't seem to pay attention to the cold either.
