Hoover's Hatchery and colder weather

[TLWR]

I know hatcheries have experience and higher min orders when it is colder, but I want to ask anyway...
I'm looking at ordering from Hoover's in Iowa for an early feb ship date. Forecast is 20s for their area and 50s/60s here.
Right now, I'm looking at just 15 chicks, which is their minimum.
What has been your experience with shipping birds when it is colder out?
I know they have a 48 hour live guarantee, but I'd rather not have to be using that, but I'd also like to get my chicks early this year since my girls have been slackers for the last 6 months....

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I haven't ever ordered straight from a Hatchery yet, but I do know during colder seasons, the shipping cost is higher to insure warmth and live birds.

 

[joydix]

I know hatcheries have experience and higher min orders when it is colder, but I want to ask anyway...
I'm looking at ordering from Hoover's in Iowa for an early feb ship date. Forecast is 20s for their area and 50s/60s here.
Right now, I'm looking at just 15 chicks, which is their minimum.
What has been your experience with shipping birds when it is colder out?
I know they have a 48 hour live guarantee, but I'd rather not have to be using that, but I'd also like to get my chicks early this year since my girls have been slackers for the last 6 months....

I’m pretty sure you can order a heat pack and not a big cost…I have gotten a few times during cold months from places that are very cold and except for bantams they do ok….I,would never ship bantams…too fragile, too heart breaking

 

[SueT]

Don’t you have any nearby hatcheries? Shipping would take less time, and weather less of an issue. If you could drive there, even better!
We drove to Cackle Hatchery to pick up our chicks (a 3 hr drive) in Feb. It was icy outside, I was glad to spare them going thru USPS which hasn’t got very good reviews in the past couple years, in fact they’ve intentionally slowed down the mail...

 

[NatJ]

Right now, I'm looking at just 15 chicks, which is their minimum.
What has been your experience with shipping birds when it is colder out?

I have ordered from other hatcheries, although not from Hoovers.

Depending on the weather, hatcheries will sometimes put the chicks in a different size box, or have a different number of ventilation holes in the box.

I do not have experience with really small orders, but quantities of 15 or more chicks seem to do just fine most of the time.

Forecast is 20s for their area and 50s/60s here.

I would not worry about that, especially because the worse temperature is at the hatchery end. That is the part where the hatchery has the most control over how the chicks are handled, and where the Post Office has the most experience with shipping boxes of chicks, so it's the best possible place for the bad weather to occur.

 

[TLWR]

I have ordered from other hatcheries, although not from Hoovers.

Depending on the weather, hatcheries will sometimes put the chicks in a different size box, or have a different number of ventilation holes in the box.

I do not have experience with really small orders, but quantities of 15 or more chicks seem to do just fine most of the time.


I would not worry about that, especially because the worse temperature is at the hatchery end. That is the part where the hatchery has the most control over how the chicks are handled, and where the Post Office has the most experience with shipping boxes of chicks, so it's the best possible place for the bad weather to occur.

Thanks - it puts my mind at ease - hatcheries have been shipping in the cold for eons and if it were problematic, they wouldn't do it and I figure the cold end won't be long, so all should be fine

 

[SueT]

Be sure to update us, let us know how it went!

 

[Krautshumom]

I got my Hoover chicks on the 23rd (20 of them) and the all arrived safe. I’m in Michigan so it’s cold here too.

 

[Jim_1978]

I recently ordered 16 chicks from Hoover's.(6 Bielfelders, 5 assorted Chochins, and 5 assorted colored egg layers) They were to ship on the 19th to Arkansas with an expected arrival of the 21st or 22nd(Saturday). The coldest air of the year moved into Arkansas during that time and I was worried about the chicks being shipped in it. I knew if they didn't make it on Saturday(22nd) it would be Monday before I got them since USPS doesn't deliver in my area on Sunday. Luckily they made it on Saturday, but I had 2 colored egg layers DOA. All my Cochins were teeny tiny chicks along with one of the Bielfelders. I've never raised Cochins before but since they are supposed to grow out to be large birds I expected larger chicks. Except for that one Bielfelder, all the other chicks were twice their size. The teeny tiny Bielfelder and the smallest Cochin could barely stand on their own and really couldn't walk at all. On Sunday, I lost 2 more of the tiny Cochin chicks and on Monday I lost the tiny Bielfelder. All the rest are doing great. I'm sure shipping them so far in that bitter cold weather didn't help things but all the chicks that died were what I would consider inferior chicks. Hoover's did refund me for the lost chicks but due to their 15 chick minimum I can't reorder because I don't want or need that many more chicks. I wish they would lower the minimum chick order to 5 for replacement orders.

 

[NatJ]

I wish they would lower the minimum chick order to 5 for replacement orders.

If they ship 5 chicks, the chicks will ALL arrive dead, unless the hatchery packs them differently and uses a heat pack. And heat packs have to be used right, otherwise they can cook the chicks, or run out and let the chicks get too cold, or they can rattle around and squish the chicks.

Minimum orders of 15 or 25 are based on the idea that chicks produce enough heat to keep each other warm, when there are the right number of chicks in the box. That is usually better for the chicks (another chick is a consistent temperature, while heat packs can be too hot at first and later too cold) as well as cheaper for the hatchery (no heat packs to buy).