Ideal Hatchery's BIG mistake

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Depends on where you are at?
I would never order chicks until you are at least in an average 70 degree range or better, and the same for all areas between you and the shipper.
There are countless numbers of threads on here with upset buyers of dead chicks and it's all due to cold weather.
I live in south Georgia and still never even think of placing chick orders til Mid March. Hatcheries, dont care about the weather, IF you order, they ship. So if we all dont get too excited and wait til warm weather is here to stay, maybe the hatcheries will get the message and change there ship dates, but in the end, it is the buyers responsiblity to be sure the weather will be cooperative on you expected arrival date.
In other words, if you live in Minnesota, dont buy chicks in January and Feb.
I know the wait is hard, It's killing me now, but it's worth the wait in the end to get LIVE chicks on arrival.

 

[risfawnser67]

That's an awful story. I have ordered from Ideal and although my orders arrived just fine, I dislike their stock. I also ordered from Privett Hatchery in New Mexico - their chicks were MUCH MORE VIGOROUS and grew much faster and larger. My New Jersey Black Giants from Privett are 1/3 larger than Ideal's and much more to type and very friendly. Our Red Broilers were larger, too. We are near Chattanooga and were nervous about ordering from New Mexico, but all was well. I hope some of you all will give Privett a chance...

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

sorry about your chicks. That is terrible.

I ordered from Ideal last spring and all arrived happy and healthy.
My cochin isnt SQ. My Buff Orps are not either. But they are all healthy, happy and very friendly. Audrey overly so

I would have ordered from them again(still may) but I am wanting only a few specific breeds this year and my barn owner is buying them so I can buy what I need from her.

 

[birdsofparadise]

Iʻm a relief postmaster and I wonder how "tracking" would help and why it would "take time to implement". Tracking is available on every priority mail shipment, just pay the extra fees. But by the time anyone knows that there is a problem to "track", the chicks would be dead.

As for your problem, this seems to be another in a growing list of Ideal problems this Spring. Use the search feature in BYC (upper right hand corner of your screen) and enter Ideal Hatchery. If you read all the threads, youʻll learn you are not alone.

 

[pinguin]

Birdsofparadise, I *did* use the search function before placing an order for chicks (in early January). Many, many BYC members are happy customers of Ideal.

You're very right, tracking is poorly implemented by the USPS. Some packages (all priority mail) have tracking updated as they arrive at each facility, while the tracking for others may only update days after arriving at their destinations. On the other hand, shipping notification *does* work. (I send/receive a lot of priority mail packages.)

The point of my post was not to condemn Ideal or to discourage others from ordering from them. It was to urge all hatchery customers to push hatcheries into the 21st century when it comes to shipping notification & tracking. If I'd been notified that my chicks were in their shipping carton, perhaps a phone call could have stopped the shipment & prevented the death of the chicks. But since I didn't know that an error had been made & that the shipment would be a month early . . .

If I lived in an area where there were breeders galore, perhaps I'd not have ordered from a hatchery. But I don't. And TBH, I'm perfectly content with run-of-the-mill birds as long as they're healthy & reasonably productive, as my feed store (hatchery) girls are.

 

[sandyj]

I know Ideal screwed up in sending way earlier than they said, but I can't believe the postal worker just dropped the chicks!! They know what is in the box. Right?!
Also, can it be too hot to ship? As Boggy bottom batams suggested, don't order chicks in Jan or Feb to Minnesota. The problem with MN is ( and probably other states), it can be below freezing one day and the next can be 75 - 80. This can include the months of May and even June. Will heat kill the chicks just as quickly as the cold???

sandyj - Minnesota

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Depends on where you are at?
I would never order chicks until you are at least in an average 70 degree range or better, and the same for all areas between you and the shipper.
There are countless numbers of threads on here with upset buyers of dead chicks and it's all due to cold weather.
I live in south Georgia and still never even think of placing chick orders til Mid March. Hatcheries, dont care about the weather, IF you order, they ship. So if we all dont get too excited and wait til warm weather is here to stay, maybe the hatcheries will get the message and change there ship dates, but in the end, it is the buyers responsiblity to be sure the weather will be cooperative on you expected arrival date.
In other words, if you live in Minnesota, dont buy chicks in January and Feb.
I know the wait is hard, It's killing me now, but it's worth the wait in the end to get LIVE chicks on arrival.

I got my bantams on Feb 23 from Cackle. They put heat pack inside the box.

All arrived alive and healthy, started a riot right away, could not count them untill the day 3 catching them taking a nap. LOL

Everybody wants to get a jump on the season, hatcheries will provide birds early in the season as long as there is demand for birds early in the season.

Can't blame them, use common sense and own judgement when ordering considering your location climate.

 

[pinguin]

I know Ideal screwed up in sending way earlier than they said, but I can't believe the postal worker just dropped the chicks!! They know what is in the box. Right?!

Sandyj, the chicks were dead when they arrived at my local post office. Our carrier is as good as they get--I have never had a complaint about her in all the years she's had our rural route. And the post office *did* call to let me know the chicks were in & asked that I call them before picking up the chicks (to save me the shock). When I didn't call back (because I was out of town), their only option was to leave the box of chicks at my house.

*If* I'd been home and *if* it had taken two days instead of three for the chicks to arrive (which it should have), it might not have mattered that the chicks were shipped early. But that's not what happened.

Obviously, none of us can predict the weather months in advance. Last year, May was very cold & very, very wet here--I was still wearing my down jacket in late May! So ordering chicks for April or May is no guarantee. Also, even the healthiest chicks will take a hit if they're in the postal system too long. When I reordered chicks, it was from a hatchery closer to home to minimize any USPS delays. They should be here in mid-April.​

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
It can be too hot if you are in very hot summer climates, BUT cold is way worse than heat on chicks.
After all, we keep our brooders at 95 degrees for them the first week of life , right? So, it has to be scorching to hurt them.
As for the post from the Cackle customer, YES YES YES, I always use heat packs, even in the summer months, as long as it's not too hot. I wish ALL hatcheries and private sellers would do this, it helps so much and they dont cost but $2 or $3, aint that worth it?
Also, we personally will only ship our chicks by Express Mail , why risk a 3 day trip on the little guys when for another $15 or so, you can send them by Express?
We ship for $40, for a box full of biddies or poults to most anywhere in the country, even Alaska last year.
This includes the shipping box, straw liner and heat pack and the Express hsipping fee.
I wish more places would offer these options to their customers, 1 day verses 2-4 or more, and heat verse no heat? Which way would you rather have your babies treated? Let 'em know about it folks!
Maybe more will change if they know that's the way we want it done.

Bye for now,
Aubrey