Is anyone else having issues with the USPS and dead chicks?

[Genevajones]

Hmm, I'll have to look. I don't recall it giving me the option of changing shipping speed, but I can look. It was shipped 2 day priority.

Define priority.

 

[HoneyNestAcres]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Ugh that pisses me off so much. They are living creatures! They should be treated with more care than what they are. And there should definitely be better policies in place for them. I live right outside of Athens, OH so I know the feeling. I was calling the hatchery and the post office to make sure I knew where they were so I could get them ASAP. I was pretty lucky all of mine arrived in good condition. I ordered from Mt. Healthy.
Maybe you can call and pay extra for a different shipping method. That would be the best bet. Or maybe have them refund you and order from somewhere else. Makes my stomach hurt that the carelessness of USPS has killed almost 60 baby chicks.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Here in the South we have recently experienced temps close to zero degrees F.

In The-Middle-of-Nowhere-Ohio I would expect temperatures to be even lower than zero.

Actually 0F is about -18°C. Or much too cold imho to be shipping small numbers of delicate baby chicks.

 

[kar0427]

Here in the South we have recently experienced temps close to zero degrees F.

Kentucky has been as much as 20 below in the past weeks, plus getting slammed with a foot of snow. I cancelled my order that was due during that time and reordered for mid-April delivery, but considering we're due another 6-10 inches tonight and dropping back to the teens, I'm starting to wonder about that lol!
It's not only the cold that's a problem with USPS shipping, it's the possibility of delays along the way due to road conditions. It's just not worth it to me.

 

[SimplyLogan]

Priority is not a two day guarantee. I had the argument with the postal service over a delayed shipment and they informed me of this. They said express guaranteed is the only one way to get there on time. I did notice some hatcheries offer express mail but most do not. Shipping has also gotten worse with all the USPS branches closing over the last few years. My mother lives in Arkansas near Fayetteville. She has had packages get to Fayetteville then ship back to somewhere in Missouri before ever coming back to her. We are still scratching our heads on that one. And her post office does not even offer guaranteed express mail. Said not available for her at all. Any my mail is not the most reliable. I was afraid so I ordered mine later in the year, and then picked someone close to me.

I had recently read a thread where the person was 6 hours away and it took something like two days (18 hours) on the road to get to their location via USPS.

And yes, there have been many threads this year talking about DOA chicks. Not a good year for shipping for sure. I hope they are not reshipping ASAP, and they are waiting a little further out. The next front is going thru now and it looks pretty bad.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am hoping for better weather for you.
There are a lot of folks getting boxes that should be making noise and are sadly silent.
I think the hatcheries are kind of stuck as well since they have them set to hatch and there is a narrow window in which they can ship and even have a chance of making it alive.

The PO will not ship express with chicks is what I was told when I called a hatchery to order. I then told them that I would drive the 900+ miles to pick them up and was told that they have been shipping chicks for bla bla bla bla. < long schpeel about how they ship and that is the best way and such.
I got irritated and did not order.
Heck if I was willing to make the drive and allow them to not guarantee them since I picked them up what the heck should they care if I "wasted my gas".

 

[happyappy]

I received my order from Myer hatchery 2 weeks ago in freezing Pa temps and all 16 of my chicks arrived via express mail, alive and peeping. They were packed with extra bedding and a heat pack. The little cuties are all happy and healthy. They have been THE BEST hatchery I have ordered from.

 

[SimplyLogan]

I received my order from Myer hatchery 2 weeks ago in freezing Pa temps and all 16 of my chicks arrived via express mail, alive and peeping. They were packed with extra bedding and a heat pack. The little cuties are all happy and healthy. They have been THE BEST hatchery I have ordered from.

Good to hear, I ordered from them for the first time this year. I am hoping for a successful shipment. I did wait for a little warmer weather for my order to ship.

 

[chickenWill]

Y'all got me worried bout my Brahmas now lol...shipped out today from mt healthy hatchery...say 1-2 days to post office here...praying for a good result

 

[song of joy]

It sounds like the problem with chick fatalities was probably two-fold: 1) the hatchery used priority rather than express shipping, and 2) the cold February weather made shipping very risky.

I'm in central PA, and I've ordered from Ideal Hatchery in Texas and from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio. In both cases, the orders arrived the day after they were shipped, so I'm assuming they used express shipping. All of my orders have been handled by the USPS and there haven't been any fatalities so far, but I've always ordered between April and June. I dread the day when I have to face shipping-related fatalities, as I'm sure it will be heart-breaking.