Is it safe to mail-order chicks?

[blueshirt8876]

There is an online hatchery called "Meyer Hatchery". Most mail-order chicks have a min. order of 25 so they will stay warm, but Meyer Hatchery has a min. order of 3! Is this safe to order less then 25. I'm thinking of ordering 10 Easter Eggers from this hatchery, but is it safe?

 

[chicklover16]

of course! ten chicks can create just as much body heat for each other as 25 can. They will snuggle up against each other and keep perfectly warm and cozy.

 

[gryeyes]

The hatchery MAY add "packing peanut" chicks, usually cockerels (baby roosters) for extra body heat. Or, they may add small heat packs to the box. Or, 10 chicks may be enough for the Hatchery to believe they will be warm enough for the trip. Check with 'em to see what they do in your case.

 

[kittycooks]

I have ordered all my chicks from My Pet Chicken. They add a heat pack and you can order as few as 3 in areas with metropolitan mail delivery, but I've heard with Rural you may have to order up to 7. I have never lost any chicks due to shipping. My postal workers are always so excited to bring me my new chicks!

 

[Bob W [FL]]

See my result with 10 chicks in the thread below.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/634481/success-with-shipping

 

[SIMZ]

I ordered 10 chicks from Meyer Hatchery (Polk, Ohio) last fall and the chicks were fine. I have another order place with them to come in May because I love that I can order small amounts.

 

[ToledoClucker]

I ordered 6 chicks from Meyer Hatchery 2 weeks ago to the day. They were shipped in a small container, with packing material secured all around them and a large heat pack in the middle. The P.O. called me immediately upon arrival, at which time I immediately picked them up and brought them home. I am now the proud owner of: 2 - Buff Orpington, 1 - Barred Rock, 1 - Silver-Laced Wyandotte, 1 - Red Sexlink (?), and 1 - Black Australorp (?), all healthy and starting to feather out. The birds were shipped as promised, and Meyer Hatchery even provides a direct link to the USPS Tracking Page where you can "watch" your chicks as they travel on their journey from Hatchery to Home. Highly reccomend.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have ordered from Meyer Hatchery twice, and it is one of the few where you can order 4-24 chickens instead of 25 minimum. They do not send packing peanuts with small orders, but put heat packs in. You will pay higher shipping for small orders because of heat pack and extra packaging. You pay very low shipping on 25, so it is nearly the same cost to order 25 than it is a handful of chicks. Each 5 chicks more you order, the shipping decreases up to 25. MyPetChicken I have heard gets some of their chickens from Meyer since MPC is not a hatchery but a "middle man."

 

[Gvnam]

Mail ordered mine from Southern Farm Hatchery during the fall and they all came alive. And it was a small order of 5.

 

[SIMZ]

The shipping cost is definitely a factor when you order just a few chicks. Although, if you simply can't have more than a few then it's a great option. It's also a good option if you want more expensive rare breeds, of which Meyer offers several. In that case, the cost of more birds quickly overtakes what you might save on shipping. I did that math when I was ordering Black Copper Marans from Meyer, and decided $35 on shipping was a lot better than explaining 25 more chicks and a $225 bill to my husband!