Meyer Hatchery - how quick?

[jshreck]

Any update on your chicks Kurt? Mine are still somewhere between Cleveland and Whoknowswhere... I'm hoping I don't become one of those lost by way of Cleveland most chicks DOA stories :/

 

[KurtG]

As of 5:30 this morning, USPS still shows they are outbound from Cleveland. Starting to sound like an expensive box of DOA Marans.Hoping just the USPS tracking info is bad and that i get a call this morning.

 

[jshreck]

Just got the call from my PO- they're in. No tracking updates came through till 5:30 this morning - guess it did take them 32 hours to get from Cleveland to Madison, sad. Here's to hoping you get the same call and all our chicks are alive!

 

[jtn42248]

Just got the call from my PO- they're in. No tracking updates came through till 5:30 this morning - guess it did take them 32 hours to get from Cleveland to Madison, sad. Here's to hoping you get the same call and all our chicks are alive!

The postal service has been shutting down and consolidating sorting centers all over the country. It is really impacting the shipment of live animals. I live 300 miles from the Ideal Poultry hatchery. It used to be an overnight shipment for a chick order with them. Since the postal service did their thing here in West Texas it is now a two to three day shipment. So I have to plan my orders more carefully to take into consideration the weather and other issues.

 

[KurtG]

They did arrive with no shipping update. 2 doa, 4 iffy, 9 look good. Feeding them scrambled egg seemed to perk the 4 up, here's hoping they all make it now that they are under heat.

 

[jshreck]

Yikes. Sorry about your 2 DOA's Hope they weren't your Marans. I lost one, I'm pretty sure one of my Easter Eggers, my 2 Marans seem to be accounted foe. Everyone else looks great- tired and parched but healthy. I hope your 4 pull through. I don't think I'll ever mail order chicks again, this has been more stressful than I imagined.

 

[KurtG]

I have not had chicks since I was a kid. I think no tracking back then was a lot less stressful. All 15 of mine were Marans pullets. I lost a blue splash and a black copper. Still keeping an eye on the rest. I ordered extras for this reason, but it doesnt make it any easier. Glad to here your shipment faired as well given both ours were off the grid out of Cleveland for so long.

 

[fried green eggs]

The Post Office needs a better system for shipping live animals and the tracking system needs improving. Their big sorting hubs and tracking is fine for parcels as long as they don't have live animals in the boxes. Basically the shorter the distant the better chance you have with shipping chicks but Spring shipments are tough because you don't know when you place your order what the weather will be like when they ship. Last year I drove 5 hours - each way, to pick up chicks I had ordered from Meyers. I figured I would have dead chicks if, they went via the PO because it was too cold even with a heat pack.

 

[lizzychick]

My 15 chicks mailed out from Meyer the same day as yours. I was not so lucky. Not one update on the usps tracking. It never changed from the original notification that a parcel was incoming the usps from Meyer. I got the call from the post office Tuesday afternoon about 430pm.....we have your silent box, no signs of life. 15 dead little biddies. I'm giving Meyer another chance, knowing weather and handling by usps workers is always a crapshoot, either it's great or its terrible.

 

[jshreck]

My 15 chicks mailed out from Meyer the same day as yours. I was not so lucky. Not one update on the usps tracking. It never changed from the original notification that a parcel was incoming the usps from Meyer. I got the call from the post office Tuesday afternoon about 430pm.....we have your silent box, no signs of life. 15 dead little biddies. I'm giving Meyer another chance, knowing weather and handling by usps workers is always a crapshoot, either it's great or its terrible.

How heartbreaking, I'm so sorry you lost them all. I agree there are many external factors that are out of Meyer's hands. I also believe some chicks are born more hearty and able to handle the stress of shipping, others are more fragile-- I hope you have better luck this time around Lizzy.