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It's been quite a while since we ordered any hatchery birds but the key thing seemed to be when you place your order. You don't want them shipping in the freezing cold or the heat of the summer. I think just about all the hatcheries except Sandhill drop ship the poults from either Texas or New Mexico- there must be some big hatcheries there.
With any shipped birds it depends on how they travel, I'm sure being on this board you have heard people getting everything from great healthy poults to boxes of dead and dying ones.
I wouldn't say poults are more fragile per say but they can be touchy. As soon as you get them they will be thirsty so dip each ones beak in water and give them a drink as you take the out of the shipping box (that also gives the the chance to inspect each poult) As Bargin said if you have some chicks that hatch a few days before and are already eating and drinking is a plus- the poults will follow them. If they have had a rough trip you can add vitamins and electrolytes to the water. Most feed stores have a packaged vitamin mix for a couple dollars, we have never used anything else in the water.
Make sure they aren't overcrowded in the brooder, the weaker ones can get pushed aside and "starve out", keep an eye out for ones that always seem on the outside or aren't growing as fast as the others. For brooder temp we let the birds tell us where they want the temp- if they are crowded under the lamp they are cold - on the outer edge to hot. Last but not least turkeys need a higher protien feed than chickens we start ours on a 28% game bird starter.
Hopefully you won't loose any but there is really no way to predict the outcome, there are just to many things involved. If you can order extra, you can always sell the extras and it will give you more to choose from if you want to breed them. Turkeys are very popular around here so it's no problem selling them off.
Steve in NC
