Murray order received DOA

[MikelJohn]

This is always sad. I'm sure the hatchery will make this good! Wish you the best!

 

[newchickowner]

I'm sorry for your loss Barb. Hopefully you'll receive a full batch of healthy chicks when the weather warms up!


I don't want to bash any hatcheries, and I don't order from hatcheries at all, but wouldn't it be good business for the hatchery to check the weather theirselves and inform customers when the weather is bad, that they will not ship in bad conditions to prevent DOA's from happening? If I were running a hatchery I would do that. I realize they get paid for shipping as many as possible, but when the entire batch is DOA they loose money having to reship to repay the customer. Not to mention that it's inhumane to ship babies in bad weather and have them all freeze to death, or die of starvation and lack of water. Just a thought.

 

[MikelJohn]

I agree with you new chick owner. They should wait to ship if it's going to be too cold! I worried about my replacements getting here today or tomorrow and it was 32 outside when I woke up!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I do not see how that would be possible.

The chicks are HATCHED, and they can only be shipped AS DAY-OLDS. They can't go back into the eggs <g> and they can't sit on the shelf til the weather breaks. If they do not go into the mail, where do they go? (Well, you pretty much know where they go, they go to the same quick gruesome ends as any other 'surplus' chicks, such as excess males)

As someone else pointed out in I think it was another current thread on this subject, it is no use people calling a week before their hatch date and cancelling b/c of weather -- the eggs are already being incubated.

It's not like shipping any other kind of merchandise, not even most other live animals -- with day-old chicks, the die is cast three weeks or so BEFORE the mail truck ever arrives to pick them up.


Pat

 

[newchickowner]

This is the reason I didn't want to bash hatcheries, I don't know the process because I've never ordered from one. I didn't know if or why it's so important to ship at a day old. If I ordered a batch and the weather turned too bad to ship them in, it wouldn't matter to me if they arrived on their 2nd day of life on this planet or their 2nd week as long as they got to me safely and healthy. But maybe it's more important to some to have them sooner. I just didn't know how it was done is all. No biggie.

 

[MikelJohn]

there is pros and cons. It's sad that they can't all make it. I guess thats the facts of life. I'm not bashing a hatchery neither. I know they have a big job.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
The reason they have to be shipped right away is because the remains of the yolk sac will get them thru the first 3 days without needing to eat or drink; after that, because there is no way of feeding and watering them during their time in transit, they are stuck.

So it is not a matter of convenience, it is the ONLY way to ship chicks... hitting that brief window of opportunity by mailing them within 24 hrs of hatching.


Pat

 

[MikelJohn]

Quote:
The reason they have to be shipped right away is because the remains of the yolk sac will get them thru the first 3 days without needing to eat or drink; after that, because there is no way of feeding and watering them during their time in transit, they are stuck.

So it is not a matter of convenience, it is the ONLY way to ship chicks... hitting that brief window of opportunity by mailing them within 24 hrs of hatching.


Pat

Thanks so much for good information. I learned something.

 

[jjthink]

I guess in a perfect world, hatcheries wouldn't hatch in winter or summer but only in spring and fall and they would diversify their business operations to sell other things during those risky seasons. But that's a pipe dream and I know it. JJ

 

[newchickowner]

newchickowner wrote:
This is the reason I didn't want to bash hatcheries <snip> didn't know if or why it's so important to ship at a day old.

The reason they have to be shipped right away is because the remains of the yolk sac will get them thru the first 3 days without needing to eat or drink; after that, because there is no way of feeding and watering them during their time in transit, they are stuck.

So it is not a matter of convenience, it is the ONLY way to ship chicks... hitting that brief window of opportunity by mailing them within 24 hrs of hatching.


Pat

Ok then, I see why now. I didn't think about the yolk sac! Duh. I understand, thanks for the info.​