Not Guanateeing Live Chicks

[Oregon Blues]

I don't ship chicks because I don't want to guarantee they will arrive alive after the post office does it's brutal thing with the package.

So now I am wondering how many small breeders ship live chicks but do not give a live chick guarantee on the birds? I know the general public should be trained to know that hatching eggs are a gamble. But with the hatcheries all giving live chick guarantees, will the buyers accept the risk on shipping day old birds from a small hobby breeder? Or will they be seriously ticked off when the post office kills chicks and the breeder won't replace them?

 

[purelypoultry]

I think you will find that those who recieve their chicks deceased will be very upset.

 

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
x2

 

[hdowden]

depends on the person who ordered. i have read several different breeders dont guarentee live chicks. buying live chicks is just as risky as buying buying eggs to me

 

[thekid]

Quote:
X2

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Exactly

I put in a post a day or so ago that I personally do not, I'm sure this is where that came from.
But here's the deal.

1) I only ship Express so the package is insured for the normal Postal damage that may occur.
2) I tell ALL my buyers up front, I personally do not promise anything on arrival, but go the extra mile to be sure they are fat ,healthy chicks when they leave here, and have well exceeded NORMAL chick shipping methods. IF THEY cant not except this, they dont buy. Period. If you tell them up front of the risk and they order anyway...well Same deal as eggs.
There's no promise something wont happen, .
3) They are all told to inspect the chicks at the P.O. in front of a postal worker. With Express, if there's a dead loss they can file a claim on the loss right then and there If they choose to do so.
In most cases, they will cover them being day olds. THEY WILL NOT COVER ANY OVER A DAY OLD.


All that being said. It is fully explained to all who buy. Been doing it this way for years and NEVER once had an upset customer. On average, I may loose a dozen or so threw an entire year, this is out of several thousand. Have had years with 0 (ZERO) loss in shipping. Did have one crushed box once. They filed a claim and got a full refund and we reshipped for them.

All depends on how hard you try to do right. If you throw 6-8 chicks in a box and send it Priority all the way across country in February, well you arent trying too hard. Express mail, heat packs, follow postal codes for proper date and time labeling on the boxes for insurance reasons, Tell them to wait til it is warm in their area to order, then you are showing you care.

Personally, I do this to pay the feed bill, not to make promises on stuff that's out of my control. There's no difference on a chick or an egg when it comes to shipping. There are risk involved. Personally I dont make a million dollars a year to have a refund policy like hatcheries do. I also am not selling hatchery stock! All my stuff are rarer breeds and colors. I do not sell adults very much. If I raise them up I keep them for breeders . So, if they want it, I give them every possible way to be covered, but do not and can not cover them at my expense.

This is all explained with every order. Never once had a customer walk away because of it. So basically, it kinda boils down to hatchery stock with a guarantee , OR high end, breeder/ show quality stock of rarer breeds and colors with an Express mail coverage on damage.

Most will understand and go on with it with no problems at all. If you take the time to explain it.

If they get mad about that policy, trust me, you dont want to deal with them anyway. People have to differentiate between a private breeder who has NO obligations to sell to anyone if they dont want to. And that of a massive business who you are just a Monday number to get out of the way.

All depends on what you want, back yard birds, go hatchery. Good show potential birds, go breeder and understand where they are coming from.

I order from breeders every year, Never once has one had an arrive alive guarantee. Thing is, theirs always get here alive anyway...same cant be said for hatchery birds

Hope that helps a bit

You can buy a rare breed or color from me and have a cheap way to get what you have been dying to get with no guarentees, or try to find it in the fall, pay $60-$100 in shipping for just a few birds and pay up to several hundred dollars for the birds. You'll have less in 20 chicks than you wil in having 1 adult pair shipped to you. So, even if you do loos a couple....well you still came out good in the long run.

 

[cashdl]

I spent $200.00 on 21 chicks a couple of weeks ago from a breeder. I live in a tiny town and the post office decided to not open on a saturday. I went to the post office anyway and waited out front till a delivery trk arrived, then talked the driver into letting me get my chicks. 5 were dead and of the 5, 4 were tufted. So I was beyond dissappointed. However, it is not the breeders fault. She did everything in her power to get them to me. Sometimes bad things happen and there is no one to point the finger at. We all need to learn to deal with it. Would I have loved free chicks to replace them. Sure, but why should I get them. It wasn't the breeders fault I live in a small town. Why should the breeder be out money for something that wasn't her fault.

You may say " It's not your fault either". True, but I know going in that I would possibly loose a few in shipping. I took the chance any way.

They are too many things that can happen when they leave the breeders hands.

Lanae

 

[lotzahenz]

When I ship chicks, I always add extra. If the order is for 20 chicks, I always ship 25 with insurance (day olds). That way if a few casualties occur, the buyer is hopefully not disappointed. I think making your buyer feel like they got what they paid for and just a little bit extra is the key to keeping them happy. Do your best, it's all you can do.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
good point, I forgot to add that, I do the same thing when available. I always set several extras with an order, if they all hatch, they all go.

and cashdl,

if more people had your attitude, this would be a lot smoother trade. No, it would be neither parties fault that's correct. With the Express mail in a case like this, the party at fault ( the PO for not being open) would have had to pay for the loss. But at times no it's not their fault either, cold weather, or several other things may be the cause. It's not as risky as say hatching eggs, but you git the nail on the head, it's still not a sure fire way to get them, still has risk... This is why I always inform my buyers of this UPFRONT too.
It's still a way cheaper method than buying and shipping adults. In a lot of cases, and box of 4-6 adult banatms will cost more just to ship than a full total cost of a box of chicks

 

[BlazeJester]

You will have a much lower failure rate if you refuse to ship in the dead of winter. People get impulsive and do things like expect 20 chicks to arrive peeping in Montana after the first snowstorm of the year. Stupid is stupid, but you don't have to go along with it. Requiring LARGE orders (25+) or throwing in heat packs or 5 extra may make it difficult/expensive for you, but those kids are supposed to have 80+ degree brooders at this stage. Make of that what you will with temperatures in the teens.