Please help !

[bluemini]

I have NEVER had an animal shipped before and thought id get chicks from Tractor Supply because we dont have feed stores but I havent had the best of luck there . Anyways I found a hatchery that instead of buying 25 chicks(dont want that many) you just order $25 worth,or so I understood .


Im worried about them not making it,or getting lost in the mail .

Help ?!


Plus I can get a better variety and pick,so I dont end up with a bunch of roosters !

EDIT: sorry,should have been more clear . My question is,which is better to buy from ?

 

[NoseyChickens]

There are hatcheries that let your order smaller amounts like Meyer, or My Pet Chicken. The shipping IS expensive, you can pay extra for sexed chicks so that you are about 90% sure you are getting a female. They usually do alright in the mail. It can take 2-3 days for them to get to you unless you live in or near a larger town and then it's possible you will get them over night. Most hatcheries give you a live arrival guarantee.

 

[bluemini]

Okay thanks, I was looking at Ideal hatchery but will go check those . The shipping cost is the main thing preventing me from ordering

 

[colby318]

www.mypetchicken.com will ship as few as 3 chicks. They will use a heat pack. Just tell your post office when your chicks should arrive. Your phone # will already be on the outside of the box. They will call you when the truck drops them off (6:30am for me) and you go pick them up. It's easy and it's been done for YEARS. There are stories of chicks being lost BUT it is a small minority. Always open the box at the PO. If there are any DOAs the PO will work with you so you can have replacements sent by the hatchery.

 

[bluemini]

Thank you,it says that I have to order at least 7 due to location . Which is fine,just have to pick a final breed and date(if i order there) , which could take some time haha .

www.mypetchicken.com will ship as few as 3 chicks. They will use a heat pack. Just tell your post office when your chicks should arrive. Your phone # will already be on the outside of the box. They will call you when the truck drops them off (6:30am for me) and you go pick them up. It's easy and it's been done for YEARS. There are stories of chicks being lost BUT it is a small minority. Always open the box at the PO. If there are any DOAs the PO will work with you so you can have replacements sent by the hatchery.

 

[bluemini]

I really like meyer . Thanks again for all the help everyone ! Is next month "too early" to purchase? They will be inside for a while.,just wondering though .

 

[Judy]

The concern will be the cold exposure during shipping. My Feb shipment was delayed by the PO a couple of days and about half were lost. The local PO had done their job well; the hangup was in between. This was Texas to Georgia during a relatively cold winter (lows around freezing.) They probably would have been fine without the delay.

One thing that may help: check what day of the week the hatchery ships. If mine had not included a Sunday, when nothing moves, they'd have had a better chance, even with the delay. If I ever mail order again, it will only be from a hatchery that does their shipping Monday and Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday.

But we have a local feed / hardware store who orders a few batches of several varieties, so this is my choice now. They will even order what you want and let you know expected arrival date. TSC orders what they want at the corporate level, and unfortunately the local store doesn't (well, our local ones don't) know in advance what is coming or when.

Good luck:

 

[bluemini]

Yeah , I may see what kinds TSC get first cause im still working on the coop,just wanted to get an idea incase . But if I get them there I have to wait til march,or at least thats usually when they get them . Sorry about your loss :/ Thanks !

The concern will be the cold exposure during shipping. My Feb shipment was delayed by the PO a couple of days and about half were lost. The local PO had done their job well; the hangup was in between. This was Texas to Georgia during a relatively cold winter (lows around freezing.) They probably would have been fine without the delay.

One thing that may help: check what day of the week the hatchery ships. If mine had not included a Sunday, when nothing moves, they'd have had a better chance, even with the delay. If I ever mail order again, it will only be from a hatchery that does their shipping Monday and Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday.

But we have a local feed / hardware store who orders a few batches of several varieties, so this is my choice now. They will even order what you want and let you know expected arrival date. TSC orders what they want at the corporate level, and unfortunately the local store doesn't (well, our local ones don't) know in advance what is coming or when.

Good luck:

 

[2hot2chicken]

Okay thanks, I was looking at Ideal hatchery but will go check those . The shipping cost is the main thing preventing me from ordering

If you don't mind spending the $25 (which can include the very low shipping Ideal charges then I would definatly recommend them! I have ordered from them and gotten very healthy, and almost show quality chicks from them before. USPS even lost my chicks for 2 extra days so my chicks were in transit for 4.5 days! They were very thirsty and tired and cold but were all alive and after a nice long drink and time under heat light they were active and healthy lil fuzzy butts! Their customer service is also great! They were very helpful during the whole USPS thing! And frankly ordering the 14 chicks I ordered it would have cost me more than 3 times the amount due to MPC and Meyer's very high shipping charges! Also doesn't Meyer supply chicks for MPC? Only down side is Ideal only sells strait run bantams and MPC sells them sexed for more $......If that is what you are looking for!

 

[2hot2chicken]

As for ordering in winter the answer is it depends on your order....
If you are planning to only order 3 chicks than I would say hold off till late spring but If you are ordering like 15-20+ then they should be fine. They will help keep each other warm and the hatchery should also include a heat pack for them. I would also say to though to check the route from the hatchery to you..... Is there mountain ranges that could be snowed in and stall your shipping? How is the weather at the hatchery's location and yours? Obviously if its snowing heavily in the closest major town to you then I would wait cause chances are your chicks are probably supposed to go through that town's airport and if its snowed in your chicks will be delayed for who knows how long. There are a lot of factors to think about before placing any orders for live chicks during this time of year.

Good luck with your purchase!