Postal System lost my chicks

[ChooksChick]

I'm really sorry you lost some chicks. I'm glad it looks like the others are doing well- be very grateful for that!

I ship and receive birds often- mostly ship.

For the first time, I'm having issues with a live shipment, and they've misplaced a box with four adult hens. RARE hens. I had a box shipped from California to Texas at the same time, and it arrived without any issues...my box has disappeared. It still says it's in the original sorting facility. I've called all over the earth and can't get anyone to really help and not pass the buck, except one gal I'm on hold with right now at FedEx, because apparently the problem occurred at the handoff to the FedEx subcontract carrier from the USPS hub. I'm sooooo distraught. These were guaranteed for noon on Wednesday. I'm not sure if they'll make it alive...certainly not if they don't get water soon.

Pray for my birdies??

 

[halo]

I can't believe they shipped 2 week old chicks. I didnt think the Post Office would even accept chicks of that age.

 

[Micki]

Oh no! You are living my nightmare too. That is exactly what happened to mine. They went to one shipping hub. There were two boxes of chicks, one going to TX, one to me near St. Louis. They were shipped from Wisconsin. The folks in TX got their chicks fine. Mine "somehow" wound up being shipped to the wrong hub, also in WI. They held my birds there for over 24 hours!!!! THEN, instead of sending them back to the breeder right there in WI, they sent them on down to St. Louis! How stupid was that? And my phone number was written in BIG numbers with a sharpie marker on the outside of the box, and it said to call this number when the chicks reached their destination! Why did no one call me when the package was routed wrong? Those chicks did not have to starve and die of dehydration! I am praying for your birds. Let us know if they come through ok!

 

[joanie_maine]

There was no tracking number????

 

[ChooksChick]

There was no tracking number????

The USPS tracking number is only scanned and used in the USPS system. When they hand them off to FedEx (subcontracted for all air freight) they are supposed to be assigned a separate number for use only in the FedEx system, then they resume tracking with the USPS number when they hit the receiving hub in the USPS system. Unfortunately, this box either is sitting in the USPS sorting facility and no one knows it, or they were picked up by FedEx and no corresponding FedEx tracking number was ever assigned so there's no manifest reflecting their existence. Seriously beside myself. This one lady has been helping me and calling offices from FedEx Corporate for...1:29:37 according to my phone. She has devoted an hour and a half while everyone else so far has taken scant info and not bothered to call me back. I wish I'd gotten her two days ago.

 

[Micki]

I am praying they make it ok. Mine were lost for 24 hours and then they just "suddenly" turned up in St. Louis.

About shipping 2 week old chicks - apparently this is done all the time with no problems. I know that this breeder really cares about his birds. If they had arrived when they were supposed to, all would have been well. These are bantams (Nankins), and I'm guessing that they ship better when they are a little older than if they were day olds. The package was one of those more expensive ones that I've seen in chicken magazines. It had a heat pack in it and plenty of shredded newspaper on the bottom. The dead chicks show no sign of injury. Again, I strongly feel that the breeder did nothing wrong. Someone at the USPS was negligent and that's why these birds died.

 

[equi]

Postal service as in they were mailed? Would you not have to have a courier service for live animals?

I personally don't agree with posting animals, but that's me.

 

[ChooksChick]

Postal service as in they were mailed? Would you not have to have a courier service for live animals?

I personally don't agree with posting animals, but that's me.

There is an entire arm of the PO that deals with this and generally they are handled completely differently from other packages including a courier who travels on each FedEx flight with animals, and manifests that track animals, grouped by type of animal. There are failings in any system, and I was the anomaly this time.

Micki was the anomaly before me. There are literally MILLIONS of chicks and chickens shipped in the US each year.

 

[tristancolli]

Postal service as in they were mailed? Would you not have to have a courier service for live animals?

I personally don't agree with posting animals, but that's me.

I totally agrre with not posting animals. But I dont know whats its like in the states but I had an order go missing and never got them and i just went after the PS here and i got the cost of the chicks and the shipping costs.

 

[equi]

I still don't understand though, when you say ps do you mean they literally went into the post office and said "heres some chickens, post them first class to balbalbla"?? Is that legal??