Postmaster took chicks home

[Dharmachick]

My chicks arrived 2 days early at the post office. The tracking said Friday, they arrived Wed. 1 day after hatching. The post office left increasingly nasty messages for me but I didn't get them yesterday, and looked up the tracking today to see if they were coming today and saw that they had been picked up yesterday. Not by me or any of my family. According to the law, written on the USPS website, chicks must be delivered within 72 hours of hatching which would have been Friday. The last time I had chicks delivered the postmaster left really nasty messages about the chicks being hungry and thirsty when they were only 24 hours old. I was having emergency surgery on my spinal cord.

I know I am an ass for not checking my messages yesterday, but I thought they would arrive Thursday instead of Friday, but no, they came Wednesday. I can't believe the postmaster took them home! That is against the law! The babies weren't in danger any more than if they had been delivered on the original delivery date! I printed out the postal law for shipping chicks, and will get an attorney because this is a felony on her part. I am so angry I could spit! I live in a very small town and if they were that concerned, they could have told the mail carrier to stop by. Anyway, I won't be ordering any more chicks by mail. They hold my eggs too, when I didn't ask them to and leave a slip in my mailbox. The mail doesn't get her until 5 or 6 pm so I have to wait an extra day to pick up eggs that I didn't ask to be held. I'm just ranting.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I've heard countless stories both in person and online this year of chicks dying in the mail. One warehouse in particular had more than 700 baby chicks die over a three day weekend. It's a pretty horrendous practice and a very horrible way to die

It sounds like the postmaster acted out of compassion. Perhaps you could simply speak to her and get your chickens. The law is broken when it's a felony to save baby animals from dying

 

[TexasBlues]

Excellent response

 

[DemeterAD9]

That sucks, I would be livid but at the same time I understand why they did it. What hatchery did you buy from? Check their rules, I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that if a shipment of chicks is not picked up the same day (and unable to contact the recipient) the post office is legally able to rehome them.

This is what I found on Meyer website: "Poultry must be picked up from the Post Office promptly. Orders that are not picked up within 8 hours of arrival at the Post Office, forfeit Meyer Hatchery’s 48-Hour Livability Policy. Additionally, due to their perishable nature, the Post Office reserves the right to rehome live poultry left at the Post Office overnight and no refund or reshipment will be available to you."

Depending on the situation, I would likely have taken them home too but still try to contact the owner and get them where they need to be. I would have given it 3 days of no contact before saying "guess they're mine now". Sounds to me there was already some not so friendly conversations you both had with each other and the postmaster is just being spiteful this time. Have you tried talking to him/her to get the chicks back?

I could not find on the USPS website where it says what happens to unclaimed live animal shipments. And I hear you about the post office leaving a slip saying they "missed" me being home (I was literally downstairs, car in the drive) and they made me go pick up an order of fish. But I've had Fedex do the same darn thing, that time I was washing dishes and they didn't even knock on the door, just left a slip in the OPEN GARAGE. That same driver came back the next day and lied to my face, then continued to be a flirt. I might have told him off if I wasn't home alone at the time. The nerve of some people

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sounds like a matter for Postmaster General. Maybe take the tack that it was very thoughtful and kind of the local PM to take YOUR chicks home to care for them TEMPORARILY while you were having EMERGENCY SURGERY when they were delivered TWO DAYS early, especially since it is a breach of PO protocol, but now you would appreciate them being returned to you at the earliest. Maybe offer to pay the local for her feed/ expenses.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

is what I found on Meyer website: "Poultry must be picked up from the Post Office promptly. Orders that are not picked up within 8 hours of arrival at the Post Office, forfeit Meyer Hatchery’s 48-Hour Livability Policy. Additionally, due to their perishable nature, the Post Office reserves the right to rehome live poultry left at the Post Office overnight and no refund or reshipment will be available to you."

Well shoot. Yeah this kinda changes everything.

 

[The Moonshiner]

With so many chicks dying in the mail this year I would in no way be mad about this.
I mean they did call and leave several messages and got no response from you. I would be grateful that the PO worker was caring enough to try to be a help. Maybe they felt bringing them home would be a better option than leaving them unattended in the post office overnight.
For real I cannot wrap my head around the idea of contacting an attorney over this.

 

[Dharmachick]

I've heard countless stories both in person and online this year of chicks dying in the mail. One warehouse in particular had more than 700 baby chicks die over a three day weekend. It's a pretty horrendous practice and a very horrible way to die

It sounds like the postmaster acted out of compassion. Perhaps you could simply speak to her and get your chickens. The law is broken when it's a felony to save baby animals from dying

They were 24 hours old when they hit the post office. If they had arrived Friday, when they were projected to arrive, none of this would have happened. I would have picked up my chicks and everyone would have been happy even though by picking them up today, it is a day sooner.

 

[Dharmachick]

With so many chicks dying in the mail this year I would in no way be mad about this.
I mean they did call and leave several messages and got no response from you. I would be grateful that the PO worker was caring enough to try to be a help. Maybe they felt bringing them home would be a better option than leaving them unattended in the post office overnight.
For real I cannot wrap my head around the idea of contacting an attorney over this.

Because she gets angry when chicks come through the mail. Her job is NOT to have an opinion, it's to follow the law. The chicks are robust and healthy and were 30 hours old when I picked them up. I want an attorney because she holds my eggs without my permission and leaves nasty messages. The post office can dispatch the chicks 72 hours from hatch by law.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

post office can dispatch the chicks 72 hours from hatch by law.

What do you mean "dispatch"? Destroy???