Second order from McMurray, DEAD

[horseshowmomnv]

How do you pick up shipments on Sunday? Is the main office open on Sunday?
I don't even know where the main office would be for us. Ron picked them up in Woodland.

Kim

I called our small satellite PO branch, they gave me the number for the plant (sorting facility). I talked with the managers secretary, she gave me all the inside numbers. I then called McMurray told them I wanted them shipped to the main plant, gave them the postal code. The plant always sorts on Sundays, so they called me and told me the chicks were there. I went to the lobby called the back and they brought them up. This seemed to be a common thing for them. It took a little foot work on my part but the end result was healthy chicks. I was nervous they would get lost in the change of plans... but it all worked out for us. Your own sort facility (main plant) may not be so local as mine.

 

[ronott1]

the "safe" arrival of chicks relies upon 3 people
1: the hatchery
2: the PO
3: the buyer
all 3 of these things have to go right.they all have to think of the weather.
the hatchery has to take down an address-if you write ship to N Dakota and its Feb-just think a minute
the PO can take a little Care and realize they are living creatures
the Buyer can check the weather to and from and see if it will be OK.
wouldn't it be great for all,people and chickies,if the hatcheries could google the buyer address and the weather route would pop up.
but until then it is just best to wait till April.

Thanks for keeping this post alive!

As far as I know, the Chicks were in San Francisco last night (that's several hours away from me). In my original post I compared this experience to my experience last year with Cackle. Same route through CA. Although now that I think about it, shipments may go through Yuba City this year while last year they may have gone though West Sacramento, which is a bit closer.

I talked to a Service Rep and asked for a tracking number so that I could keep tabs on the Chicks. She said I would get one, but that it would do me no good. I had a Business Law class in College and they taught us about a thing called the Reasonable Man standard. So did I do what a Reasonable Man would do? Given my experience with Cackle last year I think I did. Did McMurray? I think it would have been reasonable to put a heat pack in with the Chicks like Cackle did last year. Yes, if Cackle had SG Dorkings I would get them from there in an instant. I would have paid extra for a heat pack, but McMurray does not think they need one and one is not offered.

Also, if getting the Post Office to work better with me was an option, why did McMurray not tell me to try that? I left work and picked up the chicks within 1.5 hours of getting the notice. Of course, getting the chicks earlier would not help if they were left in an un heated truck in Yuba City. That is what a Heat pack is for. Also, the McMurray Box was not the same as the Cackle box.

Still say don't get chicks from McMurray until they get this figured out. Trying to keep my chicks alive is killing my back today.

Watch your chicks--Make sure you give them water with electrolytes. We continued to lose chicks for three days last time.

 

[dinahmoe]

ron,
sorry you are having to go thru this.
i did it once and was a nervous wreck.i can 't handle it again.i buy eggs to hatch.

edited to add that the 1 time i ordered was thru cackle and our local feed store.my 6 are still here 1.5 later but it was alot warmer when i ordered.

hatcheries should communicate better and realize where they are going and help keep track to see if they made it but they have so many chicks and alot of money to make.

 

[critters]

I too have been upset with McMurray only to re-think and realize that the late and or dead chick orders were not their fault BUT the postal people!!

I had ordered chicks from McMurray and they all arrived late and dead as well....McMurray sent a replacement order and they arrived on time, the day promised with
only 2 dead and 4 very weak BUT the company refunded my loss and the chicks I do still have are all beautiful, healthy and full of energy.....

i ordered guineas last season with healthy keets on that order too....

if you can order from a hatchery close to you it might help and keep in mind the current weather conditions between you and the hatchery that you do order frrom
as those babies are at the mercy of the weather and the postal people and they don't care about the babies....their jobs is to get the package to you and heck with whats inside...

so sorry about your bad experience....I currently have Cochins ( blue, black, silver laced, partridge and whites) and Sultans babies that are 10 days old from McMurray...soooo cute!

 

[ronott1]

ron,
sorry you are having to go thru this.
i did it once and was a nervous wreck.i can 't handle it again.i buy eggs to hatch.
edited to add that the 1 time i ordered was thru cackle and our local feed store.my 6 are still here 1.5 later but it was alot warmer when i ordered.
hatcheries should communicate better and realize where they are going and help keep track to see if they made it but they have so many chicks and alot of money to make.

Thanks dinahmoe!

I have SG Dorking eggs coming from Washington State Which is closer to CA. They should be close to Show Quality.

Ron

 

[Anna_MN]

I have personally been to the MN distribution center and they keep the facility at 80 degrees. My order shipped on a holiday weekend and the manager keeps the chicks in his office with the heat cranked up to save as many as he can. All of my chicks lived because of him. Just goes to show there are SOME good people in the postal system that care about our feather babies!

I ordered chicks to share with a local breeder. She breeds Dorkings and I wanted a couple of those and and some Partridge Rocks. The first order was delivered on Feb 14th because of the Holiday. With the ones that were dead at the post office and the ones that died over two days, we lost 15 out of 25.

I debated if we should get a refund or try to replace the ones we lost. We decided to get a replacement shipment and it came today. All but one of the eight Dorkings were dead at the Post Office. The one surviving chick might not make it. There were five Partridge Rocks in the order and they are still alive but one of them wants to die. It keeps wandering off from the heat light and I have not seen it drink water on it's own. My prediction is that two of the Partridge Rocks will Die.

I am making them drink water with Save a Chick in it every 30 min. or so. I did revive three of the Packing Roosters, but I expect two of the three of them to Die too.

Last February I bought a five pack of Black Australorps from Cackle. They shipped them on a Monday--none of this weird weekend stuff(weekends have weekend workers so not the regular guys and gals). They also sent them in a shorter box with straw on top as well as the sides. They also included a 72 hour heat pack. I don't see that McMurray offers this. They should have put a heat pack in the box, especially after the losses last week.

Tracking showed the box in San Francisco last night. So, they could have been left out in the cold in Minnesota or SF. And like others here I don't know if the problem is with McMurray or the Post Office. My take on it is don't get chicks from them if you live on the West Coast.

I will wait to see what the total dead chicks is and get a refund from McMurray. Customer Customer Service is great from them, but I can't take the dead Chicks

I will stick with incubating my eggs from now on....

 

[onthefarmchicks]

I think it has something to do with the Dorkings and more than just weather and shipping.

My first shipment a couple weeks ago from MMcm lost almost all 15 dorking pullets. Most of those in the first 24-36 hours. Did loose 4 other out of 35 of mixed breeds.

A week later I received cockerels and replacement pullets and in 24 hours have already lost 7 dorkings and none of the 50 plus other breeds.

What else could it be other then weather and shipping? It really appears to me to be concentrated in the dorkings at a high rate of death.

 

[ronott1]

I think it has something to do with the Dorkings and more than just weather and shipping.

My first shipment a couple weeks ago from MMcm lost almost all 15 dorking pullets. Most of those in the first 24-36 hours. Did loose 4 other out of 35 of mixed breeds.

A week later I received cockerels and replacement pullets and in 24 hours have already lost 7 dorkings and none of the 50 plus other breeds.

What else could it be other then weather and shipping? It really appears to me to be concentrated in the dorkings at a high rate of death.

Thanks for posting!

We have lost 8 out of 22 Dorkings in the first order and then 8 out of 8 in the second order. We lost 5 out of 7 Partridge Rocks in the first order and so far we have lost 2 out of 4 in the second order.

We have lost 6 packing roosters so far. I heard from a BYC member that had 13 out of 30 chicks dead on delivery with more dying today. I don't know what Breed they are.

What I think--just a guess and an opinion--is that the Post Office has changed something this year due to budget cuts. It would be nice if McMurray would offer to add a heat pack and give us an option to use Express Mail instead of Priority. I would be willing to pay extra for that. My chicks hatched on Friday the 124th at 1700 hours and were shipped that evening. Based on when they left San Francisco, the probably made it to Woodland at Midnight. I picked them up at 10:15 Monday Morning. Well within 72 hours, so a 72 hour heat pack would have kept them warm.

I will be calling them tomorrow for a refund.

 

[ronott1]

Ok, the final death total on the second shipment is in. All 8 Dorkings dead. One made it to about 8:30 Tuesday the 28th. All five of the packing roosters are dead. One of the Partridge Rocks is dead. The rest of the Partridge Rocks are hanging in. All of them had bad pasty butt yesterday so they got a washing. I also gave them a hard boiled egg and tonight I will check them over and and give them some plain yogurt. That make 14 dead out of 12 chicks ordered, counting the packing roosters.

So I think the chicks were killed by the delay between Woodland and San Francisco. It looks like it took more than a day to get to Woodland. They were probably placed outside until 4:24am on Monday morning. It did get below freezing that day.

McMurray should have put a heat pack in with them.

Delivered, February 27, 2012, 10:14 am, WOODLAND, CA 95776

Notice Left, February 27, 2012, 10:07 am, WOODLAND, CA 95776

Out for Delivery, February 27, 2012, 8:49 am, WOODLAND, CA 95695

Sorting Complete, February 27, 2012, 8:39 am, WOODLAND, CA 95695

Arrival at Post Office, February 27, 2012, 4:24 am, WOODLAND, CA 95695

Depart USPS Sort Facility, February 25, 2012, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94125

Processed through USPS Sort Facility, February 25, 2012, 4:35 pm, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94125

Electronic Shipping Info Received, February 25, 2012

Shipment Accepted, February 25, 2012, 4:23 am, SAINT PAUL, MN 55111

 

[yinzerchick]

Oh my, such sad stories! I'm expecting my second order from MM on or about 3/19 and I'm worried sick now. My first order arrived with all 26 chicks peeping and healthy. Didn't loose a single one, in fact, a year later they're all still doing well except for 2 that were lost to predators.
I'm going to be frantic now, I can't bear to think of recieving a box of dead peeps!

I have to go to ourmain post office office branch to pick them up, so if the box isn't peeping I'm not even taking it!