Shipping Chicks- please read!

[bigmike&nan]

I am very sorry for your loss...

Yet I will tell you plainly with rising fuel costs, airlines cutting the number of flights they make daily (due to the pressure of filling planes to maximize profits because of fuel costs) that what used to be really a great value (Priority Mail) is not that good a deal anymore. USPS depends on open space on commercial flights, unlike UPS and FedEx that use their own planes EXCLUSIVELY... USPS does not have a full fleet of planes, thus you get the luck of the draw these days... And with summer travel plans, fewer flights and airlines even canceling flights when planes aren't full, mail doesn't arrive like it used to just last year.

I would suggest you use Express Mail next time - even if the price of the birds is cheap, the extra money should get you the service you need. Heck I'd almost suggest you go pick up the birds yourself if you live close enough...

Again my regrets on your loss


Michael

 

[hinkjc]

I'm pretty sure the USPS uses FedEx to move their live shipments.

Jody

 

[lemurchaser]

I don't think this is the post offices fault. A package was sent as priority mail, with no guarantees, in fact in our post office it says on the wall that priority is 3-5 days. We can't expect special treatment for live animals, if we aren't willing to pay for it. It is a business. While there are kind hearted individuals out there that look out for our babies, it is our responsibility to ship them (or have them shipped) in the appropriate way. I think that is why the post office is complaining. They should create a special handling method (although I'm sure that would be horribly expensive) that is designed for live animals, that will keep an eye on time in transit, temperature and special handling instructions.

I am sorry that it happened though, it is always sad to lose some of your baby chicks. Thanks for the heads up about shipping methods. I think that is a really important aspect of shipping chicks.

 

[jebrab]

I have to say in the PO defense, they called me at 6:00am when the truck dropped the chicks off on Friday....I live out in the middle of nowhere so it is hard to go to a main termial.... I am NOT blaming the PO- I am blaming the hatchery for not doing a better job with their shipping- not only did it take too long, they sent 12 chicks instead of the full 25 chick order- and this happened two weeks in a row. Last week the hatchery didn't even know they had shipped a partial shipment to me....I wasn't even aware that they were coming...only took 3 days last week for the chicks to show up and still I had more than a 50% death rate..too cold at night here to have so few chicks in a box- without even any padding or anything in the bottom...actually think last weeks batch got rained on because the box and them were soaked....

Anyhoo, I didn't mean to cause any kind of stink, just wanted others to think about paying more for shipping to help get them quicker and maybe alive....


This was my first and last experience shipping chicks. I have always raised my own through hatching eggs but wanted welsummer pullets and thought the price between buying and hatching wasn't all that much and I would have pullets....

So, if anyone has a few welsummer eggs for hatching that I could get soon, I would appreciate it!

Thanks,
Jane