Shipping chicks

[Chey1214]

https://www.cacklehatchery.com/availability-chart/. Here’s what’s hatching now

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Thank you, there's still the problem of having to get 3 each though, as I can't handle 40-50 chicks right now. I appreciate the links though

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Murray McMurray is my personal favorite. I’ve ordered from them 5 or 6 times now and should have chicks coming from them in some days. I haven’t had any major problems either.

 

[yakitori]

Yes but you have to get like 3 of each breed and I am only planning to order 5 or 6 chicks

I love cackle too.

if you must have all different breeds, you can probably try mypetchicken.

There’s really no fast and easy way to collect different breeds. I find it most rewarding when I do it slowly and patiently, looking at local craigslist and fb groups etc.

and to answer your original question, yes they ship okay, but always expect deaths on arrival. anything could happen during transit.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I love cackle too.

if you must have all different breeds, you can probably try mypetchicken.

There’s really no fast and easy way to collect different breeds. I find it most rewarding when I do it slowly and patiently, looking at local craigslist and fb groups etc.

and to answer your original question, yes they ship okay, but always expect deaths on arrival. anything could happen during transit.

Thank you, I'll look at mpc

 

[RisingPhoenixFarms]

Mt Healthy is my go to hatchery. I live in Oregon so they're shipped clear across the country and haven't had a loss yet.

 

[homesteaderwannabe]

I ordered from Hoover's Hatchery through the mail this spring and my little chicks came just as planned and did really great. No pasty butt and no issues. However, I live in South Dakota and their hatchery is in Iowa, so pretty close to where I live. They have a minimum order of 15, however. And, the weather was reasonable.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I want to order some chicks soon but it's my first time. Do chicks ship ok?

When they hatch the chicks absorb what is left of the yolk. A healthy chick that hatched properly can live off of that yolk for over 72 hours. They do not need to eat or drink for over 72 hours. That's why they can be mailed. Postal requirements are that the chicks be sorted, packaged, and delivered for shipment within 24 hours of hatch. Under normal conditions the shipping destination should be reached within 48 hours of shipping. The 24 hours plus 48 hours equals 72 hours, so if things go according to plan the chicks should arrive before they need to eat or drink. The people at the hatchery that do the sorting and packaging should not ship any chicks that don't seem healthy. They should arrive with extremely low or no mortality. I have never had a dead chick when they arrived.

People can make mistakes, but what comes out of the hatchery is usually in really good shape. Then the post office has to transport them. A lot of the chicks are flown so airline companies are involved. Again people are involved so mistakes can be made but most of the time this goes pretty smoothy. Where you tend to run into problems are when they encounter delays. Flights are sometimes cancelled or delayed so connections are missed. Nobody can control tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, severe thunderstorms, floods, things like that. But you can't predict the weather when you are placing your order. But try to pick a time of the year where these things are less likely. Also, try to not order on post office holidays. You'll notice complaints on delivery go up around holidays. Also, when the post office calls to come get your chicks, go get them. Don't be part of the problem yourself.

 

[jpalmatier83]

When they hatch the chicks absorb what is left of the yolk. A healthy chick that hatched properly can live off of that yolk for over 72 hours. They do not need to eat or drink for over 72 hours. That's why they can be mailed. Postal requirements are that the chicks be sorted, packaged, and delivered for shipment within 24 hours of hatch. Under normal conditions the shipping destination should be reached within 48 hours of shipping. The 24 hours plus 48 hours equals 72 hours, so if things go according to plan the chicks should arrive before they need to eat or drink. The people at the hatchery that do the sorting and packaging should not ship any chicks that don't seem healthy. They should arrive with extremely low or no mortality. I have never had a dead chick when they arrived.

People can make mistakes, but what comes out of the hatchery is usually in really good shape. Then the post office has to transport them. A lot of the chicks are flown so airline companies are involved. Again people are involved so mistakes can be made but most of the time this goes pretty smoothy. Where you tend to run into problems are when they encounter delays. Flights are sometimes cancelled or delayed so connections are missed. Nobody can control tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, severe thunderstorms, floods, things like that. But you can't predict the weather when you are placing your order. But try to pick a time of the year where these things are less likely. Also, try to not order on post office holidays. You'll notice complaints on delivery go up around holidays. Also, when the post office calls to come get your chicks, go get them. Don't be part of the problem yourself.

The biggest issue I’ve had is group orders where I depend on others to pick up the birds from the post office.

When I make plans, go to the post office early on the day of delivery, and pick them up myself I have little to no losses. Like ridgerunner said, don’t be part of the problem yourself.

Also, I never worried about the weather. The vehicles hauling and the post office are climate controlled. Th box spends very little time exposed to weather. IMO, more important to quickly retrieve the birds and get them in the brooder with food/water.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Thank you both!