Shipping grown birds versus chicks

[texas_chick]

Would shipping grown birds be 'safer' than shipping chicks?
I mean for those of us that can only keep very few chickens.
I am thinking of trying to get an older bird and just read on here that the post office still ships grown birds (not just day-old-chicks).
Maybe grown birds would be less risky?

 

[English Chick]

Quote:
I think anything live bird wise should be shipped via courier and not the post office......quick reliable and your more likely to receive live birds/chicks.... (The Pony Express for chickens........)

 

[Katy]

Shipping adult birds is very expensive.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I believe the only way you can ship a bird in the US is by the postal service.

You must know that even the large adult birds get lost sometimes, or delayed and die, or even die from the stress a few days after a successful delivery. They're always shipped express, but even that is not guaranteed.

Get to know the person you are buying the bird from, if at all possible. Check around and see if anyone else has feedback on them.

I've received shipped started and adult birds. So far I've not had a problem but I'm on pins and needles the whole time. Even after the bird is in my hands, I am watching it like a hawk for any signs of distress.

It's a great way to get started breeding stock, without having to risk a batch of hatching eggs or day olds.

You just have to weigh the risks and either go for it or not. Please don't forget to quarantine them when they arrive!

 

[texas_chick]

do we have chicken couriers here in the us?

 

[texas_chick]

Cuban,

how are they quarantined? Like how far apart would they have to be?
And how old do young chickens have to be to be safely housed with older chickens?

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
They need to be quarantined in an area separate from your flock. Read up on biosecurity measures, that'll help you know what to do. The USDA website and your state agriculture department's website should have tips.

As far as mingling young chickens with older ones, you're messing with the pecking order so don't expect things will be "nice". Make sure the younger birds are around the same size as the older ones before you introduce them. Some folks have other methods, but I place them on the roosts at night and check on them in the morning, then periodically during the day to make sure no one has been seriously hurt.

I had it easy though, the breeds I brought in are in their own pens to keep them pure.