Texas

[TexasLisa]

hi im raised in Austin Tx been city girl til 6 months ago i moved in Creedmoor very country i blend in.. i got 6 hens and one rooster first time to have chickens.. whatever i need help or feedback i would come down to typing on forum

thank you for warming welcome and i m looking forward to learning more things have a great day and stay warm!

Welcome from Rosenberg! You will be glad you are in the country. All that 'stress' will roll off of you and you can enjoy your animals and country living.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Thank you so much for replying! I completely understand the chicken math!!

Do you remember if your chicks arrived overnight or if it was more like 2 days after being shipped?

It drives me nuts that they don't give you a tracking number. I do realize USPS tracking isn't updated regularly, however at least it's something I can obsessively check.

I would have ordered less, however even MPC requires larger minimums during the winter time.

I will definatly be a pest at the post office. I am sure that my local post office has probably RARELY, if ever dealt with live chick shipments.

Not overnight - two day shipment. Yes, you can track it.

I have a very good post office where I know the folks. I tell them to call me when it arrives and hold for pick up - MPC should put your number on the package, but I give the USPS my number anyway. I get up really early and check the tracking the day they are expected. Warning that sometimes tracking will make you think they are there when they are at the local sorting station instead. My post office calls me when they arrive AT the post office itself and are ready to pick up (usually in the morning). Unlike eggs, most post office folks understand the need to get a box that is peeping to you carefully and quickly - and they are often anxious for you to come get it already...

My post office thinks I'm the crazy chicken lady...

- Ant Farm

Edit to add: Go in person ahead of time to talk to the post office (best during a non-busy time), rather than calling...

 

[kajira]

Not overnight - two day shipment. Yes, you can track it.

I have a very good post office where I know the folks. I tell them to call me when it arrives and hold for pick up - MPC should put your number on the package, but I give the USPS my number anyway. I get up really early and check the tracking the day they are expected. Warning that sometimes tracking will make you think they are there when they are at the local sorting station instead. My post office calls me when they arrive AT the post office itself and are ready to pick up (usually in the morning). Unlike eggs, most post office folks understand the need to get a box that is peeping to you carefully and quickly - and they are often anxious for you to come get it already...

My post office thinks I'm the crazy chicken lady...

- Ant Farm

Edit to add: Go in person ahead of time to talk to the post office (best during a non-busy time), rather than calling...

My post office also calls me at like 6am whenever I get anything.

Someone at my old address got a batch of live shipping eggs, and they just threw the package on the front door and it destroyed all eggs. scrambled them. I got 1 to hatch out of the 2 dozen in that batch

The lady who got the package FREAKED out because it said "LIVE ANIMALS" on the box... she woke her husband up screaming at him "WHAT DID YOU BUY" before he pointed out they needed to call us because our package got sent to our old address. LOL

 

[Nksg75]

Ok, thanks for all the help.
I will harass the post office the week of shipment!!
When I picked up several boxes of hatching eggs from there before, the fool tossed the package on the desk even after I told her to be careful, there is hatching eggs inside. It was clearly labeled all over the box. I got 4 packages at one time, and all 4 times this lady tossed each and every box. I basically lost it, and said a few choice words.
I guess I will have to play nice this time around.

One more question:
One day i got a slip in my mailbox that I had package . I went to the post office early the next morning to pick it up . The door to the package pick up was closed and said it did not open until 8 AM . They didn't open the door until close to 8:30 am. People were ringing the bell and knocking like crazy. I could hear the employees laughing and joking in tha back. They really didn't care that we needed our packages.
When your chicks arrive, do they allow you to get the chicks before the opening time?


On MPC website it states that they won't be able to have the tracking until it's considered late. Basically what I get from it is that blah, blah, blah, we have too many neurotic chicken people calling us, asking about their chicks, so don't call until 5 pm on Thursday.

Here it is directly from the website:

Q: What if my chick package is late?
A: Please notify us Thursday if your package has not arrived by then--but do not notify us before Thursday. The US postal service is very good about handling baby chick deliveries, and they are rarely late! In fact, we only have losses about 1% of the time. A package is late only if it does not arrive by Thursday afternoon. If your package has not arrived by then, its tracking number will have been associated with the individual orders in the hatching facility's system, so on Thursday we will be able to track down individual packages should there be the rare problem. We cannot provide tracking numbers earlier than Thursdays.

We do understand how exciting receiving baby chicks is; we understand that you want to know where your package might be in transit. However, in most cases the USPS doesn't update tracking information often enough to be helpful, as their priority is to get the babies to you as smoothly and quickly as possible. Because we My-Pet-Chicken-people all value pet chickens personally, it's important that we concentrate any tracking efforts on packages that are actually late. In the rare instance that a package is misdirected, we have never failed to find someone locally to adopt the babies. Their safe journey is our top priority, so please allow us to dedicate our time and attention where it is most needed. Thank you for understanding.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I honestly think it totally depends on your post office...

 

[Ren2014]

Ok, thanks for all the help.
I will harass the post office the week of shipment!!
When I picked up several boxes of hatching eggs from there before, the fool tossed the package on the desk even after I told her to be careful, there is hatching eggs inside. It was clearly labeled all over the box. I got 4 packages at one time, and all 4 times this lady tossed each and every box. I basically lost it, and said a few choice words.
I guess I will have to play nice this time around.

One more question:
One day i got a slip in my mailbox that I had package . I went to the post office early the next morning to pick it up . The door to the package pick up was closed and said it did not open until 8 AM . They didn't open the door until close to 8:30 am. People were ringing the bell and knocking like crazy. I could hear the employees laughing and joking in tha back. They really didn't care that we needed our packages.
When your chicks arrive, do they allow you to get the chicks before the opening time?


On MPC website it states that they won't be able to have the tracking until it's considered late. Basically what I get from it is that blah, blah, blah, we have too many neurotic chicken people calling us, asking about their chicks, so don't call until 5 pm on Thursday.

Here it is directly from the website:

Q: What if my chick package is late?
A: Please notify us Thursday if your package has not arrived by then--but do not notify us before Thursday. The US postal service is very good about handling baby chick deliveries, and they are rarely late! In fact, we only have losses about 1% of the time. A package is late only if it does not arrive by Thursday afternoon. If your package has not arrived by then, its tracking number will have been associated with the individual orders in the hatching facility's system, so on Thursday we will be able to track down individual packages should there be the rare problem. We cannot provide tracking numbers earlier than Thursdays.

We do understand how exciting receiving baby chicks is; we understand that you want to know where your package might be in transit. However, in most cases the USPS doesn't update tracking information often enough to be helpful, as their priority is to get the babies to you as smoothly and quickly as possible. Because we My-Pet-Chicken-people all value pet chickens personally, it's important that we concentrate any tracking efforts on packages that are actually late. In the rare instance that a package is misdirected, we have never failed to find someone locally to adopt the babies. Their safe journey is our top priority, so please allow us to dedicate our time and attention where it is most needed. Thank you for understanding.

Our post office always calls first thing in the morning like around 6. I think it's a law that they have to notify you when the box is marked "live animals." Definitely let them know ahead of time when your shipment is expected and make sure they have your phone number. Don't always count on the shipper putting your number on the box.

I honestly think it totally depends on your post office...

x2

 

[PearlTheDuck]

Hello all.

I was wondering if anyone here has Welsh Harlequin and/or Ancona ducks? And how did you get them? I'm ordering from ideal poultry and they don't carry them, and I don't want to order out of state, are there any farms that sell them around Waco?

 

[Kiki]

Ok, thanks for all the help.
I will harass the post office the week of shipment!!
When I picked up several boxes of hatching eggs from there before, the fool tossed the package on the desk even after I told her to be careful, there is hatching eggs inside. It was clearly labeled all over the box. I got 4 packages at one time, and all 4 times this lady tossed each and every box. I basically lost it, and said a few choice words.
I guess I will have to play nice this time around.

One more question:
One day i got a slip in my mailbox that I had package . I went to the post office early the next morning to pick it up . The door to the package pick up was closed and said it did not open until 8 AM . They didn't open the door until close to 8:30 am. People were ringing the bell and knocking like crazy. I could hear the employees laughing and joking in tha back. They really didn't care that we needed our packages.
When your chicks arrive, do they allow you to get the chicks before the opening time?


On MPC website it states that they won't be able to have the tracking until it's considered late. Basically what I get from it is that blah, blah, blah, we have too many neurotic chicken people calling us, asking about their chicks, so don't call until 5 pm on Thursday.

Here it is directly from the website:

Q: What if my chick package is late?
A: Please notify us Thursday if your package has not arrived by then--but do not notify us before Thursday. The US postal service is very good about handling baby chick deliveries, and they are rarely late! In fact, we only have losses about 1% of the time. A package is late only if it does not arrive by Thursday afternoon. If your package has not arrived by then, its tracking number will have been associated with the individual orders in the hatching facility's system, so on Thursday we will be able to track down individual packages should there be the rare problem. We cannot provide tracking numbers earlier than Thursdays.

We do understand how exciting receiving baby chicks is; we understand that you want to know where your package might be in transit. However, in most cases the USPS doesn't update tracking information often enough to be helpful, as their priority is to get the babies to you as smoothly and quickly as possible. Because we My-Pet-Chicken-people all value pet chickens personally, it's important that we concentrate any tracking efforts on packages that are actually late. In the rare instance that a package is misdirected, we have never failed to find someone locally to adopt the babies. Their safe journey is our top priority, so please allow us to dedicate our time and attention where it is most needed. Thank you for understanding.

Hello!

I live in the Houston area....from my numerous times ordering chicks I'd have to say...
DO NOT TRUST the PO to call you (Never have I rec'd a call)
Just show up at the time the sign says they open to pick them up.

 

[Kiki]

I honestly think it totally depends on your post office...

True..
There is NO LAW that they MUST call you.

Let's face it.....do you really thing the PO workers care about your package? Heck no...

(Sorry this is a sore subject for me...I HATE my PO)

 

[Ren2014]

Hello all.

I was wondering if anyone here has Welsh Harlequin and/or Ancona ducks? And how did you get them? I'm ordering from ideal poultry and they don't carry them, and I don't want to order out of state, are there any farms that sell them around Waco?

I ordered WH eggs on Ebay and hatched 3. I only have one left.

Metzer Farms might have them or try Cackle Hatchery