The post office is killing my babies!

[LVchicks]

Im outside SA. My chicks shipped Wednesday afternoon and I picked them up at 6 AM Thursday. I got mine from Ideal. I culled one BO that was crossbeaked bit the other 25 are 4 weeks old and thriving. How healthy they are in the long term and how they lay remains to be seen.
I hhave BO, BR, Lorps, RIR and EE.

 

[Deerling]

I called and asked specifically for a heat pack, maybe you could try that?

 

[Moni]

I ordered from Cackle Hatchery and my 30 Japanese Bantams arrived 30 DOA. No heat pack no extra bedding nothing. TERRIBLE!! Last year I order 30 Japanese from Murray Mcmurray and 28 turned out to be roosters. I know straight run is what it is... BUT REALLY??? Never again hatchery!!!. I ended up buying 7 bantam hens that are 5 months old from a local man for $56. They are not all Japs but i got EE's and Cochins as well. I could not ask to be any happier than I am now!!!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

One thing you've got to consider is the weather between the hatchery and your state. That isn't the POs fault and is likely the cause for the shipping delay. I've ordered from Ideal (in Feb, got lucky the weather was decent) and McMurray (April), both batches arrived in great condition. This time of year, its best to order from a hatchery as close as possible or go with TSC. I had planned to go to TS tomorrow since their bantams are due to arrive. Lo and behold, its calling for 12-16" of snow tomorrow- I hope their babies make it alright!!! Good luck with your replacements!
Nikki

 

[kentuckygirl1]

I have many times made the decision to order from a hatchery and every single time..... I don't! I just dont like the idea of the babies being in a box for 2-3 days with no food or water or heat. No matter where you live they need heat! I always have bought from feed stores and although I am not crazy about how tractor supply puts all babies in one bin with a picture of alot of breeds so who knows what they could turn out to be. Atleast they are alive and I bring them home straight to the heat lamp and feed and water. Just my opinion about mail order. I like going and picking mine up from the feed store and picking which ones I want right then. I pray your babies arrive in the morning alive.

 

[AngieO]

I have many times made the decision to order from a hatchery and every single time..... I don't! I just dont like the idea of the babies being in a box for 2-3 days with no food or water or heat. No matter where you live they need heat! I always have bought from feed stores and although I am not crazy about how tractor supply puts all babies in one bin with a picture of alot of breeds so who knows what they could turn out to be. Atleast they are alive and I bring them home straight to the heat lamp and feed and water. Just my opinion about mail order. I like going and picking mine up from the feed store and picking which ones I want right then. I pray your babies arrive in the morning alive.

TSC orders their chicks from hatcheries. I am not sure if they all order from the same one, but I know ours here locally gets theirs in usually on Wednesday or Thursday.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

TSC orders their chicks from hatcheries. I am not sure if they all order from the same one, but I know ours here locally gets theirs in usually on Wednesday or Thursday.

Right. So, unless you can buy direct from a breeder, the chicks spend *some* time in a box being shipped.
I don't have a problem buying from TSC or a local feed store, in fact, I'm happy to do so, they just don't usually have the breeds I'm after.

 

[lizanne]

It's not the Post Office's fault. It gets super cold in the bottom of an airplane. That's why most hatcheries will only ship 25+ chicks at a time until April. Express mail is overnight. They ship it out today, you get it by noon tomorrow. Priority Mail is 3-5 days. I ordered chicks from McMurray about 2 weeks ago. All were alive and well, and I haven't lost any yet.

 

[Bellatrixed]

Ordering baby chicks really is a crapshoot. There are so many variables -- the way they are handled during transit, if they are left outside carelessly or put in a building right away, extremes in weather in different states on their way from the hatchery to you, and then weakness in individual chicks. I just received an order of 29 chicks from Ideal and had 7 deaths total--4 DOA, 3 that just never thrived and were dead by day 4. All the others are doing wonderfully and seem very healthy and happy. The weather got incredibly cold on the days when they were due to arrive... 15 degrees at night with highs of 25, so I'm amazed there were so few casualties in those conditions.

The good news is that just about every reputable hatchery out there will refund you for lost chicks and send out a replacement. So, all I can really advise is to just keep trying. The vast majority of orders -do- arrive either all live or mostly alive, so bad luck can't last.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

When ordering early chicks shipped through the mail it is better on the chicks if you order 25 or even 50 or more. The increased number of little fuzzy bodies in the shipping container helps keep each chick warm.