USPS---Change in Shipping Day-Old Chicks?

[matte]

I shipped several batches of day-old chicks last year, with no problems, just following the fairly simple USPS regulations posted on their site.

1) I'm now reading on several different sites that MANY zip codes (post offices) are no longer accepting live chick shipments at all. (some breeders who sell chicks online even have the numerous zip codes listed)

2) In addition, I've read that those who do ship must call a special number for "pre-approval" before shipping.

I cannot find anything about either of these on the official USPS site. My local post office is not a good/reliable resource for information.

Does anyone know what is really going on?

 

[weaversfarm]

I just got 37 day old chicks delivered to me in NY. I ordered them from Meyer Hatchery and I did have to call our Post Office to tell them when they should be arriving and I had to give them my phone number so they could call me when they came in. I have not heard of the Post Office restricting where they will and won't deliver to.

 

[erinszoo]

This isn't a post office issue, it's a government issue regarding shipment of live animals and involves keeping track of the animals and where they come from. I'm not sure if it has to do with disease prevention or what but it's part of a farm regulatory bill not a post office function. There was quite a bit of hype about this last spring when the bill was being proposed (it would have also made it illegal to let anyone under the age of 16 work with farm animals of any kind even to have your kid collect eggs) but it was suspended the last time we heard anything about it. We happen to live in a town where we can keep anything except a pig in our yard. (no one even blinked an eye when I asked if I could have an elephant) But out of courtesy, and concern that we get our shipment promptly, we always call the post office and make sure that they know we have birds arriving and have a number to reach us at. Some smaller post offices won't accept live animals because they don't have the ability to make sure they get where they need to go correctly or they may have too many delay stops that would keep the animals from arriving alive because of waiting times. Ask at your local post office what will happen if you order chicks. Ask if they will be sent directly to them or if they have to go through a sorting office where they might be delayed. Sometimes you can pick them up earlier in the process if you live where they have different branches of the post office in one town, if you can go to the sorting center to pick them up.

 

[missnu01]

Where do you live that they are no longer shipping chicks to? One of my friends lives in like an outlying town-ish area but it was it's own zip code and post office, anyway her local post office told her they didn't do this that or the other and she would have to go to the one in the actual town. So perhaps it is something like that, which I could live with. As long as I don't have to go too far. I'll be placing my first order at the beginning of next month. I figure it will start getting warm outside when the chicks are getting bigger.