USPS embargo on live animals (chicks) through Feb 26, 2021!

[smfarman]

However, there is no way to know what is in packages. Doesn't Amazon either deliver their own or use FED-EX or USP anyway? Never seen an amazon package come thru the USPS. The chicks are in a "safe place" where they ARE. I understand that the hatcheries likely aren't set up for house them, Not as many as they hatch! but that isn't the USPS's fault either. SOMETHING needs to happen to try to get the USPS un-screwed! If this is what it takes, it is what it is.

I worked as a holiday clerk at USPS near me, I wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes. Amazon does ship 10,000s of packages every day through USPS. Most people are sending packages priority mail even after the holidays and once they arrive at the locate site packages are sorted by hand ( the way they are sorted is a cage is centered on the floor then scanned and tossed into large Ben's, done at a very fast pace in order to get them to the carriers for that day's delivery) I may get in trouble for saying this, but it is what happens and Iam not working there now. Live animals are handled differently than hatching eggs, they are kept separately from everything else.

 

[Hermits Garden]

What are the odds that the folk who object to shipping live animals on principal--regardless of the inefficiency of the USPS--will attempt to make this permanent? I've read that the attempt was made a while back to stop the shipping of live animals (PETA?) but enough poultry companies made a big enough ruckus that the attempt failed. Given the current changes, is this something that might have a foothold now?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What are the odds that the folk who object to shipping live animals on principal--regardless of the inefficiency of the USPS--will attempt to make this permanent? I've read that the attempt was made a while back to stop the shipping of live animals (PETA?) but enough poultry companies made a big enough ruckus that the attempt failed. Given the current changes, is this something that might have a foothold now?

Gods forbid that happens. I have to deal with crazies like that already without them interfering with every freaking step

 

[springvalley123]

If there were eggs currently in the incubators, when this all started, but not hatched yet........ (You can probably imagine what I am thinking.)

that is my concern---the notice I saw was dated 2/18, so many days worth of hatchings were already set. I don't believe the big hatcheries have fat profits either. Many people get started with chickens via the chicks at the big box stores and later go on to buy direct from hatcheries, from small breeders, etc. so this will affect the entry into chicken keeping and possibly threaten the big hatcheries that form much of the base of the chicken supply pyramid.

 

[springvalley123]

What are the odds that the folk who object to shipping live animals on principal--regardless of the inefficiency of the USPS--will attempt to make this permanent? I've read that the attempt was made a while back to stop the shipping of live animals (PETA?) but enough poultry companies made a big enough ruckus that the attempt failed. Given the current changes, is this something that might have a foothold now?

so many things that have failed to take hold for years, even decades, not only have a foothold, but much more, so I hope this live shipping ban doesn't become permanent. Note this is an extension to 2/26 and possibly beyond, so hopefully the "beyond" doesn't happen.

 

[smfarman]

so many things that have failed to take hold for years, even decades, not only have a foothold, but much more, so I hope this live shipping ban doesn't become permanent. Note this is an extension to 2/26 and possibly beyond, so hopefully the "beyond" doesn't happen.

I just got an email from Meyer Hatchery about the embargo, they can't ship my golden buffs day old chicks this week and they don't know when the embargo will actually be lifted.
I have also heard rumors about how do you control people, by controlling food supplies. I have also heard, for what's it worth, that homesteaders and small scale farms are going to be targeted so these groups can't help supplement or help neighbors out in a time of need when food is going to be harder to get. (This is from different u tube channels)

 

[CaroleW]

I haven't read this whole thread but I'm crossposting this for anyone who wants to contact Fed legislators---
McMurray Hatchery had a link in the email to contact Fed legislators. If you want to copy or change my email to my senators please feel free--- here's what I just sent to Kelly and Sinema--

You need to make sure the USPS can support the hatcheries shipping poultry. We were just informed that the USPS has an embargo on shipping live animals and it is not due to the weather (as a previous week embargo was said to be). This is and embargo due to a BACKLOG of packages!

Do you realize that the eggs are set in the incubators at least 3 weeks before the intended ship date and that the chicks can survive the mail for a 3 day period while they live on the egg yolk nutrition prior to hatch. An announcement that a BACKLOG of packages takes priority over LIVE chicks means probable death of thousands of chicks since these chicks cannot be delivered in that 3-day window of time set 3 weeks prior to this announcement.

Many people do not believe the government is supporting their lives or livlihoods - this prioritizing BACKLOG of packages over LIVE packages proves it. People ordering chicks are trying to take responsibility for their food and teach their kids something in a time when government services may not be relied on to do so. DO SOMETHING to support our way of life in Arizona.

 

[smfarman]

I am going to start looking for hatcheries and breeders that are no more then a days drive, there and back for my chicks. Help your neighbors and support your local breeders, we are strong if we stand together while this embargo is in place.

 

[janiedoe]

I've never had my chicks shipped because I live close enough to drive to Idealpoultry. It's about a 3 hrs. round trip. I realize most people don't have that luxury. If I had more room and our weather wasn't so crazy right now I'd pick up some of those hatchlings that need a home.
I hope this doesn't become a permanent thing but not much would surprise me anymore. This has been the craziest past year and there doesn't seem to be an end to the craziness.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In my opinion, it is political and pretty complicated. Many different parts. Part of it is that the US Senators and Representatives get involved whenever the post office tries to get more efficient. They don't want them to close a facility if it means a loss of jobs in their area.

Part of it is that the post office is required to be self-sufficient and pay for itself. Yet congress controls the rates they can charge. There is so much political interference they can't be efficient. Some of this shows in the contracts the post office has with Fed Ex, UPS, and others, part of it in bulk rates. It's hard to fight when your hands are tied behind your backs.

Part of it is that they want to treat the post office as a business and not a government service. That means reducing costs. When I was doing projects we had a triangle that said you can have cost, schedule, and quality but that you can't have all three. You can save schedule but that increases cost or reduces quality. If you want better quality you pay in cost or schedule. So by reducing costs the post office suffers with quality and schedule.

I now this will upset some people but I noticed during the last administration the quality of post office service suffered quite a bit as they tried to run it like a business. It was a different philosophy as to how the post office was to be run. To me that explains many of the decisions made recently that did disrupt service. Would some of those decisions have eventually improved service? I doubt it but I don't know. To me it looks like they were trying to get it into shape so they could privatize it. People would be so disgusted with the service that they would accept t going private. So the post office and mail delivery would not longer be a government service. But that's just my opinion.

The recent storm didn't help any either, it backed things up so that the post office had to do something.