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

[JacinLarkwell]

A lot of places that are self contained like that do they’re own deliveries. Admittedly I don’t know if that’s the case for TSC.

But wouldn't it still take more than 3 days by truck?

 

[BleuSaphir]

I think Hatcheries should petition to allow them to use any business to ship off their chicks than just relying on the Post Office.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think Hatcheries should petition to allow them to use any business to ship off their chicks than just relying on the Post Office.

Maybe it's FedEx and ups not wanting to ship chicks?

 

[Artichoke Lover]

But wouldn't it still take more than 3 days by truck?

From what I’ve found TSC has their own planes. No idea if they actually use them to ship chicks but they have them.

 

[NatJ]

But wouldn't it still take more than 3 days by truck?

Maybe not, depending on where the hatcheries are. Especially if you have more than one truck driver, so each can sleep while the other drives.

I just found Hoover Hatchery on google maps, and told it give directions to several places (San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA; Miami, FL; Bangor, ME). Google maps estimated that any of those could be reached in 30 hours or less of actual driving. If you allow for some stops, and some bad weather, I think two drivers could get from Hoover Hatchery to just about any point in the 48 contiguous states within 72 hours.

Also, it's the Post Office refusing shipments of live animals that must go by air. If TSC, or any other company, had a deal directly with the airlines they might still be able to have their chicks go by airplane.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think Hatcheries should petition to allow them to use any business to ship off their chicks than just relying on the Post Office.

They don't have to petition anyone. If they want to hire someone else they can. The problem is hiring someone else. Who do you hire? UPS and Fed Ex won't take them.

Think if the logistics of hatching in Ohio and trucking them to every one of the 48 mainland states in less than three days. Think if the costs of fuel and maintenance, salary and benefits of hiring all those trucks an drivers. The post office is the only viable option.

I'll copy a couple of excerpts from the postal regulations.

526 Mailable Live Animals​

526.1 General​

Some animals are mailable under proper conditions. See the specific instructions as noted for the following kinds of animals:

1. Live bees, 526.2 and Exhibit 526.21.
2. Live, day–old poultry, 526.3 and Exhibit 526.33.
3. Live adult birds, 526.4.
4. Live scorpions (only under limited circumstances), 526.5 and Exhibit 526.5.
5. Other small, harmless, cold–blooded animals, 526.6 and Exhibit 526.6.

526.3 Live, Day–Old Poultry​

526.31 General​

The following live, day–old animals are acceptable for mailing when properly packaged: chickens, ducks, emus, geese, guinea birds, partridges, pheasants (only during April through August), quail, and turkeys. All other types of live, day–old poultry are nonmailable. Day–old poultry vaccinated with Newcastle disease (live virus) also is nonmailable.

526.32 Mailability Requirements​

The specific types of day-old poultry named in 526.31 are mailable subject to the following requirements:

1. Poultry that is not more than 24 hours old and is presented for mailing in the original, unopened hatchery box from the hatchery of origin.
2. The date and hour of hatching is noted on the box by a representative of the hatchery who has personal knowledge thereof. (For Collect on Delivery (COD) shipments made by a hatchery for the account of others, the name or initials and address of the hatchery or the Post Office box number and address of the hatchery must be prominently shown for this standard.)
3. Box is properly ventilated, of proper construction and strength to bear safe transport in the mail, and is not stacked more than 10 units high.
4. Day–old poultry is mailed early enough in the week to avoid receipt at the office of address (in case of missed connections) on a Sunday, a national holiday, or the afternoon before a Sunday or national holiday.
5. Day–old poultry can be delivered to the addressee within 72 hours of the time of hatching.
6. Day-old poultry sent via surface transportation, must include special handling service fees, in addition to regular postage.
7. Day-old poultry sent via air transportation must meet all provisions of the airlines. Delivery of the mailpiece is dependent on the availability of air carriers having available equipment to safely deliver the day–old poultry within the specified time limit.
8. Day–old poultry that is first shipped via a commercial air express or air cargo service and then presented for mailing to a final destination must be in good condition and properly packaged as specified in 526.32a-e.
9. Boxes of day–old poultry of about identical size, securely fastened together to prevent separation in transit, may be accepted for mailing as a single parcel, provided the total length and girth combined does not exceed Postal Service limits.

This is the link I used.

https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_008.htm

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My local TSCs take chick deliveries from USPS - they get a call just like we do, letting them know a shipment has come in. That's the case at every TSC I've inquired of (admittedly, only four, and all w/i a 150 mi range.

While the company may have its own jets and vehicles for inventory management between stores, they don't rely on those for their supply of live animals, seemingly.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Privatizing is definitely not the way to go with the USPS, for one simple reason--business in the US is all about profit (y'all might scoff, but it didn't used to be that way; sure, there were always those in it for the money but the primary drive was to provide a needed service for the community, but the extension on corporate charters put an end to all that...they used to be limited to 10 years). It is not profitable to deliver to many rural locations in this country. If they were to go private, such places would pay out the...well, you know...to get service, if they were able to get service at all. The whole point of USPS is that citizens have a service that they know that they can all access, and yes it is a necessary one. We all need to be able to receive and ship mail. One of the reasons so many packages still get sent via USPS despite their struggles and the competition of FedEx and UPS? Because they are consistently cheaper, ie more affordable for the average American. We privatize, that goes right out the window. It shouldn't have to be profitable. It is a necessary service that we all need access to! To require profitability is to cause crises just like this embargo--they can't implement everything that would be necessary to keep things running smoothly because *gasp* it'd cost more. But that's the price we pay if we want something to always be dependable.

What we need to do is run it like the government service it is and stop allowing partisan bickering to destroy what used to be a great and fantastic service. We need to repeal all of the crap that is pulling it down (such as requiring them to fund pensions 75 years in advance, I think it is? No one else has to do that. It's INSANE) and get people in there that are interested in getting it back to function instead of making it so useless that people don't think it's worth saving. If we can do that, we won't have to deal with nonsense like these embargoes...but it's gonna take a heck of a lot of effort at this point because a lot of damage has already been done.

I must respectfully disagree. As in any enterprise, even a public one, sustainability is the objective. If an enterprise can not sustain itself it will fail. When the expense out weighs the value of the service then the service is bound to fail. Privatization of the service guarantees it's success. If a service is valuable enough for the public to continue to support it, and make it profitable for a private company to invest it's resources in, then it will thrive. Government funding and control only serve to decrease efficiency and increase corruption! Profit is not evil, it is inherently necessary.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My local TSCs take chick deliveries from USPS - they get a call just like we do, letting them know a shipment has come in. That's the case at every TSC I've inquired of (admittedly, only four, and all w/i a 150 mi range.

While the company may have its own jets and vehicles for inventory management between stores, they don't rely on those for their supply of live animals, seemingly.

That's been my case too. They get theirs mailed to them just like a private person does. As far as they know, they're still starting early march, so hopefully that stays that way

 

[U_Stormcrow]

BYC isn't the place for politics, I'm not wading in to correct the mis-statements and historic inaccuracies in the post about corporations and the USPS structure. Neither will I jump into the gloss of the benefits of a for-profit business structure.

I do thank the posters for the reminder of why its important to educate oneself, rather than relying on facebook memes and partisan obfuscation, before voting one's policy preferences.