USPS has killed my chicks twice now!

[journey11]

Is anyone else having trouble with shipping delays with the USPS? I've always ordered from MMH for the past 7 years now and my chicks have always shipped on Saturday and arrived on Monday. This year my chicks were held in St. Paul, MN at the sorting facility for THREE DAYS over the weekend of March 28th and again with my replacement chicks this weekend, the same thing! Is there a postal strike I haven't heard about or something? Or is this getting to be the norm with USPS cutbacks? I'll wake up to another box full of dead chicks tomorrow morning. Only 6 of 27 survived in the first box. I thought maybe it was a fluke, that they could have been misrouted or something. I can't believe I have to deal with this again. Those poor little chicks. What a horrible way to go.

I will try Meyer Hatchery next year which is 3 hours from here. (MMH is 12 hours drive.) Or else I'll be buying an incubator.

 

[ASilkieNest]

Is anyone else having trouble with shipping delays with the USPS?  I've always ordered from MMH for the past 7 years now and my chicks have always shipped on Saturday and arrived on Monday.  This year my chicks were held in St. Paul, MN at the sorting facility for THREE DAYS over the weekend of March 28th and again with my replacement chicks this weekend, the same thing!  Is there a postal strike I haven't heard about or something?  Or is this getting to be the norm with USPS cutbacks?  I'll wake up to another box full of dead chicks tomorrow morning.  Only 6 of 27 survived in the first box.  I thought maybe it was a fluke, that they could have been misrouted or something.  I can't believe I have to deal with this again.  Those poor little chicks.  What a horrible way to go. 

I will try Meyer Hatchery next year which is 3 hours from here.  (MMH is 12 hours drive.)  Or else I'll be buying an incubator.

I ordered from Meyer this year and only had one dead chick out of 15. I like them.

 

[journey11]

They've got a really good selection. I've heard good things about them. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[pingu1]

I usually buy my chicks locally so I see them go into the box into the car and know they are safe that is real bad luck I feel sorry for you

 

[3riverschick]

Is anyone else having trouble with shipping delays with the USPS? I've always ordered from MMH for the past 7 years now and my chicks have always shipped on Saturday and arrived on Monday. This year my chicks were held in St. Paul, MN at the sorting facility for THREE DAYS over the weekend of March 28th and again with my replacement chicks this weekend, the same thing! Is there a postal strike I haven't heard about or something? Or is this getting to be the norm with USPS cutbacks? I'll wake up to another box full of dead chicks tomorrow morning. Only 6 of 27 survived in the first box. I thought maybe it was a fluke, that they could have been misrouted or something. I can't believe I have to deal with this again. Those poor little chicks. What a horrible way to go.

I will try Meyer Hatchery next year which is 3 hours from here. (MMH is 12 hours drive.) Or else I'll be buying an incubator.

Go to Tractor Supply or your local tack shop and get a bottle of Poultry Nutri-Drench. If they are failing when you get them, this will help bring them back. It doesn't needs digested and mainlines directly into the bloodstream. It is a high quality, all natural emergency nutritional supplement. Here, read more about it: http://www.nutridrench.com Measureable in the bloodstream in 30 minutes with 99% utilization. I have used it on my collies and poultry for over a decade. Give each chick one drop by mouth upon arrival. Put 2ml per gallon in their water for the 1st 12 weeks. . You can use Pet Nutri-Drops , Poultry Nutri-Drench or Goat Nutri-Drench. Just make sure you use the poultry dosage and usage instructions with any formula. Tho the Bovidr Labs formulas are species specific, they also meet the scientific standard for a universal formula. Created by a cattle breeder.
Best Success,
Karen

 

[123RedBeard]

Unfortunatley priority mail 2-3 days is not guaranteed ... Sometimes takes 6-10!

I know paying for Express mail cost more ... But less worries, less hassles dealing with disappointment and replacing dead chicks ... It is too bad that the po can't understand that live critters can't be parked in a trailer for a week with no food or water ...

 

[dekel18042]

Is anyone else having trouble with shipping delays with the USPS? I've always ordered from MMH for the past 7 years now and my chicks have always shipped on Saturday and arrived on Monday. This year my chicks were held in St. Paul, MN at the sorting facility for THREE DAYS over the weekend of March 28th and again with my replacement chicks this weekend, the same thing! Is there a postal strike I haven't heard about or something? Or is this getting to be the norm with USPS cutbacks? I'll wake up to another box full of dead chicks tomorrow morning. Only 6 of 27 survived in the first box. I thought maybe it was a fluke, that they could have been misrouted or something. I can't believe I have to deal with this again. Those poor little chicks. What a horrible way to go.

I will try Meyer Hatchery next year which is 3 hours from here. (MMH is 12 hours drive.) Or else I'll be buying an incubator.

You may still want to do some checking on routes before you order and have delivery only when all danger of cold weather is over but scorching heat hasn't hit yet.
Years ago we always got shipped chicks, going back to when I was a child, with no problems. Then as an adult no problems either till last year. Chicks from the same hatchery arrived TWO days later than the previous year. When my husband checked with the USPS found out a new system is in place where packages, mail, etc, is gathered at hubs and shipped from the hub instead of directly. Less cost and more efficient for them, more time in transit for our packages.
This year I both hatched my own and got feed store chickens, and even in that case we were told the chicks arrived one to two days later than they were supposed to.

 

[journey11]

You may still want to do some checking on routes before you order and have delivery only when all danger of cold weather is over but scorching heat hasn't hit yet.
Years ago we always got shipped chicks, going back to when I was a child, with no problems. Then as an adult no problems either till last year. Chicks from the same hatchery arrived TWO days later than the previous year. When my husband checked with the USPS found out a new system is in place where packages, mail, etc, is gathered at hubs and shipped from the hub instead of directly. Less cost and more efficient for them, more time in transit for our packages.
This year I both hatched my own and got feed store chickens, and even in that case we were told the chicks arrived one to two days later than they were supposed to.

Yes, it must be the hubs causing the delay. It has been warming up pretty good, so I think the starvation and dehydration they experienced from the delay was the real problem. They will go to Charleston, WV before they backtrack and come here. I will not order by USPS again unless Meyer works out better next time. They are the closest hatchery to me. I can get a few choices at the feed store to round out my flock for this year, but to get good selection it's via the hatcheries or else hatch them myself. I don't know of anyone breeding and selling chickens around here, but I will do some research on that too.

Go to Tractor Supply or your local tack shop and get a bottle of Poultry Nutri-Drench. If they are failing when you get them, this will help bring them back. It doesn't needs digested and mainlines directly into the bloodstream. It is a high quality, all natural emergency nutritional supplement. Here, read more about it: http://www.nutridrench.com Measureable in the bloodstream in 30 minutes with 99% utilization. I have used it on my collies and poultry for over a decade. Give each chick one drop by mouth upon arrival. Put 2ml per gallon in their water for the 1st 12 weeks. . You can use Pet Nutri-Drops , Poultry Nutri-Drench or Goat Nutri-Drench. Just make sure you use the poultry dosage and usage instructions with any formula. Tho the Bovidr Labs formulas are species specific, they also meet the scientific standard for a universal formula. Created by a cattle breeder.
Best Success,
Karen

Thank you for this suggestion! I printed out your directions. When the first batch came last week, my DD7 and I didn't know what else to do but give them sugar water (18 Tbsp/gal.) by dropper, a few drops every hour. We got two of them that were in bad shape back on their feet and eating and drinking on their own. They pulled through for a day and a half after arrival (in addition to the 6 that were lively and survived), but those 2 later died and we were very heartbroken over it. Maybe I will have much better luck with the Nutri-Drench. I will send DH to Tractor Supply tonight to pick some up. Thanks!