So sorry for this frustration. Based on where one lives, and the breeds being ordered it's not always possible to order "local hatchery birds". There are no hatcheries local to New England! I have also had hard dealings with USPS. Mine was a Cackle delivery last April. No matter where my chicks come from, I'm at the end of the USPS shipping line. My chicks missed every single connecting flight, which left them sitting at a loading dock for 12 hours, waiting for the next leg of their journey. If I had not been proactive, they would have sat in a sorting facility 10 miles from my home for an other 48 hours, and I'd have picked up a box of dead chicks at my post office the following Monday morning.
When ordering chicks: have good communication with someone at the hatchery. They should explain ALL of the details about their shipping protocol. Never order chicks to be shipped around a mail holiday. Never accept a "your chicks will be shipped sometime during the week of..." statement. IMO, when dealing with live animals, this is not acceptable. If the company can't give you an actual shipping date, take your business and your money elsewhere. Have your chicks shipped at the beginning of the week. Never at the end of the week. The week before your chicks ship, pay a personal visit to the PO, and meet the Post Master, or someone who would be responsible for your chicks from the moment of their arrival at PO until they are in your hands. Tell them the expected delivery date, ask them to call you immediately upon arrival, no matter what time of day or night. Ask if there are any specifics about after hours delivery, such as: "Do I need to go to a back door, is there a door bell to ring?" Finish your visit by handing a post card to them with all of the details in writing including: expected arrival date, your name and address, telephone number, and a reminder to please hold chicks at PO and call you immediately. Ask them to post this card in a prominent place. Finally, follow up with a phone call the day before expected arrival to PO. I am blessed to have a small PO, and even more so, that the Post Master worked with me to find my chicks when they did not show up when expected. He even followed up with a phone call to me the day after I picked them up to see how they were doing.
Picking up your chicks at the PO saves them from spending more hours lurching around in a delivery vehicle, where the window is often open, so they are subject to even more chilling. Picking up at PO can make the difference between chicks who survive the shipping stress and chicks who do not.
I use Poultry Nutri Drench for all of my chicks, but consider it to be absolutely necessary for shipped chicks. They also benefit from sugar in their water, and may benefit from home made electrolytes after their first satisfaction of thirst after shipping.
When ordering chicks: have good communication with someone at the hatchery. They should explain ALL of the details about their shipping protocol. Never order chicks to be shipped around a mail holiday. Never accept a "your chicks will be shipped sometime during the week of..." statement. IMO, when dealing with live animals, this is not acceptable. If the company can't give you an actual shipping date, take your business and your money elsewhere. Have your chicks shipped at the beginning of the week. Never at the end of the week. The week before your chicks ship, pay a personal visit to the PO, and meet the Post Master, or someone who would be responsible for your chicks from the moment of their arrival at PO until they are in your hands. Tell them the expected delivery date, ask them to call you immediately upon arrival, no matter what time of day or night. Ask if there are any specifics about after hours delivery, such as: "Do I need to go to a back door, is there a door bell to ring?" Finish your visit by handing a post card to them with all of the details in writing including: expected arrival date, your name and address, telephone number, and a reminder to please hold chicks at PO and call you immediately. Ask them to post this card in a prominent place. Finally, follow up with a phone call the day before expected arrival to PO. I am blessed to have a small PO, and even more so, that the Post Master worked with me to find my chicks when they did not show up when expected. He even followed up with a phone call to me the day after I picked them up to see how they were doing.
Picking up your chicks at the PO saves them from spending more hours lurching around in a delivery vehicle, where the window is often open, so they are subject to even more chilling. Picking up at PO can make the difference between chicks who survive the shipping stress and chicks who do not.
I use Poultry Nutri Drench for all of my chicks, but consider it to be absolutely necessary for shipped chicks. They also benefit from sugar in their water, and may benefit from home made electrolytes after their first satisfaction of thirst after shipping.
