VERY UPSET ...Shipping of chicks through the USPS~

[PeepsInc]

Quote:
That was my thought.

 

[b.hromada]

I'm so sorry about your losses of your precious chicks.

I think I have to agree with you though, the post office is just to darn slow! I mean, they are saying that their business is way down. It should be, if this is how they treat their job!!

I hope you rectify the situation about your losses with them. Best of luck.

 

[redhen]

So sad.. poor thing....

 

[Penturner]

I just got this from the USPS web site concerning Special Handeling.
Mailing Live Animals
Customers shipping live animals must ensure all packaging requirements are met. Live animal shipments may be presented at any Post Office; however, the service standard may be affected depending on the availability of transportation from the drop-off site.

Customers sending Express Mail shipments containing live animals should expect a 2-3 day transport of their shipment. Shipping early in the week is suggested, and holiday weeks may have limited acceptance days and times. Express Mail postage will not be refunded unless the delivery or attempted delivery is more than three days after the day of mailing.

I see people knowing they need to receive the chicks in 2 days at most, but accept a service that says clearly it takes up to three days. I mail tons of packages priority and it always didn't compute with me as it is top of my head knowledge that Priority is expected to take three days. Sort of comes across at first to me that most people are taking a gamble in order to pay less. then surprised when that gamble looses. I would never make that same bet as I very seldom see priority packages reach destinations even a few hours away in less than three days. I am sort of wondering how it ever became a common way to ship chicks in the first place.

 

[Chosen Chickens]

I am ordering through mcmurray hatchery this week and they said that they are going to send out the chicks tomorrow (sat.) and that they will be to me on monday or tuesday... if it is tuesday that would be 3 days which seems more then what happened here. But with all that you read the chicks should be fine for 3 days due to the yolk... so the real question is what killed the chicks, and I think it is a different reason then the length of time it took.

1. Were the chicks handled nicely when they were not going anywhere, or were they out in a cold loading area or truck for a whole day?
2. Is it really humane to have such small minimum orders? I know mcmurray requires at least 25 but it seems like every year in order to accomadate those that dont want that many that a
lot of places are sending out orders that are a lot smaller then that.. some as few as 5 chicks.
3. If hunger wasn't the issue then cold was the issue and so should there be laws or rules about when you can ship live animals in the mail?

I agree that it is sad, but there would be a whole lot less of a chicken hobby if the ability to mail was not there. Considering that egg producers kill all the roosters within the first 3 days (although obviously this would be more in-humane to just starve or freeze) the whole industry is filled with percentages.

I think if across the board there were 50% DOA then maybe laws should be changed, but just because there are a few instances like this shouldn't be the norm... lets not stop flying planes or driving cars just because they occasionally crash

 

[daps2000]

Quote:
True ... but as I said earlier ... the lack of tracking ... and the use of Fedex ... that is the point! Fedex is not held the the same standards for shipping chicks as the USPS ...!!!
Now I sound like a broken record!

 

[daps2000]

Quote:
PLEASE RE-READ MY POST! ... my complaint is NOT the shipper, and NOT the post office!!!

 

[Cara]

Were the chicks definitely day olds? Monday-Wednesday isn't too long for a chick to survive on the yolk.

 

[tammyd57]

Over the past 40 some years I have had hundreds of chicks mailed to me. I happen to live in an area that is mostly warm year-round. But the states where I have ordered from are cold early in the year. So, I wait until at least April to receive chicks. I've never had the disaster so many people on here seem to have on a regular basis.
I think that just because something is legal and physically possible to do, doesn't make it the RIGHT thing to do. It isn't right to gamble on lives and then be all upset because you lost. The chicks are the real losers here.
I'm not trying to insult or cause an argument, and I apologize if it reads that way. Just trying to get people to think about consequences.

Edited to ask: Would tracking have made any difference in the outcome?

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:
If they are born on mon they need to eat by tuesday. I don't know........would one day of no food kill a baby chick. Or were they born sunday, shipped monday and it would be 2 days. i am curious now.............