What would you do

[slordaz]

I have been told only USPS will ship chicks. I had a problem when a hatchery had a bad hatch as well, they offered me a free substitution, atralorps vs assortment. I did however get a single barred rock. Shipping was free and I worked directly with the owner. Valley farms hatchery is small but much worth it. I have 14 6 week old chickies happy & healthy. Better survival rate than when i ordered from hoover, but thats just my experience. I would leave a google review. It has a good amount of power these days.

They have always done right by me, the first shipment was sad was due to the USPS not getting them here in time chicks by time they got them to me were 5 days old, so it wasn't the hatcheries fault I just called them and they replaced it, but as I was tracking it knew it wasn't going to get here safely in time again due to the post office in SLC, so we put in a intercept order and drove to pick them up a way, but at least the second shipment was not lost, This was not due to the hatchery like I said sometimes we need to be vigilant too, the lady that we worked with half way between would have lost 200 worth of eggs too if I hadn't told her about it she had shipped from a different source. We should also be vigilant as they don't let them ship them until they are day old then it's 3-4 days before they get them to you.that yolk is only good for 3 days to keep them going.

 

[Jealous Gypsy]

They have always done right by me, the first shipment was sad was due to the USPS not getting them here in time chicks by time they got them to me were 5 days old, so it wasn't the hatcheries fault I just called them and they replaced it, but as I was tracking it knew it wasn't going to get here safely in time again due to the post office in SLC, so we put in a intercept order and drove to pick them up a way, but at least the second shipment was not lost, This was not due to the hatchery like I said sometimes we need to be vigilant too, the lady that we worked with half way between would have lost 200 worth of eggs too if I hadn't told her about it she had shipped from a different source. We should also be vigilant as they don't let them ship them until they are day old then it's 3-4 days before they get them to you.that yolk is only good for 3 days to keep them going.

Yea living in very northern maine its difficult especially with usps. I have a post all about it. It depends on your location and the customer service in that area. Usps has flat out told me that they hate birds and rednecks shouldn't order them. I tried to complain, but when she was the one taking the complaint it became a mute point. I was also told not to put in any investigation for tracking as she is the one who needs to research it and tracking is always sketchy. When i lived in nj completely opposite experience with usps. Wonderful post master and delightful to work with. It all depends on who you have to work with.

On a side note, my nj friend has Guinea fowl he is attempting to send up. He is saying that ups, USPS and fedex want to hold them for a few day incase of disease or infection. Has anyone heard of this? Hes getting a rental car and driving them up now, but why put the keets through that?

 

[Aristocat123]

I have been told only USPS will ship chicks. I had a problem when a hatchery had a bad hatch as well, they offered me a free substitution, atralorps vs assortment. I did however get a single barred rock. Shipping was free and I worked directly with the owner. Valley farms hatchery is small but much worth it. I have 14 6 week old chickies happy & healthy. Better survival rate than when i ordered from hoover, but thats just my experience. I would leave a google review. It has a good amount of power these days.

Thank you, for the info. I will look into it.

 

[cmom]

Quite a few years ago I ordered chicks from Ideal. They are in Texas. The chicks arrived in great shape.
https://www.idealpoultry.com/

I had ordered Rhode Island Whites. Their Rhode Island Whites aren't true Rhode Island Whites. True RIW's have Rose Combs and the ones I got from Ideal were Single Comb. Here are some of my pure RIW's

 

[Aristocat123]

Yea living in very northern maine its difficult especially with usps. I have a post all about it. It depends on your location and the customer service in that area. Usps has flat out told me that they hate birds and rednecks shouldn't order them. I tried to complain, but when she was the one taking the complaint it became a mute point. I was also told not to put in any investigation for tracking as she is the one who needs to research it and tracking is always sketchy. When i lived in nj completely opposite experience with usps. Wonderful post master and delightful to work with. It all depends on who you have to work with.

On a side note, my nj friend has Guinea fowl he is attempting to send up. He is saying that ups, USPS and fedex want to hold them for a few day incase of disease or infection. Has anyone heard of this? Hes getting a rental car and driving them up now, but why put the keets through that?

OMG if someone called me a redneck because I had chicks ordered via USPS I would have unleashed the crazy chicken lady on them and I would have brought in my BF and let them deal with him. We both grew up in big cities me NYC and him Washington DC & Miami. I am so sorry that you had to deal with that kind of person. You are absolutely right about who you’re dealing with and what is the CS in the area and in our area it seems to be a “requirement” to be nasty to the customer.
I’m sure that if there was another way Hatcheries would opt for a better faster way but I don’t think there is. They come with NPIP certificates which I thought it covers the disease part. I think they’re held because they’re required to hand move them and not be thrown around like they do to the rest of the packages, so that creates more “work” for them and it causes the delay if the facility is not organized. This is just MHO and not a fact though.

 

[Lilyput]

Hi Aristocat 123, this message is not about your chickens, but about the golden retriever pictured. I'm looking for a golden for my granddaughter more aligned with the original hunting breed. (Large square head and robust appearance, etc. I'm seeing a lot of fluffy looking dogs out there, small in stature, with more pointing noses) Your dog looks more like what I am looking for. Would you mind telling me about your dog and your breeder? Thanks. Joan August

 

[jspeese]

Metzer Farms was very decent about a similar issue. I placed an order for Pilgrim geese and runner ducks but unfortunately the country went on high alert that year because of terrorist activity so they called me and told me there was a temporary ban on shipping baby poultry because of that. They refunded my money with no trouble. That's what any decent hatchery, or any decent business for that matter, should do in situations like that.

 

[Aristocat123]

Hi Aristocat 123, this message is not about your chickens, but about the golden retriever pictured. I'm looking for a golden for my granddaughter more aligned with the original hunting breed. (Large square head and robust appearance, etc. I'm seeing a lot of fluffy looking dogs out there, small in stature, with more pointing noses) Your dog looks more like what I am looking for. Would you mind telling me about your dog and your breeder? Thanks. Joan August

Good morning. Maverick is 1 1/2 old and he is an absolute joy. He is very smart and comes from a very reputable breeder on his Sire’s side. His father’s name is Captain and mother’s name is Mia. We were lucky to find him from Mia’s parents who wanted her to have the experience of having puppies. They are not a breeder. His Sire comes from Dreamers Golden Kennels. Maverick has his own Instagram accoun@mavericksadventures where you could see more pics of him. If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me.

 

[Aristocat123]

Hi Aristocat 123, this message is not about your chickens, but about the golden retriever pictured. I'm looking for a golden for my granddaughter more aligned with the original hunting breed. (Large square head and robust appearance, etc. I'm seeing a lot of fluffy looking dogs out there, small in stature, with more pointing noses) Your dog looks more like what I am looking for. Would you mind telling me about your dog and your breeder? Thanks. Joan August

Good morning Joan. I absolutely agree with you. I spoke with their CS Manager Tama who went above and beyond in making the situation better. I have no complaints and I will wait until December when Tama will be in touch to place another order with them for a Spitzhauben. Meyer did not disappoint.

 

[Alexandra33]

I'm so thankful you've smoothed out your situation, OP. Spitzhaubens are fantastic birds!

On that note, I just wanted to point out something that crossed my mind upon reading all these posts. Meyer is obligated to substitute the breed of your choice at no cost, right? I understand in the event that said breed is comparably priced. However, please keep in mind that Meyer happens to be one of the few hatcheries who offers birds upwards of $50 (Frost White Legbar = $55.62; Cream Legbar = $22.70; Ameraucana = $22.70; Marans = $13.04). While you, personally, may have good intentions, there are plenty of individuals who would take advantage. Imagine if everyone whose orders weren't fulfilled due to a shortage chose one or even several Frost White Legbars? And for the same price as a $3-$5 breed? A few dollars in difference shouldn't matter much, but Meyer would be out quite a bit if customers picked expensive birds as replacement. Imagine how much it would hurt their business. This is likely the reasoning behind their policy.

Of course, like I said before, I'm not indicating you would be unreasonable. Just my thoughts.

~Alex