WHAT YA GOT SWAP Chat Thread

[corancher]

Quote: So sorry about the little ones. It is awful to open a box of dead babies. I got a shipment last week from a private breeder and half were dead. The breeder did everything right but the post office messed up. She shipped Monday morning Express and I received them Thursday morning.

As far as picking them up at the sort facility, I generally do that myself. The sort facility in Colorado Springs thinks I am a pain in the ?? but if I can save a day off the chicks travels then I put up with the run around they give me. The best advise I can give you would make sure you have a phone number put on the box and ask whoever ships them to you to put a note on the box to call from the sort facility when they arrive. I get a call about half the time so I always ask for tracking information from the shipper so I know when the chicks get to Colorado. I have had so many shipments I know the entire route and timing so if I don't get a call I call the sort facility. I have had the sort facility tell me a couple of times that the chicks were not there but I knew there were so I just went to the sort facility to get them. Both times the chicks were there but believe me the postal workers are not the easiest to deal with. I know that the hatcheries don't always give tracking information so that may make your getting them at the sort facility harder. It is a little easier for me also since I work in Colorado Springs so I don't have a long drive like you would. Anyway it may be worth a try.

 

[luluann]

Am I aloud to do the swap??

 

[Bettacreek]

bettacreek - Wow! The box smells so good and it was packed with goodies. Is it wrong that I want to go take a bath already this morning? Thank you so much! You do such a beautiful job with your homemade soaps, candles and bath bombs.

I'm so glad you like everything! Thank you for being patient with me as well!!

 

[NotAFarm]

Am I aloud to do the swap??

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ap-please-read-post-1-on-first-page-for-rules
Here is the link to the first post on the actual swap page. You have not been a member for three months, according to your profile, so you will need to wait until next month to swap. We'll look forward to seeing you then!

 

[luluann]

Boo!! I wanted to swap stuff. Guess ill have to wait then.

 

[coldupnorth]

Quote: I've spent a better part of my day trying to get a hold of someone who knows anything - including the sort facility in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Each person I get sends me off to someone else. No one knows anything about how I go about just picking up my birds directly from the sort facility when they come into the state. Each person agreed that it would make sense to help keep the chicks alive, but no one was able to go out on a limb and just tell me who I Really need to talk to. Really, it shouldn't have to be so hard! I have quite a few friends that work for the PO and they are very nice people, I'm just wondering if the system makes everything an impossibility.

 

[mzstre]

Okay, went to pick up my order of chicks this morning and all 47 of them were DOA.  I'm trying to figure out how I can just pick them up at the sort facilities instead of them being in a truck for 3 hours in the cold weather between the sort facilities and then also being put on a cold truck to be brought out to our post office.  I'm a little frustrated.  My daughter wants Japanese Bantams to show for 4H (Bantam class).  I think we will have some good breeds for her LF showing (thanks to a few WYGS swappers ).  Anyone know a good source of these?  Eggs even?  We would like to get them early enough that they actually are ready as a breeding group for the fair in August.  Thanks so much for listening to me vent......

I've spent a better part of my day trying to get a hold of someone who knows anything - including the sort facility in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Each person I get sends me off to someone else.   No one knows anything about how I go about just picking up my birds directly from the sort facility when they come into the state.  Each person agreed that it would make sense to help keep the chicks alive, but no one was able to go out on a limb and just tell me who I Really need to talk to.  Really, it shouldn't have to be so hard!  I have quite a few friends that work for the PO and they are very nice people, I'm just wondering if the system makes everything an impossibility.

I'm very sorry about your chicks! I pick up all live bird shipments at the sort facility. I called the post office and told them I needed the phone number to the dock at the sort facility. I explained that I needed to pick up live birds that were very fragile and may die if left in the warehouse for any period because it isn't climate controlled. They were more than happy to give me the number. The people on the dock have been very helpful to me. They usually make sure to get someone friendly to help find my birds. I've never had a problem.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I know a friend of mine picks up her chicks from Mcmurray at the MSP airport. Is that what you're trying to do?

 

[coldupnorth]

I know a friend of mine picks up her chicks from Mcmurray at the MSP airport. Is that what you're trying to do?

Guess I was thinking the USPS sort facility - but I guess the airport would work. We're up by Duluth, so it is a haul and I guess you would have to be pretty accurate on the time to get there when the chicks come in. One of our friends worked at the sort facility in Duluth but I haven't been able to get a hold of him to ask him what I should do and who I should talk to. He works night shifts, so I don't want to bother him during the day.

 

[bwalden]

I ship hatching eggs all the time and the sort facilities seem to be the root of all my shipping problems. I've had eggs sit almost a week in them before they left. Not good for eggs much less anything already hatched. My local sort facility has closed and been moved to another town further away. I wonder if there are going to be more closings across the country. Post office broke. To me that's a joke. I think the federal govt. needs to contract the post office out to 3rd party, and keep their hands out of the revenue. I read an article about how they are using post office revenue to bail out medicare, SSI and others. Post office made all sorts of money before they started robbing peter to pay paul.