Will my chicks be okay for 2 days in shipping box?

[rmansker]

I ordered a small order of four chicks from Meyer that was shipped yesterday 3/10. I waited all day for my chicks to arrive and about 4:00 when the mailman came and went with no chicks and no call from the post office

, I called Meyer to make sure they were shipped. She said yes, they were shipped and should be here no later than 3:00 tomorrow. I thought the "express" shipping I paid 30+ dollars for was for next day- am I wrong?

Will my chicks be okay in a box for 2 days? Is this normal to take more than a day to ship (especially to a major city)? I got a tracking number and they still haven't shown up as arriving here yet. I guess the only good thing is we are having temps in the upper 60's right now, so at least it's not terribly cold.

Not to mention how sad the kids were when they got home from school and the chicks weren't here. I don't know if they were more bummed or I was.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

My chicks were lost in the mail and spent almost 3 full days in the box. I expected a box of dead babies but only lost 1 out of the 10 that were shipped (and he was still alive when it arrived, just died a bit later). I know how stressed and helpless you feel, though. Hopefully they will make it alright.

 

[Portia]

Mine took 2 days to arrive and I only lost 1. I was worried b/c the temps were in the 30's. Of course they were not the happiest bunch when I picked them up, but once in their warm and roomy brooder they calmed right down and started drinking water. A little later I gave them some food and the feasting began...and hasn't stopped!

 

[hinkjc]

For the most part, Express is no longer guaranteed Next Day. Every shipment I have sent as Express over the last year is guarantee 2nd day by 3pm. On occasion they will get there next day, but I think the PO was paying out too much for the next day guarantee which they couldn't accomplish most of the time, so they changed their policy on it.

As for the chicks, if they were shipped within 24 hours of hatching, they will be fine for 2 day shipment.

Jody

 

[MissPrissy]

Chicks do well for 72 hours under normal conditions. That is why they are able to ship them with success. It is very important to understand that shipping does stress them and you should make sure conditons are optimal for recieving healthy active chicks. I never order live chicks until around May when the weather is warmer. If the chicks were shipped on the 10th and today is the 12th they should still be fine as long as the weather they are traveling in is not frigid.

 

[rmansker]

Yay! I called the PO a little while ago and they have already been put on my mailman's truck and out for delivery (although I would have preferred to go pick them up). The next two hours are going to seem like a week before they get here!

I'll post some pictures of hopefully four healthy chicks tonight!

 

[Portia]

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics.