There is no excuse for shipping an animal THAT infested. They should have clipped the nails/washed the feet as just normal shipping procedure but that is besides the main point: they sent a source of contamination that could have (may yet!) infect your entire flock! I do not ship birds so I don't know if it is normal to ship w/o food + water, it may be OK seeing as how it was expected to be 24 hours. I have been selling books online through 4 sites for 11 years now. It has happened 2 or 3 times that as I pull the book to prepare for shipping I find a flaw I'd not noticed or the book has gotten damaged between when I listed it and purchase date. I always email the buyer to inform them and give them a choice of voiding the sale if they wish.
I would email AND phone the dealer and if no response within 3 days I'd reverse the charges on my credit card. Then negotiate with the seller a price that reflects compensation for your time/materials for cleaning up THEIR MESS. Don't be a softie, it's not the kindest way in the long run. I might order a bird from them next time and if you "just let it go" you would have contributed to contaminating my flock. ;( I know you wouldn't want that.
You know... you didn't buy a perfectly healthy chicken. That girl may or may not regain robust health. If his whole flock is infested and has been infested for a long time she may have lived her whole life being sucked dry of vital nutrients. You're planning to breed her, that is stressful for her and she needs to run on all eight cylinders to perform to her maximum. Grrr, lots more to say but will stop here.
