Hello everyone.
I am just devastated at the events of the past 2-1/2 weeks that have seen two (2) orders for specialty Silkie hatchery chicks arrive dead or dying. Initially, I thought this was the fault of the USPS, but I've come to discover that this falls squarely on the hatchery, Valley Hatchery, and their shipping practices. For reasons I can't explain, they will only ship USPS Priority Mail, not Priority Mail EXPRESS, the latter guaranteeing quick and careful shipping. Worse, they don't even bother to put any notification on the container that there are "LIVE ANIMALS" in the box. WTH?
Valley Hatchery has locations in OH, MO, TN, CA and MT and can be found at www.valleyhatchery.com online. I've cried for days over this! Opening the box I had to retrieve at the local post office today was absolutely heartbreaking, sixteen (16) dead birds all because this hatchery couldn't be bothered with shipping EXPRESS, a service we requested several times after their 1st shipment of eighteen (18) birds saw only 6 survive (8 were dead in the box, 4 more died over the ensuing days), and the 6 survivors required near round-the-clock ICU-type care to make it.
As I write this, my husband is taking up the cause to try to get some rules/guidelines/laws changed regarding the shipping of live chicks. He's reaching out to the MO AG's office, the USPS Board of Governors in Washington, DC, our senators and representative, and more. No bird should have to suffer the way the birds in these two shipments suffered! What a horrible way to die!
I will never order hatchery chicks again, NEVER. We placed another order between these two horrific orders, and they were shipped twice the distance to our home as the Missouri orders, but they were shipped Priority EXPRESS, and they arrived in less than 2 days healthy and happy, but I still feel VERY guilty about subjecting the chicks to the trip from CA to NC. For that reason, I won't do it again; it's just not worth it.
If you're going to order chicks from a hatchery, be sure you get Priority Mail EXPRESS shipping. Without it, you'll likely get to suffer through the same scenes that we've had to endure... :-(
I am just devastated at the events of the past 2-1/2 weeks that have seen two (2) orders for specialty Silkie hatchery chicks arrive dead or dying. Initially, I thought this was the fault of the USPS, but I've come to discover that this falls squarely on the hatchery, Valley Hatchery, and their shipping practices. For reasons I can't explain, they will only ship USPS Priority Mail, not Priority Mail EXPRESS, the latter guaranteeing quick and careful shipping. Worse, they don't even bother to put any notification on the container that there are "LIVE ANIMALS" in the box. WTH?
Valley Hatchery has locations in OH, MO, TN, CA and MT and can be found at www.valleyhatchery.com online. I've cried for days over this! Opening the box I had to retrieve at the local post office today was absolutely heartbreaking, sixteen (16) dead birds all because this hatchery couldn't be bothered with shipping EXPRESS, a service we requested several times after their 1st shipment of eighteen (18) birds saw only 6 survive (8 were dead in the box, 4 more died over the ensuing days), and the 6 survivors required near round-the-clock ICU-type care to make it.
As I write this, my husband is taking up the cause to try to get some rules/guidelines/laws changed regarding the shipping of live chicks. He's reaching out to the MO AG's office, the USPS Board of Governors in Washington, DC, our senators and representative, and more. No bird should have to suffer the way the birds in these two shipments suffered! What a horrible way to die!
I will never order hatchery chicks again, NEVER. We placed another order between these two horrific orders, and they were shipped twice the distance to our home as the Missouri orders, but they were shipped Priority EXPRESS, and they arrived in less than 2 days healthy and happy, but I still feel VERY guilty about subjecting the chicks to the trip from CA to NC. For that reason, I won't do it again; it's just not worth it.
If you're going to order chicks from a hatchery, be sure you get Priority Mail EXPRESS shipping. Without it, you'll likely get to suffer through the same scenes that we've had to endure... :-(