My wife’s grandfather worked for the post office in a rural area and delivered live chicks to farms. With enough postage you could mail just about anything.
It’s funny to put major in quotes. If you look at shipping volumes then USPS is really the only major carrier. Since they have to deliver everywhere they deliver something like 120 billion things a year, where the second is like…7 billion.
Yeah they are quite hardy. Have ordered on 2 seperate occasions, all arrive healthy. When a chick is born they essentially consume the yolk which will allow them to go a couple days without needing food/water. Being a live shipment you usually pick it up at the post office, so it doesn’t have to get trucked around all day. (Also meaning you can grab them as soon as they are supposed to be there and get them all settled in under a heat source and food/water quickly).
They still do deliver chicks. It’s not very expensive either.
There is like a minimum number you have to get though that might be from the companies selling them rather than the post though, so many go to local places for smaller amounts.
The post office doesnt impose a minimum number, for the record. They don’t care, but don’t like sending them at all. However, its pretty expensive, so if you aren’t paying through the nose for the shipping, the seller is probably subsidizing that cost and that’s where the minimum comes from. I just ordered a trio of specialty breeds this past spring, but the place I bought from sends individual birds if you really wanna spend $70+ for one chick.
My wife’s grandfather worked for the post office in a rural area and delivered live chicks to farms. With enough postage you could mail just about anything.
You can still mail order live chicks
Not only that, USPS is the only “major” carrier who will do so.
It’s funny to put major in quotes. If you look at shipping volumes then USPS is really the only major carrier. Since they have to deliver everywhere they deliver something like 120 billion things a year, where the second is like…7 billion.
and was forced do so by congress, by the gop back in the day.
Unfortunately this looks to be another area where a previously functioning service is no longer being provided at the same level of quality.
Stitched video of two small poultry producers discussing recent poor experiences with recieving chick via mail. https://youtube.com/shorts/dcGOdro04uE
Yeah they are quite hardy. Have ordered on 2 seperate occasions, all arrive healthy. When a chick is born they essentially consume the yolk which will allow them to go a couple days without needing food/water. Being a live shipment you usually pick it up at the post office, so it doesn’t have to get trucked around all day. (Also meaning you can grab them as soon as they are supposed to be there and get them all settled in under a heat source and food/water quickly).
And boxes of spiders.
and crickets. although now i want to order my shitass brother surprise spiders for his birthday instead
I read your comment before the one you replied to and my mind certainly went somewhere other then farms
And bees, and crickets. Different boxes tho
While it may seem kind of weird I’ve raised about 100 chickens that came via the mail.
I haven’t lost any of these and they all lived a great life outside on the farm.
Just… just as pets?
Imagine having chick trafficking on your resume.
It’s still pretty common to mail live bees (nuclear colonies).
There was also a guy who mailed an entire bank to another city brick-by-brick.
They still do deliver chicks. It’s not very expensive either.
There is like a minimum number you have to get though that might be from the companies selling them rather than the post though, so many go to local places for smaller amounts.
The post office doesnt impose a minimum number, for the record. They don’t care, but don’t like sending them at all. However, its pretty expensive, so if you aren’t paying through the nose for the shipping, the seller is probably subsidizing that cost and that’s where the minimum comes from. I just ordered a trio of specialty breeds this past spring, but the place I bought from sends individual birds if you really wanna spend $70+ for one chick.