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I <3 usps

fdfederation

Confused Magikarp
It wasn't just plants that arrived quickly and healthily for affordable flat rate shipping, but fragile (officially labeled on the box) chicken eggs that shipped from Virginia to California through USPS. The eggs arrived within the week of being shipped and 4/9 of the eggs eventually hatched; the chicks did not exhibit any external abnormalities.
 
I've used USPS so much that the few times they messed up is a throw-away count versus the amount of times they did it right and on time. All my plants have come USPS to my knowledge and I wouldn't say any of them have been hurt due to USPS handling/shipping practices.
 
Yeah I have had mostly good experiences with USPS. I find it to be a government service that I would not want to see cut...
 
Wait wait wait... You can order CHICKENS on the internet? Which website did you buy these from? I wonder if they have ducks...
 
Wait wait wait... You can order CHICKENS on the internet? Which website did you buy these from? I wonder if they have ducks...

It's the new 'thing' apparently to live in the suburbs and have chickens (I don't live in the suburbs so I'm not sure personally) says the internet last year, so a bunch of chicken-egg selling places have popped up online. If you google-search, you can find tons: http://www.google.com/search?q=buy+...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
 
Wait wait wait... You can order CHICKENS on the internet? Which website did you buy these from? I wonder if they have ducks...

I see chickens, eggs ducks, and other birds come through all the time. Insects, reptiles, and amphibians are also frequent fliers, I have shipped hundreds of frogs out via Express mail.
 
Yeah I have had mostly good experiences with USPS. I find it to be a government service that I would not want to see cut...

overwhelmingly popular misconception....USPS is a private entity.
 
No... It is an independent agency... Of the united states government... Facts, they are your friend.
 
  • #10
So this has piqued my curiosity. Anyone out there who raises chickens for egg/meat...what kind of costs are to be expected in raising these things?
 
  • #11
So this has piqued my curiosity. Anyone out there who raises chickens for egg/meat...what kind of costs are to be expected in raising these things?

I would assume all you have to do is feed them and give them water. Pretty much like carnivorous plants... They have them in Hawaii and in places where it snows, so temperature shouldn't be a problem. You may need to house them in a chicken coop, but that's a one time cost... And you gotta pick up their poop and give them baths so they don't smell bad... :-D
 
  • #12
I've not really had any issues with USPS either. Much better, faster and cheaper than UPS and they deliver on Saturdays.
 
  • #13
When I first got started in beekeeping I got my first few packages of bees via USPS.
My local post office always called me as soon as they came in (usually around 5:00 am) so I could come pick them up.
Unlike my carnivorous plants, they never sat in some sorting facility or post office for days at a time waiting to move on.
For some reason.
 
  • #14
So this has piqued my curiosity. Anyone out there who raises chickens for egg/meat...what kind of costs are to be expected in raising these things?

You will need a heat lamp/portable heater when the weather gets cold and beware of the electric bill. Some cities also require you to have a permit to own chickens, similar to pets (treating them similar to cats and dogs isn't a bad idea). You will most definitely need a permit and NPIP certification if you intend on selling the eggs/meat. Also, their poo burns grass if not diluted.

P.S. My chicken project started as an experiment to see if fertile eggs would survive the transit because I had a more ambitious idea of raising peafowl. Perhaps someday... After about 6 weeks, I had to give the chickens to a friend because the yard was not going to be large enough.

I've not really had any issues with USPS either. Much better, faster and cheaper than UPS and they deliver on Saturdays.

Mmmh, love Saturday mail!
 
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  • #15
Unlike my carnivorous plants, they never sat in some sorting facility or post office for days at a time waiting to move on.
For some reason.

Live animal shipments are hand carried through sorting by the same clerks who handle Express packages.
 
  • #16
peafowl are very noisy
u don't need a heater for grown chickens only chicks unless u have a broud hen
 
  • #17
You will need a heat lamp/portable heater when the weather gets cold and beware of the electric bill. Some cities also require you to have a permit to own chickens, similar to pets (treating them similar to cats and dogs isn't a bad idea). You will most definitely need a permit and NPIP certification if you intend on selling the eggs/meat. Also, their poo burns grass if not diluted.

You don't really need a heat source of any kind. My chickens have all survived the completely raw elements of Southeast Alaska during all seasons (13ft of rain annually). The only reason they have died is due to predation which is because we have the liberty of keeping them coopless in our yard.

You may need to house them in a chicken coop, but that's a one time cost... And you gotta pick up their poop and give them baths so they don't smell bad... :-D

The majority of people keep chickens in coops for a variety of reasons:

City ordinances

Reduce predation

Confined area to collect eggs and ensure that they don't go roaming

Containment of fecal matter

If you have chickens in a coop you will basically need to clean the coop periodically to reduce the build up of fecal matter but giving chickens baths is something that I have never heard of people doing and I certainly would never consider doing.

Ultimately I find it better to keep them without a coop because they spread their waste around more evenly and it can become a fertilizer if the density of the chicken population doesn't exceed the capacity of the land. It's best still to monitor where the hens are laying and create at least a nesting area. Without a coop the chickens will have a larger and more healthy diet.

The cons of this method are obviously that the waste gets spread around more liberally and predation becomes very hard to deal with.

So this has piqued my curiosity. Anyone out there who raises chickens for egg/meat...what kind of costs are to be expected in raising these things?

The main costs in raising chickens are basically pretty simple. Since 99% of people use coops the first cost is obviously building the pen and coop area. I don't know exactly how much that would cost but I imagine you could do it well with just a few hundred dollars.

The only other cost from then on is buying chicken feed. Chickens diets can be supplemented with your own food scraps that might otherwise be composted.

Chickens are very low maintenance, and I love getting eggs!

The biggest con against raising chickens is that roosters are almost universally despised by everyone. Many towns and cities have outlawed owning roosters within city limits and even where no laws exist, neighbors will no doubt get very indignant if they aren't used to the sound.

I personally can sleep through roosters crowing with no issues whatsoever.

Getting around this means raising only hens which are less beautiful and then you can't create your own chicken crosses or eat fertile eggs.

---------- Post added at 02:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:10 AM ----------

Here's one of my pictures of the brood when there were more of them still... our own wild breed, Bantam Cochin father mixed with Cornish Game Hen.

DSCN5545.jpg
 
  • #18
I love the USPS too! I sell mostly records on ebay - you know those huge black vinyl disks that are breakable and scratchable and have been replaced by 8 track tapes, cassette tapes, cds and now downloaded music? Well some freaks still like collecting vinyls and I ship 20-50 a week and have had great delivery responses so far.

The most destroyed plant I ever got was a Masdevallia veitchiana which was shipped by UPS.

It is incumbent upon the shipper to package their item correctly, mail sorting at the airport is a madhouse (as is UPS and Fed Ex I'm sure) and things are done quickly to get peoples stuff to it's destination on time. In this fast paced environment mishaps can and do happen, but proper packaging can reduce or eliminate damages. If you ever buy insurance for your packages and try to collect on a claim they will want to see your packaging and item. If it's not a proper packaging job you forfeit the insurance.


"Set your chickens Free!" :D
 
  • #19
You guys get Saturday mail? You lucky!

Chickens? I will take it upon myself that the next big thing will be raising ostriches in your back yard...
 
  • #20
Ostriches... been there done that. That craze has come and gone.
Bathing chickens... ever hear the phrase "madder than a wet hen"? Somebody coined that phrase for a reason. (try it sometime)
USPS... I have only ever had one package of plants smashed, and the plant (nep) actually survived. I usually ship in Priority flat rate boxes for the great convenience. The tracking is nice, but I have learned to add at least 2 days to the estimated delivery date for packages that I am receiving. Packages that I am shipping, the estimated delivery date is usually pretty accurate.
 
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