Updated on January 5, 2012.
2012 POULTRY ORDERING INFORMATION
Requirements for number of poultry needed in the shipping box to insure safe shipping.
- Chicks, bantams, guinea keets: Must be ordered in multiples of 25 (25, 50, 75, 100, etc.).
- Ducklings and turkey poults: Must be ordered in multiples of 15 (15, 30, 45, 60).
- Goslings: Must be ordered in multiples of 6 (6, 12, 28, 24).
- Mixing different kinds of poultry for shipping: You may mix guineas and chicks, or turkeys and chicks, or guineas and turkeys in the same shipment as long as the breeds are all hatching at the same time. Ducklings and goslings may also be mixed with each other in one shipment. You may never mix ducklings or goslings with turkeys, bantams or guineas because these do not ship well together. You may mix ducklings with chicks as long as there are more chicks than ducklings. You may never mix goslings with anything except ducklings.
- Note: 1 duckling = 2 chicks; 1 gosling = 2 ducklings; 1 turkey = 2 guinea keets or 2 chicks.
Poultry Shipping Information
Order Processing: Please remember we process and fill orders on a first come, first served basis. We never know from year to year which will be the hot items that everyone will want, so place your orders early even if you don't want them until Summer. If you don't get your name on the list early for the date that you prefer, that date may already be booked up for the breeds you want. REMEMBER, ORDER EARLY!!!
Day Olds: We will telephone or e-mail you the day your birds are shipped so it is very important that you include your daytime and evening telephone numbers (if they are different) and your e-mail address on your poultry order form (if you want us to use your e-mail address). We call in the evening to let you know they have been sent and the Postal Service calls during the day to let you know they have arrived at your Post Office. We will basically try to contact you first by telephone and will use the e-mail as a backup contact in case we can't reach you by phone. We do not call if we do not ship.
Express Mail Shipping for 2012: We have to ship via Express Mail to AK, HI, PR, and WV. We have had fabulous service getting birds to many points in AK in less than 24 hours. We struggled with Prioirty Mail to WV all season. It consistently took 3 to 4 days by Prioirity Mail, while Express Mail to the same address arrived in less than 24 hours.
Poultry Guarantees
- Shipping Date: When your order has been received in our office with payment enclosed and it has been set up in the hatch schedule, you will receive in the mail a confirmation letter from us telling you what date we hope to be able to ship your order. There is no guarantee on shipping dates. We do the best we can to meet your requested date. We ship on either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of each hatch week. We always contact you (either by telephone or e-mail) the evening the shipment goes in the mail.
- Insured Shipments: We use the Insured Shipment Form which we created. There will be an envelope taped to the outside of the shipping box which contains the NPIP paper and a breed tally sheet along with the Insured Shipment Form to fill out and return to us regarding the condition of the birds and the shipping box upon arrival. Please have the postal worker inspect the shipment with you if they will. The form is very simple and will only take about 30 seconds to fill out. There is a place for the Postal Worker to sign and date the form. If the Postal Worker refuses to sign our form, they should be able to provide you with some sort of proof that they inspected the shipment with you. You will then need to mail it back to us within 7 days of receipt of the shipment. If we do not receive this form back from you within that time limit, NO INSURANCE WILL BE FILED AND NO REPLACEMENTS WILL BE SENT. IF THERE ARE DEAD BIRDS IN THE SHIPMENT, YOUR POSTAL WORK MUST FILL OUT A DAMAGE REPORT (USPS FORM 2685) AND KEEP IT ON FILE AT THEIR OFFICE IN CASE AN INSURANCE CLAIM IS FILED LATER. Voluntary return of this form on a successful shipment is also helpful to us as well.
- Cancellation Policy: We reserve the right to charge up to a 25% cancellation penalty for any order that is canceled 10 days or more after the date on the confirmation letter. If you decide to cancel the order, the cancellation must be received in our office in writing, via U.S. Mail, with your signature on it. We will not accept cancellations by e-mail or telephone.
Poultry Shipping Charges
Standard Service:
* We only call (or e-mail) you the day that your order is shipped out.
* The shipment is insured.
* The shipment is sent by Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery).
* There is no USPS tracking service with Priority Mail.
* You pay from the Column (A, B, C or D) from the Zone Code Chart according to the state which your delivery is being shipped to.
Express Service:
* We only call (or e-mail) you the day that your order is shipped out.
* The shipment is insured.
* The shipment is sent by Express Mail (should be delivered by 3:00 PM of the 2nd day after shipping.)
* Tracking service is available through the USPS or on their website for Express Mail Service.
* You pay from the Express Mail column in the postage chart for your postage.
Zone Code Chart
Zone A: IL, IA, IN, MN, MO, WI
Zone B: AR, KY, KS, MI, NE, OH
Zone C: AL, CO, CT, DE, DC, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA
Zone D: AZ, CA, FL, ID, MA, ME, MT, NV, NH, OR, UT, WA, WY
Zone E: AK, HI, PR, WV Must use Express Mail only for all day-old poultry.
Priority Mail (Chicks and Guineas)
| Qty. | A | B | C | D |
| 25 | 10.00 | 11.25 | 15.00 | 16.50 |
| 50 | 14.00 | 15.50 | 19.00 | 22.00 |
| 75 | 17.00 | 20.00 | 25.00 | 30.00 |
| 100 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 33.00 | 40.00 |
Priority Mail (Ducks and Geese)
| Qty. | A | B | C | D |
| 15/6 | 10.00 | 11.25 | 15.00 | 16.50 |
| 30/12 | 14.00 | 15.50 | 19.00 | 22.00 |
| 45/18 | 17.00 | 20.00 | 25.00 | 30.00 |
| 60/24 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 33.00 | 40.00 |
Priority Mail (Turkeys)
| Qty. | A | B,C,D,E (Must Go By Express Mail) |
| 15 | 10.00 | B,C,D,E (Must Go By Express Mail) |
| 30 | 14.00 | B,C,D,E (Must Go By Express Mail) |
| 45 | 17.00 | B,C,D,E (Must Go By Express Mail) |
| 60 | 20.00 | B,C,D,E (Must Go By Express Mail) |
Express Mail (Chicks & Guineas)
| Qty. | A | B | C | D | E |
| 25 | 27.00 | 35.00 | 37.50 | 39.50 | 41.50 |
| 50 | 35.50 | 45.50 | 47.50 | 54.00 | 57.00 |
| 75 | 44.00 | 58.00 | 63.00 | 69.00 | 73.00 |
| 100 | 55.00 | 63.00 | 70.00 | 80.00 | 84.00 |
Express Mail (Turkeys, Ducks/Geese)
| Qty. | A | B | C | D | E |
| 15/6 | 27.00 | 35.00 | 37.50 | 39.50 | 41.50 |
| 30/12 | 35.50 | 45.50 | 47.50 | 54.00 | 57.00 |
| 45/18 | 44.00 | 58.00 | 63.00 | 69.00 | 73.00 |
| 60/24 | 55.00 | 69.00 | 70.00 | 80.00 | 84.00 |
NOTE: If we are shipping your turkeys anywhere besides Zone "A" on the Zone Code Chart, you MUST request and pay for Express Mail Service. Turkeys are just too fragile to take a chance on them taking three days for delivery. We also recommend Express Mail Service for Runner Ducklings and the more expensive Goslings.
Poultry Orders To Hawaii
All orders for poultry shipments to Hawaii must be received in our office well in advance (a month or more) of the shipping date requested so that the necessary permits and paperwork may be obtained. There is no charge for the paperwork to ship to Hawaii, but it must be obtained in advance. We are not allowed to ship ducklings or goslings to Hawaii. All shipments to Hawaii must be sent by Express Mail.
Poultry Orders To Canada
WE ARE NO LONGER SHIPPING POULTRY FOR ENTRY INTO CANADA. Due to the excessive paperwork required and the difficulty in making connections, we are not even shipping to a U.S. border town to be hand carried across the border into Canada.
FINAL POULTRY ORDER REMINDERS
- All orders must be received in our office by regular mail with payment enclosed to be considered for booking. An order is not considered booked if you talk to us about it on the telephone, or send an e-mail telling us what you want. It will not be booked until we get it in writing with the payment. No exceptions!
- We do not accept orders by telephone or Internet. We do not accept credit card, paypal, or any other electronic payment for your order.
- We do not guarantee specific hatch dates, "show quality" birds, or male/female ratio.
- You have ten (10) days from the date on your confirmation letter from us confirming your order to cancel or change your order. After that time, there is a 25% cancellation fee on any cancelled poultry order.
- All day-old poultry is shipped insured. Replacement birds will NOT be shipped until an insurance claim form signed by you and your postal worker is in our possession. (Insurance will not be filed for anything less than a 10% loss of what was sent in that shipment. A credit slip will be issued by us for any loss that is less than 10%.)
- Hatching dates are listed at the front of chickens, bantams, ducks, geese, turkeys and guineas sections of the catalog. This is the first day of the hatch week. We ship on Monday or Tuesday (occasionally Wednesday). The dates listed in the catalog are the approximate shipping dates not the dates they arrive at your home.