Shipping Birds

[quail1]

HI y'all! New Member here, Quail1, hello from Minnesota.

I will be shipping some birds from MN to a Western state and need a little advice. What, in your opinion, will be the fastest method?
Also, what can i do to make these birds more comfortable in shipment? Possibly putting in apple or pear pieces?

Open to any and all suggestions,
Thank you.

Quail1

[robin416]

It really depends on where you live. Some can take their birds straight to the airport.

I take mine to a major PO distribution hub, if I'm there in the early afternoon the birds head up to the AP, are placed on a plane and if all goes well they arrive the next day. I've noticed that the birds don't touch any of the solid fruit that is shipped with them. Some folks are trying cutting it up to see if they are more interested, I don't know yet if that has them eating it.

[Rich]

Contact your local post office for when pickups and deliveries are made. They can tell you the best time to bring the birds in. I always make sure the birds I ship are well fed and watered. I've seen some put a small container and wire tie it to the corner of the box and put some feed or water in it. A few pieces of apple may be a good idea as they can provide both moisture and nutrients. They need to be shipped express mail.

[Evy]

HI y'all! New Member here, Quail1, hello from Minnesota.

I will be shipping some birds from MN to a Western state and need a little advice. What, in your opinion, will be the fastest method?
Also, what can i do to make these birds more comfortable in shipment? Possibly putting in apple or pear pieces?

Open to any and all suggestions,
Thank you.

Quail1

There is only one method...through the USPS by Express mail in a postal approved box http://www.hm-e.net/p2economy.htm
Call your local PO the morning you wish to ship & give them the zip code they're going to. They'll check with the airline for approval , call you back & tell you what time you have to get them to the PO by for pick-up. ( No point in the birds sitting there all day if the truck doesn't come until 4 p.m. ) You'll have to use the Express mail label & be sure to put the receipients phone number on it.
If you're close to the airport hub that takes your local mail, that's an option. Most of us aren't that lucky.

[Pathfinders]

I wrote an article on how to ship birds on eHow.com, see it here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4513311_ship-chicken-express-mail.html

Let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck!

Laura

[quail1]

Thank You all for the great info!

quail1

[Blackorps]

Hello everyone, All great advice, since we live a couple hours outside the main city and airport. I have to have the main Post office fax the paperwork to our local PO that a live bird is coming in and being shipped express. They then attached the pertinent information to the shipping box and we are good to go. They also tell you what time to have the bird at the PO, so it is not sitting around longer than necessary.
I add an apple and scatter some feed in the box. Along with some pine shavings to absorb the moisture and control the mess and smell. Another trick I use is to double up on the bottom of the box. :wink:

[quail1]

Thanks Blackorps. I have been giving apple and pumpkin bits as a treat to the birds for the past week. I plan on shipping 5 six month old English Game bantams to Wyoming in a new horizon box. This is the first time shipping live birds for me, and I want everything to go smoothly.

Thanks again
Quail1