A Ban On Mail Order Chicks In NY?

[TTL News 307]

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There are a lot of ways to look forward to a long winter’s end. For some people, it’s the arrival of tulips and daffodils. For others, it’s the song of nesting birds. But for many, there’s only one kind of spring fever they know—baby chick season. The United States Postal Service has been shipping chicks through the mail since 1918 and, until last summer, there’s only ever been a small contingent of people speaking out against it. Generally speaking, people either don’t know that hundreds of thousands of chicks are shipped every year to farms and individuals through the USPS or they’re the ones ordering them.

That changed when an article from the Portland Press Herald went viral in August 2020 and detailed how at least 4,800 chicks had died on the way to farms in Maine. Service cuts and delays at the USPS were largely blamed, but the issue of whether live animals should be shipped at all started attracting the attention of lawmakers. Earlier this month, Linda Rosenthal, a New York State assembly member from Manhattan, introduced a bill that would end the shipment of any live animals by mail into or within her state. In addition to day-old poultry, the bill would also impact the reptile trade, which frequently relies on the mail to move animals. 

In the current version of the bill, each animal shipped would be counted as a separate offense—each punishable by a civil penalty of up to $1,000. That bill was referred to the agriculture committee where it seems unlikely to make much progress as written. This is because the USPS is a federal agency regulated by the constitution and, therefore, state bans can’t override federal law, says Kimberly Frum, a postal service spokesperson. 

Since news of  the bill started spreading through farming, hatchery and backyard chicken committees, lawmakers have heard from many businesses and individuals who are concerned about how a ban on shipping chicks could affect them. Catherine Raleigh-Boylan, a co-owner of Raleigh’s Poultry Farm in Kings Park, New York, says not having access to day-old chicks would affect her business drastically. 

“It wouldn’t be cost effective at all,” she tells Modern Farmer. Raleigh-Boylan says that, even in 2020, she’s never had an issue with shipments from the post office to her farm—which was started by her parents and has been ordering chicks by mail for 60 years. “You might lose one or two out of two-hundred. The rest are always healthy,” she says.

 

Read the rest here.

What do you think? Should shipping chicks and other animals be banned in NY or elsewhere?

[Chris 2,158]

1 hour ago, Elmira Telegram said:

Earlier this month, Linda Rosenthal, a New York State assembly member from Manhattan, introduced a bill that would end the shipment of any live animals by mail into or within her state.

So long as Linda is able to go to the store and get her eggs, she is happy. To Hell with everyone else. 

I just noticed this article is from 2021, but a quick search shows that this is one of many animal rights oriented bills proposed by Rosenthal, so it could still come up again.

[Hal 341]

She is worried about a few chicks dying en route ( not to make light of that ) maybe she should visit a few of the hatcheries that produce these chicks . Anyone here ( other than you Chris ) ever see how they are or at least were sorted at day one ? In some hatcheries the pullets are sorted and sent down one line to be sold as all pullets , the others are sent down another to be sold as “ straight run “ which is a take what you get type thing , males and female mix . But most of the males are/were tossed into barrels … now , if she were to see this she would have something to bitch about . I can honestly say that out of the hundreds ordered over the years there were maybe a handful in all that time that arrived dead . 
Back to topic … No , keep shipping chick through the mail ! Chick Days at the local farm store can’t possibly supply the larger egg producers !

[Linda Roorda 127]

My family's order of 3 doz mixed baby chicks arrived safe and healthy with no dead little ones back in the spring of 1970... and as a teen, I commenced a crash course from my Dad on how to care for them once my Mom said they were old enough to be put out in the newly remodeled old chicken coop. And I learned responsibility and a love for my collection of mixed breed hens!  Too many people, like Rosenthal, think they know better how to run our lives than we do!!!