Every year, 20 million day-old chicks are thoughtlessly thrown into boxes and shipped as “perishable goods” through the postal service to farms, homesteads, feed stores, and private homes. You have a chance to help stop this horrific practice. All you need to do is take action today!
A mother hen communicates with her chicks through the shell before they hatch. In hatcheries, the chicks are born in an incubator with no mother. Within hours of their life, they are sexed, vaccinated, stuffed in boxes, and sent through the mail. According to the United States Postal Service, they are supposed to arrive at their destination within 72 hours. In the best-case scenario, the chicks are crowded in a dark box without food or water for three days. They are shipped year-round, no matter the weather. Chicks endure below-freezing winter temperatures and inhumane sweltering summer heat. Can you imagine “mailing” your adopted puppy or kitten under these conditions?
Without a doubt, sending day-old babies through the mail is cruel, but recently it has become horrific. Thousands of chicks arrived dead due to delayed shipments and chaos within the United States Postal Service in the wake of COVID-19. Typically 1-2% of chicks die during transit. Every year 200,000 to 400,000 chicks die while in transit. In August 2020, entire shipments of chicks were arriving at their destination dead. Farmers in Maine and New Hampshire reported a staggering 4,800 chicks were dead upon arrival.
As we continue to experience record-breaking heat in 2023, live shipping of chicks only becomes more dangerous.
The shipment of live-day-old chicks is egregiously inhumane. We must demand an end to this cruelty. You can use your voice to advocate for chickens. Go to animalplace.org/advocacy to sign and send a letter to the United States Postmaster General, find sample letters, and learn more. It only takes a few moments of your time.
