*****Helpful Shipping Tips*****

Originally Published June 2018

Please review these helpful guidelines below when shipping any birds to our quarantine facility.

Following these guidelines will help ensure that your birds arrive to our quarantine alive, and in great condition.

ALSO, READ BELOW ABOUT HOW YOU CAN SHIP YOUR BIRDS TO US VIA DELTA CARGO!!

Do provide your full contact information, to include writing your phone number on the shipping label, when shipping through USPS.

Do ship only on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays of each week.

Do ship birds that are fully weaned and eating on their own.

Do vaccinate your birds BEFORE you ship them to our facility, unless otherwise notified.

We strongly recommend you vaccinate all birds for PMV at least 2 weeks prior to shipping to us.

Your birds need a good jump start on their immune systems, before they get mixed in with other birds from so many different lofts. 

This is the vaccine that is approved for our quarantine. It can be purchased at most Pigeon Supply Companies.

Do notify us via email, before you ship the birds through USPS or through DELTA Cargo.

Do ship the completed shipping forms with your birds that correspond with the races listed on our website. Each race has a specific form that can be printed out, directly on our website.

Do make sure that your birds have been fed and watered before shipping them in the mail.

DO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BIRDS CAN EAT WHOLE CORN. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THEY ARE FULLY WEANED AND KNOW HOW TO EAT ON THEIR OWN, PRIOR TO SHIPPING. THE MAJORITY OF THE RACES WE SHIP TO FEED THE BIRDS WHOLE CORN AS PART OF THEIR FEED DIET, SO START THEM EARLY ON!

Do ship the birds in postal approved shipping boxes designed to accommodate the qty you are shipping, based on the manufacturer recommendations.

Do place some straw, or approved animal bedding in the bottom of the shipping box for the comfort of your birds.

Do check weather conditions and advisories with your postal office to ensure they will accept the shipment without restrictions. Your regional post office headquarters will dictate whether it is safe for your local post office to accept and ship live birds, or not, on any given days.

Do not ship birds past Wednesday of each week. We don't want them getting held up in the postal system over the weekend if they are delayed in transit.

Do not ship birds that are not fully weaned and eating on their own.

Do not ship birds that are under 35 days old.

Do not ship any birds that are showing any signs of illness, weakness, or stress of any kind.

Do not ship any birds to us that are coming from a known AVIAN INFLUENZA, or NEWCASTLE DISEASE outbreak area. Check USDA regarding updates.

Do not ship birds in poor quality boxes or boxes that have lost their structural integrity for safe shipping. 

Do not overcrowd the boxes and deviate from the manufactures recommended usage designs.

Example- 3 birds packed in a box designed to safely only ship 1-2 birds Max. Example- 8 Birds packed in a box that is designed by the manufacturer for only 4 birds, etc..

 

Do not poke holes in the biofilter material that covers the ventilation holes. This material is designed to protect and regulate the temperature in the boxes, protect your birds from airborne pathogens, reduce stress, and is also REQUIRED to be secure by postal regulations. They can reject and deny shipment if the biofilter material is missing or has holes poked in it.

Do not ship birds over the weekend or during the holidays.

Do not ship birds when the temperatures exceed the recommended postal regulations. Your regional post office headquarters will dictate whether it is safe for your local post office to accept and ship live birds, or not, on any given days.

 

 

YOU CAN ALSO SHIP YOUR BIRDS TO (SLC) SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

WE WILL GLADLY PICK THEM UP THE SAME DAY THEY ARE SHIPPED!!

 

Dear Breeders,                                                                                                                          APRIL 10, 2021

We have all had some major OR minor problems lately with birds being stuck in the postal system for days at a time. Birds being shipped on a Monday sometimes don’t even arrive to their final destination until Thursday or even Friday of the same week.

If you are tired of this happening, and the option is available to you to ship birds out of your nearest airport that services Delta Airlines, give it a try!

Here is a perfect example of why it may make more sense to ship with DELTA CARGO, VS USPS EXPRESS!

Just a few weeks ago I shipped (20 birds) from Utah to Florida using USPS Express, simply because Delta cargo at that time, was not allowing connection flights with live animals. It had to be a direct flight with no connections.

All in, the cost of the boxes and shipping cost me in total, $619.97. I used 3 separate boxes from a well-known manufacturer. This shipment consisted of (2)- 8 bird boxes, and (1 ) 4 bird box. If I had been able to ship on Delta, which they now allow connection flights, it would have only cost $270. Approximately $90 for the crate, and $180 for the shipping. That’s $270 TOTAL to ship a crate of 20 birds.

The USPS Express route came out to be around $30.99 per bird, $619.97 divided by 20, whereas shipping with Delta would have come out to be only $13.50 per bird, $270 divided by 20. That’s a difference of $17.49 PER BIRD.

American Airlines is not as reliable with shipping live animals, but Delta Airlines is very reliable. We also recommend them for these purposes.

The costs of course will depend on how many birds you are shipping, and for large shipments, you’ll definitely save a lot of $$$! Small qty shipments may not save money, but you will cut down on the stress of their shipment. Just do the math. USPS Express mail costs vs Delta Cargo.

If you have a buddy, or even multiple buddies that are near you that need to send us 10 birds, and you also need to send us birds, and you can round up 20 birds amongst yourselves, coordinate the collection in your area, and send them all together in 1 or 2 crates.

We have the second-largest Delta Hub in the entire USA, located just 30 minutes from us.

Salt Lake City International Airport.

I can get you the link of where to buy the crates that are airline-approved. These crates can safely hold up to 21 birds, AND, if they are shipped with Delta Cargo, we get the birds the SAME DAY they are shipped!

This is less stress on our fine feathered friends, and much more reliable! You will sleep better at night knowing your birds aren’t stuck in the transit system...

Just call your nearest Delta Cargo hub, tell them you’d like to schedule a live animal shipment that involves (Homing Pigeons) and give them the dimensions of the crate, the weight, and tell them to code the shipment as AVI.

The airline freight cost will usually be under $180 per crate, and they can tell you which flights go to SLC International Airport.

If you have questions, please email me and I’ll  provide you the links of who carries these airline-approved crates.

I can even book the shipment for you, from your nearest airport, as I am an established Delta cargo shipper.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Dan