61–70 of 167 posts
We've received day old chicks via USPS several times. The local post office had different procedures. Rather than trying to deliver, we were called as soon as they arrived requesting us to come and pick them up. It's pretty neat and kind of surprising at first. Of the hundreds of birds we've received via USPS, none of them were DOA.
I love lists like this. I remember waiting for a Greyhound bus and reading the list of prohibited items and imagining the stories behind each one. It ran on for pages. Human heads were not allowed, even if frozen. Martial arts weapons like swords, nunchucks and throwing stars got a section all their own, separate from guns and knives. Each type of bodily fluid was listed separately, lest someone assume that their jar…
This was probably the gruesome incident that got heads banned: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tim_McLean
When I worked in a USPS facility, it was always a mix of emotions when a box started chirping. On the one hand, cute baby birds! On the other hand, they’re going through an ordeal right now (they got special non-machine handling, but it still wasn’t pleasant for them to be packed into cartons) and their destination was most likely a factory farm.
Newly hatched chickens can survive without food for more than 24 hours. They only want to sleep and can travel perfectly at this age, so is the usual way for amateurs to buy fancy chicken breeds or small chicken of known sex. So, most probably those chicken would end having a happy life destroying carefully the backyard of somebody, one scratch at a time. There is also a special kind of fishes that lay eggs that can…
I'm dubious. There is well-established research on the importance of imprinting for new-born chicks across a wide variety of bird species. Therefore, even if the chick spends most of its time asleep, I would want to see research saying that there is no problem due to intentionally depriving the chick of an appropriate target to imprint on.
In general we tend to over-pack and over-engineer a lot of our shipping and handling processes. Turns out many things just aren't that big of a deal (like shipping bees). My friend was stationed in Hawaii. She mailed me a coconut. No box, just a stapled a first-class shipping label to it. Delivered without issue.
There's a number of different "monthyl random box of stuff in some category" services these days. I had one for international snacks for a while. My wife did one for cat toys. I've seen one for fishing gear. Clearly, what the world needs is one for animals. One month: adorable baby chicks. Peep peep. Next month: S C O R P I O N S.
In general we tend to over-pack and over-engineer a lot of our shipping and handling processes. Turns out many things just aren't that big of a deal (like shipping bees). My friend was stationed in Hawaii. She mailed me a coconut. No box, just a stapled a first-class shipping label to it. Delivered without issue.
The etch a sketch is hilarious. Every day of travel decreases the chances of it getting to it's destination.
I have to know.. :)
*EDIT: ahhh, non-linear commenting! I went to the wired article from the other comment and found what you're referring to. I thought maybe they mailed it with a picture... they mailed it with an address?! that's one hell of a stress test.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I for one am glad that cultural acceptance for these jokes is fading, mostly because young people generally no longer find the sentiment relatable because they're no longer expected to marry the first person they want to sleep with.
Your comment reveals your own cultural biases. Look inward before looking outward.
But maybe that's just my cultural biases speaking.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Newly hatched chickens can survive without food for more than 24 hours. They only want to sleep and can travel perfectly at this age, so is the usual way for amateurs to buy fancy chicken breeds or small chicken of known sex. So, most probably those chicken would end having a happy life destroying carefully the backyard of somebody, one scratch at a time. There is also a special kind of fishes that lay eggs that can…
I don't see how anyone could possibly know what the subjective experience of being a day-old chick stuffed in a box would be like. But I can imagine what it would be like to be a human stuffed in a box, and that doesn't seem very pleasant. I don't see how the idea that it might be better for birds (who are pretty clearly sentient creatures) could be based on anything other than rationalization and wishful thinking.