Latest / Valley Hatchery Podcast / Chicken Support Insights - Episode 13: Shipping Timelines and How Watchdog May Help You Snag Earlier Dates

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Chicken Support Insights - Episode 13: Shipping Timelines and How Watchdog May Help You Snag Earlier Dates · Valley Hatchery Podcast

• 0:08
  Cortney: Hi, I'm Courtney and welcome back to Valley Hatchery's Chicken Support Insights podcast where we help you raise strong, healthy backyard flocks with confidence.
• 0:17
  Cortney: I'm here with Tina.
• 0:18
  Cortney: Hi everyone! Today we're talking about shipping timelines and what really changes as we move from February into March.
• 0:25
  Cortney: This is a topic our customer support team hears a lot about, especially as spring demand starts to build.
• 0:32
  Cortney: Let's get into it.
• 0:34
  Cortney: So Tina, what do people most often misunderstand about chick shipping timelines this time of year?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing is that the day that they hatch, that's the day they ship.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So when they place the order, that date is the day they actually go out.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: They'll show up between one and three days.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: So if they go out on a Monday, they're going to get the call Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from their post office so that they can pick those chicks up.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Where I think a lot of confusion comes in is the way that there's availability or not.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: So if they have maybe five different breeds in their cart and they know that they saw that the Rhode Island red is available in two weeks, and then they start putting these birds in the cart, and then next thing you know, they have an April date.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's because every single bird in the cart has to be available the same day in order to ship.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that does adjust that ship date.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: So each item, each bird that they're putting in, that ship date could potentially change.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that's something that I don't think people even notice.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: They just place the order and that's that.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: They don't even really know what date they're going out because I do get a lot of calls where they're stating, well, I placed an order, but I don't know when they're going.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it's a nice thing to know about that because how our system works is it's just gonna pull the soonest date that all those birds are available.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: But they do have the option, if later dates are available, to click the drop down and change that date.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that can be confusing to them, just the availability and the demand.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Then of course, you have the time of year.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of people, they're gonna start ordering December, January, Four, February, and March.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And some people they think they have all the time and they don't call until February, March, and they're really pushed back.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: So the demand is just it's huge.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I know, Courtney, you've mentioned in other podcasts that many customers wait longer than they should.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where I'm getting is they don't realize that timing is so important, having an idea of what they want to accomplish with their flock and then making sure that they order based on the time frame as far as the rearing of them, the growing and everything.
• 2:37
  Cortney: Yeah, kind of assuming like timing will work itself out, but they gotta understand that shipping part stays the same.
• 2:44
  Cortney: It's everything else around it that changes.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big one.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So if shipping time doesn't change, what exactly does shift between February and March?
• 2:53
  Cortney: Obviously, everyone starts to buy at this time, like you said, they wait thinking, I'll wait until I'm ready for them, and I'll go ahead and place that order in February to ship in February.
• 3:03
  Cortney: But that's not the case at hatcheries.
• 3:05
  Cortney: Everyone starts to buy increasing volume, numbers, and dates start to disappear.
• 3:10
  Cortney: Basically, if we've got orders open for three months, and those early orders are starting to take effect on availability.
• 3:17
  Cortney: So those early planners, they can rest assured that they've got their foot in the door already.
• 3:22
  Cortney: So I'd say to order before February if breeds are and dates are important to you.
• 3:27
  Cortney: Basically, after the holidays, that's a good time to start getting your chick order planned and together because some people are on the ball.
• 3:36
  Cortney: So with chickens, we can't just go out there and tell them to lay more, you know.
• 3:40
  Cortney: Right.
• 3:41
  Cortney: Once our numbers start to disappear, even though they could come back up if we a large cancel, or maybe the chickens do lay way better than they did last year because at hatcheries we do count eggs before they hatch.
• 3:52
  Cortney: So sometimes the number is even less than last year or more.
• 3:56
  Cortney: So you gotta think of that.
• 3:57
  Cortney: And we're we are depending on live animals at this time, so you can't just push print print double this time.
• 4:04
  Cortney: Absolutely.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much that happens behind the scenes, and there's so much planning, and it's the amount of work that the hatch planners have.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, my hat's off to them because it's a lot of work and it's not easy, definitely about planning than speed.
• 4:22
  Cortney: Lots of things happening behind the scenes to get all these dates to work out for sure.
• 4:26
  Cortney: Oh, yeah.
• 4:27
  Cortney: Yeah.
• 4:27
  Cortney: So how should listeners be thinking about their orders and preparing during this transition?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like you had mentioned, definitely ordering early.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's so, so important.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And thinking about it on the off season around November, December, what do I want my flock to look like?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so that I am prepared.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I can order early, making sure that you have all of your brooder things ready to go, everything's cleaned, everything's ready, having that heat lamp, making sure you know where it should be for different temperatures, having that thermometer so you have an idea there.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: And just making sure that, yeah, all your supplies are on hand, your water and food vessels, you know, the appropriate ones for the chicks, proper feed, proper bedding, making sure you have a space in your home to put them for several weeks.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: All of that is something you do want to have done ahead of time.
• 5:19
  Cortney: Exactly.
• 5:19
  Cortney: Preparation removes a lot of stress in those cases, giving you options instead of pressure.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: I like that.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Options instead of pressure.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And we're always here.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's something too that we can't stress enough.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: We are always here for support.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: I always tell people, I don't care if it's 20 months down the road and you have a question or give us a call.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, Courtney, what expectations should people set for themselves as spring demand continues to ramp up?
• 5:44
  Cortney: So I think that they should avoid last-minute assumptions about availability.
• 5:50
  Cortney: Like you said, after the holidays clear out and you've been thinking about your spring flock, what are your flock goals?
• 5:57
  Cortney: How can we help you get there?
• 5:58
  Cortney: Early decisions help ensure preferred breeds and timing.
• 6:02
  Cortney: Basically, going back to February ordering, having that peace of mind that you have your order set and pre-booked, you can kind of kick back and relax while everyone else is panicking and last minute buying what they have to buy because the breeds they wanted are already gone.
• 6:18
  Cortney: You know what I mean?
• 6:18
  Cortney: So feeling confident about that delivery date that you got to choose because availability was there.
• 6:24
  Cortney: And it was the right time for you and your flock and your plans for your year.
• 6:29
  Cortney: Sometimes, even when you think it's too early to plan and order chickens, sometimes it's too late.
• 6:35
  Cortney: Live numbers go fast, everyone's ordering at one time.
• 6:39
  Cortney: Sometimes your birds are in somebody else's cart and they hit complete the order first, and then that date, like you said, is gone, and then you have a later date.
• 6:49
  Cortney: But Valley Hatchery's on your side.
• 6:51
  Cortney: We can look out for earlier dates, ask us about watchdog if the date isn't happy that you got.
• 6:56
  Cortney: So just keep that in mind too, because we are on your side.
• 7:00
  Cortney: We are here for you to support you, and we've got lots of different things on our end that we can do to make those dates more smooth and fitting into your schedule.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I absolutely love our new option of watchdog.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Secure those birds if you're okay with the date you got, but we can watch for sooner dates because, like you said, it we do count our eggs before before they hatch.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: And oftentimes we undercount.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so all of a sudden, we're going to open up a date.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if that date works out for what's on your order, we can easily move those up for you.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: But we have to put that in the system so it's watching.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I love that feature, it's so much.
• 7:38
  Cortney: It's awesome.
• 7:38
  Cortney: Wonderful.
• 7:39
  Cortney: Really helped out a lot of customers already.
• 7:41
  Cortney: It's a new thing for us, but a lot of people don't know about it.
• 7:45
  Cortney: So early planning is best, especially if those dates and breeds are very important.
• 7:50
  Cortney: But even when you think that, like I said, uh early could be late in some breeds and some times.
• 7:55
  Cortney: So in those cases, we do have options for you.
• 7:59
  Cortney: So don't just not order, it's not guaranteed, but a lot of times availability that does open back up, but it's hard to get to it.
• 8:07
  Cortney: So we've got something that can get to it fast on our exactly.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And time is of the essence when they do open up and people see that if they even hesitate, they're yeah, they're going to sell out.
• 8:21
  Cortney: And I've seen it happen, and you probably have too.
• 8:24
  Cortney: Many times, yeah.
• 8:25
  Cortney: Pushing right before you confirm like something's not gonna work now.
• 8:28
  Cortney: What happened between getting your information and pushing this button here?
• 8:33
  Cortney: It's just that fast, and that's how high demand is with chickens right now.
• 8:37
  Cortney: I don't think that the demand's going anywhere.
• 8:39
  Cortney: So I think early planning each season, even earlier each year, when you know what you want, call us so we can help you.
• 8:46
  Cortney: Absolutely.
• 8:47
  Cortney: Great point.
• 8:47
  Cortney: So hopefully this helps clarify what actually changes as we move from February into March.
• 8:52
  Cortney: But planning early makes a big difference once demand picks up.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, it does.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're thinking about ordering chicks this spring, take a look at your plans now.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure timing, availability, and preparation are all lined up.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for listening, and we'll see you on the next episode.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Bye for now.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.