Both acknowledged the original rate would be unreasonable in the current circumstances.

“They said that they’re gonna try to go after the post office to get recoupment,” Parana said. “That doesn’t help us in the meantime.”

#USPS #AnimalCruelty #chicks
https://fsac-spca.org/ways-to-give/

The #Delaware Dept of Agriculture, after a call from #USPS, directed the animals to the shelter, which shares a memorandum of understanding with the animal center as a state vendor. The dept said it is responsible for assisting the shelter w/funds—for #chickens, the rate was $5/day.

The dept’s chief of planning, Jimmy Kroon, said negotiations were ongoing, but Parana claims that the dept communicated that they had no funds to allocate for the #chicks.

The strain has turned the animal care center into a 24/7 operation & necessitated a staffing increase. Money remains the biggest concern for the donation-reliant nonprofit. Employees have begun spending their money to support ops.

Among the #birds were young #turkeys, #geese & #quail, but the vast majority were #FreedomRanger #chicks. One concern for the shelter, Parana explained, was the increasing demand for space & feed, as Freedom Rangers take about 10 wks to reach maturity.

Last Tues, the shelter began offering the #birds for #adoption, but only a few hundred out of thousands have been picked up. There is no complete count of the #chicks, as the shelter has no feasible way to do so, but Parana estimates there to be more than two thousand available.

Some have inquired about buying the birds for meat, but, as a #NoKillShelter & #SPCA, those were refused.

The spox said it would have been best if #USPS, after discovering the #chicks, had completed delivery as the recipients would have been adequately equipped to handle the #birds — even malnourished ones.

For more than two weeks, the surviving chicks have been nursed and cared for at First State Animal Center & #SPCA, said John Parana, executive director.

#AnimalCruelty
https://fsac-spca.org/

The #USPS said in an email that it was aware of a process breakdown & was actively investigating what occurred.

Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery raised the #chicks for their weekly distribution to clients across the country, said a spox for the company. Due to biosecurity concerns, the hatchery cannot take the chicks back.