The USPS has been handling poultry for probably as long as it has existed. (I received live birds in the mail just last week!) There is a special vented and r

The USPS has been handling poultry for probably as long as it has existed. (I received live birds in the mail just last week!) There is a special vented and reinforced mailer that is used. Newly hatched birds have nutritional energy reserves and don't need food or drink for a couple days. The biggest issue is temperature, even in summer. Hatchlings usually have a mother to warm them to 95 degrees. So most shipments have 15 or more birds so they can keep each other warm. Some farms even throw in an extra "warmer" bird on a order. I've received many shipments and never had a dead bird.