u/Forward_Emu142

Hello again!

To start, I cannot express how overwhelmed and impressed I am with the knowledge and support I have received from this community. You're all amazing. Thank you so much!

If you want a link to the original post and story you can find it here

All six babies are still doing great! I have read through all of your comments and suggestions and have reached out to several places. I called the Hatchery first and they confirmed for me that they cannot take them back and the buyers forfeit their right to keep them if they are not picked up the day they arrive at the PO. They Turkeys are now officially mine to do with what I feel is best.

From there I called the SPCA. I am determined that these birds do not end up anywhere they will be turned into food. The SPCA told me they could not accept them, but gave me contact info for several sanctuaries in my area that they support and work with. With that I was able to find a lovely place with a great reputation who will excitedly accept them, should we decide to let them go.

Currently we are strongly weighing the possibility of keeping them, but I have some serious concerns. The first being our large breed dogs (English Bulldog and Bullmastif) are prey oriented and I fear they will kill these poor babies if they are given the chance. We do have coups built in our backyard and could modify some things to accommodate the Turkeys, but our Bullmastif is very strong and has broken down fence panels in the past. My other concern is that my wife and I, just last month, launched an Online Homemade Cookie shop and are selling our cookies to small markets around town and to whoever buys them online. My nightmare fear is of a freak salmonella contamination getting into the cookies and ruining our business before it's even really started.

I would love to know what you all think about these things. Should we attempt to keep the Turkeys? Can we train our dogs to not murder them? Are my concerns for a salmonella outbreak valid? If it is valid, how do I ensure I minimize the risk, beyond obsessive hand washing?

Again, thank you all so much for everything. Once we make our final decision on custody I will update this thread with the outcome, but that could be several days. Have a great day everyone!!

Gobble, Gobble Y'all!!!!

https://preview.redd.it/y4n3s2lktb1h1.png?width=1150&format=png&auto=webp&s=8b8febec199a8afa1ccc1a1168578e38bcb750ab

https://preview.redd.it/oxn3d0lktb1h1.png?width=1072&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0977e3b84606fbe2b96cde6379a06f85ea14222

https://preview.redd.it/m0cnc0lktb1h1.png?width=1878&format=png&auto=webp&s=aedfa98e9c6e769f789650d98aefa21ad0f56b34

Two different houses in our office zip code ordered baby chick's in the mail and they are ghosting us on delivery. Need a signature. Nobody home. Nobody answering phone. They have been in our office for over 24 hours. Going to attempt delivery one more time first thing this morning and then I'm lost if they can't get there. I don't know what to do

UPDATE: One box successfully delivered. They were parakeets, not chickens

Box two not delivered. So, it just so happens my wife and I bought a house with a couple chicken coups years ago, but have no chickens and never have had them. The chick's are back at the post office now, with a space heater by them. 95 degrees looks like the ideal temp from what I'm reading. My wife is coming to the office shortly to pick them up and bring them to our house. Hopefully get formula too. We will update from there once we know they are in a safe place.

Also, I'm in Cleveland, Ohio

UPDATE #2 - They are all at our house and setup. They all survived!!!! Also, THEY ARE TURKEYS!!!! My wife went to tractor supply and got all the things they'll need, thanks to all your advise. They'll be good with us for a day or two. I have the day off tomorrow and plan to spend the day finding a legit home, if the original buyers don't come looking for them

UPDATE #3 - Baby Turkeys are doing great and incredibly adorable. I have tried calling the Hatchery they came from. A return to sender seems like the most logical solution, but they are closed for the day and not accepting voice mails, so i will call first thing in the morning. For now babies have all their needs met. I went back to tractor supply and bought baby turkey crumbles with 30% protein. I'm going to elevate the water dish if I can find something suitable to use. They are eating and drinking a ton. We have a whole bag of shaved pine to keep the box clean. They are in their own room, double gated and door shut, far away from our dogs. Still trying to find buyer as well. Thank you everyone so much for being awesome and helping us.

*** I suppose I should've said originally what I meant by "return to sender". The Hatchery is less than an hour from my house. I'll drive them there myself.