Postal Service delays are killing baby birds

Kansas City Today

For more than a century, bird hatcheries and farmers across the country have used the U.S. Postal Service to ship newborn birds. But recent shipment delays have led to many birds dying in transit. Plus: Climate change could bring more water scarcity to the Midwest and Great Plains and, with it, more legal battles over water.

When someone wants to add chicks to their backyard farm or populate a larger operation, they often order from hatcheries. For the past 100 years, those hatcheries have used the U.S. Postal Service to ship live baby birds around the country. Increasingly, customers and suppliers say slow deliveries are causing birds to arrive dead. The Midwest Newsroom’s Kavahn Mansouri investigates.

The Western U.S. has seen decades of disputes over water. Now, climate change could bring more water scarcity to the Midwest and Great Plains. That’s left states in the middle of the country wondering if the thirst for water could be headed their way. Harvest Public Media’s Kate Grumke reports.

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Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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