Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. Where are you located? 

We are located north of Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Which airport is used to export the birds out of the country, once the quarantine has been completed?

We normally use Salt Lake City International Airport to export the birds to their destination. This airport also happens to have the second largest MAJOR DELTA HUB  in the country, with National and International Flights Departing daily to major non-stop destinations around the world. Your birds will normally always depart from SLC International Airport upon completion of quarantine, and then catch their international connection flight in either DENV, or LAX the following morning. 

3. How long have you been exporting birds outside the USA?

We have been successfully exporting racing homing pigeons outside the USA since approximately 2008.

4. Are you an approved USDA Quarantine Facility?

Yes, we are an approved USDA Export Quarantine Facility that follows strict bio-security protocol measures.

5. What is your shipping address?

Our shipping address which we use to both send and receive live bird shipments is:

Avian Export Services

PO BOX 146

KAYSVILLE, UT 84037

801-580-6476

Our Post Office knows us very well since we have shipped thousands of birds with them over the many years of being in business. They call us immediately so that your birds don't sit in the post office all day after arrival.

If you have a large qty of birds you would like to ship to us, and you are approved to ship through the airlines, let us know ahead of time and we can arrange to pick the birds up from Salt Lake City International Airport, upon their arrival.

6. How many birds can your export quarantine facility safely handle?

Our Export Quarantine Facility was built to safely handle and accomodate up to 1,200 birds at any given time. We could handle more than this, however, prefer to keep the numbers no more than 1,200. 

7. Does a fully accredited DVM that works under the guidance of the local USDA/APHIS field office, actually physically go to the property to do the thorough inspection of the facility, and inspect all the birds, prior to shipment?

Yes, they do. They are required to do so on each quarantine session so that they can look over the entire flock of birds. They are also the only personnel that are allowed to visit our facility due to strict bio-security measures that are in place. They also will not sign off on the International Health Certificates and Inspection, unless this visit has been performed according to strict USDA/APHIS standards.

8. Can I send you some birds that need to go to an overseas location, but are not heading to a race? 

Unfortunately, No. The only birds that we can quarantine and send as a group are those birds that are headed to a race directly, per the Import Permit Requirments. We cannot mix birds since our shipment goes directly to the race, and only to the race. We do offer private group quarantines, but those must be reserved on a case by case basis... and cannot be offered when we have an existing quarantine session in process. 

9. What is the minimum time required for birds to be in Quarantine, prior to export for international locations?

Great question! Per the import permit requirements issued by foreign countries, we are required to fully comply, and have the birds typically a minimum of 30 days, prior to being able to export them.

10. What is the Flight Plan and basketing process for the birds when they ship out?

We load all the birds up in well constructed spacious Airline Approved Shipping Containers designed specifically for shipping live birds overseas. This is done just a few hrs prior to check in time at Delta. They have feed and water inside the crates that will last the entire flight duration. They are then taken to Salt Lake International Airport where they depart on an evening (red eye flight) on Delta Airlines, directly to LAX or an international hub, after which they are transferred to their international flight the following morning, and then flown non-stop to their final destination. There is very minimal stress throughout this entire logistics process.

11. Do the birds stay at your quarantine facility the entire time, once they are shipped to you?

Yes. We do not broker the birds, or send them to another individual to do the quarantine services. The birds come directly to us, and they stay with us the entire time before they are exported to their final destination. 

12. Will you take pictures of the birds for me while they are in Quarantine.

No. This is a quarantine facility, and we do not want to add any stress to the birds by trying to find a particular bird amongst hundreds in the facility. Photos and video are strictly prohibited at our approved facility.

13. What is the minimum qty of birds I would need to have, in order to do a private quarantine session at your facility?

The minimum qty of birds we must have in order to do a private group quarantine is (+20 Birds). Anything less than that is just too cost prohibitive due to the time and energy it takes to accomplish a successful quarantine export session. The receiving country is required to have an import agent that applies for the necessary import permit. The Import Permit is what tells us exactly what kind of Avian testing is required in order to safely get the birds exported to you outside the USA. 

14. What are the typical feeds that are given to the birds, while in quarantine? 

We use a high quality feed designed and formulated by a famous racer/breeder, Ken Christopher, who happens to be a good friend of ours, also located right here in Utah. We also give the birds the famous Versele-Laga seaweed grit, along with other high end nutritional products. Birds also receive a good mix of Versele-Laga Black Label feed while in quarantine.

15. What are the estimated costs associated with exporting a group of birds outside the USA?

As of Dec 2022, the cost is now $200 USD per bird for our quarantine and export side, for any shipments that leave the USA that need to go to Europe. This is for birds that are not destined for One Loft Races. Minimum shipments must have at least +120 birds involved. For all of europe, we can only send birds to Brussels Belgium, as that is the only approved import quaratine we can work with that is also an approved import facility eligible to accept shipments from the USA, due to recent changes that have taken place with the EU, and new regulations that have taken effect as of Jan 2022. The import facility will have additional fees associated with their side of the work, along with VAT fees, transport fees for final delivery, etc. We only collect for the USA portion of the work.

16. Can you export birds out of the USA without using an IPATA (International Pet And Animal Transportation Association) Agent?

Short answer, No. Not Anymore as of June 2018.

All the Major Airlines with the exception of 1 or 2, have changed and adopted new regulatory standards regarding which individuals are allowed to book international flights which carry lives, our case LIVE BIRDS. American Airlines & Lufthansa are the only airlines we know of that still allow an individual to export birds out of the country, without using an IPATA Agent to book the reservation, but even they have limitations as well. They also have adopted the same rule as all of the other airlines.  The rules state that if the birds are in transit for more than +12 hrs, that flight reservation MUST be booked by and through an IPATA Agent with a specific control number.

Currently American Airlines will not ship any lives out of the country that have a flight duration of more than +12 hrs. This means the days of being able to book reservations independently for international flights that contain live birds, are basically over.

We book all of our International Flights with our registered IPATA Agent. They do a great job and we have no complaints about this requirement. If you want to get birds shipped to another country, we can make it happen. Just be mindful of the costs associated with this, and realize that shipping birds within the USA is completely different than shipping and exporting birds out of the country based on international laws we must abide by.

17. What is your Export Quarantine Guarantee? 

Our 100% IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE  is very simple.

Ship your healthy birds to us, and if for any reason they are unable to be exported, we will first offer a free replacement, and if that isn't available, we will offer a free bird export credit that can be applied towards any future exports with us. Any Entry Fee's associated with the races that are paid will be promptly and fully refunded for any birds that do not leave our export quarantine facility.

Import credits are issued on a partial basis, depending on where they are in the total importation process. If they leave the exporting country, we can only issue a partial import credit for the USA portion of the process, as the exporting country considers their work done, and they wont refund any fees if something happens to the birds once they leave their facility in Europe or Kuwait to come to the USA for import quarantine.

ALL USPS Shipping/Quarantine/Export/Import associated fee's are Non-Refundable.

18. What are incidentals?

Incidentals apply to both birds being exported or imported through our process. Incidentals are any costs which are accrued beyond our initial and originally quoted price, for shipments involving both the exportation and or importation of birds. They could include fees associated with flight cancellations, pilot strikes, testing fees, additional mandatory days spent in import quarantine at the rate of $5.75 per bird per day, health certificates, freight broker fees, immediate embargoes on live animal shipments, etc. Costs are calculated by taking the total additional fees accrued for a specific group of birds, and dividing it by the total number of birds in the shipment. This is the fairest way to offset these unforseen situations and circumstances which involve shipping live animals. 

19. What happens to my birds if for example, they are unable to be exported due to a cancellation of an import permit by the issuing foreign government?

If the issuing country were to cancel an import permit for any unforseen circumstances, relating to health or Avian Influenza outbreak, the original owner/s of the birds is/are solely responsible for the shipping fees and costs associated with the return of their birds through USPS Express Mail. We have personally never had this happen in all our years of exporting birds. We would simply begin shipping birds back to the original owners within the first week of notification. We get bulk commercial pricing on the shipping rates, so we can pass this savings on to you the consumer. 

Please Note: All birds that come to our quarantine facility will go to the races unless it is determined specifically by our DVM that a bird is not fit to travel. If the bird is not fit to travel, it will not go.  These quarantines consist of an (ALL- IN -ALL OUT) principle that is applied. Any voluntary requests to hold back birds because you no longer want them sent to the race, do not qualify for a refund or credit as part of our policy.

20. When are my entry fees i paid, bank wired overseas to the race? 
All Entry Fees that are collected by us for the race, are bank wired to the race, after the last and final shipment of birds have been shipped overseas. This helps cut down on unnecessary extra administrative paperwork, and confusion.

21. Who receives the commission fees and or bonuses, relating to all of the different international races you ship to?

Avian Export Services receives the commissions, bonuses, and incentives as part of the work associated with shipping birds internationally to races around the globe. Avian Export Services is both the race "Agent" and "Shipper" for all birds we collect and export on your behalf.

22. What are the typical costs for the quarantine and export of birds to international races? 

Typical costs average around $130-$150 USD PER BIRD. This may vary depending on the final destination of the birds, and the specific country they must go to. Please Note:  If birds are sent to our facility outside of the established collection dates, the rate goes up an additional  $20 EXTRA PER BIRD, as their are always extra care and daily fees associated with taking on birds that stay with us longer than the average 30 day period.

23. Do you accept Paypal and other Major Credit Cards?

Yes we do. Please note: A 2.9% Credit Card Transaction & Processing Fee will be added to the balance of all Online Paypal  Payments & Major Credit Card Payments. We offer this option to those who prefer to pay with Credit Cards, as a convenience.

24. ALL SHIPPING FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE, INCLUDING ANY FEES ASSOCIATED WITH USPS EXPRESS MAIL. 

Additional Helpful Questions will be posted here as they become available..

 

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