Shipping & Receivng Hatching Eggs

[Homegroanacres]

This for all you folks that ship and recive eggs for hatching.

For us newbies tell us the steps you take when you ship,
after you collect the eggs.

How are they boxed
What do you use to box
How do you protect them from getting broken
Where to you go to ship (Main post office or branch)
What do you say when the post office ask's what your shipping
(or do they)
What is the average shipping cost (not the cost of the eggs, I know the
cost is zip code dependant)
Why does noone seem to use parcal post delivery (UPS or others)

I would like to see\
ead\\learn everything you must do to ship
and how you get it done.

To those that have recieved hatching eggs, tell us every step
on the receiving side.

How many are broken
What's your ratio of hatchlings
Are they deliverd to your door
How long has the delivery time effected your succes in hatching
How is the post office in dealing with problems

In short give us a play by play of your experiences.

 

[AussieSharon]

There's a good thread around here somewhere with photos of how to ship eggs. I'll see if I can dig it up. As for not shipping parcel post... the chances of an egg hatching decreases the longer they are not incubated. Parcel post can be soooo slow. It took 4 days priority mail for my eggs to get from Virginia to Iowa, imagine pacel post! Not to mention the less time eggs have in the postal system the less chance of damage.

 

[Dilly]

Isn't the fact that buying eggs is a gamble if all you want are females? What if you go to all that trouble and end up with a majority of boys. I would become too attached unfortunately.

But no way do I want a rooster. Scared to death of them.

 

[Harley's girl]

I wrap my eggs in bubble wrap, each one. Then I put them in a box filled with foam foam peanuts, then I put that box in a box 1 size bigger. I line that box with thin styrofoam set my smaller box in then fill the cracks with more foam peanuts! Whheww! I ship priority!!! You don not want the eggs getting stuck in the PO over the weekend. Shipping for me is always right around $14-15!! It does depend on the zip. I write all over the box FRAGILE HATCHING EGGS!!! Out of all the eggs I have shipped NONE have been broken! I hope it stays that way too!!

I don't use UPS because they are too expensive! And I don't have a UPS store close by. I go to the main branch, again I don't want it to take a day to get there! I will go the extra miles to make sure they arrive asap!

I have only received 2 sets of eggs by mail, none were broken but the first batch did not hatch. I am on the second batch they are due to hatch out on the 24th! So far they look great! I did incubate a batch for my friend. She had 5 broken ones. And only 5 hatched and one of those ended up dying!

I hope this helps out! Good luck to you!!!

 

[FLOWERPOT]

If you raised it from day one, and got to know the personality, and spent a lot of time holding the chick, you wouldnt know it was a roo till it gradually grew into one and by then you would know the chick and not be afraid of them anymore. At least not that one.

 

[AussieSharon]

Quote:
I recently hatched 4 eggs I purchased and got 3 boys and 1 girl.

 

[Homegroanacres]

Thank's

Doing the math on bators, egg's, shipping,
utilites and loss, leaves hatching in two catagories
for me.

One, the FUN factor

Two, Ya just can't find the "fowl" you want
and the $10 to $30 a head is worth it!

I guess I can wait and spend half that on a
started or year old "fowl" ;(

Happy Baiting

aaahhhh make that batorring hhhmmm dat
don't sound rite either.

If birds imprint on the first thing they see and you hatch in a skillet....

Ya all can add the rest )

 

[spudchild]

I buy hatching eggs frequently. If the box says fragile, hatching eggs on the outside, my post office calls me, to tell me they are delivering.

I typically put them in the incubator on the day I receive them. No sense letting them get older. I have actually only experienced breakage once, and that was 2 eggs, out of 24 in a box.

When I incubate my own girls eggs, my hatch rate is about 90%. Mailed eggs...20%. Postal service is difficult of eggs.

 

[AussieSharon]

You can always build your own bator for next to nothing. MissPrissy has some great posts with step by step instuctions and photos.

 

[Dilly]

How does this shipping thing and buying long distance work. What if you get eggs broken? Eggs that never hatch. etc. End result little or no chicks.

What is the refund policy?

Now for some really novice egg questions.
Do you need a rooster for the eggs to be fertile?
Why don't people let the hens hatch the eggs, or do they?
What is the process if one wanted to collect the eggs and hatch them, what materials is needed to do so, how long is the process? Steps to getting them hatched and into the coop?

Thanks allot
Dilly Girl