need help

[James]

O K ,I Am going to have some hatching eggs shipped in Oct. And I need to know what will be A good way to package them??? The last 4 times I had them shipped over half were broke. And yes I packed the first 2 boxes myself. And the Turkey eggs were shipped from cali. Any ideas?? As I think others here would like to know also.. Oh the breeds I Am getting are Sussex, Americana. And if there laying A few silkie eggs too.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

I've shipped fertile hatching eggs via the USPS for many years with 100% success and you may be surprised to know that the USPS actually has requirements for this sort of thing...

Why did I stop? Well I received a local contract for day old chicks and have stopped shipping abroad.

Farthest I've shipped hatching eggs, Puerto Rico and Hawaii... also Anchorage Alaska.

We also have to get the paperwork out of the way...
When shipping fertile hatching eggs, each State in the US has established their own regulation/restrictions on imported eggs.

Most States, PA included, require a origination document.. in my case, a VS FORM 9-3.... Date of Shipment, Origination Flock, producer and purchaser... it's a NPIP related form for the Sales of Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults.

Look for origination flocks with "clean" status... usually for Pullorum Typhoid, Salmonella and so on...

Ok.. enough of the Red-Tape..... that document should be inside the shipment. Many people are under or off the radar and intend to keep it that way... and many hatching eggs, some with inherent disease, are shipped every day in this country un-checked. I personally stick with regulation in this area.

PACKAGING YOUR EGGS:

First, get those FREE USPS Priority Mail Boxes.... generally 12 x 12 x 12"

I line the bottom with shredded newspaper around 3" deep.. sort of making a nest out of it.

I individually wrap each egg in it's own half sheet of bubble wrap and arrange them in a single layer.

I add another layer of shredded news paper and continue with the individually bubble wrapped eggs.

I then top off the entire package with shredded news paper until nothing moves... the news paper has to be pushed in to allow the top box flaps to close with some resistance.

I seal "all" external joints with clear packaging tape. Why? The Post Office requires hatching eggs to be packed in such a way, that if breakage occurs in shipping, n o t h i n g will seep out of your package.

You must mark the box as "Perishable" and also "Fragile"... some Post Masters require the NPIP flock number be posted on the box, with a contact phone number... (It's rare to meet up with a Post Master or Counter Clerk so well informed).

EGG CONDITION:

Ship only eggs with well formed and sturdy shells, you generally know when you have a light/thin/or porous shell in your hand... don't even try to ship that rascal.

Eggs should be clean from the nest, no dirt, smut or coop crap on the shell at all. Some buyers request pre-sanitization... I do that with Tek-Trol.

Eggs should be less than 24 hours old when packed and shipped for best results at the other end. Let me say this... Florida has the slowest shipping in the U.S. hands down... I've shipped to every state and have had boxes (Priority Mail) take two weeks to get to some towns in Florida.... who knows why? Needless to say, that's going to be a poor hatch.

So, it's important to do what you can at your end... fresh and fertile...

Also, for those of you considering shipping hatching eggs, expect to be held absolutely responsible for hatch results... even though the entire process is well out of your hands. You carefully pack and ship the best eggs you can and then the nutty recipient may freak out on you when their chicks fail to hatch.... one of my worst night mare experiences; a day care owner decided to hatch chicks in her pre-school, made a huge production out of it and even posted a web-cam so people could watch the hatch. Doing everything she could, including putting the eggs/incubator on the window sill in the sun "so they could get more vitamin D during development" ("> when nothing hatched (even with the fabulous addition of vitamin D) I received a furious phone call and e-mails that were.. let's say, interesting.

Some people don't read instructions.... don't candle the eggs during incubation, shake the eggs to see if anything is growing inside the shell during incubation and do amazing things without cracking a book.... then fully expect to hatch fluffy happy chicks exactly 21 days after that incubator powers up. I just quietly refunded their money... what else can you do?

This is one of the primary reasons I did the Video Regarding Chickens (DVD), in hopes that future chicken owners and egg incubators, would view it and have improved success.

When I shipped to Alaska.. it was early spring and very cold for shipping. What did I do? Well, told the buyer to expect complete failure for starters.. then included those 18 hour hand warmers (chemical pack type) inside the box, beneath the news paper..... we were both surprised when half the eggs still hatched.

If you ship during summer, if temps rise into the 80's and even higher... the embryo's will begin their development in transit. Delicate handling is key now if that happens. Some mail trucks soar into the 100's in some parts of the country, so put a message on the outside of the box warning not to freeze or overheat the contents.

Optimum shipping temps, based on my experience are from 38 deg. low end, to 75 deg. F high end.

Now I've shared some of the "bad buyers" with you, but there were far more successful and grateful buyers, some of which hatched 100% of the eggs shipped.... that's very rare, even for me right here with my own cabinet incubators. You make wonderful poultry friends and it is fun to help people begin their flock with your eggs.

Well, I guess that should cover it.... if not, ask and I'll try to provide more answers....

Happy Shipping and Hatching,

Fred
www.FredsFineFowl.com

[James]

Well thats is how ,I packed the 2 shipments I made to myself, and the other 2 were packed the same way, Now my grother has received eggs in the mail and they were almost all in great shape. must have been the handling?

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Always write in bold black letters on the side of your box:

DO NOT DROP

At first that seems like a silly thing to write on a package, but when mail is handled in the postal system, there are conveyors that packages go down, then they "drop" into bins or carts, larger/heavier boxes may also drop on top of your egg box.

By writing DO NOT DROP on the box, your package should then be hand carried to the bins awaiting loading on trucks.

I'm sorry you've had some bad luck... we always count on people doing their jobs well, but there are often those who just don't care...

It can be frustrating...

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[gardengirl72]

Great information as always Fred!

[James]

well I made two shipments last month, both came thru the mail to the rec. in perfect condition, thank you Fred. for the info.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

That's great news... you are most welcome!