HOW BEST TO PACKAGE EGGS FOR SHIPPING DO"S AND DON"TS

[Sally Sunshine]

ANYONE do the egg shake experiment yet? I cant believe how simple this is and I cant get many to pick up an egg and shake and candle to dislodge an air cell. I think this is AN EXTREMELY important issue that everyone learn how much force it takes so we can start PUSHING egg sellers to package fat end up and as we have discussed. I wont pest ya all anymore on the matter. I wish I had some sort of machine that shook tiny vibrations so I cold test theories! I could always set one on its side and one upright on my kids RC Truck and run it up and down the stone driveway for an hour or 48 hours and test them!!! LOL I am sure little Luke would get a kick out of it! too bad I have snow now though!

ALSO something that came to me last night.... chicks are shipped in a more "CONE" shaped box DEMANDING settlement of the right direction upon shipping.... wonder if there is a way to do this easily with a box for eggs as well??? Can someone design something or show a "cutting" technique to make a reg PO box like this? origami anyone?

Lets call our procedures the "Keep them ALIVE UPRIGHT Technique"

 

[brahmapapa]

I agree!

brahmapapa did you shake your egg yet? I would love if you could, I was shocked to say the least, and even after I searched the internet for hours and hours and hours to try to figure the packaging out!

Hi Sally, did you post something about a shaking egg experiment that i missed If you did post, i must have missed it, please post again or direct me to it, i would deff be willing to try. thanks TOM

 

[brahmapapa]

ALL SERRERS OF HATCHING EGGS TAKE NOTE................those of us who buy hatching eggs often are noticing a trend towards more and more expensive eggs and lower and lower hatch rates. This thread is to talk about the best methods of packaging and to pointout the kinds of packaging that we as purchasers are getting consistantly poor hatch rates from. We are doing this to try to improve hatch rat % so buyers like myself don't get discouraged and lose interest in hatching shipped eggs. Please checkout the thread, certainly add your 2 cents, and hopefully learn something new. IF nothing else follow the thread provided by SallySunshine for skylinepoultry drop,kick test of thier method of packaging. thanks for visiting...Tom

 

[brahmapapa]

correction to above post (ALL SELLERS)

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

Hey Tom, all you need to do is take a 3-4 day old egg (even store bought) and just try and shake it to dislodge the air cell. Shake candle shake candle shake candle...... return with results, and if you can do a video of you shaking and candling I think it would help others look into these issues even deaper. Everyone is so quick to blame PO! try it! and no I dont know any postal workers besides my delivery gal LOL

 

[stefan333]

I've done the shaking test, and it is difficult to get a loose aircell. I do think the Post Office gets blamed way too much for people sending less than perfect eggs.

I've always been confused when reading about people getting dislodged air sacs, because I've never been able to see the air sac on my shipped eggs -that was until I got a less than fresh batch. Fresh eggs have such TINY air cells you can't see them when candling before incubating. Therefore, if you get a package and can clearly see a decent size air cell then they're not 100% fresh. Common Sense would tell me the smaller the air cell when shipped the less likely it is to get dislodged. I have had amazing hatches when the sellers gathered the eggs the very morning they sent them out. The last batch of eggs I got had big wobbly air cells, about the size they should be after 7 days of incubation. To sum it up: I believe the fresher the egg the less likely the air sac will get damaged in shipping. Here's another point: The commercial egg industry does a lot of research. According to them the older the hen or the less fresh the egg the weaker the membranes and chalaza are. Another common sense conclusion that can explain dislodged air cells.

The best packaging I've seen and probably the easiest to deal with are foam inserts. It's simple for a seller to place eggs in and equally simple for the buyer to get the eggs out. I'm not sure why anyone would do it any differently.

As far as shipping eggs on their sides: The only package I've gotten on their sides was the same package in bubble wrap with large air cells, so I am unsure which caused none of the 24 eggs to do anything.

As a buyer the best way I prefer to open my package is this: Foam inserts and super fresh eggs with either a very small aircell or no visible aircell from young hens. Anything else, in my opinion, compromises the hatch and anyone willing to send less than perfect eggs is not someone I'd do business with again.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

stefan Yes air cell size is a MAJOR issue! Everyone should be asking how fresh their eggs are. agree 100% HOWEVER, I have had rolling tiny air cells, it seems these get small bubbles too.

 

[Arkansas81]

So....after reading this thread and looking at the different opinions on how to package this is my conclusion. You need to make sure the eggs have adequate air flow, need to be fat end up for at least 24 hrs before shipping,need to have the box as protected as possbile, bubble wrap, foam packaging of some sort?

The link that Sally provided in a few post back, when the man has his kid tossing in the air. What would be the biggest downfall on packaging, shipping like this? I can tell you I was quite impressed! I am going to be sending another few dozen eggs out in a few weeks. I am not experienced in shipping in the least! The last shippment didn't go well at all. I believe the eggs were intransit for about 3 days? So what ever suggestions on how to improve the link from Sally would be very helpful.

Thanks!!

 

[Pele]

Ok, so I know this doesn't add a lot of value to the thread, but reading how difficult it is to dislodge an aircell, and how common they are (I get them all the time in shipped eggs I receive), I wonder if there isn't another cuplrit than postal workers with guerilla strength.

Since the majority of our packages are shipped via air, and cargo holds are not pressurized, I almost wonder if pressure changes and discrepancies are crushing air cells out of position.

The pressure at 30,000 feet (average commercial flight) is roughly 4 psi, where at sea level the pressure is 14 psi (more than 3 times the pressure). Say if you even have the best case scenario, and start the egg at the highest altitude airport in the world (Qamdo Bangda Tibet), that is only at 4,300 feet, which would be 12.6 psi. That's still a massive difference in pressure. The egg is literally resisting pressure forces trying to equalize in a manner that would cause it to explode (same phenomina that happens to pressurized items exposed to the vaccuum of space).

Also on that note, I wonder if these forces are also the culprit for some of the eggs cracking. I could easily see a weaker, or more porous shell not resisting the internal pressure well.

Interesting stuff, though again, not really helpful. My inner nerd is just rambling.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Ok, so I know this doesn't add a lot of value to the thread, but reading how difficult it is to dislodge an aircell, and how common they are (I get them all the time in shipped eggs I receive), I wonder if there isn't another cuplrit than postal workers with guerilla strength.

Since the majority of our packages are shipped via air, and cargo holds are not pressurized, I almost wonder if pressure changes and discrepancies are crushing air cells out of position.

The pressure at 30,000 feet (average commercial flight) is roughly 4 psi, where at sea level the pressure is 14 psi (more than 3 times the pressure). Say if you even have the best case scenario, and start the egg at the highest altitude airport in the world (Qamdo Bangda Tibet), that is only at 4,300 feet, which would be 12.6 psi. That's still a massive difference in pressure. The egg is literally resisting pressure forces trying to equalize in a manner that would cause it to explode (same phenomina that happens to pressurized items exposed to the vaccuum of space).

Also on that note, I wonder if these forces are also the culprit for some of the eggs cracking. I could easily see a weaker, or more porous shell not resisting the internal pressure well.

Interesting stuff, though again, not really helpful. My inner nerd is just rambling.

Pele inner ramble all the way!! Do they really travel on planes like you said? I figured they were typically trucked? If they are airshipped, yes definately could be other culprets, I was under the impression it was vibrations constantly for 2 days straight and of course size of cells. pr iority mail travels how? plane boat land???? hmmmmm