DO NOT MARK HATCHING EGGS WITH "FRAGILE" OR "HANDLE WITH CARE"!!!!!

[tdhenson86]

This is just a thought. Recently, I have received several batches of eggs through swaps, etc. that were scrambled when they arrived. I thought to myself, why in the world would this happen. Then, I remembered a few things. One from experience and one from a scientific study. Here's a little bit of background:

In 2001, I bought 5 Ostriches. When we went to pick them up, my grandpa ran an egg over with his 4x4 truck. The truck bounced up in the air and the egg popped out the side. The egg was in 1 piece and we were amazed! So, we got them home and the next breeding season, I began selling Ostrich hatching eggs. One day, someone ordered some to be delivered to New York state. I packaged them with as much care as possible and wrote "Fragile" on the box. I brought them to the Post Office that morning and shipped them out. Then, the strangest thing happened. I got a call a few hours later from our local Post Office. Somehow, before they even left our Post Office, the package began to leak. So, I had to go in and check on them. Well, surprise, surprise. ALL SIX EGGS WERE SMASHED TO PIECES. Sadly, this is a 100% true story. So, I filed an insurance claim. They denied it and said it was my fault for not packaging them well. I took pictures of the box before and after they arrived at the PO and appealed the decision. In the end, they had to pay the insurance claim because the USPS had no idea how a package would receive that much damage before it even left the PO of origin.

Well, a study done by Popular Mechanics (a scientific research company and producers of the magazine by the same name) confirms that all shipping agencies treat packages worse when marked "fragile" or "handle with care". When employees see these labels, they get offended and think that the person is saying "I know you throw everything around and break everything, but treat my package differently". It offends them, so they tend to take worse care of those packages.

If you're interested in the article it can be found at: http://www.popularmechanics.com/tec...-shipping-company-is-kindest-to-your-packages

Just some friendly advice. Feel free to take it or leave it as it is. I'd love to hear from others about what kind of results people get from eggs that are marked "fragile" and ones that are not.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I agree I ordered silkie eggs for my very first hatch and they are all scrambled, bubbles and move like a level!! They are refunding money for one broken and one cracked and advised me that I will still have a good hatch if I let them settle!

IF your interested in passing some of your knowledge I would appeciate it more than you can imagine! here is the thread : (

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/704328/diary-notes-of-1st-attempt-at-hatching

Thanks for the link up!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

This is just a thought. Recently, I have received several batches of eggs through swaps, etc. that were scrambled when they arrived. I thought to myself, why in the world would this happen. Then, I remembered a few things. One from experience and one from a scientific study. Here's a little bit of background:

In 2001, I bought 5 Ostriches. When we went to pick them up, my grandpa ran an egg over with his 4x4 truck. The truck bounced up in the air and the egg popped out the side. The egg was in 1 piece and we were amazed! So, we got them home and the next breeding season, I began selling Ostrich hatching eggs. One day, someone ordered some to be delivered to New York state. I packaged them with as much care as possible and wrote "Fragile" on the box. I brought them to the Post Office that morning and shipped them out. Then, the strangest thing happened. I got a call a few hours later from our local Post Office. Somehow, before they even left our Post Office, the package began to leak. So, I had to go in and check on them. Well, surprise, surprise. ALL SIX EGGS WERE SMASHED TO PIECES. Sadly, this is a 100% true story. So, I filed an insurance claim. They denied it and said it was my fault for not packaging them well. I took pictures of the box before and after they arrived at the PO and appealed the decision. In the end, they had to pay the insurance claim because the USPS had no idea how a package would receive that much damage before it even left the PO of origin.

Well, a study done by Popular Mechanics (a scientific research company and producers of the magazine by the same name) confirms that all shipping agencies treat packages worse when marked "fragile" or "handle with care". When employees see these labels, they get offended and think that the person is saying "I know you throw everything around and break everything, but treat my package differently". It offends them, so they tend to take worse care of those packages.

If you're interested in the article it can be found at: http://www.popularmechanics.com/tec...-shipping-company-is-kindest-to-your-packages

Just some friendly advice. Feel free to take it or leave it as it is. I'd love to hear from others about what kind of results people get from eggs that are marked "fragile" and ones that are not.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/tests/package-tips-for-shipping-companies#slide-5 and they have this article

 

[mstricer]

I've only shipped once and didn't mark the box but it arrived in one piece and no broken eggs. I have watched the employees at th PO slam my boxes on the counter, even though it said this side up and fragile. I just said there are eggs in their all they could say was sorry.

 

[tdhenson86]

There is one guy at our local PO that always gives me rude looks when I come in because I'm either sending out chicks (which are obvious) or packages that are not marked "fragile". I think he always suspects that they are eggs since the time that I had them bust all of our eggs before the left the PO, but since it doesn't say that on the packages, I think he accepts them without being 100% sure. He used to be second in charge there and got demoted after the big fiasco with those 6 eggs that were busted all over the place before they even left. The postmaster got fired shortly after this incident. I'm not sure if it was related to that incident or just a coincidence that it happened around the same time, but this guy is still there and gives me rude looks every time I come in. Even when I am just sending a letter out or need to buy stamps. Thankfully, our new postmaster is REALLY kind. She is one of the nicest ladies and when I get or send chicks, she is always talking to them in the package through the vents.

But, I am still not sure about that guy...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

There is one guy at our local PO that always gives me rude looks when I come in because I'm either sending out chicks (which are obvious) or packages that are not marked "fragile". I think he always suspects that they are eggs since the time that I had them bust all of our eggs before the left the PO, but since it doesn't say that on the packages, I think he accepts them without being 100% sure. He used to be second in charge there and got demoted after the big fiasco with those 6 eggs that were busted all over the place before they even left. The postmaster got fired shortly after this incident. I'm not sure if it was related to that incident or just a coincidence that it happened around the same time, but this guy is still there and gives me rude looks every time I come in. Even when I am just sending a letter out or need to buy stamps. Thankfully, our new postmaster is REALLY kind. She is one of the nicest ladies and when I get or send chicks, she is always talking to them in the package through the vents.

But, I am still not sure about that guy...

at least I know my local office people! they are nice! its a very tiny office lol

 

[Selah]

I had to return a clean equine semen shipping container via USPS to the stallion owner a few years back. It was new, clean, dry, and contained NO semen or syringes. A day or two later, my rural mail carrier hand delivered a note to be telling me to contact the regional postmaster ASAP regarding that package, which I did. The package had been re-routed to the wrong post office, and was dripping a large amount of fluid...they were on the verge of shutting down the facility, and were worried about "some sort of veneral disease or something" for which I "could be brought up on federal charges"! I told them it was EMPTY, and asked if it wasn't VERY likely a prank by one of the postal workers, especially as it had been re-routed to the WRONG post office?!? Oh no, surely not:/
Never heard a thing about it after that.

 

[speckledhen]

And they wonder why they're going out of business. You'd really think if the business was in trouble, they'd try to do BETTER, not make a joke of their business, but guess I'm trying to be logical in an illogical world.

At least my local P.O. takes pride in their work. That is sorely lacking in many businesses today, not just the P.O., though.

 

[kvmommy]

I don't know about marking boxes as fragile but the eggs that have been shipped to me from west coast (i'm in CT) had way better hatch rates and least scrambling than packages shipped from close to me.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I had to return a clean equine semen shipping container via USPS to the stallion owner a few years back. It was new, clean, dry, and contained NO semen or syringes. A day or two later, my rural mail carrier hand delivered a note to be telling me to contact the regional postmaster ASAP regarding that package, which I did. The package had been re-routed to the wrong post office, and was dripping a large amount of fluid...they were on the verge of shutting down the facility, and were worried about "some sort of veneral disease or something" for which I "could be brought up on federal charges"! I told them it was EMPTY, and asked if it wasn't VERY likely a prank by one of the postal workers, especially as it had been re-routed to the WRONG post office?!? Oh no, surely not:/
Never heard a thing about it after that.

Your kidding!