Egg injury during shipping...can we do anything about it??

[greathorse]

Gator you have started a discussion that has been more or less ignored for a long time. This discussion has for a long time been filled with a lot of conjecture and anecdotal experience. I keep hearing that xray will kill eggs, I have not heard that documented by science. I have spoken to some people that beleive everything gets xrayed and others that beleive none of it does. My post office master tells me she doesnt believe anything gets xrayed. I personally dont think the PO workers get a kick out of beating the crap out of packages, just dont quite beleive that. It has be flumoxed and frustrated that there is so little actual factual information regarding this problem.

I am so willing to pay breeders to hatch the eggs for me and send chicks at twice the price or more as opposed to this issue with low hatch rates.

It would be intersting to start a string and have everyone weigh in with thier total hatch rates on shipped eggs.

Great discussion Gator

 

[Mrs MIA]

You don't EVEN want to know my hatch rate on shipped eggs.

There are just wayyyyy too many variables for this to be accurately tested, in my humble opinion. I've been a lab-rat for over 20 years, so I have a fair idea of what it would take.
No two eggs are exactly the same, as far as size, porosity, age, etc.
No two packages will be shipped/handled in exactly the same manner, even if taking the same route.
We all know that incubation parameters are never the same, despite our best efforts.
I think that we just try to package them as well as possible to minimize damage, and the rest is up to the powers that be.

 

[greathorse]

You may be right, but I still believe that there is a key out there somewhere that could possibly unlock the secret to better shipping. I dont know what it is but discussion regarding it cant hurt. I know what you mean about total hatch rate. If I count individual eggs hatched vs. shipped it is well below 20%, near 0% on some and 80% on others. The ones that hatched 80% were not very clean and had a broken one in the box.

I am sure you do have some idea what it would take to make a science of sorting out the hatch rates. Labs are all about controlled environment and ours is certainly not that.

Maybe I should consider myself lucky, I have not been totally skunked yet. Just a matter of time I suppose.

It is still exciting to get the eggs put them in the incubator and hope this is the one. I think a little like gambling, with slightly better odds. LOL.

 

[BeardedChick]

I keep hearing that xray will kill eggs, I have not heard that documented by science.

That one should be VERY easy to test. Take some eggs to the vet or the airport and x-ray them, then try to hatch. Very, very, very easy to test...​

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

The low dose of radiation that would be used to "scan"...not "x-ray" a package would be minimal. I, too have been told by the PO that stuff isn't even scanned. That may have been done closer to 911 but no longer. I could take some of my eggs to the airport here and ask them to pass it through the scanner, then set them. Since I know that I usually get 95-100% hatches from my own eggs, I should be able to determine if the % is significantly decreased.

Even with all the variables, I really think there has got to be a "shipping protocol" so to speak that will help to increase hatching from shipped eggs. I believe that is going to be related to packaging...not just "no cracked eggs"...but truly a way that helps to absorb the shock of regular handling during shipping and that will prevent the internal injury of the egg.

I'm not giving up yet...

 

[Mrs MIA]

I'm not giving up, either, even though I know the risks. It's the only way I can get some of the breeds I want from the lines I want.

And I agree that discussion can't hurt. And I hope that someday, someone hits on a solution.

I received some Chukar eggs from someone in Texas this summer that had them packed in custom made egg holders... medium density foam with holes drilled through it that the eggs were slid down in the middle, with 1" foam slabs between the 3 layers of eggs. It was beautiful, except for the 28 smashed eggs (out of 100+). I asked the shipper about the packaging, and he said it was made special for him and was supposed to eliminate handler-damage to the eggs... so much for that.

 

[BeardedChick]

It was beautiful, except for the 28 smashed eggs (out of 100+).

How was the hatch rate on the undamaged eggs???

I've been a lab-rat for over 20 years, so I have a fair idea of what it would take.
No two eggs are exactly the same, as far as size, porosity, age, etc.
No two packages will be shipped/handled in exactly the same manner, even if taking the same route.

Agree about this in theory, but I do think there are a lot of simple things that could be field tested if someone was really motivated to do it. Will it be perfect? No way. But it would be cool if there were some repeatable and helpful results.

Just packaging eggs a few different ways in one box and seeing what the hatch rate trends are would be interesting (to me). Then you'd at least know that box was handled the same way and subject to the same conditions. (Assuming it could pass the test of the results being repeatable...)​

 

[greathorse]

Bearded that is what I think as well. I think short of something that is extremely controlled there would be some repeatable scenario's that would be of great assitance. I used to artificially inseminate my mares. The shipping protocol for shipped semen was very narrow and very stringent and the motility and viability was very predictable if protocol was followed.

That is what I think will happen with eggs some time, but not until there is a real economic demand.

Great to hear about successes and where they exist.

thanks

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Quote:
Greathorse...do you know anything about the viability of rooster semen? I've been thinking about the possibility of shipping it. (I think I've hijacked my on thread..

)

 

[mikarod]

Wrong thread.