Egg questions

[Kandypeeps05]

Would anyone be willing to ship eggs from their stock to people interested in hatching them and fostering them in their lofts? Like I know it’s popular with chickens and there’s so many breeds of pigeons but my question is if it’s doable or more of a hassle than just shipping live birds.

 

[nchls school]

Would anyone be willing to ship eggs from their stock to people interested in hatching them and fostering them in their lofts? Like I know it’s popular with chickens and there’s so many breeds of pigeons but my question is if it’s doable or more of a hassle than just shipping live birds.

Have you ever tried storing pigeon eggs for a length of time before incubation starts? I posted in a similar fashion to yours a year or so ago and did not get any responses. I had hopes of having Indian Fantail eggs shipped, but...

In order for shipping to be successful eggs have to have a decent shelf life. Pigeons and doves start incubation with the first egg or soon after. Therefore, it may not be possible to ship them and have them be viable. I was always going to experiment with this, but never got around to it.

Another thought, pigeons lay in the latter afternoon. Eggs would need to be collected at that time to ensure development does not start. Once started, the eggs would die when they became chilled.

Good luck with this. I'd be most interested in what happens.

 

[Kandypeeps05]

Have you ever tried storing pigeon eggs for a length of time before incubation starts? I posted in a similar fashion to yours a year or so ago and did not get any responses. I had hopes of having Indian Fantail eggs shipped, but...

In order for shipping to be successful eggs have to have a decent shelf life. Pigeons and doves start incubation with the first egg or soon after. Therefore, it may not be possible to ship them and have them be viable. I was always going to experiment with this, but never got around to it.

Another thought, pigeons lay in the latter afternoon. Eggs would need to be collected at that time to ensure development does not start. Once started, the eggs would die when they became chilled.

Good luck with this. I'd be most interested in what happens.

If no one steps up I’d be willing to pioneer this idea. If someone was willing to be the tester and allow me to ship freshly laid pigeon eggs to them for free to check for viability and possible hatch rates.

 

[nchls school]

If no one steps up I’d be willing to pioneer this idea. If someone was willing to be the tester and allow me to ship freshly laid pigeon eggs to them for free to check for viability and possible hatch rates.

I am in Middle Tennessee and would be happy to be the tester.

 

[Kandypeeps05]

I am in Middle Tennessee and would be happy to be the tester.

I’ll keep in touch!

 

[nchls school]

I’ll keep in touch!

Ok, but you really don't need to actually ship pigeon eggs to get a good idea if they can be shipped.

It's really a matter of can pigeon eggs be stored for any length of time before incubation starts.

I have eggs shipped fairly often and delivery can take up to three days (sometimes longer but not usually). Think of those three days as storage. All you need to do is collect pigeon eggs and store them three days and then see if they will develop. Stored eggs should be in a cool or room temperature place and turned each day. Most people say that eggs should be stored point down. I store eggs horizontally. A matter of choice. The eggs should not be washed.

After three days start incubation. Pigeon eggs can be easily candled on day 4; then you have your answer. If at that point you want to see if the eggs can handle shipping I would welcome the chance of being the tester.

I have found that small eggs ship better than large. A small mass holds up to shock and strain better than a large mass. My guess is that, if pigeon eggs can be stored three days, they will ship well. Possibly another member can answer to whether or not pigeon eggs can be stored. Perhaps they have already tried storing eggs.

When collecting, I'd collect 2nd eggs only leaving the first as a control. That way you can be positive the eggs were in fact fertile simply by candling the 1st egg left in the nest. If it candles viable and hatches, then the second egg was likely fertile too regardless of what happens during storage or shipping.