Eggs to the Mainland

[redranger209]

I'm going to Hawaii in late February. The chickens there are really cool, so want to take hatching eggs home. Is that legal? Any help would be awesome.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they come from an NPIP-equivalent facility, it’s probably legal, if an NPIP-equivalent facility exists in Hawaii. Each state has its own requirements, it’s the state that they are going to that counts, not the state they are coming from. Different states require different testing and certification.

NPIP is a voluntary program set up in the 1930’s to combat certain poultry diseases, mainly Pullorum. It’s a government program that has been hugely successful, Pullorum is very rarely seen now but it used to be a pretty rampant. The federal government has certain minimum rules and provide some money to the states that elect to participate, but participation is not mandatory. The last I heard 2 of the 48 states do not participate. Hawaii is one, I can’t remember which the other is.

What often happens is that the individual states that participate follow the minimum guidelines but also add to it. Some states test for Avian Influenza, some don’t. Some test for other diseases, some don’t. My information is a few years old but some hatcheries did not ship to Virginia because of the tests Virginia required for imported chicks or eggs from other states. The state the hatchery was in did not have a certified testing lab so they could not meet the testing requirements.

Hawaii, being a group of islands, elected to go with stricter import requirements than normal. They are isolated and want to keep diseases out. I don’t know what testing they require for imported chicks or hatching eggs but it’s challenging to legally send chicks or hatching eggs to Hawaii.

What I suggest if you want to stay legal is to get with your county extension office and chat with them. Find out what testing and certification is required to legally import hatching eggs to your state. Then try to find someone in Hawaii that can supply the eggs you want and the certification.

Another option is to try to find someone on the mainland that has the kinds of chickens you want.

The reason I keep using the work “legal” is because that is your question. I’ve never been to or from Hawaii from the mainland so I don’t know what questions are asked or what searches may be performed when those flights disembark. People illegally move hatching eggs and chicks across state lines all the time. I’ve never heard of anyone getting caught and I don’t know what the consequences are if someone is caught. I’m not going to advocate anyone breaking the law, that’s up to your personal ethics.

 

[redranger209]

thx for the info