Has anyone transported eggs that have began incubating already? Quick!

[Pine Acres Peeps]

Hi,
Someone offered me some quail eggs that have been in an incubator 4 days. I was wondering can these be transported without killing them? It would take about 45 min. to 1 hour to get back home with them. I'd have to do this today, please help quick!!
Thanks!!!

 

[adrian]

Try to find a battery-powered heat source of some sort... Or hand-warmers. Regulate an environment (Let me suggest a small cooler, as they are designed to hold heat) to at least 95F, no higher than 102F, and I'm pretty sure those eggs can be transported.

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

Hmm, I have done this with duck eggs. They were towards the end of the incubation period though. It took me an hour to transport them and all was fine, all of them hatched. I am not sure how it would work with eggs so early in the incubating stage, and a different type of bird. Worth a try though. Something you could do (which I did) was bring a thermometer with me in the car, I dressed in very light summer clothes and ran my heater, trying to keep it around 95-100. It was not a comfortable ride, nor did the temp stay steady, there were huge fluxuations but as long as the eggs don't lose all their heat or get baked at 102 103 I think you have a decent chance of it working out! Good luck

 

[Rootball]

Most studies say that under an hour of cooling is fine. And some studies say that a bit of cooling each day (as would occur naturally) is actually advantageous.

I would take may bator to the persons house and then get it up to temp. Then i would transfer the eggs to your bator and let it equalize then transport them home inside the bator. Most incubators keep temp pretty well for a while. I think it would be better than transporting them in a non insulated environment.


I think that GQF or one of the manufaturers also even sell cigarette lighter converters for their incubators to run off automobile current.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Every year at the fair I see incubators with chicks hatching so indeed there must be a way to transport them. I would think to put them on a piece of egg crate mattress to help to absorb the shock of road travel, in a styrofoam cooler with handwarmers.

 

[Pine Acres Peeps]

I went and got them. They were the only eggs I could find any where near me, all made it home with no cracks. I incubated them for a few hours and candled a couple the yolks looked ok. They had only been incubating since the 8th or 9th so I didn't expect to see anything yet. I put them in a cooler and cushioned them in big thick towels and we rode home with no a/c vent only so it was a hot trip! They were a nice price so I figured it worth the chance. I will keep posting once I candle again. Thanks everyone!

 

[Mommi3130]

Good Luck!!