You all know how thrilled I am with your hatches and babies. It's been so exciting for me too. I just try to do what is right with the shipping and customer service part of it, my babies do all the rest
Does anyone have any frizzled or silkied hatching eggs they are selling (or if you know a reputable breeder), or even some started frizzled/silkied Seramas? When I sell some of my extra Seramas, I am looking into bringing some frizzled or silkied Seramas..
Quote:
I use the medium size Priority Mail box (not the flat rate one) or larger. I refuse to use anything smaller even for just 6 eggs and I will not use a flat rate box unless I can safely get the eggs in it the way I like them to be. They just are not big enough to allow secure packaging. The most I will ship in one box is 24 eggs. If someone wants more than that, they will have to pay for another box. It is not worth the risk to try and cram more into a box.
All of my eggs are triple wrapped - once in paper towels (not the cheap kind - good strong soft paper towels like Bounty or Brawny) cut into strips and then twice in bubble wrap, once around the egg and then long ways, taping all three wraps securely. I even tape the sides shut on the final wrap. You will have little bundles
I put bubble wrap on top of a box filled tightly with shredded paper (just below half way) and then nestle each egg in the box in rows. They all touch but are not crammed together and they should be a good 3-4" away from all the sides of the box. I will only put 3-4 eggs across and 3 rows down max because of this. If I'm shipping more eggs than that, I lay bubble wrap on top of those eggs and put in more shredded paper (just enough to cover the bottom layer of eggs, more bubble wrap and then do the next layer. After that layer, I put more bubble wrap on top of the eggs and fill the box tightly with shredded paper, tucking it down around all the sides. The eggs should be packed in a way that they do not move at all if shaken. You should feel no shift AT ALL when you move the box around. If you do, you don't have enough packing material. I believe this is why my air sacs stay in place and everyone is experiencing high development and hatching rates. Air sac damage is the number one problem with shipped eggs.
On top of that shredded paper, I put a solid piece of cardboard as large as the box itself (I usually just cut up another Priority Mail box) before taping the box shut. All sides - even the top and the bottom - of the box are marked in large words - Hatching Eggs - Fragile. That really is about all you can do. They will Xray them if they want to so putting on the box not to Xray them is a waste of time. You really need to pack the eggs well enough and mark it clearly enough so they have the best possible chance. I honestly believe most post offices care about these eggs - not all, but most.
I am going to be posting photos of my shipping on my website (link in my signature line). It takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to package my eggs and it costs a lot to buy all the supplies but I think it is worth it. I do not want people who buy my eggs to have a bad experience hatching Seramas from shipped eggs like I did last winter. I was so discouraged and honestly, mad at some of the packaging. I wasted so much money and time. I want people to say "this wasn't so hard and I want more Seramas!"
Quote:
I do...my frizzled pens and silkied pens are just starting to lay. I purchased 2 silkied (1 is silkied frizzled) and 3 frizzled pullets from Juliette (Pixie Chick) last month. I can't guarantee you a lot at one time right now, but they are laying and I do get eggs every few days from them. I will probably get more in the fall and winter months.
Quote:
I use the medium size Priority Mail box (not the flat rate one) or larger. I refuse to use anything smaller even for just 6 eggs and I will not use a flat rate box unless I can safely get the eggs in it the way I like them to be. They just are not big enough to allow secure packaging. The most I will ship in one box is 24 eggs. If someone wants more than that, they will have to pay for another box. It is not worth the risk to try and cram more into a box.
All of my eggs are triple wrapped - once in paper towels (not the cheap kind - good strong soft paper towels like Bounty or Brawny) cut into strips and then twice in bubble wrap, once around the egg and then long ways, taping all three wraps securely. I even tape the sides shut on the final wrap. You will have little bundles
I put bubble wrap on top of a box filled tightly with shredded paper (just below half way) and then nestle each egg in a box filled tightly. They all touch but are not crammed together. I will only put 3-4 eggs across and 3 rows down max. If I'm shipping more eggs than that, I lay bubble wrap on top of those eggs and put in more shredded paper (just enough to cover the bottom layer of eggs, more bubble wrap and then do the next layer. After that layer, I put more bubble wrap on top of the eggs and fill the box tightly with shredded paper, tucking it down around all the sides. The eggs should be packed in a way that they do not move at all if shaken. You should feel no shift AT ALL when you move the box around. If you do, you don't have enough packing material. I believe this is why my air sacs stay in place and everyone is experiencing high development and hatching rates. Air sac damage is the number one problem with shipped eggs.
On top of that shredded paper, I put a solid piece of cardboard as large as the box itself (I usually just cut up another Priority Mail box) before taping the box shut. All sides - even the top and the bottom - of the box are marked in large words - Hatching Eggs - Fragile. That really is about all you can do. They will Xray them if they want to so putting on the box not to Xray them is a waste of time. You really need to pack the eggs well enough and mark it clearly enough so they have the best possible chance. I honestly believe most post offices care about these eggs - not all, but most.
I am going to be posting photos of my shipping on my website (link in my signature line). It takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to package my eggs and it costs a lot to buy all the supplies but I think it is worth it. I do not want people who buy my eggs to have a bad experience hatching Seramas from shipped eggs like I did last winter. I was so discouraged and honestly, mad at some of the packaging. I wasted so much money and time. I want people to say "this wasn't so hard and I want more Seramas!"
Thank you so much for this!! Tons of help!
I must have accidently deleted part of my post while I was editing to add the part about the eggs.lol
Quote:
I do...my frizzled pens and silkied pens are just starting to lay. I purchased 2 silkied (1 is silkied frizzled) and 3 frizzled pullets from Juliette (Pixie Chick) last month. I can't guarantee you a lot at one time right now, but they are laying and I do get eggs every few days from them. I will probably get more in the fall and winter months.
Silkied frizzled? Sounds pretty much adorable!!
That would work out perfect as I would probably just be able to get the eggs in the winter.
Hopefully most of mine will sell and I will have room for more.
This is when I wished I lived in the country, all of the room! lol
I will get the photos on my website tonight. I like to help people get good results.
These aren't great photos, it was taken the day I got them, but these are the girls I got from Juliette.
I will make a note in my book about eggs for you this winter. Just shoot me a PM when you are ready for them! It will probably take me about a week to gather them for you I'm guessing. I like to make sure I ship eggs within 7 days of collecting so that they are no older than 10 days by the time they are received.
You all know how thrilled I am with your hatches and babies. It's been so exciting for me too. I just try to do what is right with the shipping and customer service part of it, my babies do all the rest
