May Online Hatching Egg Swap-Eggs should be sent

[emvickrey]

i think typically larger eggs tend to suffer more than small ones... if you think about the physics involved in it, the larger the mass the more momentum it's able to build up when it moves rapidly in one direction or another. such as the box being dropped. the shell is very strong and can sustain a lot of force, so the inner membranes and yolk take more damage.

i feed the dogs raw quail eggs. i simply toss them the egg and they catch it or they don't. the ones that aren't caught land on the floor but only rarely crack (most actually bounce). try that same toss with a chicken egg, and it's more likely to break. try that with a turkey egg and it splatters all over the place (NOT good for the carpeting either). same distance same landing, much different results. that's why quail guinea and chicken eggs have a better time of shipping typically than say a turkey or goose egg...

Does anybody have any reccomendations on a good way to pack turkey eggs to give them a better chance in transit? I'll be shipping several on monday and I plan to use more bubble wrap than I normally do along with cushioning between the eggs with the eggs not being near the side of the box. I'll be using a large box also so there is plenty of room for padding.

Is that a good idea or bad?

 

[mrheinz77]

I've found the more packing material that is used, the better. I like to make the box so it is bulging, if at all possible. Sandra Provost, on Facebook, uses moistened fine wood shavings for her packing material and people have hatched a lot of poults from her eggs. She has a doc in the Southern Chicks Birthday Bash group on her packing method.

 

[wolftracks]

Are any of the eggs from me developing? I sent to Jim and ummm wait......RusticDreamer????

 

[JHorn91180]

I have been very successful this year with my turkeys eggs. I have some poults I kept back and also did a huge cull on my young chickens here recently. I have a blue Slate adult Tom and a Narragssett female for him. I have given away most of her eggs to close friends and set a dozen for myself a while back and sold all the poults but 3. She started laying later in the year but so far all of her eggs have developed except 2 clears as I have had reports back from everyone I gave or sent them too from her. I gave a friend 4 and r due very soon but he doesn't candle. I mailed 5 to Cali from Ky and 4 r developing on track and have less then a week left. 1 of those was 1 of the 2 clears. I had the other outta the 12 I set. I shipped 5 more recently and should get a report back in a few days whether they r developing or not. I am also saving for a friend now and have 3 more so far. This hen lays daily and rarely skips a day. She has went broody twice and both times I broke her up and she began laying again at 10 days each time. I have shipped lots of turkey eggs over the years. Sometimes have several adult and sometimes just a few and have always gotten back great to higher then expected hatch results from the people I ship them too.

The trick to shipping turkey eggs is:

#1 Its very important the eggs u send r no more then a week old. Try to shoot for 5 days and under at the date u ship them. They due tend to be a bit more fragile then chicken eggs in shipping. In my experience any older then 7 days at the time of shipping decrease the hatch rate greatly. My theory is because I think they tend to loose moisture faster during storage then most other type of fowl eggs. Wild turkeys normally bed down the eggs with leaves and dirt to hide them from predators but I think this may also be key to retain moisture. A fresh turkey egg has a very little air cell but no matter how high the humidity is when u store them, take a look at the air cell in about 10 days. Egg is still fresh and fertile but huge difference in air cell size. It seems the fresher the egg and smaller the air cell is during shipping the better the eggs ship and any with larger air cells arrive with moving or dis-lodged air cells. The inner membrane doesn't seem to b attached to the inner shell as well in turkey eggs as in other fowl eggs making them more fragile to ship. In all eggs the thin membrane that separates the white from the yolk and keeps the yolk in a circular shape breaks down with age. Ignore the basic half life rule with turkey eggs being shipped. This rule states that whatever type of fowl eggs u have, Take the # of days it takes for them to incubate and divide that in half and any day after that # viability decreases. For example turkey eggs take 28 days to hatch so they r considered fresh for 14 days and from day 15 on they begin to decompose stored between 65 and 70 degrees. Yes storage temp is important with all eggs. We all took science classes and things speed up at a higher temp and slow down at a lower temp(think decomposition) which brings me too......

#2. EGGS R ALIVE! The sperm and embryo have already met. Turkeys r seasonal layers when only allowed natural sunlight. Meaning many of the eggs r shipped during the very warm months as people check fertility and do a test hatch b4 they begin shipping. Keep that in mind when storing the eggs. If eggs stored in a fridge(used for egg storage) at around 50-55F and are shipped to the south. It may b 78 degrees where they were shipped from but the eggs may travel from the day shipped to where its 98 degrees outside in less then a day. Huge temp difference and can shock and kill the egg. So store at room temp. U wouldn't buy a fish from a tank that 78F and put it a tank that's 65F at home without floating the bag to let the fish slowly adjust to the temp change before releasing it as just throwing it into the tank is likely to send it into shock and kill it then or shortly after because they r fragile like eggs.

#3. Please do not suffocate your eggs. Cant stress this enough. EGGS R ALIVE! This one applies to all fertile eggs. There is a reason the shells r porous. Some people don't know or maybe forget that eggs breathe. Release excess moisture and gas and take in fresh clean air. Think of them as fresh produce. Most people know not to store fresh produce in plastic bags as what happens? They go bad and decompose faster. Part of the reason is almost everything organic decomposes and releases gases. The build up of gas in plastic bags has no where to escape. The produce is releasing gas to slow down decomposition but if it has no where to go and builds up, it speeds up decomposition. This is why lots of pre-packaged produce is packaged in netting or has lots of holes in the plastic bag or plastic container. This is a common mistake people do with packaging eggs and is a huge NO with delicate turkey eggs. Placing the eggs in bubble wrap bags or encasing them in bubble wrap and closing them off with tape is not doing the egg any favors. Same goes with wrapping a carton over and over in shrink wrap. Not sure why anyone does that one but some do. This cuts off oxygen completely and there is no where for the gases to go. So while they r closed off the eggs r aging much faster at the very least if not dieing. Now combine that with the very warm temps most of us have now.

#4 Double box. As stated previously the inner membrane of a turkey egg is not attached to the inner shell as well as most eggs. The internal liquid parts seems to b thinner then most eggs. That's part of what causes the difference in the egg splat test a few people do. Break open a guinea egg for example and u will notice the liquid parts r a bit thicker. Turkey eggs need extra cushioning to absorb shock. We all know from experience that boxes get crushed, bumped, dropped and tossed around. Its a miracle that any egg survives this. Package and cushion the eggs in a box then package and cushion that box into the shipping box. Pad the eggs so tightly in the box with soft materials that if u in-visioned shaking the box the eggs would not move. DO NOT SHAKE THE BOX TO TEST THIS! That is not necessary and u could damage the eggs. Use a normal cardboard box as the inner box and not a thin one like u would get tissues in. Now do the same when u package that box in the shipping box. Pack it tight so it doesn't move either and so it has at least an inch or two of cushioning on all sides. Now if your box gets smashed or dropped the extra cushioning will help absorb the shock and there is an extra layer of protection from the second box. Your package is now double reinforced and if the package arrives as smashed eggs then it's likely someone has jumped up and down on your package or it got ran over. U do not want the eggs to move and u want cushioning between each egg so they don't come in contact with each other in case the box does receive a heavy jolt the materials take most the shock and the eggs don't clank into each other. Even if the outer box gets punctured smashed or damaged its more likely the inner box and eggs will b OK.

#5 Don't be afraid to use paper. Before using bubble wrap or foam, wrap the eggs completely in a few layers of absorbent paper. TP and paper towels work great. Tissues r too smooth and tend to make the eggs hard to handle for u and the person unpacking as the eggs r more likely to slip out and drop while u r wrapping them. Place some layers of TP or paper towels above and below the eggs as well before encasing them on all sides tightly with shipping material in the inner box. If an egg does get cracked or broke the paper will help absorb the liquid and help prevent it from getting on the nearby eggs and ruining them.

#6 Do not use wood bedding or saw dust. This often contains sticks that can puncture the eggs and materials. This material does not hold its shape, settles and changes position allowing the eggs to begin moving. Some wood, cedar for example, will kill the eggs. It also causes respiratory and skin issues and many people are allergic to it. Also no one wants to unpack eggs and then clean up a big mess of wood chips and shavings as it gets everywhere and is impolite to package this way.

#7 Contact your local P.O.s and get their schedules. Some only have an early morning pickup and the one 5 more miles away may do an evening pickup where they are sent to the next step in shipping which is a sorting facility. Those extra 5 or 10 miles can make the difference of a whole day or even 2 of how long the eggs take to b delivered. Some POs are also closed on Saturday and Sunday.

#8 Mark the box FRAGILE on all sides. Do not be afraid to write THIS END UP with arrows pointing up on the sides and top. Also PLEASE DO NOT STACK OTHER BOXES ON TOP can be wrote on the top of the box. Remember unless u write "Hatching eggs" on the box the PO workers don't have a clue whats in it. Using "Fragile" is great but the other 2 phrases gives the illusion that the contents r even more delicate or important. Remember your eggs are probably only important to u and the person u r sending them too. "This end up" implies that tilting it or stacking it on the wrong side might break it so they may actually treat your package with a lil more respect.

If anyone actually took the time to read all this, Thank u! I have shipped many eggs and many many times over the years and many have been turkey eggs. U may not agree with everything u read but this is what has worked best for me and most of it can b applied to any type of eggs. As long as I keep checking fertility from time to time this usually ensures the people that receive my eggs r happy and have the best chances of a good to great hatch. A lot of these things may seem like common sense to u but u might b surprised how many people make one or many of these simple mistakes.

The eggs do "breathe" but don't require a lot of ventilation during shipping. TP and paper towels allow the egg more air. Try bubble wrapping just the sides of the egg kinda like a shrunk wrapped decorative Easter egg cover. The ends are the toughest parts of the shell and take more force per square inch to break and its fine to put a piece of tape over the bubble wrap and exposed paper on each end to fit the wrap better. U can also puncture some holes in the inner box b4 u pack it without affecting the structure integrity much to allow more ventilation. When u tape the outer box shut try not to tape over the corners as there is usually a small hole or crack in each corner that allows some ventilation also.

For those of u attempting to hatch turkey eggs the "eggs breathe" part also applies here. The holes r in your bator r for ventilation and if u have clogged most or some of them to help control humidity then unclog them with turkey eggs. Air is much more important then humidity. Turkey eggs r big and require a bit more oxygen. The poults r big and have big lungs so as soon as they go in lock-down remove ALL plugs and run that baby wide open. Promise your baby poults will be using lots of oxygen just trying to pip the egg. Most birds pip and take a break cause the extra oxygen from the pip they made gives them more strength to zip around the egg and and push their way out.

Remember to always let shipped turkey eggs rest at least 24 up to 48 hours big end up as it gives the membranes a chance to heal and for everything to sorta shift back into place before u begin incubation.

Good luck everyone. I hope this helps and now I wanna start hearing better turkey egg experience stories soon. Don't shy away from ordering turkey eggs or taking turkey eggs in the swaps. U can have great success with them as long as the sender actually knows what they r doing. If your considering ordering turkey eggs don't be afraid to ask the seller questions. U r a customer and are paying money for the eggs. Most people wont mind and understand why u r asking. Things happen with all shipped eggs. If they get x-rayed they r probably dead and sometimes it may be due too incubation methods and mistakes.

Those of u that have or r having hawk problems. Here is an interesting fact for u. Adult Tom turkeys r not afraid of hawks. They actually spot them or any large flying bird fairly quickly and begin making an alarming call and strutting to appear bigger as if they r challenging the hawk to try and take a bird on their watch. Other poultry and game birds quickly learn what the Toms call means and instantly go on alert and head for cover after hearing it. So free-range a Tom with your flock during the day. They make a huge difference and r great hawk deterrents as hawks seem to b afraid of them but don't take my word for it. There r many threads that talk about this right here on BYC.

Also Toms don't like other poultry fighting. It's a dominance thing. They run over and get right in the middle of the fight to break them up and most other poultry will not challenge something that large and head there separate ways. They quickly lean that if they fight and your Tom comes over, the fight is over or they have to fight him. Some may try but its short and they learn it's a loosing battle and not to try again. Don't get the wrong idea tho. They r friendly and don't run around picking on other poultry unless its another Tom during breeding season and some fighting is normal then. As far as other poultry tho they could care less as long as they are not fighting each other.

 

[Contrastphoto]

I have six Iowa Blue and three BBS Ameraucana (from Jim) in lockdown and two BW Ameraucana set to hatch later next week.

I have had a rough time with shipped eggs too! I like the wood shaving idea. Seems more natural than plastic bubble wrap but does it cushion them enough?

 

[ki4got]

I have been very successful this year with my turkeys eggs. I have some poults I kept back and also did a huge cull on my young chickens here recently. I have a blue Slate adult Tom and a Narragssett female for him. I have given away most of her eggs to close friends and set a dozen for myself a while back and sold all the poults but 3. She started laying later in the year but so far all of her eggs have developed except 2 clears as I have had reports back from everyone I gave or sent them too from her. I gave a friend 4 and r due very soon but he doesn't candle. I mailed 5 to Cali from Ky and 4 r developing on track and have less then a week left. 1 of those was 1 of the 2 clears. I had the other outta the 12 I set. I shipped 5 more recently and should get a report back in a few days whether they r developing or not. I am also saving for a friend now and have 3 more so far. This hen lays daily and rarely skips a day. She has went broody twice and both times I broke her up and she began laying again at 10 days each time. I have shipped lots of turkey eggs over the years. Sometimes have several adult and sometimes just a few and have always gotten back great to higher then expected hatch results from the people I ship them too.

The trick to shipping turkey eggs is: <snipped to conserve space>

WOW! thanks a bunch for all that. and yes, i did read it all over carefully... I'm crossing fingers the turkey eggs I have will develop and grow well... the 1 auburn egg from RusticDreamer is still kicking at 16 days, so

. The royal palms sent just went into the turner yesterday, after 5 days of incubating upright (not turning) because the air cells were a bit loose. Then again, i do that for all shipped eggs. incubate upright until i can tell if there's development, then set. but the turkey eggs i can't see as well into, so i just set them all. I think the auburn eggs i was able to see development by day 7-8 for sure.

I do wrap eggs in bubble wrap, but not so tightly as to make it airtight. the BIGGEST think i've discovered, on the receiving end, is DO NOT anchor the eggs to each other. that just makes a larger mass to move at once, and they all suffer more for it. these eggs were individually wrapped, then put in a bag or taped together to make one large bundle. then packed into the box... i've had more eggs broken or scrambled that way even without damage to the box, because the energy from a drop or sudden shift has to go somewhere.

one thing i thought of, is maybe laying the eggs horizontally in the packing. then if the box is dropped, there's less room for movement of the yolk. i've noticed also, some of the larger chicken eggs that were packed this way had a better hatch rate than set vertically. i think this allows the chalazae to do it's job holding the yolk more in position. vertically one end of the chalazae breaks and the yolk is freer to move around more. the chalazae is the thickened white membranes top and bottom of the yolk, that hold it in place within an egg. if you look at the pic below, you can see what i mean maybe.

 

[Noncentzter]

I just put 7/10 eggs from Lionkitty71 into lockdown!

Five eggs have hatched so far this morning! Woohoo!!

 

[ki4got]

I have six Iowa Blue and three BBS Ameraucana (from Jim) in lockdown and two BW Ameraucana set to hatch later next week.

I have had a rough time with shipped eggs too! I like the wood shaving idea. Seems more natural than plastic bubble wrap but does it cushion them enough?

i agree with jhorn, wood shavings would tend to settle more I think. I usually get the shavings for the coops from TSC, but southern states has a great super fine (and fluffy) shaving. it costs more, but i use it almost entirely in the brooders, and haven't found many hard/stick-like bits in there. i think it would take some serious experimentation to see what's what. maybe take some eggs you're willing to sacrifice (in case they don't hatch), package them like you would ship them, in different ways/materials/etc, and go for a nice long ride. find the bumpiest back roads you can, with lots of curves, and go as fast as you dare, stop fast, etc. when you get home, drop the box to the floor from about 2-3' up. then set the eggs and see what happens. do this with several boxes with different packaging materials, etc. and then label them all, candle them, set them, and some non-'shipped' eggs, and record your results.

this sounds like a project i could work with. 8) i've got plenty of roads around, hubby likes to drive like a daredevil. and white dorking eggs are easy to candle too. but not right now, i've got 3 incubators packed and another dozen plus on the way! hoping one of my broodies will allow herself to be moved to the indoor brooder so i can monitor her (and make sure she doesn't forget which nest is hers).

 

[JHorn91180]

WOW! thanks a bunch for all that. and yes, i did read it all over carefully... I'm crossing fingers the turkey eggs I have will develop and grow well... the 1 auburn egg from RusticDreamer is still kicking at 16 days, so

. The royal palms sent just went into the turner yesterday, after 5 days of incubating upright (not turning) because the air cells were a bit loose. Then again, i do that for all shipped eggs. incubate upright until i can tell if there's development, then set. but the turkey eggs i can't see as well into, so i just set them all. I think the auburn eggs i was able to see development by day 7-8 for sure.

I do wrap eggs in bubble wrap, but not so tightly as to make it airtight. the BIGGEST think i've discovered, on the receiving end, is DO NOT anchor the eggs to each other. that just makes a larger mass to move at once, and they all suffer more for it. these eggs were individually wrapped, then put in a bag or taped together to make one large bundle. then packed into the box... i've had more eggs broken or scrambled that way even without damage to the box, because the energy from a drop or sudden shift has to go somewhere.

one thing i thought of, is maybe laying the eggs horizontally in the packing. then if the box is dropped, there's less room for movement of the yolk. i've noticed also, some of the larger chicken eggs that were packed this way had a better hatch rate than set vertically. i think this allows the chalazae to do it's job holding the yolk more in position. vertically one end of the chalazae breaks and the yolk is freer to move around more. the chalazae is the thickened white membranes top and bottom of the yolk, that hold it in place within an egg. if you look at the pic below, you can see what i mean maybe.

Thank u also. "one thing i thought of, is maybe laying the eggs horizontally in the packing." That's is one very important point I forgot to mention. I do always lay the eggs on their side and have had much better results shipping this way. I'm glad u brought that up. Also I'm am very glad u added the egg anatomy photo. I actually considered that when I posted and edited too change out most of the technical terms and added in analogies as I didn't want to confuse anyone and tried to make it as simple as possible. Thanks u so much for taking the time to read it and adding some important and valuable info to my post. If u or anyone else has any more tips or ideas please speak up. I'm so tired of reading about horrible experiences with shipped Turkey eggs when just a few changes could have easily changed the outcome into a positive experience. I love turkeys and don't want people to shy away from shipped turkey eggs. They r great pets and r a valuable asset to my farm. I never have any issues selling extra poults or eggs either. This year I have began giving eggs away as I want to try to change this negative stigma. All my gift eggs were side swaps or just gifts and all the people that received them are also BYC members. I worry about my fertility dropping very soon tho as my Tom just turned 1 year last April and hasn't synced his molt with the seasons yet and has started to molt heavily about a week ago. I'm gonna set about 4 eggs again myself from the next 4 or 5 days just to check fertility again b4 I start gifting them again.

 

[lionkitty71]

woohoooo! i'm so glad you had some hatch, out of all the eggs i got i have 9 in lockdown so hoping some hatch....you will have to keep me informed on pictures of them..