Question About chicken eggs being shipped?

[happyhens44]

ok if you buy fertile eggs on internet, how do they keep them alive when there being shipped through postal... because won't they get cold and die?

Just wondering

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Eggs actually don't start growing until you put them in the incubator and they're warm enough to begin developing. Until then, they don't need to be kept warm. They're fertile, but not growing yet, if that makes sense. Eggs can go for quite a while after being laid without going in the incubator, and still develop into chicks.

 

[Kansaseq]

Rough handling, heat, and freezing are the major culprits for bad hatch rates on shipped eggs. Not sure how bad radiation is for them, but it's certainly not good.

 

[Redcatcher]

e_batman, eggs are sort of like seeds. They will not begin to germinate and develop until the conditions are just right for them to do so. During this time the embryo or germ lies dormant. Once the incubation process has started though, the egg cannot get cold or the chick will die. For this reason, eggs are shipped before they are incubated. One time I received an egg that had been incubated and the embryo actually survived the two day journey. This is very rare though as they usually die.

Edit: typo

 

[happyhens44]

ok . thanks makes sense

 

[AHappychick]

perfect temp for eggs is about 50 degrees so as long as they dont freeze or go above 100 it is usually all good.