Questions on shipping ducklings and hatching eggs

[Claires Poultry]

Hi y'all!
I would like to be able to ship ducklings and duck hatching eggs next year. I have some questions on what it takes to ship them.

1. Do I have to be NPIP certified?

2. Do I have to fill out certain paperwork?

3. Do I have to have all my birds inspected by the state?

4. Is there anything else I should know about shipping ducklings or hatching eggs?

Thank you,
- Elly

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Pyxis. @WVduckchick maybe able to help.

 

[HuffleClaw]

@learycow can probably answer those questions.

 

[WVduckchick]

Many of the regulations are controlled by your state, so I would either visit your state thread here on BYC and ask this question, or check some of your state's websites. There are also some federal guidelines covered on the USPS website that cover shipping live birds.

 

[Pyxis]

1. Theoretically, yes. However, check with your state, because if you just have ducks, some states don't actually test them. My state, for example, only tests chickens for pullorum, but my ducks are lumped in with them as being fine as long as all my chickens test negative. My state doesn't require AI testing, but I opt in for it, and the ducks DO get tested for that.

2. Yep, you have to fill out a form for each shipment, if you're NPIP. I do all mine online through their database and it's really quite easy.

3. Depends on the state. My state tests up to 30 birds, so if I only had 30 or fewer birds, they'd test them all. But having more than 30 birds, they just test 30 and call it good.

4. Make sure you have all the supplies you might need ready to go ahead of time, like approved boxes for ducklings, grogel to send with them, etc. They also really need to be shipped the day they are hatched, so plan for that and time your hatches accordingly.

Eggs are easier, but you have to make sure to package them as well as you can, to make sure they make it through shipping. And even if they are well-packaged, they still might get broken or just so shaken in transit that they are no longer viable.

 

[Claires Poultry]

Thanks y'all for the replies! I appreciate it!

 

[Claires Poultry]

1. Theoretically, yes. However, check with your state, because if you just have ducks, some states don't actually test them. My state, for example, only tests chickens for pullorum, but my ducks are lumped in with them as being fine as long as all my chickens test negative. My state doesn't require AI testing, but I opt in for it, and the ducks DO get tested for that.

2. Yep, you have to fill out a form for each shipment, if you're NPIP. I do all mine online through their database and it's really quite easy.

3. Depends on the state. My state tests up to 30 birds, so if I only had 30 or fewer birds, they'd test them all. But having more than 30 birds, they just test 30 and call it good.

4. Make sure you have all the supplies you might need ready to go ahead of time, like approved boxes for ducklings, grogel to send with them, etc. They also really need to be shipped the day they are hatched, so plan for that and time your hatches accordingly.

Eggs are easier, but you have to make sure to package them as well as you can, to make sure they make it through shipping. And even if they are well-packaged, they still might get broken or just so shaken in transit that they are no longer viable.

Thanks for all the info! It's very helpful!
Do you know what the state would do if your birds test positive? Not that I'm worried about my birds having a disease, they seem very healthy, but just incase.....

Do you have to be NPIP certified or fill out paperwork to ship just hatching eggs?

 

[Pyxis]

Thanks for all the info! It's very helpful!
Do you know what the state would do if your birds test positive? Not that I'm worried about my birds having a disease, they seem very healthy, but just incase.....

Do you have to be NPIP certified or fill out paperwork to ship just hatching eggs?

Probably put them all down, would be my guess.

Yes, you do

 

[Claires Poultry]

Probably put them all down, would be my guess.

Yes, you do

That's what I figured. Thanks for letting me know.

Do you have to pay to get certified (probably, but just asking anyways)?

Also, it is my understanding that you have to have your birds tested once a year, right?

 

[Pyxis]

That's what I figured. Thanks for letting me know.

Do you have to pay to get certified (probably, but just asking anyways)?

Also, it is my understanding that you have to have your birds tested once a year, right?

Not in my state, but some states do require payment. And yep, pullorum is once a year. AI is twice a year.