The Great Egg Shipping Experiment!

[Alaskan]

First shipped orders arrived today. What I thought was going to be the most successful packing faired the worst!
1st Priority Mail box was shipped from PA to me in Maine. Large Priority Mail Box (12"x8") marked "Fragile" on each side with up arrows. Each egg wrapped in thin bubblewrap (open top & bottom) placed big end up in a styrofoam egg carton- kind of stuffed in, didn't fit too well, carton taped closed, bubblewrap around the carton, peanuts over and under, air pillows in the corner - 12 gorgeous Copper Marans arrived all with no problems!

2nd box shipped from NC. Marked "Fragile, Hatching Eggs" Thin pressboard box packed inside another pressboard box - very tight fit. In the inside box folded newspapers lined the top bottom and sides. 1/4 " thick or so. Eggs individually wrapped in bubble wrap, top & bottoms open, all wrapped together in a sheet of bubblewrap 9 Creme Legbars shipped, all 9 came through fine. I ordered 6! One has some hairline cracks that don't go through the shell, they almost look like they are drawn on. I don't need to worry about this do I?



3rd box came from SC, outside of box clearly marked "Fragile Live Hatching Eggs/Embryos. Please Do not Xray, This side UP" on all sides. Outside Box was a Prioritiy Mail Box 10"x12"5 1/4" (I think this should have been bigger) The inside Priority Mail Box 7"x10 1/4"x5" had very little room top & bottom between it and the outer box. They did put some shredded paper there but a very think layer. There was wadded up paper around the sides. The inside box had each egg wrapped individually in bubble wrap, bottoms taped shut - good thing there was goo in lots of them but didn't get on the other eggs. Shredded paper between and around. Packaging looked great, eggs not so much. We lost 7 out of the 15 Bresse shipped.




The only think that I can think that might have done different is a bigger box outside box? But then again if the one postal employee that was determined to kick a fragile box came across it, there was probably nothing that would have helped.

So, mixed, mostly successful shipping, we'll see what hatching is like.

It looks to me like the eggs in that last photo had too much wiggle room.

As to the slightly cracked egg.....dunno.....I would maybe drip some beeswax on the biggest area of net-like cracks, worried that there might be too much evaporation otherwise. But dunno...... I have only tried to incubate two cracked eggs, and I think one got stinky and the other was either an early quitter or a clear (I need to write this stuff down!

)

 

[islandgirl348]

slightly different topic... I now have a couple open spots in my incubator. What is the likelihood that a blue Easter Egger egg will grow into a chicken that lays blue eggs? I have two roos, the dominant one looks exactly like his father who was a hatchery bought Easter Egg chick, handsome fellow. The other I think is half golden laced wyandott, he is a lovely red with green tail feathers. But are Easter Eggers by definition a mix that happens to lay colored eggs? I'm confused about the genetics of EEs. Can I expect more blue layers by choosing blue eggs to hatch?

 

[Alaskan]

If the father came from a blue egg, and the egg you incubate is blue, then yes, you will get a blue egg layer.

If the father is the Golden Laced Wyandotte, he maybe (since you said he isn't pure, and I don't know what he is mixed with) came from a very pale brown egg. The father from a pale brown egg and the egg you are incubating a blue egg, a female that hatches would lay a green egg.

But, the blue egg shell is dominant, so there is the risk that the hen that laid the blue egg has only ONE copy of the blue egg gene, and might give a daughter NO blue egg gene. Then you will get a white or brown egg layer, depending on the rooster.

 

[misbhaven]

Islandgirl I have had some luck with sealing cracks ...I used clear fingernail polish, I have read on here even melted crayon..if the damaged egg does make it hatch watch it , you may have to assist as you basically made the shell stronger..

 

[islandgirl348]

I'm wondering if this really is a crack though. You can't feel anything on the shell, its almost as if it was a design painted on. Is that how a minor crack looks?

 

[ronott1]

slightly different topic... I now have a couple open spots in my incubator. What is the likelihood that a blue Easter Egger egg will grow into a chicken that lays blue eggs? I have two roos, the dominant one looks exactly like his father who was a hatchery bought Easter Egg chick, handsome fellow. The other I think is half golden laced wyandott, he is a lovely red with green tail feathers. But are Easter Eggers by definition a mix that happens to lay colored eggs? I'm confused about the genetics of EEs. Can I expect more blue layers by choosing blue eggs to hatch?

You cannot know for sure if one or both of the EEs have one blue and one white egg shell gene. If each one of them is like that, then you can get a double white egg shell laying pullet and some that will have blue egg shell.

If the wyandott is the male, then you can have a higher chance of white egg shell since the egg shell gene is white for him. If the EE is double blue for egg shell color, they will all have blue egg shells and most of them will lay green eggs.

 

[hildar]

Islandgirl I have had some luck with sealing cracks ...I used clear fingernail polish, I have read on here even melted crayon..if the damaged egg does make it hatch watch it , you may have to assist as you basically made the shell stronger..

I wish now, that I had of tried that with a game egg I had instead I had the kids take it outside and break it. I didn't have my glasses on the day I put them in the incubator so I didn't see the little dent when I felt it I had the kids look at it, and it was a tiny dent with a crack in it. I could have maybe saved it had I of tried the nail polish or wax. Oh well to late now, but at least I have 27 more.

 

[Alaskan]

A bit disappointed with the last egg order.

The eggs were wrapped with toilet paper or paper towel (didn't pay attention) the packed in cartons. The eggs are bantams and were not packed tightly enough, so WIGGLED. No extras were sent, and five are broken enough that I think repairing them and incubating them might be a waste... Haven't decided yet.

I will candle and then decide.

But wow.... DON'T LET THE EGGS WIGGLE!

I wouldn't be so bummed if The eggs had been cheaper.

 

[misbhaven]

alaskan I am tempted to ship you some eggs just to see if I could get some all the way to alaska in one piece

 

[ladycat]

alaskan I am tempted to ship you some eggs just to see if I could get some all the way to alaska in one piece

I'm tempted too! (well, for the cost of shipping). I haven't had any complaints of broken eggs in the lower 48.