Transporting eggs home safely?

[CollieflowersBark]

Hello all! I'm about to start my chicken raising adventures...again! It's been about 10 years since I've raised birds. All of my incubated eggs that I had at the time came from my own chickens and ducks, so I have no transporting or shipping experience! I was pretty nervous at the idea of having eggs shipped, but then I was thrilled to find that someone quite local to me is willing to sell me fertile eggs belonging to the breeds that I want.

So now the question is - how do I get them safely home? I'll be driving with them for about 30-45 minutes. Do I still need to let them sit for 24 hours? Could this potentially raise my hatching rate vs having them shipped long distance?

Thanks!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Congratulations on your renewed adventure.

I'd take a few egg cartons and some newspaper or thin bubble wrap to wrap the eggs to help keep them stable in the cartons. Put the cartons in a box with a towel or something around them to keep them stable/from jostling around on your trip.
Going that distance with you just handling/transporting them, they likely won't suffer any damage.
You can let them sit for 24hrs if that makes you feel better.

On shipped eggs, I let them sit 12-24hrs. It's a gamble because you just don't know how that package has been handled.

Hope you have a successful hatch, Good Luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

how do I get them safely home?

I strongly agree to keep them well cushioned on the trip home. I made the mistake of setting them on the car floorboard because I was concerned about them falling off of the seat. Big mistake. On the rough country roads they were shaken up really badly. I hatched 10 out of 30. Purely my fault.

I'll be driving with them for about 30-45 minutes.

Good, so you are not stopping to grab lunch or otherwise let the car heat up. Should be fine. I'd keep them covered and out of direct sunlight though in your AC'ed car that shouldn't matter.

Do I still need to let them sit for 24 hours?

The reason you let them settle is you don't know how shaken up shipped eggs are. Even with you handling them they may be a bit shaken. I agree with Wyorp, 12 to 24 hours is probably a good thing.

Could this potentially raise my hatching rate vs having them shipped long distance?

Potentially yes, at least you have things under your control. How much they are shaken, how hot or cold they get, and how long they are in transit. I've had a 100% hatch from shipped eggs, I've had a horrible hatch from shipped eggs. There is no guarantee that you will get a horrible hatch from shipped eggs but you certainly can. You can still get a horrible hatch from these eggs but it won't be because of the shipping.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Protect them from sunlight through the window and vibrations as much as possible. Yes, I would rest them, air cell up, for a half day or so. You’re not traveling far but they will still benefit from a brief resting. You will absolutely have better luck bring them home yourself than shipping. That is totally the way to go if possible.

That said I brought home some mud/poop covered eggs stacked all helter-skelter in a #10 can bumping around directly on floor of my pickup bed. I actually had a decent hatch rate. My working theory is if the breeder flock is healthy: you’ll hatch chicks. Regardless of how you bring them home.

Yesterday I bought some hatching eggs from the farmer’s market. These eggs I care about. I treated them exactly as I described in the first paragraph.