Shipping Eggs UPS

Shipping Hatching Eggs    

By Robert Blosl

During the past four weeks, the attack on America has affected the Poultry industry as well as our Poultry hobby of raising Rhode Island Reds. Because of this attack the FAA has given strict instructions to the United Postal Service that no live animals can be shipped by overnight express mail unless the live animals are shipped by certain chosen cities. These chosen major cities are listed by the postal service at the local post offices or the United Postal Service web site. The scope of this article is not to find blame on anyone why we can not ship adult birds or day old chicks to those who will be interested in starting with our Rhode Island Reds, but to show you a way how we can supply our bloodlines to those who are interested in getting started by purchasing hatching eggs.

I have shipped hatching eggs for over ten years to interested beginners by shipping the eggs by United Parcel Service using their direct ground service. I have tried to ship eggs by air, but the hatches where very poor and I felt it was caused by no control in the airplanes with tempeture and barometric pressure thus damaging the egg and its chances of hatching. In fact, the late John Wonderlich of St. Louis, Missouri advised me that UPS ground was the only method that he used in shipping his strain of Sebright and Cornish bantams.

Over the years, I tried various methods of packing the eggs. One method which worked very well was taking an egg carton and cutting it in half and placing six eggs in each carton. The method was to ship every other slot and then wrapping the eggs with tissue paper and placing the eggs in the carton surrounded with pine sawdust. Once the carton with the six eggs was sandwiched with sawdust, I would wrap the carton with newspaper and place in a good size cardboard box. I used four egg cartons per box and pack the egg cartons with Styrofoam peanut packing chips, which I collected from work. I had very little damage using this method even with large fowl eggs; however, it was a little time consuming then the following method, which I will explain to you.

About six years ago, I was looking for a few cardboard boxes and stopped at local liquor store and I found boxes that had gin and vodka shipped in them with six separate compartments made from cardboard. I found that I could wrap each egg in tissue paper and then wrap the egg again with two sheets of paper towels. On the bottom of each small compartment, I would place about two inches of Styrofoam chips then sandwiching the egg with another two inches of Styrofoam chips then repeat the process until all the six or eight compartments where filled with eggs. I could get between 18 to 24 large fowl eggs per box and 24 to 30 bantam eggs per box. Next, I would fill the boxes to the top with Styrofoam chips then cut a piece of card board the same size of the inside of the box and place over the compartments and the Styrofoam chips. I would then finish off by taping the box with heavy clear plastic tape and then write Hatching eggs on the box with a black magic marker. The average cost per box to ship 18 eggs was about $8.00 and took three days to reach its destination. The eggs that I have shipped arrived in excellent condition and depending on the type of incubator and the expertise of the operator had very good hatches.

 In this day of trying to share our Rhode Island Reds with the beginner, I believe this method of shipping hatching eggs would be a excellent way to supply new stock to those who want our Reds until again we have the ability to ship live birds by overnight mail. Therefore, this is just an alternative means to help out those who wish to get involved in our hobby. There will be a mass Networking program put together by the breeders and the members of the Rhode Island Red Club by using the Red Club Web site. When we receive email from those who want to get started to refer them to members within their region.   I am already receiving letters and emails from juniors, 4 H leaders and homesteaders who want to get started in Rhode Island Reds this coming spring.

It is my hope, that this article can give you some idea how to ship hatching eggs with good success and fulfill our obligation to help and share our hobby with others in these troubled times. I will make a series of photographs on how I do this and have them on my web site www.poultryconnection.com/redtalk   as well as the Rhode Island Red Club web site www.crohio.com/redclub  I can also make available a series of pictures and mail them to you if you do not have internet availability.

In closing, I urge you to consider sharing your extra eggs this spring with those who want a good start of Rhode Island Red Large Fowl and Bantams. Remember, some of these people are not interested in show birds, but just good all around Rhode Island Reds for their enjoyment and use. The enemy has made the attack onto our country, but the will not take this country down. The enemy may have momentarily forced us from not using general overnight express mail for live birds, but we can find alterative methods such as shipping eggs UPS ground.

God Bless America. God Bless the Rhode Island Red Club of America.

Special Note: I wrote this article last year and will try to take some pictures and place with this article in a few months. This method works very well and I think you will have much success with my method and shipping of eggs. One thing that I learned last year as it is not a good idea to ship eggs in months such as January and February as most of the eggs where chilled that where shipped to the North. The rest of the months and shipping to the south and south west where satisfactory. Bear with me the pictures will be coming.