8 Tips for Shipping Hatching Eggs Successfully
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 11, 2024
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From folks who are not familiar with shipping and selling hatching eggs, I get lots of questions in regards to how I can safely ship eggs through the mail. Needless to say, shipping eggs is risky. There is no way to guarantee the eggs will arrive safely, that there will be no cracked eggs, that the packaging won’t get lost, or that shipping won’t be delayed. However, there are tips and tricks for shipping hatching eggs successfully. I want to share with you some of the measures I take when shipping eggs for my farm business on the homestead!
The first thing I learned to do when I started shipping hatching eggs was to double box the egg cartons that contained the eggs. Double boxing the eggs provides an extra layer of protection against shipping damage and rough handling. When putting together an egg order to ship, here are the layers that go into packing the eggs:
Obviously, when double boxing the eggs cartons you want two boxes of slightly different sizes. Ideally, the smaller box that contains the egg cartons should fit snugly into the slightly larger shipping box. The size of your boxes will also depend on how many eggs you are shipping. Here are some box sizes that I find pair well together:
For these packaging methods, you have to cut a standard size egg carton in half in order to fit a whole carton in the box. I use cardboard egg cartons and cut them in half. That way I have two half-dozen cartons to easily package inside a box.
The safety of the eggs is dependent on the effectiveness of the packaging you use. There are lots of packaging and padding options available. I like to upcycle the packaging I get from other packages that I order. Vitacost orders and Thrive Market orders always come with lots of paper packaging. I start collecting bundles of the paper packaging prior to egg shipping season.
The paper packaging can be torn and packed into the egg shipping boxes to create padding that keeps the eggs cartons from shifting around in the box. I like to put a layer of the paper packaging on the bottom of the box, then place the eggs cartons in the box. Then I carefully pack more paper around the eggs cartons and place additional paper packaging on top of the cartons to fill up the box. I also pack paper into any spaces that are created when nesting the smaller box inside the slightly larger shipping box.
I have also used bubble wrap in conjunction with the paper packaging to provide more padding around the eggs. Avoid using packing peanuts! You basically want the packaging around the eggs cartons to keep the eggs cartons from moving around inside the box.
When packaging the hatching eggs and sealing off the boxes, you will want to use sturdy shipping tape. Don’t use scotch tape, masking tape, or duck tape to secure any part of the egg package. These tapes are unreliable in various weather conditions and shipping conditions.
There are special egg shipping foam inserts and other egg shipping packaging that you can purchase and use for shipping eggs. However, I have had good success with upcycling cardboard egg cartons and carefully packaging the eggs for shipping my orders.
I only plan on shipping hatching egg orders at the beginning of each week. If possible, I ship egg orders on Monday, and the latest I will ship an order is on Wednesday. From where I live, that allows enough time for the egg order to reach its destination before the weekend. If the eggs are not delivered before the weekend, they risk being left in a post office or distribution center over the weekend.
I also only ship hatching eggs during late winter through early summer. While it is impossible to coordinate good weather all along a package’s shipping route, I can at least control when I ship the eggs to optimize the weather conditions where I am and hopefully where the eggs are going. Extreme temperatures during transit will affect the hatch rates of the eggs. This includes both hot weather and cold weather.
For me, egg shipping season starts in March and ends in July. Egg shipping season must also correspond with breeding season for my Svart Hona flock. No sense in shipping hatching eggs if they aren’t fertile!
There are two main shipping services that I use when mailing hatching eggs: United States Postal Service (USPS) or FedEx. If using USPS, I only give my customers the option of Priority Mail Express for fastest deliver. If using FedEx, I usually give the option of FedEx standard overnight or FedEx standard 2-day. Based off of my experience of shipping hatching for the last 4 years, FedEx has been the most reliable overall. FedEx overnight has also been the best shipping service. With that being said, FedEx overnight delivery is the priciest shipping option.
When shipping with the USPS, I can prep and tape my package ahead of time. Then I go to the post office to fill out a shipping label. I always use a ‘hold for pick up’ shipping label. Thisis different from the standard shipping label. Make sure you ask your post office the correct ‘hold for pick up’ label.
The ‘hold for pick up’ label means the package will be held at the customer’s local post office and the customer will be contacted via phone number when the package has arrived. They can then go pick up their package. This prevents the eggs from being transported in a mail carrier’s car all through a mail route. A ‘hold for pick up’ label will require that you have the customer’s name, home address, phone number, and local post office address.
Also, when shipping with USPS Priority Mail Express, you HAVE to use a Priority Mail Express box. You cannot use priority mail boxes or flat rate boxes.
When I am shipping eggs with FedEx, I can prep the boxes and print the shipping label right from my homestead. I can get the boxes all taped up with the label taped on. Then I just bring the package in to a local FedEx drop-off location to be shipped. I always like to see when the last FedEx pickup is scheduled for the drop-off location. Then I try to get my package there 15-30 minutes prior to that time. That way the package doesn’t have to sit at the drop-off location for very long.
When filling out a FedEx shipping label, you will need the customer’s name, home address, phone number, and what shipping service they chose (overnight or 2-day). You will also want to mark that you are ‘shipping to a residence’. Since I use FedEx One Rate boxes (FedEx large box), the estimated shipping cost can be calculated prior to shipping the package. You can also enter your email address and the customer’s email address to get notifications while the package is in transit. Since FedEx is strictly a package deliver service, I am fine with having the eggs delivered right to a customer’s house. They can get an email notification when the eggs arrive so they can tend to the package immediately.
In the event that some or all of the eggs arrive damaged, you can usually file a claim with either shipping service. The USPS has a $100 insurance claim on any package shipped Priority Mail Express. FedEx also has a $100 insurance claim on all packages for damage, loss, or theft of a package.
With the USPS, you can file for a shipping cost refund if the package does not arrive on time and the contents are damaged. You will need to provide the shipping receipt and photos/video of the damaged package, preferably opened at the post office. You can tell customers who choose the USPS shipping option to open their package while they are at the post office if they suspect damage to the eggs.
FedEx will only offer a shipping cost refund on packages shipped FedEx overnight that are not delivered within the time specified. Packages shipped FedEx 2-day are not eligible for a refund if they are delayed or lost.
When collecting hatching eggs to ship, you will want to consider the time it takes to collect the number of eggs you need to fill an order, the number of days the eggs will be in transit, and the one day of rest that the eggs need before being placed in an incubator. In general, I try to keep the cumulative amount of time between collection and setting to under a week (7 days) if possible.
How fast you can collect eggs will depend on how many hens are laying in your breeding flock. The more hens that are laying, the more efficiently you can collect eggs. As I collect eggs, I like to wrap each egg in plastic wrap (to slow moisture evaporation). Then I place it in a storage egg carton in a temperate, high humidity location. I have the egg carton propped up on one end so that I can rotate which way the egg carton is tilted every morning and evening. This keeps the egg yolk in the proper position within the egg during storage. Don’t forget… eggs should always be stored with the pointy end facing down!
For more tips on storing eggs, make sure you check out Incubating Part I.
Once I have collected the number of eggs I need to fill an order, I get them ready for shipping. I leave each egg wrapped in plastic wrap so that if any of the eggs get broken, the plastic wrap can help contain the mess. It can also prevent the other eggs from getting dirty. Each wrapped egg gets transferred from the storage carton to half-dozen cardboard egg cartons I use for shipping (a standard size egg carton cut in half). I only use the cardboard or trifold plastic egg cartons for shipping eggs. I avoid using the Styrofoam cartons since they seem less stable.
Once in the egg cartons, I then tape each egg carton closed. Only tape around the egg carton, don’t tape off the end since the tape will stick to the plastic wrap on the eggs and make it harder to unpackage the eggs. The taped egg cartons then get set inside the box. I place each egg carton so that the open ends are facing opposite directions. If there is pressure or damage on one side the box, it is less likely to affect both cartons of eggs if the cartons are placed alternatingly.
When packing the paper packaging and padding around the egg cartons, you want the packaging to be snuggly secure the cartons but not apply too much pressure. Don’t jam pack the box with packaging! If there is any pressure on the box during shipping, the additional pressure combined with the pressure of the packaging materials can crack the eggs. Use enough packaging so that the egg cartons don’t move if you shake the box side to side or up and down.
Marking the outside shipping box is essential for making anyone who is handling the package aware that the package contains fragile content. With most shipping services, you are not allowed to write ‘live embryos’ on the box. However, you can still write other cautions on the box, such as….
I use a sharpie permanent marker to write on my shipping boxes. I write FRAGILE and Handle with Care on every side of the box. On the top of the box I write This Side Up. I also draw arrows on the side of the box to indicate which side needs to face up. Whether or not shipping distributors pay attention to these labels or not is debatable. However, I like to make sure I do my part in hopefully ensuring the package gets handled with care during transit.
When you are packaging shipping eggs, you will want to consider the best (and necessary) places to tape off the package. There are several key places that I make sure I tape well when packaging my orders:
When you get into the business of shipping hatching eggs, you will want to have a document of disclaimers and shipping policies that you send customers. Complete communication about the risks of shipping hatching eggs should be expressed before the customer places an order. Here are the key disclaimers and policies I make apparent in my shipping hatching eggs contract:
Breeding chickens and selling hatching eggs can be a profitable endeavor on the homestead! Learning how to properly ship hatching eggs can great expand your client base and give other homesteaders the chance to acquire some of your birds even if they live out of state. Properly packaging the eggs, labeling the boxes, and choosing the right shipping options are essential for a successful shipping experience. Shipping hatching eggs through the mail is still risky, there’s not way to eliminate all the risk, but it can be successful and rewarding!
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