Is it possible to ship eggs?

[Sheather]

I was just wondering - I have a flock of seventeen societies, and just this morning I caught a few of them hopping into my canary's nest when she was feeding herself to stuff food down her chicks' throats! If any bird looks and acts less like a society, than it's a hairy giraffe-necked canary baby. So it got me thinking that a few in my group are so naturally motherly (not only feeding the canaries but doing so in someone else's nest without any prep!) that I really believe they'd feed everything. And then I was thinking again - has anyone ever sold anyone eggs and sent them via post (in warmer weather of course). I was thinking this might be a cheaper and safer way to get different bloodlines or uncommon species to regions (like my own) where they're lacking, provided the recipient had willing fosters to then raise them. I think it could work if the boxes were well-padded, brand new eggs can last a good few days unincubated. And I think it would be a lot safer and less costly than ordering adult birds.

If this is something that is doable, I'm rather interested in perhaps buying a few eggs from someone from a couple less available species sometime for my group to try and raise.

[BigBear0007]

It has been done but with limited success.
I was on a British site and some of the bird fanciers have
shipped them overnight and through the mail.
The problems are, eggs getting shaken and boxes dropped
or thrown on conveyers, or mail bags.
If they are put on plane, there is no guarantee that there will be sir pressure in the cargo hold? The eggs will develop bubbles and that will be the end to that.
The success rate was very low, less then 10%.

[steve]

Sheather

The cost to ship would probably be the same as if you were getting birds and you then are not sure that the eggs are going to hatch. Would you pay the same for the eggs as you would for the bird?

I suppose it could work in some cases in closer communities with breeders exchanging eggs but I personally am not for fostering, read too many negatives about it.

Steve

[Sally]

Here is a topic about shipping eggs, plus if you do a search for 'shipping eggs', you will find other topics. It has been done successfully in the U.S. It is certainly a way to acquire other species/bloodlines that aren't available in your area, and it is a lot less expensive than buying and shipping birds.

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... gs#p273523

[Sheather]

How much do you suppose it would run?

Sheather

The cost to ship would probably be the same as if you were getting birds and you then are not sure that the eggs are going to hatch. Would you pay the same for the eggs as you would for the bird?

I suppose it could work in some cases in closer communities with breeders exchanging eggs but I personally am not for fostering, read too many negatives about it.

Steve

Even so, eggs aren't going to cost over $100 individually like adults of most birds would, even if shipping was the same.

[Sally]

How much do you suppose it would run?

Sheather

The cost to ship would probably be the same as if you were getting birds and you then are not sure that the eggs are going to hatch. Would you pay the same for the eggs as you would for the bird?

I suppose it could work in some cases in closer communities with breeders exchanging eggs but I personally am not for fostering, read too many negatives about it.

Steve

Even so, eggs aren't going to cost over $100 individually like adults of most birds would, even if shipping was the same.

I'm not sure, but I think some of the members of the forum have done it without charge for the eggs, the recipient just paying for the shipping? At any rate, since there is a chance that none of the eggs would make it, I don't know how a price could be worked out.

[steve]

Sheather

The USA has a far superior shipping service than we do in SA so you are at an advantage. Here it would cost the same as the birds.

Steve

[Sheather]

If anyone is interested and has well, anything really, I'd be interested in trying this out as the weather warms now.

[cindy]

Make sure the air temperature is above 60 and there are not cold fronts coming through... most of the mail is shipped to other locations by air, if cold or freezing the eggs will freeze, expand and crack.

I have shipped eggs from Florida to Nevada, one out of 3 or 4 hatched, baby made it to about a week old and the societies stopped feeding it. Other eggs shipped did not far well you have a window of 7 days from the time they are laid where they are viable.