Kirsten Here you can read detailed information regarding the postage of our fertile hatching eggs, and what to do once you receive your eggs in the post.
Packaging for our posted eggs
How I pack my eggs for delivery:
- Each egg is wrapped in paper towel individually and placed into a jumbo egg carton which helps prevent the eggs from moving during transit.
- I use air column packaging designed for posting wine bottles which is inflated with an air pump.
- An extra layer of bubble wrap or other packaging material is used to wrap the air column bags to prevent any punctures or deflation.
- Fragile stickers are added to packages. Road Transport only stickers are optional.
- I try to recycle and reuse packing where possible. I do not use polystyrene packaging.
- I have been using this method for 5 years now with great success.
- Read our packaging reviews
What should you do when your eggs arrive?
- Carefully unwrap the eggs from their protective packaging.
- Take a good look over the shells of the eggs to ensure there are no cracks or leaks.
- Use a torch or an egg candler to check that there are no hairline cracks or detached aircells. If you do find some damaged aircells you can still proceed with incubation, however there is a higher risk they may not hatch.
- You can mark the eggs with pencil or permanent marker to ensure your automatic egg turner is working correctly on the incubator, or for when you are manually turning the eggs.
- You do not need to let the eggs rest or sit before incubating. Allowing the eggs to rest will probably not fix any damage that has already occurred. It is preferable to start the incubation process whilst the eggs are as fresh as possible. You can warm up the incubator as soon as they arrive and pop the eggs in.
- Generally speaking fertilised eggs should be fine to incubate within 14 days of being laid. However, I have hatched eggs even older than this from my own flock.
- Remember that there is an increased risk of eggs becoming unviable due to postage and poor handling conditions.
- Read our incubating instructions for more details and the best chance of a successful hatch: Guide to hatching chicks or Duck egg incubating tips
Conditions of sale:
Postage Options: Eggs are posted using Australia Post Express Post or Standard Parcel Post depending on your preference. Express Post is the fastest option.
Monday/Tuesday Post: Orders need to be placed before 6pm on Sunday for Monday’s post. Eggs will otherwise be posted on Tuesday, unless you message us to post on another preferred day.
Road Mail Only: Please specify in the notes section at checkout if you would like a ‘Road Mail Only’ sticker applied to your package. This option can be used for both standard and express post. Some people prefer their eggs to travel by road only to limit the risk of damage that may be caused when travelling via air. Air pressure from the flight can cause egg aircells to become detached, so road mail may be a more preferable method depending on how slow the post currently is. In some circumstances road mail may be slower. So it’s up to the buyer to choose the option that they prefer. Each option comes with it’s own risk.
Western Australia Biosecurity Regulations: Please note that eggs posted to W.A may incur fees if quarantined by biosecurity officers. Domestic poultry eggs are permitted to import, however regulations state that they may be inspected to confirm that they are a permitted species. We will include the species name on the packaging label, however this does not guarantee that your package will not be inspected. Any quarantine fees are to be covered by the buyer. Purple Tree Pets & Poultry will not be held accountable for any additional fees charged, or delays when being held up for quarantine.
Egg Freshness: We only post eggs which have been freshly laid within 4 days prior to posting. Most eggs are good to incubate for up to two weeks after being laid and can be stored safely at room temperature in the upright position with the air cell at the top. We recommend you start the incubation process as soon as your eggs have arrived, however some people prefer to allow them to sit for 24 hours after arrival.
Returns & Refunds: We offer no refunds or returns of fertile eggs due to the eggs being a perishable item and the fact we have limited control on viability and hatchability outcomes when posted.
Failure to hatch: We offer no refunds for damages caused during postage, low fertility, unviable eggs, embryo demise during incubation, poor hatches, duckling or chick death, birth defects or incubation related health concerns. By purchasing eggs it is at your own risk.
We test fertility in the weeks leading up to selling our eggs, however we can not guarantee that all eggs will be fertilised, viable when candling or successfully hatch. Spring is the best time to hatch. Later into Summer fertility starts to drop down again.
Availability, fertility and hatchability of eggs is affected by factors such as seasonal influence, moulting, whether our roosters are performing, who is laying at the time of egg collecting, if air cells are damaged during travel, if eggs get held up in post etc. Eggs which may appear ‘infertile’ or clear when candling may actually have been rendered ‘unviable’ due to the postal system. Most of these factors are out of our control and it is the risk of the buyer.
We candle and inspect each egg before carefully packing. This ensures that the air cells are small and not damaged. We also check to ensure there are no cracks or dark spots within the egg before postage.
Poor incubation conditions may also result in a poor hatch rate or unviable eggs, which is the responsibility of the customer. To increase your hatch rate please read our egg incubation tips here.
We package our eggs with care, however please take into consideration that packages which have been handled badly by Australia post may have impact on your hatch rate. How Australia post handles packages after we have posted them is out of our control. By purchasing eggs from us you are willing to accept the risk.
Hatching Roosters: Sorry but we do not take back any roosters that you hatch from our eggs. Please find suitable homes or dispatch humanely if you are unable to keep roosters at your property.
Due to biosecurity risks we do not take back any birds our customers have hatched. As a responsible pet owner, You are required to find them suitable homes if you are unable to keep them.
International Buyers: Sorry but we do not allow the export of eggs or live poultry overseas.
By purchasing hatching eggs from us you agree to our terms and conditions.
