The Poultry Keeper

NannyP · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:31 pm Post subject: Importing hatching eggs?

As we were waiting for our ferry at Dover last week, there was a revolving sign about don'ts re Avian Flu. I am sure it said no eggs to be brought in from countries with avian flu outbreaks.
I was going to ask my visitors, whether they would take back some French Maran eggs for RobMad, but now not sure whether this will be okay?
Any ideas please.

France hasn't had AF outbreaks I'm sure.

Brittany Chick · Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Brittany

I had a look at Dinard airport on Wednesday and the poster seemed to be concerned with people who work with poultry. I didn't see any mention of eggs. The ones I had posted over from ebay are all duds - probably because they would have been x-rayed - so best to make the most of your visitors coming over Very Happy

NannyP · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject:

Okay, will ask my neighbour to atrt saving for RobMad Very Happy

chook-in-eire · Joined: 11 Sep 2006 Posts: 88

Brittany Chick · Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Brittany

Thanks for that chook.... The eggs took 6 days to reach me, during which time I have no idea how they were handled, so there are lots of things that could have affected them, but through the candling lamp they look very liquid Sad

. Maybe I'll try again with a different egg seller!

mojo · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 9:27 am Post subject:

sorry to disagree with chook-in eire but my vet says xrays afect fertility........and my experiances bear this out............any vets on the forum like to comment please

chook-in-eire · Joined: 11 Sep 2006 Posts: 88

Mojo, bear in mind that there are different types of x-rays. I have found that the machines at the airport have not affected hatchability just like they do not affect computers, disks, cameras etc. That's the ones I mean. A doctor's/vet's x-ray machine would be detrimental, I'm sure.

Happy Easter!

chook

mojo · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:40 pm Post subject: xray

i did mean customs xray machine they may not afffect electronics but do affect even hand couriered eggs.........it is possible to see the differance cause naughty boy that iam i have been known to have one lot declared and the other lot not(both from same hens .....so once again any vet or animal scientist prepared to find the facts for us PLEASE

stephen · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:29 am Post subject:

I'm starting to wonder if the Swedish Post x-ray stuff as it comes into the country; last Summer we had eggs delivered from the UK, and because of the chaos at Heathrow they came via UPS. They worked.

So far this year all our eggs have come via the postal service and we have had one egg hatch, and of the eggs currently in the 'bator not one of the duck eggs that came via the post look as if they're doing anything. So that's one out of 1 out of 20!

The goose eggs are too thick to check and they've only been in a few days.

nigel · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:59 am Post subject:

do x-rays affect development?

we had 10 eggs viable at day 16 and then nine of them were DIS by day 18

Brittany Chick · Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Brittany

I'll be cracking open my cream legbar eggs in the next few days to have a better look - 5 of them still look very liquid and one looks like it might have started developing but only very early stages. I'm assuming they would have been x-rayed by the english or french post office, but dont know for sure.

mojo · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:08 pm Post subject:

the french customs xray parcels as a regular occurance that are entering from another country........they even xray internal parcels........i know ....and sometimes even apply stickers to say so ......our post office has a machine says a friendly postie...no names no packdrill........but i hoped with all our members we had someone who could get scientific evidence for us

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1269 Location: Correze

The official line is, no importing eggs or chickens (dead or alive) into the UK. At least, that's the way I read it at Dover port.

Of course, to import hatching eggs we should always all have a DEFRA licence ... which we all do, of course Cool

ALL the time. Wink

mojo · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 8:57 pm Post subject:

what about bringing them OUT of the uk when i checked with defra it said up to 20 eggs for own use into any eu country

chook-in-eire · Joined: 11 Sep 2006 Posts: 88

One can import or export up to 20 eggs between EU countries no problem.
See http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/int-trde/imports/iins/birds/a8.htm

chook