I will be wrapping each egg in paper towels, packing them in egg cartons. I pack the outside egg holders of each carton with newspaper. I tape the cartons shut and pack them tightly in shredded paper in a large flat rate box. I have sent light eggs to NM, GA, WV, MA, IN, IL, SC and FL. I have had NO eggs broken with at least 70-75% fertility. If you do not like this method of packing PLEASE, do not bid. In my opinion it is the best method for BANTAM eggs.
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I'm sorry, I was not refering to your shipping methods. Only the fertility that you mentioned. Whether the 50% is what you've have been getting from your eggs incubated at home prior to shipping.
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If you would excuse me asking, Are you getting 50% fertility from these eggs when you incubate them, or is that what you expect after shipping?
I have made no secret of the fact that my Buff fertility has not been close to that of my Lights. That being said my buff fertility has been on a steady increase. I would not expect 75% fertility with these eggs. My fertility is in the 50% range with my buffs, I expect higher with the eggs I set yesterday. The fertility of the eggs for this auction should be a bit higher. The buffs fertility seems to improve as the weather warms, it was in the upper 90's here yesterday. I usually send 16 eggs, I would be satisfied with 8 quality chicks. If the bid price gets ridiculous, I will send more eggs. It is my desire, that whoever buys eggs from me, is EXTREMELY happy. I can say without a doubt, that has been the case with the light eggs I have shipped so far.
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I'm sorry, I was not refering to your shipping methods. Only the fertility that you mentioned. Whether the 50% is what you've have been getting from your eggs incubated at home prior to shipping.
That comment was not directed at you, just a general comment for potential bidders. We must have posted at the same time.
Appreciate you total frankness on fertility. If only everyone was like that.
So if fertility has been about 50% at home on non shipped eggs, would you expect shipped ones to be say in the 25%
range?
I find (depending on what the postal service has done and with excellent packaging) that on average I get a 40% hatch, sometimes more, often less. This is when sellers claim great fertility. I am just thinking aloud what the cost per chick would be on these babies
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My Buff fertility has been inching up. I would not think 50% would be unreasonable. I do not sell chicks. I sold several adult breeders this past fall 50 dollars for females and 25 for males. Shipped eggs are always a bit of a gamble, however, eight hatched chicks would make it a bargain on top quality Buffs.
I got my start in quality buffs from eggs. I ordered a couple of doz eggs from a man in Florida. From those two dozen eggs I got a total of THREE birds that turned out to be pretty good quality birds(one male, two females). The following year, I bought a high quality Trio of Spence/Williams birds. I switched the males and had TWO breeding trios. Those two trios produced the foundation for my line of buffs. If you notice the tails on my females, go to the Standard and read the description of what a Brahma tail is supposed to look like. My birds are pretty close. I have not seen better tails. My birds have good width from front to back and a true top quality Brahma head. I am not suggesting that all eggs hatched will produce champions, I am suggesting that if the winner gets a few birds hatched and raised, ...it will provide a GOOD foundation in bantam buffs. A better foundation than I was able to start with.