Best place to buy eggs?

[muddipuppy]

a) Ebay
b) BYC
c) eggbid
d) hatchery
e) other, please specify

 

[vkp23]

I think any of those can be good places. It depends on the individual you buy them from. I always check feedback on people I buy from before I buy and see what other people say and make my choice then. Hatcherys are good too I would just ask around for which one to choose. I ordered my chicks from McMurry. I really like them but I have not tried others yet. It all depends on who you choose to be the best.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'd like to know too. I think my LB is going broody. Never done the hatching thing.

 

[Katy]

Personally I think BYC since there are a lot of us here who sell hatching eggs....it needs to be buyer beware tho no matter where you're buying from. There are unscrupulus sellers no matter what route you go.

 

[HenMaster]

Quote:
I'm with you! To me it's who you buy form not where.

I think this is a good thread, I'll be watching!!!

 

[poultryhaven]

I personally like locally is a good way because they dont have to be shipped and there is a better hatch rate. But the oher ways are good too

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I wouldn't buy eggs from a hatchery or eggbid. Hatchery eggs are way overpriced for the hatchery quaility you will get. Eggbid has just about zero customer service so there are alot of scammers on their now. Ebay is good, you can check feedback and they have great customer service so scammers don't last long. BYC has done good for us this year with good hatches from we bought.


The big thing with shipping eggs is shipping takes a toll on hatchability. On shipped eggs 50% hatch is about average. You don't want to buy and ship eggs in the heat of the summer or the dead of winter. Check out your seller. ask questions, anybody on the up and up has no problems answering questions.

How do you pack your eggs
How old are the birds laying the eggs
How long have they been laying

Careful packing is very critical in getting them to you
eggs from younger birds tend to ship better than from older birds
The longer a hen lays the fertility tends to drop over time

Steve in NC

 

[onthespot]

If it wasn't for ebay, eggbid and BYC I wouldn't have any cool chickens (and turkeys, sorry steve)! I always say don't spend more than you can afford to light on fire and drop in the toilet, but if you see something you like and can afford it, just check their feedback, and check the breed standards on the birds you are trying to buy the eggs from and see if their photos show birds that look as close as possible to the standard. "Breeding up" from poor stock is just about impossible. Also you can ask about the health of their birds, age of the hens and what other breeds they have, in case you get a cross bred or wrong breed chick hatch out of one of your eggs. I have heard of that happening a lot last year to BYC'ers.
I had many shipments of eggs hatch out zero. Repeat shippings, zero. If you get a zero hatch, I would only try for one replacement shipment, at your own expense, not the breeder's.

 

[starforever61]

mypetchicken.com is the best way to go!

 

[Katy]

Quote:
They're ok if you only want a very few chicks, but they charge a lot for chicks they get from hatcheries that you could order from yourself.