Buying ebay eggs

[janiedoe]

My last shipped eggs, I have had a 71% hatch rate. My local eggs, (Not mine) were 94%, I also hear that bigger eggs don't ship as well.

I've heard the same about bantam eggs. Have you had good luck with them?

 

[sdm111]

I've sold several and a bit of advice if you want to take it. I've shipped to Hawaii and Alaska. The Alaska was 18 out of 24 hatch or something like that and as long a the buyer did thier part they're pretty much all went well.
No.1 have the seller write nothing on the box. I've done experiments with the usual fragile hatching eggs whatever and with nothing written on the box. Guess what the one with writing was scrambled. People are mean they don't care about you and will destroy things.
No.2 don't let them sit to rest for 24hrs or whatever after you get them. Straight to your method of hatching, preferably a broody hen. Why? In the early spring it's not so much a problem but in summer I believe in route on a plane or truck or whatever it will be warm to hot. Enough for the embryo to start developing then you sit them on your counter in air conditioning at let's say 70 degrees. I believe any development will be killed. Brings me to the next
No.3 use a broody hen if at all possible. Electricity just can't replicate mother nature no matter for much you spent on an incubator.
No.4 bring me back to no.1 I personally witnessed what happens in a usps mail hub. They have carts lined with burlap type material guess how your box gets from the conveyors to the cart? By people throwing them. And from the looks they have alot of practice they make shots like NBA players 5,10, 30 feet away. Yep they don't care.
Wrapping in foil cause of x ray? Yeah ok whatever.
Anyway take it or leave it your choice but I tidbit of advice

How I ship.
In new urinalysis cups with foam on bottom, wrapped in foam and foam in top in a paper padded box no writing and folks have had way better than average hatch rates

 

[janiedoe]

I've sold several and a bit of advice if you want to take it. I've shipped to Hawaii and Alaska. The Alaska was 18 out of 24 hatch or something like that and as long a the buyer did thier part they're pretty much all went well.
No.1 have the seller write nothing on the box. I've done experiments with the usual fragile hatching eggs whatever and with nothing written on the box. Guess what the one with writing was scrambled. People are mean they don't care about you and will destroy things.
No.2 don't let them sit to rest for 24hrs or whatever after you get them. Straight to your method of hatching, preferably a broody hen. Why? In the early spring it's not so much a problem but in summer I believe in route on a plane or truck or whatever it will be warm to hot. Enough for the embryo to start developing then you sit them on your counter in air conditioning at let's say 70 degrees. I believe any development will be killed. Brings me to the next
No.3 use a broody hen if at all possible. Electricity just can't replicate mother nature no matter for much you spent on an incubator.
No.4 bring me back to no.1 I personally witnessed what happens in a usps mail hub. They have carts lined with burlap type material guess how your box gets from the conveyors to the cart? By people throwing them. And from the looks they have alot of practice they make shots like NBA players 5,10, 30 feet away. Yep they don't care.
Wrapping in foil cause of x ray? Yeah ok whatever.
Anyway take it or leave it your choice but I tidbit of advice

How I ship.
In new urinalysis cups with foam on bottom, wrapped in foam and foam in top in a paper padded box no writing and folks have had way better than average hatch rates

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Cool shipping method! I certainly agree with the broody hen being the preferred method of hatching.

 

[janiedoe]

This is way off topic, as these chicks are from my backyard eggs. But it is very interesting. This is a strange little family.
Lucy has 3 chicks now.
The first hatched October 10th. Once Lucy got off the nest, I noticed an unmarked egg. I candles it and it was alive. I hatched it in the incubator on October 17th. Lucy took the baby.
A few days ago another hen left her nest for two days. She only had one egg developing. I put it in the incubator and it hatched yesterday, November 20th
I gave Lucy the chick early this morning and she actually took it! She is talking to it. Calling it to food and water. The older two chicks are being very good with it, too. They will be confined to the big brooder for today and tomorrow , while the little one gets used to moving around.
I won't know for sure how things will go until tonight. Her oldest two have been roosting for two weeks now. We shall see... wish us luck!
Not a great picture, but you can see the difference in the chicks' sizes here. This is from this morning when I put it in with the family. The little one is in the right front corner. Mom is clucking to it. It went right to her.

The little one is under mom in this picture.
(The hen in the background is a bantam that's molting. She has a dust bath in the box )