Buying ebay eggs

[Kiki]

I've only seen two that I might be interested in so far. I'll post the link. They are within driving distance of me.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2950729640...i-4g5_cTcq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2752381514...i-4g5_cTcq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The grands would love some frufru chickens.

I will PM you a link on the first one now.

 

[janiedoe]

Yes I bought off eBay and of the nine eggs one hatched. It was the most beautiful chick I've ever owned.
I probably won't do it again, trying to hatch shipped eggs is a little too heartbreaking. But check back with me next spring. I always fall stupid in love when I start seeing those Southern chicks hatching out .

Pictures of the beautiful chick, please!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I'd love to order some of these. I don't know if they are worth that price. And. They would be shipped a good ways.
Do y'all know of anyone who has ordered these?
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...nd-Funky-aka-chickens-of-Instagram-p1817.aspx

Isn't that policy just for buying current items? How would eBay police enforce future transactions? Most sellers include a note with their farm information. to reach out directly if you have any issues. If I want more eggs I just send them a text or email. Completely outside of eBay and, I thought, on the level.

 

[janiedoe]

Isn't that policy just for buying current items? How would eBay police enforce future transactions? Most sellers include a note with their farm information. to reach out directly if you have any issues. If I want more eggs I just send them a text or email. Completely outside of eBay and, I thought, on the level.

I don't honestly know. I was just kidding. I'm sure ebay would prefer to monitor all future sales.

 

[Egg Blues]

I’ve bought a LOT of eBay eggs. Something about the lure of late night online egg shopping gets me everytime.

I’ve had good hatches and terrible hatches. My best advice is keep it within 500 miles of your location. For me, in the West, that’s about 1 state away. That’s made the biggest difference in hatch rates. All the cool stuff always seems to be on the opposite end of the country but I’ve wasted enough money on eBay eggs to have some mild restraint.

Ask the seller as many questions as you need to: additional pictures, shipping procedures, guarantees, NPIP.

I consider it a gamble. Just like any shipped eggs. Which is some of the fun for me. It’s also given me some decent contacts. If I want eggs from them again I reach out directly to the breeders (bypass eBay).

Yes I bought off eBay and of the nine eggs one hatched. It was the most beautiful chick I've ever owned.
I probably won't do it again, trying to hatch shipped eggs is a little too heartbreaking. But check back with me next spring. I always fall stupid in love when I start seeing those Southern chicks hatching out .

I've gotten several shipments of fertile eggs and incubated them now (sorry, none from eBay)--so far the best hatch rate I've had was to get three out of about 12 that hatched. The average has been under 10% hatch rate, for example, one egg out of two dozen hatched in one batch...frustrating. It has clearly been shipment related, since some shipments seem better than others. It has a lot to do with the handling the package received during shipping.

My theory (untested, but want to test this) is that the best way to improve the odds would be to have the seller ship the carefully wrapped eggs in a a larger box, one that accommodates the original box intended to ship them plus a heavy sandbag underneath of it. The "ballast" would accomplish two or three things:

1) Make the box heavy enough that it cannot lightly be tossed around;
2) Weight the box at its bottom so that it would be unlikely to be turned upside down (air cells should stay upright); and
3) Potentially provide a thermal mass that would resist rapid temperature change, such as if the package were placed next to a sunny window during part of its journey, or perhaps while it was at 37,000 feet altitude in the cargo hold of the airplane for five hours.

I don't know of anyone shipping sandbags with their fertile eggs. It shouldn't be much added expense for the potential gains--I'm guessing it could improve hatch rates markedly.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I have had really poor hatch rates, but what I do get seem to be great quality.

 

[BlueBaby]

The Bielefelder's that I have came from off of Ebay. I ordered them from 3 different states, and I think that the one's that shipped from Illinois were the best hatch. Shipping egg's can be tricky. Many thing's are to be considered such as how they are packed or even handled during the shipping before they get to you. Another thing depends on the fertility rate of the rooster that's involved, or the time of the year. When I looked for mine there, I looked for the breeders that had several of the Bielefelder's in the pen's, and no other breed in there with them. I didn't want any crosses that claimed to be pure.

 

[janiedoe]

I've gotten several shipments of fertile eggs and incubated them now (sorry, none from eBay)--so far the best hatch rate I've had was to get three out of about 12 that hatched. The average has been under 10% hatch rate, for example, one egg out of two dozen hatched in one batch...frustrating. It has clearly been shipment related, since some shipments seem better than others. It has a lot to do with the handling the package received during shipping.

My theory (untested, but want to test this) is that the best way to improve the odds would be to have the seller ship the carefully wrapped eggs in a a larger box, one that accommodates the original box intended to ship them plus a heavy sandbag underneath of it. The "ballast" would accomplish two or three things:

1) Make the box heavy enough that it cannot lightly be tossed around;
2) Weight the box at its bottom so that it would be unlikely to be turned upside down (air cells should stay upright); and
3) Potentially provide a thermal mass that would resist rapid temperature change, such as if the package were placed next to a sunny window during part of its journey, or perhaps while it was at 37,000 feet altitude in the cargo hold of the airplane for five hours.

I don't know of anyone shipping sandbags with their fertile eggs. It shouldn't be much added expense for the potential gains--I'm guessing it could improve hatch rates markedly.

You've put a lot of thought into this. 10% is even lower than i would have expected.
Have you bought fertile eggs from any of the hatcheries?

I have had really poor hatch rates, but what I do get seem to be great quality.

What kind of average have you had?

The Bielefelder's that I have came from off of Ebay. I ordered them from 3 different states, and I think that the one's that shipped from Illinois were the best hatch. Shipping egg's can be tricky. Many thing's are to be considered such as how they are packed or even handled during the shipping before they get to you. Another thing depends on the fertility rate of the rooster that's involved, or the time of the year. When I looked for mine there, I looked for the breeders that had several of the Bielefelder's in the pen's, and no other breed in there with them. I didn't want any crosses that claimed to be pure.

Same question, average?
I know our usps has been pretty messed up lately. Our packages seem to be "delayed" pretty often.

 

[BlueBaby]

Same question, average?
I know our usps has been pretty messed up lately. Our packages seem to be "delayed" pretty often.

Out of my first batch that shipped from Chicago, I had 6 out of 12 that hatched. There were 5 pullet's and one cockerel, but the cockerel was to weak and didn't make it. I had to order more to get a boy, so I ordered another batch that shipped from Georgia. I had 2 of each sex that hatched out of the 12 from that batch. I kept one of those 2 boy's, and then ordered another dozen of them from Grandville, Tx. I believe it was, and got another boy and 2 girl's.

 

[Egg Blues]

You've put a lot of thought into this. 10% is even lower than i would have expected.
Have you bought fertile eggs from any of the hatcheries?

If you buy shipped eggs, keep your expectations low. I've had at least one shipment (six eggs) that not a single egg hatched. If you happen to have a hatch rate above 40%, I'd say you are fortunate, and above 80% would be a special blessing--outstanding.

I'm in Asia, and got the eggs from private dealers. As far as I know, the breeds I wanted (Cream Legbar, Ameraucana--both are blue eggs) are not available from hatcheries in this country. In fact, I've only heard of one hatchery here--there must be others, but hard to find because of the local culture and advertising system (no such thing here as yellow pages, and most are not so technologically inclined as to have a proper website). There are about four or five dealers that I'm aware of here with these breeds. At least one no longer sells eggs, because of customer complaints on hatch rates--so the only way to purchase from him is to pick up, at his locality, the chicks that he incubated. He lives about five hours' drive away, and I rarely make it there. Just the same, I did the math and calculated that the costs would be virtually equal to spend for the fuel to drive there plus pay to get five chicks as compared to purchasing the fertile eggs and having them shipped, then incubating them myself given the hatch rates.

My main concern at present is potential contamination. I prefer to hatch my own, so that there is no opportunity for contagion.

EDIT: I should add that I have a good incubator, with automatic turner and humidity sensor as well, and that I have carefully regulated the humidity to match my climate (dry incubation for me until lockdown). When I incubated five eggs obtained from a neighbor, four hatched, and the fifth may have had an issue to begin with as these eggs had come out from under a surrogate hen that had taken over after the original hen had been taken by dogs. They had been set on for a few days already, and I, not knowing exactly how long, ended up going into lockdown with them two days prematurely.