Difficult egg purchase/transaction -- need your thoughts!

[ebonys_shadow]

I know what you are going through. I have had a similar problem but in a different position.. I'm the seller... You can read my post here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2675911#p2675911

I know every situation is different but it sounds like she should of communicated with you better... I'd understand if she's not getting enough eggs, but communication is a must... I would ask for a refund & find eggs from someone more reliable... Is it to late to do this?

Also, I ship all over the US. I expect all eggs delivered on the 2nd day. I mail on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays. I haven't had anything delivered later than that yet... Knock on wood...

 

[alpinefarm]

Well, the eggs did come...11 days after I was first promised they would be shipped. I will give my little broody some extra support with them and see if I can keep her from brooding herself to death (is that possible...that they sit themselves right into oblivion? just expire?) I'll also give her a few of my mille fleur eggs to make sure she has babies to raise, no matter what these shipped eggs do.

The bad thing is, I am not as excited about having these eggs anymore...the trouble has kinda sucked all the fun out of the project for me.

For those of you who asked what breed chicken this has been about, it isn't wildly rare or anything, but just an unusual color of bantam cochin that I've looked for for awhile. PM me if you just can't stand not to know! The seller has been in on these posts, so I guess she is on BYC and I truly have no wish to upset anyone.

I'm just trying to learn about what to expect with a shipment, how to make sure the transaction is as successful as possible next time. I know I will ask for both tracking and insurance at the very least! I may ask questions, as well, about the shipper's policy/attitude/beliefs about late, lost, or damaged shipments.

I realize a lot of egg sellers are very uncomfortable making promises about the fragile, perishable commodity they ship. I mean, it isn't like selling pillowcases. There are certainly a lot of variables/pitfalls with eggs...is the flock going to lay on schedule so that I can ship fresh, am I communicating any and all information clearly and kindly, am I packing perfectly, is the weather too hot, too cold, do I pay for tracking and insurance or does the buyer? If something terrible happens to the product in transit or in incubation (both of which I have no control over), do I replace or refund? Or do I wash my hands of it all when I put the eggs in the mail and let the buyer take all the risk financially? What will happen to my relationship with that buyer if the product does not come to fruition as they hoped/paid for? Are they paying for the opportunity to *try* to get chicks from these eggs or are they paying me for my help in achieving their goals and how far will my involvement/responsibility extend?

Some tough stuff, eh? And there really seems to be wide range of practices and attitudes.

When I bred my mare with AI, I was guaranteed a live foal or my money back on the stud fee. Didn't matter whether the PO were to botch up or maybe my vet made mistakes timing my mare or whether my mare even were to do a good job of carrying the foal or I do a good job of caring for her or delivering her baby, etc. Despite all risks and variables out of the "seller's" control, I was guaranteed in writing that I'd get a foal or not have to pay.

To me, that states that the seller was more interested in helping me get what I paid for rather than just getting their money.

I'm not saying that would be the right thing necessarily for egg sales. I'm just throwing out there another animal husbandry example that could be compared. I've only sold a few eggs myself. I'm just trying to learn from those who are doing a good job of this, to know what that entails.

Thanks everybody...

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
I will try to answer from my experience.

Most broody hens if in good condition can handle setting for an extended period. We have broody hens that we have used to hatch some of our Wild Muscovy eggs (35 days) after they had been broody for over a week prior. So the hen was broody for 40 some days.

We ship alot of eggs, our postage for this season is already over $5000. This year we started using Click N Ship for most of our boxes. I don't think insurance pays on eggs.

We ship out of 2 different post offices. Delivery Conformation (DC) is included for free with Click N Ship. On our other boxes we purchase DC. Both of our PO scan them when we drop them off. If the seller does not pay for this service, then as a buyer should request it and pay for it.

We also raise animals like your mare, where we offer breedings- horses, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, etc

Comparing breeding service to selling hatching eggs---- We have guarantees with our breeding services, BUT we can also evaluate the mare/jenny/female and the farm requesting using our studs for breeding. When shipping eggs- we have no idea on the buyers experience with incubation, how shipping will affect the eggs, or fertility.

I wont' even go into some of the questions or problems we have gotten from people!!

 

[farrier!]

Will you be candling them to see if they are developing?

You will feel better when they start to develop...

Sure hope you get some cute colored chicks.

With the shipped eggs I have received if they develop or not seems to have more to do with how well they were packed. It it to the point now whee when I open a box I can tell a potential good from a bad hatch by the packing job. Unluckily the post office is often blamed when it is poor packing.

 

[spectrumranch]

farrier! :

Will you be candling them to see if they are developing?

You will feel better when they start to develop...

Sure hope you get some cute colored chicks.

With the shipped eggs I have received if they develop or not seems to have more to do with how well they were packed. It it to the point now whee when I open a box I can tell a potential good from a bad hatch by the packing job. Unluckily the post office is often blamed when it is poor packing.

I do agree that packing can affect hatch. However- it is not the only factor.

Example: we shipped 240 eggs each week to a customer for several weeks. The eggs were from the same birds each week, from several different pens. The first few weeks they had a good hatch, then one week they had a poor hatch and then back to the normal decent hatches they had previous. The eggs were packed the same every week, mailed the same way, etc.

Our assumption was a shipping problem. If it had been packing, the birds or egg handling (before shipping) then they should have had a bad hatch with each shipment.


Other factors to consider:

1. low fertility
1a. late in the breeding season
1b. some breeds naturally have a lower fertility
1c. breeder birds are moulting
1d. SUMMER- it's hot, birds are not as active

2. Shipping
2a. shipping (even if not rough)
2b. rough shipping
2c. eggs were x-rayed

3. Egg Handling
3a. Eggs got hot before being picked up
3b. Eggs were kept to long before shipping
3c. Eggs were not packed secure

4. Incubation- to many problems can happen to even make a list! We notice that even setting our own eggs that incubation can be good in one batch and then not as good in the next; from the same birds in the same incubator.


Randy www.spectrumranch.net​

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
I appreciate your perspective and experience. The only solution for me from now on, as I see it, is to be very proactive when purchasing hatching eggs. Request detailed information about shipper's practices before the sale, request DC if it isn't provided routinely, double check ship date (ask whether they did get sent on the intended day, if the shipper doesn't report this to me on their own). I just am not going to assume anything anymore, given the wide variety of practices with hatching eggs.

Rosemary