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You know, that is so true about shipping, it's a toss up sometimes, sometimes the eggs are scrambled, sometimes over easy....
I had two sets of eggs from the same state one year shipped on the same week, and one had all scrambled air cells and zero hatch (all quit by day 7) and the other gave me a 45% hatch rate.
So strange!
I've been really trying to share these cuties with everyone I can! My husband thankfully still tolerates it, but right now, with the 3 separate breeding pens I have now, he's getting a bit miffed. Plus I have some speckled sussex that are growing up, and 4 standard pullets growing up it's getting a bit crowded in my yard. In another two weeks, I'll be able to tell for sure of my older hatches who's boy and who's girl, and sell off the ones who don't make the cut. With my milles I'm really selecting hard for personality. I'm not even focusing on the comb trait right now. I have one winning cockerel right now who is as sweet as pie and even seeks my attention, so he is definitely staying- even with a comb that's not so perfect- I want his sweet nature in my flock's progeny! But with my older mille chicks, I have 5 boys and only 2 girls, only one of which I'd keep for breeding. I did have some resolve this weekend and sold a trio of hatchery stock I'd bought to make brooder space and have feed money. I kept the two (Male/female) porcelain and Mille who had the best personalities and beards and properly feathered feet. The boy's porcelain color is still coming in, so we'll see if I breed him down the road or not. But with as many males as I have, I'll have to probably take a trip to our local auction where I know I can get a decent price for them.
BTW Kristin, thanks for the compliments on my birds! I knew your lavendar hen was smokin' and I still can't believe she came from my eggs...... now I have to figure out who's throwing the lavender.....
I have a broody hen sitting on 5 eggs hatching tonight, I heard peeping in one of them when she took her morning break. These 5 will be from my 'porcelain only' pen. I did finally group all my adult mille fleur colored hens in with my porcelain cockerel, and am hoping to hatch out their eggs later this year. I'd promised my hubby no more incubator hatching until our garage is empty of the current batches of chicks. (Broody hens don't count) But it doesn't bother me, I'm having a hard time keeping up with my chicken chores working 40+ hrs per week, plus the 45 minute commute each way to work, plus time for family first.
And people wonder why I have to do my chicken chores at night with a flashlight?
thanks! 
