eBay eggs First time experience

[mkgmfellers]

So a few weeks ago I finally decided to order some eggs from eBay. They were 15 Mille Fleur duccels. I candled them a couple of nights ago and 9 of them were not even fertile. I know not every egg can always be fertile but that really made me upset that's more than half.
Around the same time I ordered some eggs from another seller. She gave me the tracking number which I kept checking, but it only showed the shipping label was created but never actually mailed. So after a week I finally contacted her. She told me they must have gotten lost in the mail and she would send me replacements. I kept sending several emails asking for updates with no response. I finally filed a dispute through eBay and was given my money back. I'm sure it was just bad luck but I think I'm done ordering eggs from eBay.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Ive had better hatch rates off hatchery eggs then ebay. I swear most are not even fertile but rip off people selling them anyways. Most on ebay sell show quality which to me are just inbred birds that cant breed

 

[donrae]

We have great folks selling eggs right here on BYC

 

[CaseyV]

We have great folks selling eggs right here on BYC 

Agreed

I have done pretty good on eBay eggs.

I bought a dozen of jubilee Orpington and those didn't do so good but I did end up with a beautiful roo out of those.

The second set Of jubilees, I hatched 7/14, not too bad.

I ordered a set of lemon cuckoos and got 6/12 of those. 5 hens, 1 roo. The iPad app won't let me upload the picture of big boy though.

 

[Blooie]

So a few weeks ago I finally decided to order some eggs from eBay. They were 15 Mille Fleur duccels. I candled them a couple of nights ago and 9 of them were not even fertile. I know not every egg can always be fertile but that really made me upset that's more than half.
Around the same time I ordered some eggs from another seller. She gave me the tracking number which I kept checking, but it only showed the shipping label was created but never actually mailed. So after a week I finally contacted her. She told me they must have gotten lost in the mail and she would send me replacements. I kept sending several emails asking for updates with no response. I finally filed a dispute through eBay and was given my money back. I'm sure it was just bad luck but I think I'm done ordering eggs from eBay.

Okay, I'm new to this egg hatching stuff, but I just wanted to ask how to check eggs for fertility by candling on day 9? Is it possible they were fertile when they were shipped but the shipping stopped any development? I'm not trying to be a smart alec - I ordered eggs last year and out of 15 one hatched. So I was wondering...

 

[mkgmfellers]

CaseyV.. That is a beautiful rooster. I think for now I will stick with trying to buy eggs local.

 

[CaseyV]

CaseyV.. That is a beautiful rooster. I think for now I will stick with trying to buy eggs local.

Thank you.

 

[dheltzel]

While it is certainly possible that the eggs were never fertile, I think it's more likely they were fertile when shipped, but the bad handling by the PO destroyed most of their ability to hatch. Shipped eggs are a huge gamble, I only do it when I want something that is just not available locally. If I get even 1 pair from a few dozen eggs, I consider it a success because that was all I was really expecting.

Buy local if at all possible and hand carry the eggs with care. I've been in the back of a postal facility to pick up chicks and watched the way they toss around packages, it's really a miracle that any eggs hatch after that treatment. Boxes of chicks are handled with a lot more care, but of course there are still lots of horror stories about that.