egg sellers...how often do you check fertility?

[klf73]

Let me just preface this by saying I don't sell eggs. BUT, dh and I were talking about ensuring fertility was up to par if I ever did decide to sell. The topic has come up with him because I have received eggs that seem infertile and he is big on reputation. We discussed how we would make sure our eggs were fertile, set a couple from each pen 1x a week, even if you pull them on day 4 after verifying growth. I have received a couple of batches of eggs that the eggs were perfect. Air cell nice and small and intact, not even saddle cell. Then they do nothing

not even a blood ring which sometimes happens when they get too hot during shipping then perish when they cool. I am not one to crack eggs open from the bator but am considering it to see.
so, do you check fertility? if so, how do you do it and how often? thanks

 

[cashdl]

I set eggs every two weeks from the pens I ship eggs out of. I hatch chicks for myself. If I am not getting fertile eggs out of one of the pens, I stop shipping eggs from that pen till I get it resolved. Once I start seeing fertility again, then I can start shipping the eggs from that pen.


Lanae

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

we set them every 7 days here...........I assure you nothing is infertile when it leaves here. There's a million and 1 things that can happen in shipping, so the buyer has to be prepared to except the risk involved anytime they buy eggs that are to be shipping to them.

 

[klf73]

yeah, that's why I hate shipped eggs

I really prefer chicks and most birds I got this year have been chicks. Can't see spending $200 on a dozen eggs when you can have a 0% hatch. I rather spend a little more and get a box of peepers. Of course I had the wind taken from my sails when I opened a box of 12 chicks and 4 were dead. They were in the mail under 24 hours....looked like they were dropped from the "bruising" they had. I think I will have to get some chicks from you this fall or next spring, do you ship ducklings with d'anvers or are they d'anvers too small? my mother LOVES my little dun quail d'anvers hen...but she hates roos (and I tend to hatch a LOT of roos from shipped eggs). Am gonna build her a little coop so she can have a few girls

. I still flip flop selling either eggs or chicks. Dh doesn't want to sell any chicks just because it is such a shame if they don't make it and we feel so bad

but then I would feel bad if someone had a 0% hatch(but at least they aren't "live" like chicks). Guess that is why I have avoided it all this time....
thanks for the input....
yes, we all know(or should know) shipped eggs is a crap shoot

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yes the ducks we had and the bantams have to go in different boxes due to the massive size difference, they'd squish the little d'anvers.
On chicks, I may loose 1-2 a year. We do it all express though.
Did have one BYC er up your way this year get a box that the nut jobs at the PO flipped over. On arrival all but 3-4 of the chicks were buried under the straw liner in the bottom of the box. They all made it though. Amazing the heavy pad under there didnt smash them to bits.

It surprises me how they find ways to mess up shipped poultry of any kind.

a bunch of us seller have a thread going in the breeders/hatcheries section

think it's titled
"breeders, why are you stopping selling" or something like that.

I'd advise anyone considering getting into the hobby with selling anything in mind to take a look at what you are really getting into.
It's not a walk in the park for sure, and you'd be amazed at what folks say to you.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Quote:
Hi! I check fertility by setting eggs here every week or 10 days.
I don't think I could bear to pull eggs on Day 4 after verifying growth. Instead of that, I'd just crack fresh eggs and check for bulls-eyes.
I think cracking out 'clear' eggs on Day 6 or 7 of incubation is a good idea. I can see whether or not an egg was fertile if I open them carefully. One of my local chicken-pals brought me eggs to incubate for him last month. Out of 12, only 2 were developing on Day 6. I cracked out the other 10 and none showed bulls-eyes. He didn't tell me the eggs were from a pen of young birds that have just started laying and the rooster hasn't figured things out.
Good luck!

Lisa

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I set eggs about every 5-7 days from around January (provided they are laying) to around September. After that i'll crack eggs open. No fertility problems here.

 

[onthespot]

I set every week, something from every pen. If fertility is around 75%, I disclose that to the buyer, or even in the auction, and will send extras, say, if fertility is 75%. and they buy a half dozen eggs, I will send a full dozen.