We hatch every Sunday night and Monday around here. We are new to peafowl, but been in the chicken business long enough to discuss hatchability. I had rather pay more for local eggs that I can pick up than I had for shipped eggs. I can and will buy shipped eggs if they are what I want, but there are things to be considered before making that decision. There is no way of knowing how the eggs were handled during the shipping process whether the temperature was extremely cold or hot during the shipping process.
You have to figure in the cost of the eggs, the cost of shipping, and the hatchability when determining the cost. Sometimes eggs are three or four days old before they are shipped. Then they are in shipping for two or three days. After that, you need to let them sit for a day before putting them into you incubator. Add all of that up, and you are almost into eggs that could be considered old. If I can drive and pick up fresh eggs, I had rather pay more for them.
JMO,
Ernie Haire
