Hatching for Others

[she-earl]

I have some questions about hatching eggs for other people. Has anyone ever done it? Do provide the eggs or does the interested party provide the eggs? How do you set a price - so much per egg put in the bator or so much per chick hatched, etc? After they have hatch, do you do the brooding for the person or do they brood their own? I am not planning on doing anything until Spring but am giving some thought to it.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I have done it a couple of times (got some in the bator right now...)

usually they provide the eggs, and I do it for half the hatch or for a certain price per egg - like 50 cents or 75 cents per egg upfront (whether they hatch or not)

The ones in the bator right now are for a friend, so I'm not charging her (and they are guineas... don't want those

)

meri

 

[SilkieTime]

I've had this done for me. First time was frome a BYC member. The one just last mo. was on craigslist. It was 1/4 th of the healthy chicks. I sent the eggs and was to get them back after hatch two or three days. After 18 days in incubator 21 out of 30 were bad. E-mailed her again, she said non hatched. She said she was going to give them 7 more days and still know reply. I think she took my silkie chicks. From this prospective, if you don't hatch any of there eggs show them a picture of the eggs in tack with there mark on it or e-mail them and tell them why you think they didn't hatch. They really want to know what's going on. They might of paid good money for those eggs.
They should get the eggs to you and pick them up or what ever works for you. $1.00 an egg is good or a $1.00 a chick is better. Something in writing is also good. Good luck. This is a good service for someone that has eggs they don't want to mess up or don't have a incubator with eggs of chickens they want real bad.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

good idea on the pics of the bad eggs.

I had one bunch (36 eggs) and only one hatched. The guy who gave me the eggs to hatch was a friend/neighbor, and I offered to let him see the eggs, but he said he trusted me.

if he hadn't have been a good neighbor, he could have gotten sort of ticked at me for the one hatch (which was a rooster, naturally

) and thought that I screwed him over.

What I mean is, a stranger who had me hatch might think I had stolen the chicks or exchanged the eggs. So have them put a mark on each egg themselves, so it isn't your handwriting on it.

meri

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

What if you provided a website with a webcam? Would 1.50 an egg be okay?

 

[speckledhen]

I'm doing it right now. I am just charging them per chick, but they are required to buy all that I hatch for them for a certain price. I've dealt with both these BYCers previously, so I trust them not to change their minds. In fact, the eggs are pipping right now as I type.
These are my own BBS Orps and Delawares from my two breeding flocks, so I provided the eggs. Havent incubated eggs provided by someone else, so can't speak to what I'd charge for that.