I would like to say something to everyone.

[nivtup]

When selling we nearly alway take a couple few eggs at random and set them here.

There has been more than one time that my entire selection of 2 or 3 hatched, and none of the eggs that shipped were fertile. The odds are nearly impossible.

We package so the eggs are very snug in shipping, and have had great results nearly everywhere we ship to.

There seems to be one area of the country that we cannot get a fertile egg to. Possibly a PO Xray issue? Extreme handling at one of the change over destinations? Low pressure flight?

Heck who knows.

We have replaced quite a few orders for shipping and packaging costs. Sometimes the second set hatches, sometimes it does not.

It is just a giant gamble.

Duck eggs, good gamble.

Araucana eggs, not a good gamble.


Your results may very.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I would also like to add that if the eggs do not develop at all, not even a blood ring, it does NOT mean that they were not fertile when they left the farm. I hatch on a weekly basis, and can look back and compare their hatch rate with mine. It's a sad truth, but shipping IS a crap shoot. Yes, there are some people that will swindle and sell eggs that they know are not fertile. The majority of the sellers know that their eggs are fertile, especially in the Spring. But I had a self-proclaimed experienced breeder tell me that my eggs, because they did not develop even a bloodring after being shipped from AK to PA, were infertile. After looking back on my records, the eggs I set from that same time period from that pen had an 80-90% hatch-rate. Shipping is HARD ON EGGS. PERIOD.

Thank you for letting me borrow your soapbox, Debi.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Quote:
You know what? I thought so too! Until I had a problem with my Black Mottled D'uccle rooster who all the sudden stopped producing. I had tons of fertility checks by cracking eggs AND throwing eggs into my incubator. Then I sold 2 dozen eggs and both customers complained that not a darn one was fertile. I threw 4 dozen eggs into the incubator...no fertility. Why all the sudden? I don't know? It happened out of the blue.

 

[wolftracks]

Just wanted to say that I buy shipped eggs all the time.

My worse hatches were right after I lost my parents and my husbnad, but I was one those eggs as a release, so don't know what happened there.

I used to have great hatches, but lately lucky to get 1 or 2. Just got 4 from pips&peeps

Most everyone I have bought from except one, has packaged with care and once I start shipping eggs (when the freeloaders start layong again), there are some people I want to copy.

That being said I have gotten boxes that I'm sure were used for soccer, basketball and most recently one looked like a bat had been taken to it.

In no way do I blame a seller for what the PO does. If the packaging is awful OK, but that's not been the case.

I've also bought from some wonderful sellers. I've had no hatches and they will offer to send more.

My feedback goes out when I get my eggs and unwrap them.

Great packing, good to work with, whatever, but I do go back to the ones who were most helpful. Heck i go back to who ever has what I need. LOL

Since it's a little hard to check for fertility before hand, but you're hatching them out, I figure I have a shot.

Shipped eggs are so iffy! I'm amazed at how some people get so many to hatch, but when I have to check a feeder and water even for one chick I figure I've done good.

I think too many people are to fast to jump all over a seller because they didn't get a hatch. With me it just means I need more eggs. LOL Send them on!

 

[Brindlebtch]

OK, so even if the eggs make it intact, but were packed so they rattled around the box, that would be a problem and the seller didn't do there job.

I hope she reads this.


I would also like to say that I have ordered many eggs, and upon occasion have had poor hatches and in a couple of cases no eggs hatched at all. I didn't have a problem with it because the eggs were packed very well. I have even had eggs smashed where the seller took obvious care to pack the eggs, and it was obviously the PO - no problem. I understand if no eggs hatch because shipping is hard on eggs. I understand that the PO can play havoc with a box - I have reeived several that looked stomped on. What I don't understand is somebody taking your hard earned money and doing a crappy pack job.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Brindle its hard for me to say as It's never happened to me before-If they are intact-no cracks It might be a little questionable but you did have a crummy hatch and for me ( FOR ME ONLY FOLKS) I would probably send a batch half the size out to make up for any loss-I need my good reputation to sell my eggs-now if some grew/veined but failed to hatch not my problem at all and I wouldnt refund or send more eggs-That I could say was some serious rough handling creating issues with them:-(

 

[redhen]

Quote:
IMO.. if the eggs were able to slide around in the box..then they were NOT packed correctly. There needed to be MORE packing material placed inside the box. Just MY opinion though...
But.. i didnt see the box.. so... i cant rightly say how your box was packed or not.

When i send out eggs...(which is hardly ever.. cause i just give the eggs away.. dont sell them.) but anyways,..
what i TRY to do is... i use those round cardboard tube containers that grits or bread crumbs or oatmeal come in...
You know the kind i mean? Their like cardboard tubes...
Well..i bubble wrap my eggs and then place them inside those cardboard tubes..(no eggs have ever gotten broken that way because the cardboard is pretty sturdy..).. then i have more layers of bubble wrap inside the box... then i place the tube of eggs inside the box... and pack crumpled paper and more bubble wrap all around the tube very firmly.. so it doesnt slide around the box...

Eggs can be bubble wrapped all you want... but if they slide all over the inside of the box.. then.. its pointless to even bother using bubble wrap..
Again..just MY opinion.

 

[Judy]

I really feel sorry for people who sell and ship eggs. I can't believe some of the stuff that comes out of people's mouths (like, I know they weren't fertile.) I have enormous respect for those who work with the public and manage to keep it together.

I bought some ONCE, when I couldn't break a broody. Paid for 6 and got 10 or 11. They were packed beautifully. The PO had evidently played soccer with the box. Four hatched, and the runty one died in a day or two. I figured I was very lucky to get more than one chick out of it.

Guess I should have thanked her for sending me female eggs....

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

I've never had much luck with shipped eggs. As a rule, I don't buy them like that any longer. I prefer to just drive an hour or two and find someone rather local that I can control the transport. I just go on e-bay and look for folks local (within 200 miles). You can do this with their advanced search.

When I've done this I've had 80+ hatch rates. I only had one dead beat seller and she was just unscrupulous. She knew she was selling me bogus eggs.

I will likely sell eggs next year and have some ideas about how to do this. I plan to use a foam spray on the outside of an egg carton. I will pack the eggs in bubble wrap then add some foam balls to keep that secure. I think with what folks pay for e-bay eggs and shipping they deserve to at least get the eggs there in one piece.

Of course, one can't know if a rooster stops being fertile but if your eggs are hatching you can feel pretty certain that your auction eggs are fertile. If you find out later they aren't I do believe your customers should get a refund.

As far as accusations people make, I would just slam the buyer back on feedback for being a unrealistic regarding shipped eggs.

Dave

 

[debilorrah]

It was a comment I read earlier that said "Nothing hatched so I know they weren't fertile" that helped build my soapbox. I really want everyone who purchases eggs to know that just because you had a poor hatch rate does NOT make it the sellers problem by default.

Now, it IS the seller's responsibility to pack those purchased well so they do not move around. I purchased some eggs once and they were packed VERY well, but the post office played soccer with the box and all but 2 were broken - a bunch of yolk in it's own little container!

If you want a really, really good hatch rate, hatch your own!