I would like to say something to everyone.

[Mrs MIA]

My first year I couldn't find the breeds I wanted up here. I ordered chicks, but you know how hatchery stock is. I've been extremely blessed by my friends on BYC for helping me get some beautiful breeds up here.

But I couldn't have done it without shipping eggs. So it's a catch 22. NOW I hatch my own eggs, but every now and again I still have to bring in new blood, so I'll have to go through it again.

 

[Rozzie]

Exactly! I have shipped eggs in the 'bator right now, along with a few of mine. I think mine are actually not developing -- Mr. Roo was taking a break from his duties, I believe. They started a moult soon after, so this makes sense. The shipped eggs, though? If they don't develop, I won't blame the shipper. The eggs were packaged very well & I've seen "lots" of pics on the boards of babies hatched from her eggs, SO, I'll assume they got shook around if they don't do anything...and, will then place another order when time allows! (Depending on how many / if any hatch.)

 

[BooBear]

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.

Can I have some of your eggs that produce those fertil checks?

 

[Rainwolf]

Just want to say a couple things....
Those of us who have been around know a few rules about selling/shipping eggs. This is just a cover all so new sellers might pickup something they might have missed.

selling and packing:
1) Please please do not wash the eggs you sell... this invites all sorts of problems for hatching them.
2) When packing make sure they can not bump each other. packing in the carton is fine but put some packing inside the carton to prevent them smashing against each other.
3) pack the eggs in the middle of the box with good solid packing materials all around the eggs. if you pack the bottom and sides but not the top the PO will undoubtedly smash in the top....
4) always test your eggs by incubating your own eggs and understand that in the winter your rooster can go sterile by being to cold or etc. (btw you don't have to hatch chicks just incubate them until you see growth though I hatch them and sell the chicks locally)
5) listen to your customers as sometimes they really do get all infertile eggs. It happens even to the best of us.

Include a instruction sheet that says what temp/humidity etc for hatching. most of us know whats what but the new hatchers are the ones who have the most problems and have the most need for clear concise instructions.

buyers:
1) Understand shipped eggs are always going to have issues due to the PO handling and etc.
2) Sellers can not say if the egg is fertile or not. They can test and have a good idea of fertility rates but there is no magic sign that says this egg is fertile and this egg is not. least not without destroying the eggs

3) Contact the seller if there is any problems most will work with you and help answer any questions you may have as sellers want you to have a successful hatch.
4) Always test your incubator for a few days, move the thermometer around as you might have a hot/cold spots or the area in the home might flux to much to maintain a good solid temp for hatching. use at least 2 different thermometers.
5) Always do a "eggtopsy" if you find that a lot have developed but died in egg then you need to check your incubator/thermometers, if they have a "scrambled" yoke that is due to rough shipping. (When I hatch I always keep a record of # or clears # scrambled # developed but died etc... this helps me figure out what the problems were)
6) Winter hatches are lower on fertility then summer hatches so for first time hatchings try a spring summer batch to learn the ways.


Ok thats off my box..
Just so you know I buy and sell eggs, I have had all the packing errors i listed above with eggs shipped to me. And I have had my own batches which I test in my incubator (I have it running almost all the time) suddenly go with no fertility. I sometimes wonder if the rooster suddenly goes sterile for some reason or another... will have to research that.

last hatch from bought eggs. 17 total eggs, 2 stopped development in egg, 2 hatched, rest were either scrambled or clear infertile.

Oh and the broken air pocket eggs sometime DO hatch so don't give up on them until after week 2. They tend to be slow developers.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Quote:
When I was seeing every single one of my eggs come out with the bullseye I tried to hatch my own and still only got 1 t hatch and only 6 developed. I was pretty dang sure my eggs were fertile. 10 roos and 11 hens kinda ensured that one but it still came down to user error. Somewhere I messed up or just nature had its own way. So a quarter of them had some kind of development. I cracked open the others. There was nada. You could still see the bullseye even but just nothing ever happened. I have no idea why but thats life. I think we have to assume the same thing could happen when we buy others eggs.

 

[mandelyn]

As a buyer... I always leave my feedback when the eggs arrive. After that, it's in my hands! The sellers job is to put a couple of good roosters with the girls, randomly test fertility, package them well, and get them to me. After that... not their fault.

If I ever sell eggs... not even going to bother with egg cartons. I've received enough eggs now that I don't care for that method. And I sort of feel sorry for the seller that sent me 75 individually wrapped quail eggs. But it was a great hatch rate! I gave an A++++++++ for shipping!

 

[8ROYALS]

This was my first year incubating eggs. I ordered eggs twice. The first batch I hatched 8 out of 14. The second batch I hatched 6 out of 18. I was very happy with this rate on shipped eggs. The first was olive-eggers and the second was BLRW. I think I was lucky...but I hope not as I plan to try to get more next spring.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I always offer FREE replacement eggs (for the cost of shipping) if there are busted air sacs or clear eggs...

My biggest gripe is when I am lied to, though!

Here is what happened....

Earlier this year, I had someone buy eggs from me and e-mail me that they were received in good condition. About a week later, I got an e-mail from this person that the eggs were all clear at the first candling.

I found this odd, considering everyone else was reporting 75% and up fertility and here at home it was close to 90% and my own incubator had this breed in it (third hatch of the season), which I'd recently candled and only had one that was not developing (first year birds).

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and shipped more eggs (the buyer paid for shipping).

These were not common eggs...(hence, the name of my operation, Rare Feathers Farm).

Anyway, I shipped out the second batch and I was told they were received in good condition.

Not more than a week later, I see this person on BYC (using the same handle as their eBay ID) showing candling photos of MY eggs. Marked the way I'd marked them before they went out, bragging about being excited about this new breed (which I sold them) and not only that, they were asking questions about staggered hatches with this breed!

I made some comments on their post and I've not seen them back...but it really chaps my hide...it's people like that who make the rest of us honest people suffer.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Soooo what are these rare breeds you have??

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Soooo what are these rare breeds you have??

I am not going to say....but it was very frustrating...