I feel your pain!!... Have been trying to find good quality breeder stock of heritage white Cornish without luck. One 'breeder' said 'no real breeder he knows would sell hatching eggs' he only sells adult trios and he wants $300 per trio... I want hardy, sturdy and healthy birds to add into my backyard flock, not worried about showing and sure not going to pay $300 for birds I don't plan to show and whose personality I can't control... with a dozen hatching eggs I can raise the chicks and decide which have the personality we want and butcher the others.
That's what the sellers of $300 trios want you to believe. If they actually sell any for that price, the buyer may be looking to recoup some of that by selling cheaper. Just like what happens to GF farms stock, they sell the first ones for $5000 a pair, knowing full well they are setting up their competition and the next year the price will be $500 a pair, and so on. It will take time and effort, but certainly someone is selling that line of Cornish for a lot less, or they will be soon. If not, you could be that person. Buy a trio for $300 and sell eggs for $50 a dozen to make back your money fast. You may not have that much to burn on just 3 birds, but I assure you there are people who do. As long as the breeders can keep the appearance of scarcity, they can keep selling for that, but as soon as someone breaks ranks and sells cheaper, the gigs up for everyone, as long as the word gets out (and we know the internet is great for that).