Question for sellers-do you replace eggs for bad hatches-when and why?

[Hens_And_Chicks]

Quote:
This.

As a new person, I think I had (unknown/unreasonable) expectations based on what I thought I was getting and not understanding all the variables that affect eggs from shipper to buyer to hatch.

This approach/attitude makes me want to be involved and stay involved. I did not know that 5 live chicks out of 15 eggs is considered good/successful.

Sometimes understanding, caring, sensitivity and teaching goes a whole lot further in the long run than making a buck or enforcing a policy.

Just something for some of you to consider

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

deleted double post

 

[geareduplyn]

I will weigh again here. Some shippers do not put hatching egg labels on their boxes, because they feel the PO employees will deliberately mishandle the box. In my case I use 5 Hatching Egg Fragile labels on each box. 1 on each side and 1 on the top. I really don't think with the volume of mail the USPS handles that many employees have the time to be malicious, and perhaps in some cases the boxes might be handled more carefully. I also get Delivery Conformation for each shipment. You can't really track the eggs but you will know when they were delivered. I've had the "I never recieved the eggs" tried on me a couple of times. With the delivery conformation there is no question when they were delivered. Rather than having complaints about only 4 or 5 eggs from a dozen hatching when I sell a dozen eggs I always include enough extras that there is good chance that you will have a dozen eggs hatch. Anyone who has bought eggs from me knows about my "Gary Dozen". I won't go into packing, because everyone has a different method. I think though that my metod is one of the best. It allows for no motion of the eggs at all. Air cells survive better and unless the box is crushed there will be no broken eggs.This is primarily why I only replace for eggs that are sometimes lost in the system(which is not often) and become too old for a good hatch rate.

 

[klf73]

I hope to get 30% with my shipped eggs but do not expect it, anything extra is bonus

hens and chicks- the real bummer is when you put out lots of $$ and get nothing , not even communication from the seller...
I always tell the seller how shipping, incubating, hatch, etc was because I hope someone would do the same for me...
I always try to get my eggs from BYC.....

 

[MissPrissy]

I have a hatch at your own risk policy. I have hatched hundreds upon hundreds of eggs. I have also had more than I care to admit not even begin to develop. It is not the seller's fault. The seller's obligation was met when the box arrive to my door intact.

Shipped eggs are a risk everyone should know that. Some breeds are more risky that others. I don't know why but the BBS orps seem to be fragile and moreso when shipped.

I periodically hatch to keep an eye on my fertility. My rooster's are fertilizing the hen's eggs and those eggs are hatching at 100% in my incubators. I have had 83 chicks in my brooders in the last 4 weeks to prove it.

If a buyer is not willing to risk $30 to have far better than hatchery quailty chickens and chickens that one can't even begin to buy from a hatchery then they should save their money and don't buy the eggs that have to be shipped.

 

[Lucky Ducky]

Last summer after careful deliberation, I bid on and won 2 sets of call duck eggs from 2 different sellers on ebay. I went into it with my eyes wide open and with the knowledge that anything could happen. My first set came and they were perfectly packaged. The second set was horribly packaged, most of these eggs got scrambled. I went ahead and set both sets in the incubator, the scrambled air cell ones I put into an egg carton based on someone here who had done the same thing. Out of 16 eggs, none hatched. Oh well! I knew that could happen. I would have never dreamed of asking for replacements. However, I did let both sellers know how they had arrived. Buyers should always be aware of the risks and make their decisions with eyes wide open.

 

[pasofinofarm]

I think it perfectly acceptable to give feedback on packaging. I once recieved eggs from someone here that she had wraped in bubble wrap bags. They were not even taped closed well and the packing was a few loose peanuts. Some of the eggs had come out of the bags and were broken.

Not only that but we had done a swap and while I sent her 14 BW Ameraucana eggs and 12 hatched the Blue Copper Marans I was supposed to get in exchange never materialized but became 8 eggs from a 'mixed' Marans pen. I was disappointed and upset but what to do or say?? I did mention that only 5 made it to incubation and that the aircells were blown. 1 hatched and I gave it away when it was obviously not a Blue Copper. I am afraid one day I will see her selling Blue Wheaten Ams here and blow a gasket

I hope not!

That is really I think I am concerned about is that somehow I will get lumped into a pile with con artists like that... so I try extra hard... maybe too hard.

I have had several people PM to ask if they were the reason for this thread... Too funny... none of the ones who are have enough of a concience to ask... only the nice ones!

Melissa

 

[mothergoose]

Melissa,
I think it is important to vent too! I also think it is best to do what works the best for you.
How I operate works best for me, but mainly due to the growth of byc and word of mouth, the majority of my customers are from byc or referred by a byc'er. And because of the waiting lists we have, the ones that like to comunicate stick it out and the ones that don't tend to look elseware for eggs. In the first years of shipping eggs when there was just the old byc (very small compared to now), I did more selling on eggbid and ebay. I don't post auctions hardly ever anymore and I don't have many problems either. I try to give people the benifite of the dought, but there are times when one might just be more testing than others.

Last spring I had a gentleman order a dozen royal palm eggs from me. He told me he had never had good experience buying turkey eggs but was gonna give it one more try. I had that feeling, that I might not be able to please him, but was gonna do my best. I shipped him 15 RP eggs, he emailed me when he got them and told me I packed them all wrong. That they had to be packed all standing Fat end up in the box. I had them all packed laying on thier sides. There was no way they would be any good. I told him to keep me posted on his hatch and if he had a poor hatch I would be happy to send another batch for the cost of shipping. He did email me back after they hatched, I was reluctant to open the email, but I did and he said "Well, I was sure wrong about that. 13 out of 15 hatched and the other 2 had started to develop. It was his best hatch ever. He was very pleased and so was I. Though they don't all work out that well, it sure is nice when it does.
The nice thing about byc is you can kinda feel out alot of the people you sell to on here by their posts. The things people will put out there for the world to see, tell alot about a persons character.
Christie

Hens & Chicks,
Shipped eggs is just a fantastic concept. I still after all these years am still amazed that an egg can travel clear accross the country and still have the possibility of hatching. The oppurtunity to hatch eggs from breeders that live all over the country and have quality birds that far surpass hatchery stock is truley wonderful. This is as close to gambling as I will ever get and it is worth every penny to me. Just like all the others you will talk to. I have great hatches on shipped eggs and I have total busts too! In fact I just had a real bummer of a hatch. I bought 2 dz. that I was really looking forward too and I have 4 chicks that hatched...bummed a little but sure glad I got 4 and hope they are just super! And still gonna buy more...I am a hatchaholic though too! There are lots and lots of great people to buy from and byc is a great place to start.
Have fun,
Christie

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

only on very rare, and I mean I just have to like you exception will I eren replace shipped eggs.
It is the buyer's responsiblity to know the risk, Yours to be sure they are told, in your listing and all. But some folks will continue to harrase you over it, If you get a couple from a hatch you need to understand that you did good. When purchaseing a dozen, that dont mean in 21 days you are going to have 12 biddies. I literally toss hundreds of shipped in eggs every year and just get a few dozen good birds usually. But I have NEVER asked for a refund or reship.
And as for reshipping, they are just going to go threw the same route, same people, same machinery, and end up with the same results, damaged eggs, so what has been acomplished?
If I order from you, and they dont make it, and you packed good, I still never reorder, do to this. It took several years of trial and error to learn this fact, but it's true, some postal lines are just ruff on our eggs, so there's no sense in doing it again.
Hope this helped,
Aubrey

 

[Katy]

Quote:
The first time I got hatching eggs in the mail the people at our small town post office could not believe that you could mail eggs. I think they still get a kick out of it whenever I get a box of eggs in the mail. It is pretty amazing when you think about it.