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

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Anybody can put eggs in a box and ship them.
Not everybody can put eggs in a box and have them arrive intact and hatchable. Not even everyone that thinks they have fertile eggs HAS fertile eggs. Now combine that and what are the odds of getting shipped eggs that arrive in hatchable condition.

I always have tried to do anything reasonably possible to get anyone buying eggs satisfied and happy and get chicks hatching at their new home.
I have no problem sending more eggs for s&h --- if the USPS misplaced the box or tried to destroy it, or if there was a power outage, or even if there was an 'incubator malfunction / operator error'.

But the level of entitlement I am hearing from some folks is what is grating on me. In example: yesterday I get an e-mail. "recieved your eggs. the 'grocery bags' which i assume was for cushioning were compressed, the eggs were capable of movement and will not be any good i am sure due to broken air cells'... so I e-mailed back... 'are you saying they HAVE broken air cells or that you think they might have broken air cells?'

Besides the grocery bags for cushioning (I use them to fill out the gaps in a box --- they are handy and good cushioning and it's recycling), how do you pack your eggs for shipping?

And something else: I've run across an 'infertile period' from a pen in the past. I didn't catch it right off, but I sent out eggs that were infertile. It's fairly easy to see at Day 5 / 6 whether an egg is growing or not. A crack-out can tell you whether it was fertile or not.
I refunded or replaced the eggs at no charge as soon as available.
I would expect any other seller to do the same.
I agree:
]

I will be totally honest (hopefully it does'nt come back to haunt me!)
...
I have found that most of the time, people like knowing that you are genuinly interested in their hatch and want them to do well. I truley believe most people have been honest with me.

I sent eggs to someone recently that said "Eggs arrived in perfect condition. I just hope these marks on the eggs aren't from Permanent Markers, because my buddy that hatches eggs for a living says Permanent Markers will kill the eggs."
I said back "Yes, Sharpie Permanent Markers. Let me know how they look when you candle and if they aren't growing --- I will replace the eggs at no charge with 'unmarked eggs'".
That was last month and I haven't heard anything back.
I hope they hatched well, but I didn't hear back.

I thought you were asking in case of 'what if', I didn't catch it was a situation already.Good luck!

Lisa​

 

[pasofinofarm]

Our logo says ' Hatching eggs... one of life's little miracles' and I still believe it to this day. Our 80 something Post Office Lady had never seen an egg shipped and when we told her the eggs were BLUE she was amazed... I had to take her a dozen blue eggs to show all her friends and family before she ate them... I still take her eggs sometimes when I mail at our little country PO and she is still thrilled every time.

The story of the lady in the PO wharehouse that pets the little chicks through the box still makes me giggle when ever I think about it!

I think this has helped me. I have had a rough week. I attended a friends cows C-section Friday night and wound up being the assistant... we lost the calf and then the cow. She was a beloved family pet. My cow is overdue to calve making me worry, DH is going in for another knee surgery and grouchy people are not on my list of what I want to deal with. I guess I'll hang in a while and if it still bugs me I'll sell kitchen eggs for a while. Everybody loves a good organic homegrown table egg! And having eggs for sale brings milk customers and those are the really sweet folks who come out to the farm and sit and visit and even help out. Great friends can be made over table eggs and milk. Maybe hatching eggs too, I am hopeful!

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I am so very thankful to have found this forum and be able to discuss openly and candidly about what is ok and what is not ok. It's how we learn - honestly, if we aren't here for that reason, I'm not sure why you would join or lurk.

I'm thankful for your viewpoints about why you would or would not replace eggs - it helps me to understand what is acceptable or not. If someone was blatantly or downright rude about a situation, derogatory or demanding, I can understand why you would not wish to replace eggs or want to further deal with a person. Some people cannot be pleased or happy no matter what you do to accommodate them - I guess that falls into a judgement call.

I certainly hope I have not come across as "entitled" because I didn't mean to. I've certainly had my eyes opened about a lot of different factors.

I just candled my current hatch of 15 Light Brahmas and it looked like 3 were no good. I broke two and they were gooey/runny bad. The third one had me a bit baffled so I left it in the bator and will check it again in a week. 12 of the eggs appear to have live embryos - some of them were very active and a couple showed a dark blob with an air cell so I have my fingers crossed

I'll be very happy with whatever I get

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I've gotten 3 sets of egg from the OP, you have gone out of you way to get them to me unharmed and whole, none broken, if there would have been broken one I would have informed you but never asked for or expected replacements, its not the shippers fault the PO plays foot ball with our boxes. if a box comes packed badly (not yet from a BYCer) I would let the shipper know a suggest a way to help the next shipment that is sent out. eggs in the mail, a risk PEROID if you want the risk don't order. risk is the spice of life

First 2 sets great hatches, 3rd still in the 'bator

 

[pasofinofarm]

Quote:
And folks like you are the reason I love doing this... You got white favs! I am soooo jelous! Wanna sell them?

Hens and chicks you sound like a lovely person and I am sure you did not offend anyone even if you asked for repalcement eggs. We all have a learning curve and sometimes I like to think I am still in mine!

although I am sure most would say I am an old fart for sure!

 

[klf73]

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.

the people at my post office were the same way. You should have seen their faces when I opened the box and the eggs were blue! They didn't believe they were real

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I usually try to send a second batch of eggs if the buyer doesn't get but one or two to hatch. I know my eggs are fertile as I hatch out my own all year long except dead of winter.

I have had zero hatches from sellers and sometimes only one or two chicks hatch when I first started buying hatching eggs I know what a bummer that can be from the buyers stand point. I've never had a seller send me more eggs when that happened I took it as either the shipment did them in, my incubator or hatching skills were not up to par!

But I try to go out of my way to help.

 

[Mesa]

I never ask for a replacement... if they offer me one great! If not then thats that. I bought eggs from the OP they arrived looking great, candled great.... and not one of those stinkin' marans hatched out for me! I figured its just luck of the draw.... trying to hatch eggs in a bator isnt natural. I'm sure if I had a broody hen and she was hatching eggs that werent shipped, we'd have a whole lot of baby chicks running around.
So basically I dont ask or expect a refund for a lousy hatch.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

When my mailman drops off a box, he asks what kind of eggs are in the box this week. always curious what I'm getting. I get door to door service from him too.

 

[Feathers Acres]

My policy is if the eggs get stuck in PO for 7 days or more, or if half or more of the eggs are broken on arrival I will replace for shipping. When the eggs leave my care everything is in tact, and when they leave into the PO im not responsible. So if they get shookin' up, the buyer should know that before hand, you will not for sure get excellent hatch rates. Im tired of people who expect in early to late winter to get great hatch rates! im not saying its impossible, but its really rare.