I am going to say some folks really don't have a clue what goes into raising exhibition quality poultry. In example, last year I decided to add a few Pointius birds to my Salmon Faverolles breeding pens. They have some excellent qualities I was looking to incorporate into my flock. They were very reasonably priced at $25 a bird. The cost to get them here was about $100 a bird. They died in the first real heat wave, not being acclimated to our Texas heat. I did raise some nice chicks from them before then.
My own dog killed almost 50 feathered pullets chicks that were to be my replacement layers leaving me to start all over and preventing my selling the eggs and chicks that would have helped defray feed costs. I raised 30 cockerels or so of each breed to maturity to pick my breeding stock from and then ate the ones that didn't make the cut at a cost of $19 per bird for orgainc chicken that I could have bought for $8 a bird and not worked to get.
I lost a couple of coops in Hurricane Ike... No insurance claim there... I will be doing the paying to rebuild. I could go on and on. If not for the love of the breeds I raise I wouldn't do it. Now add whiney, grouchy, or PIA people who gripe about shipping costs when I often pay more in packing and postage then I charge and I go...hummm.... I also have a full time day job that actually pays the bills so I dont' really have to do this... I could eat my eggs or sell them at the hospital where I work.
But the really NICE people I have met, the ones who have loved and appreciated these birds, who have come to the farm and had a cup of coffee or a glass of tea and been friendly, the one last year who sent me a video of his chicks hatching with him cheering in the background... They have made the others disappear in my mind. Probably Jeans' too.
On a lighter note:
Favorite packing method... Large Bubble wrap on the bottom. Then a layer of crumpled grocery bags over that.Eggs wraped in small bubbles and then news paper (like a taco-bell taco) then more grocery bags, large bubbles and NPIP sheet... waa-laa!
Second: eggs in large bubbles rolled into long tubes. All long tubes wrapped in large bubbles and standing in the middle of the box surrounded by peanuts.
Third: Eggs wrapped in small bubbles then packed in a small box inside a larger box with peanuts on the bottom, sides and top so box is 'suspended in the middle.
All of these survived the 'off the roof' test.
We charge $15 for each one.
Worst ever we have recieved: eggs in egg carton packed with sawdust. Eggs in sawdust without a carton. Eggs rolling around in shredded paper (office paper) and many more.
Very, very worst, can not hardly talk about without wanting to blow a gasket: Filthy eggs that stank when the box was opened. All floated and had to be thrown out. $50 down the drain and I was so excited to get them for weeks and so disappointed when they came. And no I did not get a refund and yes it was someone on this list.
Good fertile eggs from chickens that are loved and people who care.... Priceless!
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