Sourcing Eggs

[MittensKitten]

I'm new to this forum and if this thread is inappropriate for this forum section, please let me know.

I am starting from nothing and would like advice on buying hatching eggs through the mail. I don't know if members on this site sell eggs or if anyone can recommend
respected hatcheries.

I'm also curious about the logistics of having an egg shipped through the mail. It seems like a risky trip! Should I look for local hatcheries or chicken hobbyists to order from for this reason? I'm located in Cincinnati Ohio if anyone is near me and has local recommendations.

Is there a maximum distance you would recommend having eggs shipped from if there is nothing available locally?

Am I still within the window of healthy or natural hatching times for chickens? I'm completely unfamiliar with this process but imagine seasonal weather is an important factor in successfully raising healthy birds.

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

What breeds of birds are you looking to hatch?

 

[easterbun]

When I was searching for eggs I basically emailed every single person who was listed as being able to ship eggs in the variety I wanted (super specific, so this was not very many). About half of those weren’t raising said variety any more (but everyone I emailed did get back to me, which I appreciated a lot). One was only a state away, and I’ve got eggs on order from them (should ship next week). Another who I almost didn’t email because they were so far away actually connected me with someone semi local (2 hours away) they had sold birds to at a show last year and I am picking up eggs this weekend.

I’ve got another two breeders I can reach out to if I don’t have luck with these two batches of eggs, but they were further away so not my first choice just due to distance.

 

[MittensKitten]

Well immediately after posting this, I felt kind of dumb because I found that there is a hatchery right near me. I think it would be more cost effective to buy chicks than to buy or make an incubator and then buy eggs and pay for shipping. So now it's a question of which breed to go with. I do recall that this hatchery was under scrutiny for culling male birds or something along those lines and I'm not sure how common or acceptable this is in the industry. I imagine it's not unusual. If it is, let me know and I'll avoid doing business with them.

 

[easterbun]

If you can get chicks, it’s usually easier just to do that… I am hatching because the variety I want is not available at any hatchery.