~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[Wisher1000]

But my question is, what is an "acceptable" % for selling hatching eggs? I know you cant guarantee a hatch or fertility but what would you say is acceptable in your opinion to sell them fairly?

When I order eggs from someone, I expect them to be fertile. I will not order from someone if they do not guarantee fertility.

When I ship eggs, I always make sure to test some from the pen to make sure they are fertile. Sometimes, a hen may not get fertilized, for what ever reason, and I will not ship her eggs, if that is the case. Even so, every now and then, one will show up in a batch that is not fertile, that is why I always send extras.

You can't guarantee hatch rate due to handling after it's shipped, but you should always send fertile eggs. JMHO...

ETA: I would try to determine why you are only getting 82%. Is it a particular hen? Is the male old? Are light and nutrient/trace elements requirements being met? Once the problem is found, and corrected, you should have no problem sending eggs that are 95 - 99% fertile. Then if you send one or two extra, your customers will get the number of fertile eggs they paid for.

If, after all this, I still inadvertently sent infertile eggs, I would replace them at my own expense. It's not worth losing reputation over. If I felt that the person was not being truthful, I would reship once, or refund their money, and not sell to them again, but I've never had that happen.

 

[Alaskan]

 
But my question is, what is an "acceptable" % for selling hatching eggs? I know you cant guarantee a hatch or fertility but what would you say is acceptable in your opinion to sell them fairly?

When I order eggs from someone, I expect them to be fertile.  I will not order from someone if they do not guarantee fertility.

When I ship eggs, I always make sure to test some from the pen to make sure they are fertile.  Sometimes, a hen may not get fertilized, for what ever reason, and I will not ship her eggs, if that is the case. Even so, every now and then, one will show up in a batch that is not fertile, that is why I always send extras.

You can't guarantee hatch rate due to handling after it's shipped, but you should always send fertile eggs.  JMHO...

ETA:  I would try to determine why you are only getting 82%.  Is it a particular hen?  Is the male old?  Are light and nutrient/trace elements requirements being met?  Once the problem is found, and corrected, you should have no problem sending eggs that are 95 - 99% fertile.  Then if you send one or two extra, your customers will get the number of fertile eggs they paid for.

If, after all this, I still inadvertently sent infertile eggs, I would replace them at my own expense.  It's not worth losing reputation over.  If I felt that the person was not being truthful, I would reship once, or refund their money, and not sell to them again, but I've never had that happen.

I agree completely.

I am selling eggs for the first time this week....and cracked five of my old ones to check for fertility.

 

[Penny Hen]

Just a reminder: Still time to enter the CdM Photobomb Contest!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-third-annual-cinco-de-mayo-turkey-hatchathon

Photobomb Contest
Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon (all poultry welcome)
​

Do you have a camera hog in your flock?
This contest is for photos of domestic poultry who've inserted themselves (uninvited) into your photographs!


​

ANY domestic fowl accepted!
Judges will choose finalists,
and then YOU vote for your favorites!

2 entries per contestant


Winner gets first choice of the prizes below, runners-up (in order of votes)
get choice of remaining prizes:

Prize #1
12+ Hen's Choice Hatching Eggs (donated by uphilljill)
This barnyard mix and may include eggs from Midget White turkey, Pearl Guinea fowl, LF Barred Plymouth Rock, and Barred Rock/BLR Wyandotte crosses (up to the ladies at time of collection)

Prize #2
8+ Olive Egger Hatching Eggs Hatching Eggs (donated by Penny Hen)
Maran/Am cross

Prize #3
Hen Saddle, size L (donated by uphilljill)

​

​

Contest Rules:
1. Open to all BYC members in the Continental U.S. (due to shipping of eggs.)
2. Contestants may submit no more than 2 photos.
3. Photos of any domestic fowl accepted.
4. Your submission must be your own photo and not used in a previous contest.
5. No photoshop allowed.
6. To submit your entries, simply post your photos in this thread.
7. Judges will choose finalists, and then YOU vote for your favorites.

Deadline for entry is May 1st, 2014 at midnight PST​

I don't have a bird photo bomb pic. I do have a pic of one of my chickens that the dog photo bombed.

 

[Penny Hen]

When I order eggs from someone, I expect them to be fertile. I will not order from someone if they do not guarantee fertility.

When I ship eggs, I always make sure to test some from the pen to make sure they are fertile. Sometimes, a hen may not get fertilized, for what ever reason, and I will not ship her eggs, if that is the case. Even so, every now and then, one will show up in a batch that is not fertile, that is why I always send extras.

You can't guarantee hatch rate due to handling after it's shipped, but you should always send fertile eggs. JMHO...

ETA: I would try to determine why you are only getting 82%. Is it a particular hen? Is the male old? Are light and nutrient/trace elements requirements being met? Once the problem is found, and corrected, you should have no problem sending eggs that are 95 - 99% fertile. Then if you send one or two extra, your customers will get the number of fertile eggs they paid for.

If, after all this, I still inadvertently sent infertile eggs, I would replace them at my own expense. It's not worth losing reputation over. If I felt that the person was not being truthful, I would reship once, or refund their money, and not sell to them again, but I've never had that happen.

By the way Wisher, what chickens do you raise?

 

[Penny Hen]

That's what I was thinking. I have one that has the "keep warm" setting and I can line it with a towel but I have no idea how I would gauge the temp. I'll see what I have. Thanks!

You could try the reptile hatching trick of using vermiculite (get it at the garden center) to set the eggs in. You can always test the temps. You can adjust some of the temperature by gaping the lid slightly to let excess heat out. I don't know if this would work for an entire incubation but it seems possible that you can get it to work for the last week. (If I remember that is what you are needing.)

 

[Penny Hen]

Down to 6 viable eggs. I am begining to get excited.

 

[PAchickenlover]

Trying this again... Sorry it didn't work earlier. Still trying to figure all this out..

https://www.facebook.com/OakAcersPoultry?ref=nf

If this doesn't work, on Facebook search Oak Acres Poultry. Thank you..



Going to candle my eggs tonight.. Will post my results. Thunderstorms heading into area now...

 

[jbenson]

Went to turn the "extra" eggs I just set in the 'bator after my Easter HAL eggs were moved this morning and for the first time in my hatching history, I got near and said "phew, that stinks". I had candled a couple days ago, so I had an idea which eggs was the perp (it didn't look like it was developing, but I left it cause it didn't stink then). My nose confirmed that yes, it was a stinker and it was promptly removed. It was so weird that it went from being totally fine to filling the air around the 'bator with stink in less than 12 hours. Is that normal? LIke I said, it's my first stinker. This batch that the stinker was a part of is going into lockdown on Sunday (4 crosses of my fav backyard mix hen with my d'Uccle mille fleur roo and 9 Ameraucana/Araucana bantams.) Then I've got 7 d'Uccles in there for Cinco de Mayo HAL, and now 2 crosses with the d'Uccle roo with my same fav hen and 11 A/A bantams for hatch on the 13th of May. Every time space opens up in the 'bator I just pop more eggs in. So far, I'm running a small hatch of 7-14 once a week. I stopped telling DH what I'm putting in for fear he will tell me to stop. Just showing him the babies when they hatch

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
yup.. if I wanted to spend good money on infertile eggs.. I could save the shipping cost and go to Walmart

 

[lsmith]

So I bought a little giant at the feed store and I'm now hand turning the eggs. I want to candle them to see if they are still developing but since this is my first hatch, I'm not positive what to look for. They sat at about 86 degrees for almost 12 hours. I don't even know if they're still viable. Anyone have a suggestion for what I should look for? I'm going to find the post with the candling pics for each day and try to compare, but I just wondered how worried I should be. Thanks in advance!