Buying eggs for hatching off of ebay! Do or Don't?

[calichickies]

Thanks for posting an update... so often these informational threads get left in the dust.
I too have learned that the dry incubation method works wonders for me-- and I am in a very mild CA climate.

Thanks very much for sharing what you have learned with us.
I do have to note that an eggs development is not really effected by the H (it's the final stage of *hatch*-ability that gets effected in my experience). If you had a lot of non-starters those were not your fault, sounds like a fertility issue, or damage done during shipping.

You did, and have done great!

 

[Extra Java]

Thank you for taking the time to document your findings. All life is a miracle!

I enjoyed this thread and your photos are beautiful.

 

[kenguy]

also been buying maran eggs off e bay. 2 out of 12 hatched in my incubator, then one from 12 so far on the twenty second day (today) and twelve more went bad under a hard sitting Maran hen. All within the last 2 months.
hope to get more hatching today but won't use e bay for eggs again
Ken

 

[Shelly Chip]

I too have had mixed results from ebay. I got 6 silver laced polish eggs and 2 chicks hatched. A 3rd died while hatching. I was ok with those results. But then I had a dozen white crested polish sent to me. I spent 70. on the eggs and now own 1 white crested polish. The majority of the remaining eggs looked like they had never even started developing. I am now trying my second round of white crested polish from a different breeder. I am really hoping to get better results this time, but I have come to the conclusion that buying chicks is probably the better way to go.

 

[mamawolf544]

I am guilty about not reading all the post"s.
And I do not sell on E-Bay. But I do ship eggs all the time with excellent feedback.
With that being said any shipped egg is a gamble, some more so than other's.
But I buy eggs, usually the one's with the $$$ price tag. And I research the seller very well.
When you get eggs, you unwrap them and place them in a carton, pointy side down. And let them set in the room you are incubating in for a min of 24 hours.
Where your incubator is needs to be out of drafts, direct sunlight and have plenty of ventilation.
I get 90%++ on shipped eggs. I have had 2 or 3 duds as I call them and I will never again buy from those seller's. I have 4 cabinet incubaator's, 1 cabinet Hatcher and 2 Hova-Bator's that run about 11 months of the year. And I have been hatching for 15 years.
It is trial and error for the most part, dry incubation works for some, but the area I live in in Texas it does not work at all, you use yard eggs and do all of your testing. Then you can always sell the little mutt chicks on CL for a few bucks when they hatch.

 

[dncook1955]

I have state of the art incubator. Bought 90 eggs from 15 different suppliers. Peafowl and red golden pheasants. I had a bout 10% success rate. I bought some eggs locally, drove them home on pillows, and yielded 80%. When candling the shipped eggs, majority never started to hatch at all. They were clear. Either infertile or scrambled during shipping. I will not waste another dollar doing this as the average cost of the 8 eggs that hatched ended up being over $150 each.

 

[Old cluck]

Did you ever hear the phase don't count your chickens before they hatch? There is a reason for this saying. I have bought eggs off ebay two time with not real good luck. But we both know we are taking a chance. I have also hatched under some broody hens of mine, and had some that never hatched. I have to say it was a much higher hatch rate with the hen and my own fresh eggs from my girls,but if you want something you can't get locally I am will to take the chance.

 

[Strader]

Agree its Not the shipper or sellers fault usually, but the 2 foot drop while the box is getting electronically sorted several times on the conveyor belts in the USPS or UPS sort facilities. I bought (48) eggs from two different locations and had (8) hatch, So I'm guessing these were $20.00 chicks. I probably will never order off E-bay again unless the order is for show quality pedigreed birds or from a great well known bloodline....HA HA.