[lucylou]

hi there! this is my first post! - thinking about purchsing bantie eggs for hatching via ebay - does anyone know how the postage affects the fertility? has anyone been successful with them?

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Lucy and welcome to the madhouse (sorry mean henhouse!!  )

I have only pruchased from Ebay once and my friend chickenlady on here hatched them for me and we got 4 out of 6 chicks. Apparently travelling doesn't do the eggs much good, and I've heard both good and bad about Ebay eggs, its a chance you take I'm afraid.

There are also a few people on here who sell bantie eggs, anything in particular?

[lucylou]

thanks for your reply annie - dont know how to reply!! please let me know someone, i feel such an idiot!!

[woodside farm]

Hi,
Whenever you have eggs through the post make sure you let them rest for 24 hours after receiving them before putting them in your incubator or under broody, turning after 12 hours, it does make a big difference.
And when buying from eBay check the sellers feedback first.
Good Luck
Michelle

[chickenlady]

Hello there!
 I have had good and bad results from ebay! i now have just a couple of breeders i use as i have had good results with them! did purchase some araucana eggs the other week and today is day 7 and all were really old dirty eggs (large air cell on arrival!) most started to grow but then just died 2 had blown air cells wont be using that seller again (had 100% feedback too?)  £10 wasted   in the same incy i had 8 lemon cuckoo pekin eggs and 7 of those are growing well! very important to let them rest 24 hours before incubating turning eggs twice a day.
Hope this helps

Debbie

[Riala]

Is there an idiots guide anywhere to buying 'hatching' eggs, making an incubator, and what on earth you feed young chicks!!

[lucylou]

thanks for your info, at the moment i am just thinking about it as havent done this before - the thought of ending up with too many cockerels is piutting me off as i cant keep any - weve got lovely neighbours and want to keep them that way!!

[joyfull]

If that is the case then I would suggest buy pullets from a reputable breeder, when hatching eggs you will get a high percentage of cockerels 

[joyfull]

ebay feedback is usually left to show speed of posting and how well the eggs were packed not hatch/fertility rate. Most if not all sellers put on their advert that owing to the post they cannot guarenttee (sp?) the hatch rate, and very few people leave a follow on feedback to state their hatch rate. I have bought eggs off ebay but have bought them from local ebayers so that I can go and collect them myself. You can leave feedback for your purchase after the eggs have hatched I think you have up to 60 or 90 days to do so, therefore if like in Debbies case with the old eggs it would have to be a definate negative, and don't worry about the seller leaving negative feedback for you (just to be nasty) they can't.

[janeheritage]

I have just tried 6 Braekel eggs from eBay. The seller had good feedback and several people had confirmed the fertility of the eggs they received. I rested mine etc as instructed and put them under a broody, but they were all duds. I see from the previous feedback that another buyer of Brakel eggs got all duds too.

I don't think this means you have to leave negative feedback, as the eggs are only "presumed fertile" and you don't know what has happened to them in the post. But I didn't leave feedback until after the 14 day candling.

£10 down the drain  :blink:. If I were buying hatching eggs now, I would go to a local poultry supplier and take what they had rather than trying to get fancy ones from eBay.

[joyfull]

depends though, like as in debbies case they were obviously old eggs and only the freshest eggs should have been sent.

[cathangirl]

Hello Lucylou,
Welcome to the Forum.
It would be handy if you put your location in your Profile, then we'd know roughly where you are.
I currently have some eggs, via e-bay, under a cuckoo maran, with a week to go......
cathangirl

[lucylou]

hello again! i am in christchurch, bournemouth.  thanks for all replies.  it is interesting to hear that a high proprtion of the eggs hatched would end up being cockerels - does anyone know why that would be? 
thanks, lou

[too many girls]

i don't know about the ratio, but i have bought eggs twice from e-bay, the first lot hatched 6 out of 12 and cost about £25 including postage, the second lot came from 3 different sellers, 6 welsummer banty's, 6 Aracauna and 6 cream legbars, the cost for all including postage was about £35, the eggs perished in the incy after a powercut, ouch, i contacted the lady in Butterknowle who sold me Elwood and Leroy and asked if she sold hatching eggs, 12 cream legbars are £6 and 12 RIR are £7, yipee, just need an empty incy now.

[GrannieAnnie]

Well you only have 2 sexes, girls and boys, so tht gives you a 50 - 50 chance of gettings boys for a start!!     But some people say there's a good chance of 60 -40 chance of getting boys.  Perhaps its because of the natural order of things I don't know

but if anyone can answer the question  we'd all like to know!!!!