Feather Acres
Specializing in Rare Breed Poultry Preservation
Please check my Available Birds and Eggs page to see what is available at this time.
Shipping Hatching Eggs
Although it is a great way to inexpensively spread rare breeds around the country which in turn helps assure their survival, shipping live eggs does have it's risks.
Please be aware that with any live eggs, there are many factors that affect your hatch rate.
First there is fertility - I guarantee you will have that at the time they leave MY hands. I hold eggs no longer than 3-4 days before shipping, so that they will arrive to you at or under the 7 day time frame recommended for holding hatching eggs without a decrease in hatchability.
Then there is how well they are packed - I will carefully snuggle each egg in a carton which is then securely packed inside another box. This box will be labeled to insure that the Post Office knows they are handling fragile, temperature sensitive hatching eggs.
Now, that is where our control is left, and it is up to others to make sure your eggs arrive safely. This is where things can go wrong!
There is the possibility that they will get thrown around during loading and unloading. Even if they aren't broken, the sensitive waiting embryo can be damaged. They can also be subjected to temperature extremes. Either too hot or too cold spells disaster. Too hot, and the embryo starts to grow or dies if temps are really high. Too cold and the embryo freezes. Hatching eggs are best held at a cool temperature of between 45-60 degrees. At these temps. the embryo is in a suspended development "holding" phase. They can safely take temps as low as 30 and as high as 80, but these aren't optimal. If you live in an area that has freezing daytime temps. right now, you either need to consider purchasing eggs at another time, plan to make arrangements with the Post Office to pick them up. Still no guarantees though.
On Shipping Insurance - The Post Office will not reimburse for the cost of broken or damaged eggs. They are considered perishable and are not covered. So, if you are considering insurance for this reason, don't waste your money. If you feel more comfortable with insurance because you don't know me and want to insure that they will simply arrive, then by all means, go for it! I have very good feedback on ebay and eggbid. I am very proud of it, and work hard to keep it that way. I hope my feedback makes you feel more comfortable in your dealings with me.
The last factor is your incubator. Whether you use a broody bird or an artificial means of incubating your eggs, things can always go wrong here. Power can go out. Temp and humidity can go haywire. The turner stops turning. Broody birds can get bored and take a hike. The list is endless, and if you've been doing this awhile you know the story!
Now, with all that said, if the moons align, and the Gods are happy, you will end up with some beautiful healthy birds in about 21-28 days!
I am not trying to scare anybody away, I just want to have you be as informed as possible. I also want you to realize that if they don't hatch, it's most likely not MY fault, and therefore (auction users) please don't leave me negative feedback. Please leave feedback based on your buying experience, and your opinion of the eggs when they arrive, not your rate of hatch as I have very little control over that. Plenty of people, including myself, have great success with hatching mailed eggs, but you need to know that there are definitely things that can go wrong!
After your eggs arrive, it is important to let them sit for several hours at room temperature. This helps them recover from the vibrations of shipping, and helps their temps. stabilize.
