Ebay egg sellers?

[Llamas]

I may have just won the battle for a new incubator! Am currently considering buying a few eggs of some interesting (read meaty, large egg laying) breed and there are quite a few sellers on ebay. We've been burned before with rotten phesant eggs, but does anyone know of a few reputable hatching eggs sellers, on ebay or otherwise? Cheers!

[Bramble-Poultry]

what breeds are you after? we have bought and sold on ebay for a while and can probably suggest a few people but it does depend on the ones you want

[Shellintons]

I have been an ebay egg buyer too. I think a few people on here have used ebay. I also used my local poultry auction and bought privately too.
Bramble makes a good point, if we know what breeds you are after or if it's general chooks, it helps give the right advice.

[walldanzig]

I have bought of ebay as well it's hit and miss as to wether they hatch post has a lot to do with it. Have a look at their feedback that should give you a starting point

[Llamas]

Well we'd like to have big heavy dual purpose layers of decent size eggs which put on weight so I'm considering australorps,Ixworth, barnevelders (preferably double laced) , buff and speckled sussex, vorwerk, and Jersy Giant. Plus I'd like something that lays pretty blue or green eggs, so maybe Fenton Blue Hybrids (no idea at to availibility of these).

[Shellintons]

I have Orpingtons because they are a good old fashioned utility bird. They lay well and are hardy and good size table birds. They are also fairly docile and I do have a soft spot for them.
I have eaten my own Light sussex, legbars and wellsummer plus a Light sussex x wellsummer. The legbars are not worth the effort and I'm not sure the sussex were either, though they are sometimes described as a utility bird.
I have seen the size of Maureens Jersey Giant and he is huge and handsome but I would say my Blue orp cock would give him a run for his money and as a personal choice would still go for orps.
The one thing I will say is, if you intend to eat any, don't name them. I am downsizing the flock and getting rid of Hector (blue orp) and even though he'd make a great meal, I have done the silly naming thing ;p and now want a new home for him. *shakes head*

As for ebay eggs, I have felt bitten more than once but have had some success with others.

The best hatches I've had though have been eggs from the local auction and private ones I have been to collect.

I do think posting them in the poly egg boxes can cause a problem. I wonder if there is a better way of packing them. I don't think the poly egg boxes are shock proof, if the box is dropped there's nowhere for the egg to go except to bang against the firm box. just my thoughts there

[Bramble-Poultry]

First thing I do with ebay eggs is filter by location and ask if I can collect - that is by far the best way.

Theres a lot of people on ebay who buy eggs at auctions and then sell them on, also they try hatching some they candle clear so they sell them on. I have seen almost every scam going including buying trays of eating eggs and 3 lots of hatching eggs and then splitting them up so you actually only get 3 hatchers and 3 eaters!!! But then saying that there are also some very fair peopel out there - thats what feedback is for!

[MaureenHall]

First thing I do with ebay eggs is filter by location and ask if I can collect - that is by far the best way.

Theres a lot of people on ebay who buy eggs at auctions and then sell them on, also they try hatching some they candle clear so they sell them on. I have seen almost every scam going including buying trays of eating eggs and 3 lots of hatching eggs and then splitting them up so you actually only get 3 hatchers and 3 eaters!!! But then saying that there are also some very fair peopel out there - thats what feedback is for!

OMG!!!! I'm far too trusting obviously. I'd never dream of doing anything like that, and I never dreamed that there's actually people who do do that. I've heard of people selling hatching eggs when they haven't even got a cockerel though

[Llamas]

That’s good to know about the Orpington’s, they do look huge. What do they lay like? We have light Sussex too, and I was disappointed by the size of one of the hens we prepared, plus our eggs are kind of small.
My mother is a rather practical woman who compensated for raising us by herself by teaching us (3 girls and one very trodden on little brother) various invaluable skills; how to prepare a chicken ‘from scratch’, how to change a tire, how to chop wood, how to use an axe (and to get others to use it too) and the persuasive powers of food. Step one for chicken preperation was to either refrain from naming it, or to call it 'Dinner' from the start.



p.s. sincere apologies to those with purely pet chooks!

[Hilary B]

Our 'eating' animals were always given 'edible' names. The first turkey was called CD (Christmas Dinner), we had a pig called Pork Chop, goats called "Kid Curry" (in succession, and yes, I know it's corny, that is half the point) and at one time I owned a Jersey steer (given to me as a calf) who was known as Keats.....
No names at all can complicate conversations about them, but names that remind you of the purpose work for us...

[CoraxAurata]

I say to OH don't get attached to him, he's a crossbred roo destined for the freezer as soon as he's big enough, I go lambing and come home and guess which is the one chicken he has decided he likes?

[Llamas]

Lol, OH NO! Just wait till mr. roo makes his first sneak attack. All that love will go out the window!

[CoraxAurata]

erm he won't be making any attacks ...am aparently evil personified..... as if I didn't feel guilty enough....

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he tasted good though ..

[jessmorris]

I bought on ebay and got 5 out of 6 viable hatching eggs. These were dinky booted bantams though, not terribly 'useful'!

[petal]

don't bother with ebay. if you get 'practical poultry' you will find several reputable people who sell hatching eggs, I have had my success by doing this. e bay sellers like to use 'postage' as an excuse for their eggs being infertile, poor hatchability rate, deformitiies......already incubated...... yet i have had eggs posted from scotland or cornwall fromm a contact made in practical poultry and not experienced such problems!!!!