Hatching eggs: why and how

After learning that our old hens lay eggs with limited fertility, we opted to buy hatching eggs online for our third incubator run of the season.  The concept is new to me, so I figured some of you might be asking the same questions I had, like:


Why buy hatching eggs instead of chicks?
Hatching eggs can be a bit cheaper than mail order chicks, but not by much.  Recently, I spent $35 (shipping included) to buy 20 black australorp hatching eggs, which I hope will turn into 10 to 15 chicks, and previously I hatched 7 cuckoo marans from a dozen eggs purchased for $25.  (Hatch rates tend to be a bit lower for eggs ordered online than for eggs that haven't spent several days jiggling around in the mail.)  For the sake of comparison, 12 straight run black australorps from a major hatchery (plus shipping) would cost me $40.26, but I was able to buy australorp chicks locally for $2 apiece earlier this spring, which would beat the hatching eggs rate.  I definitely got a good deal on the rarer cuckoo marans, though, since those 7 chicks would have cost me $42.63 as mail order chicks and no one keeps this breed in our area.

The main reason I chose to buy hatching eggs is because I wanted to learn my incubator better, but I was also sold on several other factors.  Most importantly, you can often buy just a few hatching eggs at a time, which is helpful for folks who can't handle 25 chicks (the minimum for most hatchery orders.)  I was also able to pick and choose the genetics of my parent birds, focusing on chickens raised on pasture with --- hopefully --- good foraging genes.  In contrast, hatcheries tend to select birds using traits I'm less interested in, like how closely a chicken matches certain appearance standards and how well those chickens live in a hatchery setting.  Finally, buying hatching eggs allows me to keep hatchery diseases out of my flock (although there's always a slight chance disease will carry over on eggshells.)

Of course, you also have to keep in mind that home-hatched eggs won't be sexed.  For us, that isn't a problem since we want to rebuild our laying flock and also want to raise males for meat, but if you're squeamish about doing away with extra roosters, hatching eggs might not be for you.


Where can you find hatching eggs?
Since you're probably looking for a specific breed, I won't recommend any one egg source.  Instead, try out these three options:

• Google for "black australorp hatching eggs" (or whatever breed you're looking for)
• Head to ebay and search for the same terms
• Look on your local Craigslist (and put up a wanted ad)
  

You'll probably find several different options, so you'll need to decide which factors matter the most to you.  I figured that price was less important than the photos of the parent birds and was won over by a small farm that raises the parent chickens on pasture.  A source closer to you is likely to have chickens better suited to your climate (and shipping will also be faster, which will increase your hatch rates.)  Buying hatching eggs is all about having more control over the new members of your flock, so be a bit choosy.


How do I treat my hatching eggs?
Your eggs should arrive carefully packaged, often with an extra egg or two in the box to make up for eggs cracked during shipment.  In my limited experience, only one egg out of 46 arrived cracked, but several came with small smears of poop or dirt.  It's best to either discard these dirty eggs, wash them with a special solution that maintains the protective coating on the egg, or sand the dirt off.  Then arrange your eggs in a carton (big end up or flat) or in your incubator and allow them to settle for at least twelve hours before beginning incubation.  After that, you can treat your hatching eggs like any others.

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