06/21/2026
We bought from a couple local breeders this year, and it was a reminder of why our standards are what they are — and why we eventually shifted to pricier, riskier shipped eggs. Every rough experience becomes a checkpoint for improving our own process.
One breeder sold $100/dozen eggs, then admitted fertility issues after pickup — we saw 3/13 and 2/12 development.
Another sold two dozen with eight cracked, told us to “just wax them,” and we ended up with 17/24 development, wrong feather colors, and no testing.
Both leaned on “hatching eggs are a gamble” to excuse skipping basics, so we stopped buying local for the season.
Nationwide sellers weren’t perfect either — vague waitlists with deposits, higher prices, slow replies, missing payment confirmations, and one shipment with environmental odors (like smoke) that can transfer through porous shells. Full shipped‑egg breakdown coming once all hatches finish.
We’ve heard plenty of similar local stories: “purebred” eggs hatching as mixes, or “straight run” chicks that somehow turn out 90% male from breeders who can s*x them.
This isn’t about calling anyone out. If someone wants to know whether we’ve bought from a specific seller, we’ll answer privately.
It’s about why our standards matter:
Fertility testing — manual checks + test hatches
Transparency — no guessing
Crack checks — every egg inspected
Record tracking — lines, colors, data
Fast responses — usually within an hour
Biology has the final say — but we make sure we’ve done our part before an egg ever leaves our farm.