No matter the length of time my auction runs, the eggs for each listing have not yet been laid. Since I only ship eggs Monday through Wednesday, the eggs you will receive will be from ones gathered NO SOONER than two days before shipment. The eggs will be very fresh and are always very fertile when they are packaged and shipped. I turn the gathered eggs 3 times a day. I ship USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation and e-mail you the tracking number when they are on their way. This method gives you the freshest eggs possible. Should we have an upset with wild critters or we have a storm. Hens tend to stop laying if they are startled or if a storm rolls through. Should any of those things cause a delay in shipment of over 2 weeks from the Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday following payment I will refund your money, if you’d like at that time. The eggs leave here fresh / fertile, but I have no control over their handling after I deliver them to the post office. The most terrible thing that could happen to an egg, no matter how well it is packed, is that the box is dropped, shook, thrown, or other rough handling by USPS. If handling is too rough during transit it can kill the embryos prior to their chance of development. Eggs do not have to be broken to damage or kill the embryo.

The USPS will not insure hatching eggs! So sorry to say, I don’t offer it. I do wrap each egg separately and secure properly before packaging and package for no movement.

A very, very important step to perform after unwrapping the eggs is to let them rest upright (larger end up) in an egg carton at room temperature before putting them in to the incubator ( 8 to 12 hours is good). This gives the embryos and air cells a chance to get into their proper positions after their trip. It also makes sure that the inner temperature of each egg is the same prior to incubation.