eggsbay

Where to buy hatching eggs in the UK

eBay stopped allowing fertile hatching eggs in 2025, and the trade has spread out: Facebook groups, a handful of new specialist marketplaces, and breeders selling from their own websites. Here is every option side by side, with the good and the not so good for buyers and for sellers.

9 min read

The short answer

  • Want to buy from trusted sellers and not be scammed? Use a specialist hatching egg marketplace. We think Broody is the best of them: every price includes tracked postage, money is held until the eggs are posted, with a cooling period to protect dispute windows, and its user experience is leagues above the rest.
  • Want the biggest choice, and happy to arrange payment yourself? Facebook groups, paying in a way that protects you.
  • Want live birds, housing or equipment too? Find My Poultry, Hatch & Hive and The Egg Bay sell more than eggs - but this can make the websites overly complex to use.
  • Already know which breeder you want? Buy from their own website.

The Lowdown: Online hatching egg marketplaces

Fees and policies as published on each service's own website, checked 1 October 2026.
Option What it is What's for sale How you pay If something goes wrong Seller fees
Broody Marketplacebroodyeggs.co.uk UK marketplace just for hatching eggs, launched July 2026 Hatching egg specialists Card/Apple/Google Pay/Klarna secure checkout through Stripe; the price shown includes postage Report within 14 days; payment held until dispatch; Broody steps in if you can't agree 15%, falling to 10% then 5% as you sell more; no listing or monthly fees
The Egg Baytheeggbay.com UK marketplace with auctions, opened June 2025 Hatching eggs, supplies and used equipment Card checkout through Stripe; postage charged per seller Contact the seller first, then support; refunds depend on the seller Free plan 19% + 35p a sale; or £4.99 a month (14% + 35p) or £9.99 a month (9% + 35p) ⚠️ Features are gated behind the paid plans: more than one photo per listing, holiday mode, sale prices and scheduled sales. Minimum withdrawal: £20 on the free plan, £15 or £10 on the paid plans.
Hatch & Hivehatchandhive.co.uk UK poultry marketplace built by breeders Hatching eggs, live poultry and chicks, coops, bees and equipment Card checkout through Stripe; no PayPal Each vendor handles refunds; the site says it is not a party to sales Not published
Find My Poultryfindmypoultry.com UK and Ireland poultry marketplace and app Live poultry, hatching eggs, housing, equipment and wanted ads Mostly agreed with the seller; ⚠️ Never leave deposits online; Some listings have Buy it now Depends on how you paid Not published
Facebook groupsbuy-and-sell groups Community groups run by volunteers Whatever each group allows Arranged privately, usually bank transfer or PayPal ❗Beware of scammers - ask for proof of legitimate business. Never leave deposits. Only what your payment method covers; Trust your own judgement Free; But you'll have to work hard and share every day across multiple groups
Breeders' own websitesindividual breeders Breeders and hatcheries selling direct That breeder's own stock Their own checkout, or bank transfer - you're hoping they secured their software and have good data protection hygiene Their own returns policy Website subscription, payment gateway fees, time becoming a web designer

eBay is no longer on the list: it stopped allowing fertile hatching eggs in 2025.

Broody

A UK marketplace built only for hatching eggs, which we launched in July 2026 after eBay's ban. Every price you see includes postage, and payment goes through a card checkout that holds your money until the seller has posted the eggs.

For buyers

Good

  • The price you see is the price you pay: postage is included.
  • Pay by every payment method under the sun: Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna etc...
  • Your money is held until the seller dispatches, and you can cancel for a full refund before then.
  • Broken, short or not as described? Report it from your order within 14 days. Sellers aim to put it right within 48 hours, and Broody steps in if they don't.
  • Buyers review sellers after their hatch, and pure-breed listings can carry the Assured Pure badge.
  • 🤌 Website is the best design & user experience by a long way.

Watch out for

  • It is newer and smaller than the busiest Facebook groups, so variety is growing - we foresee that changing in Spring 2027 and beyond if it continues to grow as it has in Summer 2026.
  • Hatching eggs only: no live birds or equipment.
  • No one can promise a hatch rate - but nature cannot either so not a Broody specific thing.

For sellers

Good

  • No listing fees and no monthly fees. Commission is 15% on your first 10 sales in any 30 days, 10% on the next 10 and 5% after that, and it covers the card fees.
  • Paid automatically to your bank every Monday, with no withdrawals to request.
  • Orders, messages and packing labels are built in.
  • Your listings are sent to Google Shopping for you, at no extra cost.

Watch out for

  • Your share is released 10 days after you post the order, so the money isn't instant. It covers the dispute window, and sellers have always been paid.
  • Hatching eggs only, so you can't sell birds or kit here... yet.

The Egg Bay

A UK marketplace that opened in June 2025, after eBay's rule change. Alongside fixed-price hatching eggs it runs live auctions, and it also sells poultry supplies and used equipment.

For buyers

Good

  • Card checkout through Stripe.
  • A good variety of breeds to choose from, including some rarer ones.
  • Hatching eggs for quail, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pheasants and guinea fowl, with supplies in the same place.

Watch out for

  • Postage is charged per seller, so buying from three sellers means three postage charges.
  • Refunds depend on each seller's own policy, and The Egg Bay asks you to sort problems out with the seller before contacting its support.
  • Seller feedback is shown "where available".

For sellers

Good

  • A free plan, and unlimited listings on every plan.
  • Commission as low as 9% + 35p a sale on the £9.99-a-month plan.
  • Auctions, with extras such as spotlight listings, holiday mode and scheduled sales on the paid plans.

Watch out for

  • On the free plan you pay 19% + 35p a sale and get one photo per listing.
  • The lower rates come with a monthly fee of £4.99 or £9.99.
  • Payouts are held for 6 to 7 days, with a minimum withdrawal of £10 to £20 depending on your plan.

Hatch & Hive

A UK marketplace "built by breeders, for breeders" that covers far more than eggs: live poultry, chicks and ducklings, coops, equipment and even bees.

For buyers

Good

  • One place for eggs, birds, housing and equipment.
  • Card checkout through Stripe.

Watch out for

  • Hatch & Hive says it "acts solely as a marketplace and is not a party to transactions", so refunds are down to each vendor.
  • No PayPal.
  • No published process for disputes between buyers and vendors.

For sellers

Good

  • Sell birds, chicks and equipment as well as eggs.
  • Payments through Stripe.

Watch out for

  • Fees aren't published: its vendor terms say it "may charge commission, subscription fees, or other marketplace fees as published from time to time".
  • You handle refunds yourself.

Read our full Hatch & Hive guide →

Find My Poultry

A marketplace and app for the UK and Ireland that is mostly about live birds, with a growing hatching eggs section: 84 listings when we checked.

For buyers

Good

  • Plenty of live birds, plus hatching eggs, housing and equipment.
  • A map of what's near you, wanted ads, and apps for iPhone and Android.
  • Filters for collection or delivery, and for RBST-listed breeds.

Watch out for

  • Most listings say "Contact seller", so you agree payment and postage privately, with no platform checkout to fall back on.
  • Listings from Ireland may be priced in euros.

For sellers

Good

  • Free to download, with an audience across the UK and Ireland.
  • Wanted ads show you what buyers are looking for.

Watch out for

  • Selling fees aren't published on its website.
  • On "Contact seller" listings you arrange payment and postage yourself.

Read our full Find My Poultry guide →

Facebook groups

Buy-and-sell groups are where much of the UK's hatching egg trade went after eBay's ban. They are free, busy and full of experienced keepers, but every sale is a private arrangement.

For buyers

Good

  • The biggest choice of breeds and sellers, often including local ones you can collect from.
  • Free, friendly and full of people happy to share advice.
  • You can see a seller's posts and history in the group.

Watch out for

  • Payment is private. A bank transfer gives you little protection if the eggs never arrive; PayPal Goods and Services gives you more.
  • Facebook's commerce rules say content "may not promote the buying, selling or trading of animals or animal products", so posts can disappear and groups can be closed.
  • No checkout, no structured reviews and no one to step in, which makes a scammer harder to spot.

For sellers

Good

  • Free to post, with big audiences.
  • Ideal for local collection sales.

Watch out for

  • Posts can be removed, and accounts restricted, under Facebook's rules.
  • Chasing payments and answering the same questions again and again, with no order tools.

Read our guide to buying hatching eggs on Facebook →

Breeders' own websites

Many established breeders and hatcheries sell from their own websites, and directories such as Allotment Garden's county-by-county list of hatching egg suppliers help you find them.

For buyers

Good

  • Buy straight from a specialist and ask them anything.
  • Long-established breeders often have years of reputation behind them.

Watch out for

  • Every site has its own checkout, postage charges and refund policy, so comparing is hard work.
  • Few have independent reviews.

For sellers

Good

  • Full control of your brand and prices, and no marketplace commission.

Watch out for

  • You pay for the website, card processing and marketing yourself, and buyers have to find you.

What about eBay?

eBay UK stopped allowing fertile hatching eggs in 2025, so it is no longer an option for buyers or sellers. Here's what changed, and why.

Our verdict

If you're buying, the safest way to get hatching eggs posted to you is through a specialist marketplace with a proper checkout: your card payment is protected and there's a process for when a box arrives broken. Of those, Broody is the only one built just for hatching eggs, with postage included in every price and a published, plain-English refund process. If you want birds or equipment as well, Find My Poultry, Hatch & Hive and The Egg Bay are worth a look.

If you're selling, Broody has no listing or monthly fees, pays you automatically every week and sends your listings to Google Shopping at no extra cost. Facebook groups cost nothing but leave you chasing payments, and The Egg Bay's paid plans suit sellers who are happy with a monthly fee, so weigh up how much you sell and what your time is worth.

Questions people ask

What is the best place to buy hatching eggs in the UK?

It depends what matters most to you. For card payment and help when something goes wrong, use a specialist hatching egg marketplace such as Broody. For the widest choice and local collection, try Facebook groups, paying with a method that protects you. If you already know the breeder you want, buy from their own website.

Can you still buy hatching eggs on eBay?

No. eBay UK stopped allowing fertile hatching eggs in 2025, so UK buyers and breeders now use Facebook groups, specialist marketplaces and breeders' own websites instead.

Is it safe to buy hatching eggs on Facebook?

It can be, but every sale is a private arrangement. Pay with a method that protects you, such as PayPal Goods and Services, rather than a bank transfer, and remember that Facebook's commerce rules do not allow the buying or selling of animals or animal products, so posts and groups can disappear.

Do sellers guarantee how many eggs will hatch?

Rarely. A hatch depends on the parent birds, the journey through the post and your incubation, so most sellers and marketplaces do not guarantee one. On Broody a disappointing hatch is not grounds for a refund unless the listing made a specific promise, but broken, short or misdescribed orders are covered.

Which marketplaces sell live birds as well as hatching eggs?

Find My Poultry and Hatch & Hive both list live poultry as well as hatching eggs. Broody sells hatching eggs only, and The Egg Bay lists hatching eggs alongside poultry supplies and used equipment.

More guides

Sources

All checked on 1 October 2026: Broody seller agreement, Broody returns and refunds, The Egg Bay: how it works, seller memberships and FAQs, Hatch & Hive and its vendor terms, Find My Poultry and its hatching eggs listings, Facebook's commerce policy on animals.

Spotted something out of date? Email hello@broodyeggs.co.uk.