Farm Policies
Our Guarantee
We will only sell you birds that are healthy and vaccine/antibiotic-free since day one of their lives. We are real people with hundreds of birds under our care. It is not always perfect. Raising chickens and birds in general is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience that is also accompanied by many challenges that arise from time to time. Any birds we have treated for anything at some point are for genetic conservation of rare/threatened birds and do not enter our food supply.
Hatching Eggs
We do not sell anything less than 12 eggs total (you can mix and match with what is available). When ordering hatching eggs, please factor in the number of eggs that may not develop nor hatch; please be also mindful of the ratio of males vs. females you might get. Due to factors beyond our control (hatching techniques, humidity, weather, USPS handling) we cannot be held responsible for eggs that don’t develop or poor hatch rates. There are no refunds nor replacement for eggs that don’t hatch.
Please note that just because an egg does not develop, it does not mean it is infertile. There is only one way to know if an egg is fertile and unfortunately, that means breaking the egg open to look for the white spot, which is the germinal disk (looks like a donut). You will see a yellow hole in the center and there would indicate that the egg is fertile.
WE DO NOT GUARANTEE HATCH RATES.
Avoid counting your chicks before they hatch!! We do not offer eggs from any breed that we have not successfully hatched ourselves. We only sell and send the freshest eggs collected within a max of 72-hour collection, kept under appropriate temperature and turned frequently throughout the day.
Shipping Hatching Eggs
Once certified, we will only ship within the 48 contiguous states. This excludes Alaska, Hawaii, America Samoa, The U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
All eggs are shipped unwashed, individually wrapped and packaged with love and care.
Buyer assumes all risk when purchasing hatching eggs.
There are no refunds and/nor replacements for undeveloped on unhatched eggs.
Buyer must provide a good contact number that USPS can use to call when eggs arrive.
Eggs are not shipped to be delivered as regular mail. Most damage to eggs occur between the last postal facility and the buyer’s house.
If you can’t pick up your eggs at the local post office, please do not place an order with us.
Upon arrival at the post office, please open the box and carefully inspect the cargo inside. If you receive a broken egg, please report it to the clerk and file a claim to recover your loss at that time. We purchase additional insurance on any orders above $100.
To Our Visitors
When visiting our farm (with a purpose and appointment), you are required to wear shoe covers that we provide or step into a shallow pen with disinfectant. Either procedure is a requirement to ensure you are not tracking anything from our place to yours, nor bringing anything from your place to ours. This is to avoid cross contamination.
For this reason, it is best that you wear tennis shoes or garden boots when visiting. I may also provide you with a hair net which keeps your from accumulating bird dander on your hair. These are the two most common ways people can, inadvertently, contaminate a flock with infectious poultry diseases that will dwell on the soil for generations to come. Best way to keep a flock healthy is preventing it from ever happening.
During your visit, you will stay clear from the birds. We do not allow anyone to touch or handle our birds. We welcome our customers to observe and select the birds they wish to purchase, but, at our property, we will handle them for you, from catching them, to loading them up in your crate.
Terms
Each order you place is a legally enforceable contract. If you fail to pick up your order, you are still obligated to pay for the items you order.
In cases where you have paid a deposit to reserve an item where the final total is not known until pickup, your deposit is a legal commitment to pay the balance owed by the date specified. If you fail to pay the balance for the item you reserved, you will forfeit the deposit amount.
Our goal is to provide the highest quality products to our customers while also providing the best care to the animals we raise. In some cases, this may mean we are unable to fill your order. In this case, we will offer you a store credit in the amount of your payment, or a refund of the paid amount, at our discretion.
We take great pride in the quality of our products and do not sell anything we would not serve to our own family. If you are unhappy with any of our products for any reason, we ask that you allow us to work with you to reach a solution.
Online Orders of Chicks, Ducklings, and Hatching Eggs
When placing an order through our website, please make sure you have read the description of the item you are purchasing, in its entirety, as well as our terms and conditions, which are fully disclosed under our farm policy’s tab.
Once payment is made, you have agreed to our terms and conditions. There are no refunds nor returns, unless we are not able to fulfil your order due to reasons outside our control.
Orders will be filled in order of payment, and we may not be able to give you a precise pick up date, unless the chicks and/or eggs you ordered are in stock and ready to go. Either way, you can expect to hear back from me within 72 hours from the date you placed your order. We are a small breeding farm, working with small flocks and practicing selective breeding, and not a high production hatchery.
Even though we will soon be licensed to do so, we choose not ship birds through the mail system. All live birds must be picked up from our farm in Burnsville, NC 28714. Appointment is required.
Purchase of Live Animals
WE DO NOT HOLD BIRDS UNLESS WE CHOOSE TO DO SO, GIVEN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Please bring your own carrier and bedding (straw or wood chips). You will need to send us a photo beforehand to be sure it is suitable for the animals you are getting.
We are not responsible for losses that may occur during transport. Please ensure your carrier is adequate (will keep your bird(s) comfortable and safe, with enough room and good ventilation).
When you purchase any live animal from us (e.g., baby chicks, pullets, cockerels, laying hens, roosters, quail, ducks), please understand ALL sales are FINAL. Under no circumstances will there be returns or replacements. In extremely rare and special cases, we may issue a refund or offer a replacement at our discretion.
We do not willingly sell anyone an unhealthy bird. We make sure that all birds leaving our premise to yours are healthy, actively engaged in activities that emulates their age (eating, drinking, walking, dust bathing, laying, being vocal, producing normal droppings, displaying normal interaction with other birds), free of external parasites (we always check the bird before it is adopted).
If for some reason, your bird shows symptoms of any health distress during the recommended quarantine period, you are more than welcome to contact us for support. If we are unable to help, we will direct you to a vet or support group we trust.
Please understand that once you drive off with the animals you have chosen to raise, they are now yours and are under your care. Anything that happens to them after you take them is beyond our control, thus, we cannot be held responsible.
We have the right to cancel any order or appointment due to unforeseen circumstance, or if we need to retain for our own breeding stock.
Required Quarantine by You
This is a VERY IMPORTANT step that should be taken for granted. As good stewards of birds, we recommend all new additions be quarantined for 30 days from your existing flock. This time allows for your new birds to acclimate and get used to their new environment, thus, reducing stress which is the leading cause of the onset of most common poultry diseases. We can talk to you about methods to do this in a safe and humane way.
Bird Sexing
Unless you are purchasing autosexed breed, we can’t guarantee you are purchasing pullets when choosing your chicks from ages 0-13 weeks. Some breeds may take even longer to clearly show their sex. When you come to our farm, you are given the space and time to choose your birds. We do not pick your chicks for you. At times, we may practice vent and wing sexing in day old chicks from non auto-sexed breeds, however, we still can’t guarantee sex with 100% certainty.
Bird Outcome
We are not responsible for bird outcome, such as temperament or sex. We do not have nor breed aggressive birds. We cannot re-home your male birds for you or take them in. If you need to get rid of a male bird, we will process it and eat it depending on what food you are using. If your bird has turned out to be something other than you expected, there are several backyard chicken support groups on Facebook that can be a wonderful resource to you.