Shipping, Pickup & The Birch Acres Policy
Shipping Hatching Eggs
We proudly ship hatching eggs across Canada. Our preferred courier is Purolator due to their dependable service and consistent delivery times. While we can ship using Canada Post upon request, we generally do not recommend this option based on our experience with transit times and handling.
Shipping rates are determined entirely by the courier and are not set by Birch Acres Homestead. We have no control over shipping costs, surcharges, or delivery timelines once an order has been accepted by the courier.
To help ensure eggs spend the least amount of time in transit, orders are typically shipped on Mondays and Tuesdays. On occasion, we may ship on a Wednesday if overnight delivery is available to your location.
The hatching eggs we ship are generally no more than three days old at the time of shipment.
Once eggs leave our care, we have no control over how they are handled, transported, stored, or exposed to environmental conditions. Temperature fluctuations, rough handling, delays, detached air cells, storage practices, and incubation methods can all significantly impact hatchability.
For these reasons, we do not guarantee fertility rates or hatch rates on shipped hatching eggs. All hatching eggs are purchased at the buyer's risk. By purchasing hatching eggs from Birch Acres Homestead, you acknowledge and accept these risks and agree to our terms and this policy.
Seasonal Egg Reservations & Deposits
Due to high seasonal demand and limited availability, a 40% deposit is required to reserve a place in our seasonal hatching egg queue.
Your deposit secures your position on our reservation list and allows us to plan breeding groups, egg collection schedules, and order fulfillment throughout the season. Once your reservation has been confirmed, your deposit will be applied toward the final purchase price of your eggs.
Because reservation spots are limited and held specifically for each customer, deposits are non-refundable if you choose to cancel your order. In the event that we are unable to fulfill your order we will refund 100% of your deposit. By placing a deposit, you acknowledge and agree to these terms and this sales policy.
Picking Up Hatching Eggs
Hatching eggs purchased for farm pickup will typically be between one and six days old at the time of pickup.
While picked up eggs avoid many of the challenges associated with shipping, hatch success is still influenced by storage conditions, incubation equipment, management practices, and environmental factors. As a result, we do not guarantee fertility rates or hatch rates on picked up eggs.
We conduct fertility testing regularly throughout the breeding season and set hatches almost weekly on the homestead. Under our own incubation conditions, we typically observe fertility rates between 90% and 100% and hatch rates between 80% and 100%. These results reflect our environment, equipment, and management practices and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results.
Because so many factors influence incubation success, hatch rates may vary from 0% to 100%. By purchasing hatching eggs from Birch Acres Homestead, you acknowledge and accept these risks and agree to our terms and sales policy.
Returns, Refunds & Guarantees
Due to the nature of hatching eggs, we do not offer guarantees on fertility, hatchability, or hatch rates.
We do not issue refunds, credits, or replacements for poor hatch rates, infertile eggs, incubation losses, shipping-related damage, delayed deliveries, detached air cells, or any other factors affecting hatch success after eggs leave our care.
All hatching egg sales are final.
Deposits placed for seasonal egg reservations are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Due to our strict bio-security program, we do not accept returns of hatching eggs, chicks, started poultry, or adult birds. All live poultry sales are final.
Live Bird Orders & Deposits
When you place an order for chicks or live poultry, you are reserving birds that have not yet been hatched or raised. To fulfill these orders, we must allocate breeding stock, set eggs, and commit resources specifically for your reservation.
For this reason, a non-refundable 40% deposit is required on all chick and live bird orders.
Your deposit secures your place in our production schedule and allows us to move forward with setting eggs on your behalf. We do not routinely set eggs simply to create additional birds for sale; each hatch is carefully planned based on customer reservations and the needs of our own breeding program.
By placing a deposit, you acknowledge that life is being created specifically to fulfill your order and agree to the terms of our sales policy.
Chick Pickup Policy
To provide the best possible experience for both our customers and our birds, we schedule most hatches to occur on weekends, allowing for convenient pickup arrangements.
We strongly encourage customers to collect their chicks on the scheduled pickup date. Prompt pickup helps ensure chicks transition quickly into their new brooder environment and reduces unnecessary stress.
If you are unable to make your scheduled pickup, please contact us as soon as possible. We are happy to work with customers to arrange an alternate pickup date whenever possible.
Clear communication allows us to plan appropriately and continue providing the highest standard of care for every bird raised at Birch Acres Homestead.
We take great care in collecting, storing, and packaging our hatching eggs. Each order is carefully packed using protective foam shippers designed to minimize movement and reduce the risk of damage during transit.
Despite our best efforts, hatching eggs are fragile by nature, and shipping damage can occasionally occur. Once an order has been accepted by the shipping courier, the handling and transportation of the eggs are beyond our control. For this reason, we do not offer refunds, replacements, or credits for eggs that arrive cracked, damaged, delayed, mishandled, or otherwise affected during shipping.
By purchasing hatching eggs from Birch Acres Homestead, customers acknowledge and accept the risks associated with shipping fertile eggs. This includes, but is not limited to, cracked shells, detached or loose air cells, reduced hatch rates, delayed delivery, rough handling by the courier, and other transit-related issues that may impact egg viability.
The purchase of hatching eggs constitutes acceptance of this policy and confirms the buyer's understanding that all sales are final. We encourage customers to carefully review our Hatching Egg Guide prior to incubation, as it contains valuable information and recommendations for managing common shipping-related issues and maximizing hatch success.
We remain committed to providing high-quality hatching eggs, honest communication, and the educational resources necessary to help our customers achieve the best possible results.