Wise County Chicken Farm partners with trusted hatcheries to offer hatching eggs shipped directly to customers. Because hatching eggs are a natural agricultural product and must travel through the mail, fertility, development, and hatch results cannot be guaranteed.

By purchasing shipped hatching eggs, the customer acknowledges and accepts the inherent risks associated with shipping and incubating fertile eggs. Please review this policy carefully before placing your order.

Shipping Schedule and Availability

Hatching eggs are generally shipped Monday through Wednesday through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Shipping schedules may vary based on egg availability, breeder production, holidays, weather conditions, and carrier operations.

Requested ship dates and estimated delivery dates are not guaranteed. Orders may be delayed when necessary to collect fresh eggs or when shipping conditions could place the eggs at unnecessary risk.

Hatching egg availability is seasonal and may change without notice. Because hens are living animals, laying patterns and egg production cannot be guaranteed.

Direct Shipment from Hatchery Partners

Hatching eggs may be shipped directly from one of our trusted hatchery partners. Egg selection, packaging methods, and shipment timing are managed by the supplying hatchery.

Wise County Chicken Farm serves as the retailer and point of contact for the order. Customers should contact Wise County Chicken Farm directly with any questions or concerns rather than contacting the supplying hatchery.

Packaging and USPS Handling

Every reasonable effort is made to carefully package hatching eggs for shipment. However, once a package enters the USPS shipping network, it may be exposed to vibration, impact, temperature changes, delays, pressure changes, and handling conditions outside our control.

An egg may appear intact while still experiencing internal shipping damage, including:

• Detached, loose, or saddled air cells
• Disrupted or damaged internal membranes
• Hairline cracks that are difficult to see
• Temperature-related damage
• Interrupted or failed embryo development

These conditions may affect development or hatchability even when the eggs arrive without visible exterior damage.

Fertility and Hatchability

Hatching eggs are collected from breeder flocks with access to roosters and are sold as fertile hatching eggs. However, fertility is biological and may naturally vary by season, breed, individual bird, breeder age, weather, and other factors.

A fertile egg does not guarantee that an embryo will develop or that a chick will successfully hatch. Wise County Chicken Farm does not guarantee:

• A specific fertility percentage
• A specific number of developing embryos
• A specific hatch rate
• A specific number of live chicks
• The successful development of every egg

No refunds, replacements, or store credits will be issued based solely on fertility results, development rates, or hatch rates.

Incubation Variables

Hatch results can be affected by many conditions that occur after delivery and are outside the control of Wise County Chicken Farm and the supplying hatchery. These include, but are not limited to:

• Incubator temperature accuracy
• Humidity levels
• Egg turning frequency and technique
• Ventilation and airflow
• Incubator cleanliness
• Power outages or temperature fluctuations
• Incubator calibration
• Storage conditions after delivery
• The amount of time eggs are allowed to rest
• Candling, handling, and incubation practices
• Customer experience and equipment performance

Customers are responsible for using properly functioning and accurately calibrated incubation equipment.

Customer Responsibilities Upon Delivery

Customers are responsible for monitoring tracking information and retrieving the package promptly upon delivery.

Upon receiving shipped hatching eggs, customers should inspect the shipment carefully before discarding, rearranging, cleaning, or disposing of any packaging materials or damaged eggs.

If the package or eggs appear damaged, photographs should be taken immediately showing the package and contents as they were received.

After inspection, we generally recommend:

Allowing undamaged eggs to rest with the pointed end down before incubation.

Keeping the eggs in a stable, temperature-controlled environment while resting.

Following incubation recommendations appropriate for the species and breed ordered.

Confirming incubator temperature and humidity with reliable, calibrated instruments.

Recommendations may vary depending on transit time, species, incubation method, and the condition of the air cells.

Visible Package Damage, Cracked Eggs & Broken Eggs

If a shipment arrives with visible package damage, cracked eggs, broken eggs, leaking contents, or other obvious physical damage, the customer must contact Wise County Chicken Farm as soon as possible and no later than 12 hours after confirmed delivery.

Required Photographs for a Damage Claim

To submit a damage claim, customers must provide clear photographs documenting the condition of the shipment as it arrived.

Required photographs include:

• One clear photograph of the shipping label on the top of the box showing the tracking and delivery information.
• Clear photographs of all exterior sides of the shipping box, including:
  • Top
  • Bottom
  • Front
  • Back
  • Left side
  • Right side
• Close-up photographs of any visible damage to the package, including crushed areas, dents, punctures, tears, openings, water damage, or other visible shipping damage.
• A photograph of the package immediately after opening, showing the interior packaging and contents in the position and condition in which they arrived.
• A photograph showing the entire contents of the shipment together, including all eggs and packing materials.
• A photograph showing all eggs received.

Clear photographs of every visibly cracked, broken, leaking, crushed, or otherwise damaged egg.

When possible, photographs showing damaged eggs in their original position within the packaging before they are removed.

Wise County Chicken Farm may request additional photographs, information, or documentation if needed to evaluate the damage or complete a carrier claim.

Photographs that do not clearly document the shipping label, exterior condition of the package, interior packaging, full contents, and damaged eggs may be insufficient to support a claim.

Retaining the Package and Damaged Contents

Customers must retain all original shipping materials and damaged contents until Wise County Chicken Farm confirms that they may be discarded.

This includes:

• The original shipping box
• All interior packing materials
• All damaged or broken eggs
• All remaining contents of the shipment

The postal carrier may require the recipient to present the damaged package, packaging materials, eggs, or other evidence to a local postal facility for inspection.

Failure to retain the package, damaged contents, or other required evidence may prevent the postal carrier from approving the claim and may result in denial of compensation.

Customer Cooperation With Carrier Claims

The customer is responsible for reasonably cooperating with Wise County Chicken Farm in documenting and submitting a damage claim to the applicable postal carrier.

This cooperation may include:

• Providing all required photographs and documentation.
• Retaining the shipping box, packing materials, damaged eggs, and contents.
• Responding to requests for additional information.
• Presenting the damaged shipment to a postal facility for inspection if requested by the carrier.
• Completing or signing documentation reasonably required to process the claim.

Failure to provide requested documentation or cooperate with the carrier claim process may result in the claim being denied.

Damage Claim Review & Resolution

Submission of a damage claim does not automatically guarantee replacement, store credit, or reimbursement.

Claims are reviewed based on the documentation provided, the circumstances of the shipment, product availability, and the applicable postal carrier's claim process.

When a qualifying shipment arrives damaged, Wise County Chicken Farm will generally attempt to resolve the matter in the following order:

1. Replacement Shipment

Our first preference is to replace hatching eggs that were lost due to documented shipping damage.

Replacement eggs are subject to:

• Breed availability
• Seasonal laying and production
• Hatchery availability
• Minimum shipping requirements
• Weather and safe shipping conditions

An immediate replacement shipment or specific replacement date cannot be guaranteed.

2. Store Credit

If replacement eggs are no longer available or cannot reasonably be reshipped, Wise County Chicken Farm may issue store credit for the value of the approved damaged eggs or shipment.

Store credit may be issued after the supporting documentation has been reviewed and, when applicable, after resolution of the postal carrier claim.

3. Refund to Original Payment Method

A refund to the original payment method is not guaranteed and is not the standard resolution for damaged hatching egg shipments.

At the sole discretion of Wise County Chicken Farm, a refund to the original payment method may be issued when replacement or store credit is not appropriate, or when otherwise required by applicable law.

Carrier Claim Determination

When reimbursement is being sought for damage that occurred while the shipment was in the custody of the postal carrier, the carrier's approval or denial of the claim may be considered when determining the final resolution available to the customer.

Wise County Chicken Farm cannot guarantee that a postal carrier will approve a damage claim.

A carrier's denial of reimbursement may affect the remedies available under this policy, particularly when required photographs, packaging, damaged contents, or other evidence were not retained or provided.

Limits of Damage Claims

Damage claims apply to visible physical shipping damage, including visibly cracked, broken, crushed, or leaking eggs and documented physical damage to the shipping package.

Loose, detached, rolling, or saddled air cells and other internal shipping effects are inherent risks associated with purchasing shipped hatching eggs and are not considered visible shipping damage eligible for compensation.

Poor fertility, failure to develop, reduced hatch rates, embryo loss, or failure to hatch are not considered shipping-damage claims.

Any approved compensation is limited to the value of the affected eggs or shipment as determined under this policy.

Compensation does not include incubators, incubation supplies, electricity, feed, veterinary expenses, lost production, lost profits, or other incidental or consequential expenses.

Incorrect or Incomplete Shipping Information

Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address, telephone number, and email address when placing an order.

Wise County Chicken Farm is not responsible for delays, losses, returned packages, or additional charges caused by an incorrect or incomplete address. Orders generally cannot be rerouted after entering the USPS shipping network.

Carrier and Weather Delays

USPS delivery dates and transit times are estimates and are not guaranteed. Wise County Chicken Farm and our hatchery partners are not responsible for delays caused by USPS, weather, transportation interruptions, natural disasters, holidays, government actions, or other circumstances outside our control.

Orders may be postponed during extreme heat, extreme cold, severe storms, or other unsafe shipping conditions. Any such delay is intended to protect the quality and viability of the eggs.

Cancellations and Changes

Because hatching egg orders may be scheduled, collected, and prepared specifically for the customer, cancellation or change requests are not guaranteed.

Orders cannot be cancelled after they have been processed for shipment or transferred to the supplying hatchery for fulfillment. Requests to change a breed, quantity, shipping address, or requested shipment date must be submitted as soon as possible and may be declined if fulfillment has already begun.

Returns

For biosecurity, food safety, and product-integrity reasons, hatching eggs cannot be returned or exchanged.

Customers should not mail eggs back to Wise County Chicken Farm or the supplying hatchery unless specifically instructed to do so in writing.

Breed and Assortment Expectations

Egg color, shell shade, size, shape, and natural appearance may vary. These differences are normal and do not necessarily indicate a problem with fertility or quality.

When purchasing an assortment, hatchery choice, or mixed-breed offering, the exact number of eggs from each breed or variety is not guaranteed unless specifically stated in the product listing.

When purchasing breeds for certain feather colors, egg colors, or other traits, offspring characteristics may vary because genetics are not always expressed uniformly.

Acknowledgment of Risk

Purchasing shipped hatching eggs involves greater risk than obtaining eggs locally because the shipment must pass through a commercial carrier network.

By completing a purchase, the customer confirms that they understand and accept:

• That hatch rates are not guaranteed
• That fertility and development may naturally vary
• That shipping may cause visible or invisible internal damage
• That incubation equipment and practices affect results
• That delivery dates are estimates
• That hatching eggs cannot be returned
• That claims are limited to eggs arriving visibly broken and properly documented within the required timeframe

Questions or Concerns

Please contact Wise County Chicken Farm before ordering if you have questions about shipping, breed availability, minimum order requirements, incubation, or this policy.

We are happy to provide general educational guidance; however, Wise County Chicken Farm cannot control shipping conditions, incubation equipment, customer practices, fertility outcomes, or final hatch results.