Q: What can I reasonably expect when I buy hatching eggs and chicks from Greendale Heritage Farms?
A: The chickens sold by Greendale Heritage Farms are rare and costly to import. When you buy from us you can be confident that you are buying some of the rarest poultry in Canada. But, “rare” does not equate to “perfect,” and the birds you buy may not be flawless physical specimens. Just as only a few children are destined to grow into supermodels, only a few chickens are destined to win ribbons at shows. You should be realistic in your expectations. Our birds do not have a golden aura that radiates from the very core of their being. Chickens, like all living things, show much individual variation, and frequently those variations are imperfections. Also, know that most of the chicken breeds we sell are so rare that there is no written standard for the breed against which an individual bird can be measured. You should also realize that the rarer the breed, the more likely you are to encounter problems related to inbreeding. For some breeds and varieties that we sell, the global breeding population consists of fewer than a dozen hens. Greendale Heritage Farms does not sell birds with obvious, significant defects from inbreeding like crooked toes. But unfortunately low fertility, low disease resistance, and other challenges are not uncommon with extremely rare breeds. If you encounter these challenges when the birds become adults, you will need to address them with your own breeding plan which I am happy to help you with. We cannot offer refunds or replacements at a later date if a defect becomes evident in your birds.
Q: Can I place a deposit on hatching eggs and chicks so you’ll hold my place in line until they’re available?
A: Yes! On any order for chicks or hatching eggs, you can send Greendale Heritage Farms a deposit of half the order total and we will hold your place in line. Shortly before the hatching eggs or chicks become available to ship or be picked up we will notify you, and you can pay the balance owed. If you cancel your order for any reason other than the hatching eggs or chicks have been delayed beyond the estimated ship date, your deposit will be forfeited.
Q: When ordering chicks can you sell me all pullets and no cockerels?
A: We do offer auto sexing breeds so yes, you can order only pullets or cockerels within the auto sexing breeds. Any of the other breeds we offer that are not auto sexing you will end up with pullets and cockerels, they are sold unsexed.
Q: Will you sell me point of lay chickens?
A: As a general rule, we only sell hatching eggs and day old chicks. Ocassionally we have pullets and cockerels available. Or we can raise your chicks to 10 to 14 weeks old, for $50.00 each. Greendale Heritage Farms raises very rare breeds of chickens – many of which are in danger of becoming extinct – and we are committed to increasing their numbers.
Q: Do you have a print catalog?
A: Sorry, no. But if you’re reading this online, you’re viewing our online catalog.
Q: How much do you charge for shipping chicks? Do you ship internationally?
A: We ship within Canada only. We will ship by air if the chicks will arrive at your destination within a day. We charge $45 for a plastic shipping carrier, this includes delivery to the Abbotsford B.C. airport. The carrier holds up to 10 to 55 day old chicks.
We ship via West Jet Cargo from Abbotsford, B.C., YXX, all over Canada, or if within BC we ship to the coastal communities via Island Express.
Chicks can also be shipped to limited ACE Courier Depots in B.C. and Alberta.
Q: How do you set the prices for your birds?
A: The short answer: The prices we charge reflect the increased costs we incur to make our chickens available to you.
Many of our birds are from imported stock, and it is very expensive to import birds.There is quarantine costs, shipping, permitting, Customs brokers, veterinary testing, buying the birds themselves, and the cost to import a single chicken runs in the hundreds of dollars. It is costly to start a small breeding group, and it takes hard work to locate and import those birds.
Our domestically raised chickens likewise reflect the extraordinary cost that was incurred in their development. For example, several breeders from whom we bought stock have spent decades and tens of thousands of hours refining their flocks. These breeders can charge a great deal of money for their birds. While we could have purchased chickens for less money from some other breeders, we would not have been buying birds that show the same level of rigorous selective breeding. We would respectfully suggest that just as a puppy from the animal shelter is less expensive than the dog that was awarded Best in Show at Westminster, all chickens – even of the same breed – shouldn’t command exactly the same price. The reality is that all chickens are not created equal, and the prices you pay reflect that difference.
You should also know that all breeders do not treat their stock in the same manner. At Greendale Heritage Farms, we house our birds in large free range pens and pay good people to clean up after them, feed them, and care for them. We do not feed our birds drugs or keep them under artificial light to stimulate egg-laying in our hens. We are proud of the way we treat our animals and if you have visited our farm you know the care and love taken in raising our chickens.
Q: What are your terms and policies for ordering?
A: When our customers order from us, we ask that they read, understand and agree to these terms and policies:
Minimum Order
The minimum order for hatching eggs is a dozen. The minimum order for day-old chicks is 10 chicks. You can order any combination of breeds or varieties to meet the minimum .
Shipping of Hatching Eggs
Orders are usually shipped on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday each week and are delivered by the Canada Post or Greyhound. We will email you the tracking number when your order ships. We ship via Priority mail or Express Post. I will give you a quote on the cost of shipping via Canada Post. We also can ship Purolator or Fed Ex. We can arrange to ship chicks via West Jet. This usually costs about $150.00 for a box of chicks.
Payment
Full payment is due when the order is placed. We prefer email bank transfers but also accept Paypal, money orders, and personal checks. Email bank transfer and Paypal is [email protected].
Timing of Shipment and Order Cancellation
It is difficult to precisely predict laying rates, fertility rates, and hatch rates, especially when dealing with small numbers of very rare chickens. We do our best to accurately estimate delivery dates, but it is only an estimate, and we can be wrong. You will be placed on a waiting list when you pay for your order, and nobody will be allowed to jump ahead of you in line. Greendale Heritage Farms is not a commercial hatchery, and frequently the ‘factory’ that will produce your order consists of two or three hens that will quit laying for the most trivial reason or for no reason at all. Please be patient. If we do not deliver the birds on or before the estimated ship date, you may cancel your order and immediately receive a full refund. If you cancel an order for any reason other than late delivery, you will be refunded 50% of the amount you paid for the order.
What You Should Expect.
You should expect fertile hatching eggs when you order them with extras when I can provide them. You should expect chicks that are healthy when you receive them and on the average are higher quality than birds you would buy from a large commercial hatchery. Just as every child is not destined to become a supermodel, every chick is not destined to win ribbons at shows. We do not represent that every chick we sell is show quality. You should receive chicks that can be the foundation for a breeding program that with enough time and skill can produce show-quality birds. You should also realize that the rarer the breed, the more likely you are to encounter problems related to inbreeding. For some breeds and varieties that we sell, the global breeding population consists of fewer than a dozen hens. We cull for obvious defects like crooked toes, but low fertility, low egg production, and other challenges are not uncommon with extremely rare breeds. If you encounter these challenges when the birds become adults, you will need to address them with your own breeding plan.
Farm Visits
For the health and safety of our birds we allow visits to our farm only upon pickup of hatching eggs and chicks. We practice bio security to protect our flocks and yours. Instructions for bio security will be sent to you before you visit. Please understand our birds mean everything to us and it is up to us to protect them from disease, we cannot risk their health by allowing farm visits.
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