Terms and Policies- Read Before Purchasing Hatching Eggs And Chicks. We only ship in the state of CA.

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We only sell chicks, hatching eggs, and eating eggs and only ship within the state of California. We will no longer be selling juvenile or adult birds. If at anytime juvenile or adult birds become available, they will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram @ellisonfamilyhomestead for local pickup only.

 

We cannot guarantee the fertilization or hatch rate of any eggs. We test hatch continuously from all our breeding pens, including before offering any eggs for sale. We get excellent hatch rates from our pens in our GQF Sportsman Incubator. We do not sell any hatching eggs from pens that have less than 85% fertilization rate. Your hatch rate from our eggs can be anywhere from zero to 100% no matter if the eggs are shipped or not, as hatching is dependent the type of incubator, hatcher or broody hen used, the ambient temperature and humidity, and handling by the person doing the hatching. If you have eggs shipped, we cannot control what the post office does with the eggs after they have been dropped off at the USPS counter. Rough handling, x-ray, and shaking of the package can cause eggs to break or kill the embryo, rendering it unviable. By purchasing eggs from us, you acknowledge that you have read and understand these facts and accept the risk that you may get a great hatch or none at all. No refunds will be given for poor hatch rates. If you want live chicks, purchase live chicks. We usually send extras just in case, but if your shipment of eggs arrives with broken eggs beyond the number of extras, is up to you to file an insurance claim with USPS. Eggs are shipped via USPS priority mail in a custom foam egg shipper insert with $100 of insurance included. We will do our best to package the eggs well and will only send eggs that we would set in our own incubator.

 

As with eggs, we cannot guarantee the health of chicks after they have left our property. Chicks are fragile and as such, we recommend that you do your research on chick care before purchasing chicks from anywhere, including our homestead. It is normal to lose up to 10% of chicks within the first few weeks of life. Some fail to thrive, get trampled by other chicks, or can’t find the food/water. Others may develop issues like coccidiosis or respiratory issues if their brooder is dirty. Still others may become chilled if not given the proper heat source. We carefully inspect every chick before they are sold but are not responsible for how you brood them. We do guarantee live arrival of the number of chicks you ordered. We require that you open the shipping box immediately and take photos of any deceased chicks still in their shipping box and text or email them to us immediately at 209-617-4172 or ellisonfamilyhomestead@gmail.com. Failure to do so will void all guarantees. At our sole discretion, we will either refund the purchase price of or replace chicks that are deceased on arrival, excluding any extras. Chicks that perish after live arrival are not eligible for refund or replacement. Please have your brooder, chick feed, and water ready to go before bringing chicks home. Shipping and handling fees are not refundable.

 

All shipped chick and egg orders will be marked “Hold for pickup” with your phone number. The post office will call you when they arrive at your local post office. You must plan to be available to pick them up on that day. Most shipments will arrive within 1-2 days as we only offer shipping in state. Failure to pick up chicks or eggs from the post office within 3 hours after they have arrived at your local post office or as soon as the post office opens if the chicks or eggs arrive outside business hours, will void all guarantees.

 

Chick sexing is not an exact science. For our breeds that are sexable at hatch, we guarantee that you will receive the correct sex of chick ordered. If the chick grows up to be the opposite sex of what you ordered, we will refund the price difference between the two sexes if, and only if, we are notified as soon as the mis-sexing is noticeable. You must be able to provide photos or video of the mis-sexed chicken. For example, if you ordered a sexable pullet and it grows up to be a cockerel, we will refund the difference in the price of the pullet and cockerel. If, however, you knowingly keep the cockerel for longer than 6 months. We will no longer honor this clause. All of our breeds can be sexed easily before 6 months of age. If you are unsure, please send us photos and we will help you identify any potential cockerels. All other chicks that are not labelled as auto-sexing or sex-linked, are always sold as straight run (unknown sex) and we make no guarantees on the sex of the chicks. Prices reflect the straight run sale of these chicks. Once the chicks are old enough to be sexed, prices will change. We do not accept roosters back due to biosecurity measures but can help you to rehome them if needed.

We guarantee that the chicks will be of the breed that you ordered. However, we cannot guarantee that any of them will grow up to be show quality, meet the breed standard, or lay the exact desired egg color. There are always variations in every breed and recessive or undesirable traits that may take many generations to show up. There can also be dozens of genes that control each individual trait, like egg color. We are constantly culling and breeding the best of each generation, but we have never seen a perfect specimen of any chicken. They all have flaws. We can make an educated guess on the egg color that a pullet will most likely lay. But, we can never guarantee 100% that the pullet will grow up to lay an exact color. Even two full sibling hens can lay different colors. It is impossible to control all variables. Eggs also change drastically in color depending on the age of the bird and where they are in the breeding season. Every breeding pen is a work in progress and the work never ends.

 

All shipped birds and eggs must be paid in full, including shipping costs, before they are shipped. No exceptions. Shipping costs are never refundable.

 

We do not price match. To ask a small farmer to match the prices of mass produced, inhumanely treated chickens is ridiculous. If you’re looking just for eggs and want the cheapest chicks, please purchase from the large commercial hatcheries. Their birds will lay lots of eggs for you. Our breeding birds have been carefully curated from the top breeders in the country, hatched, grown out, and selectively bred over many, many years. Some are rare, imported breeds that you may not find anywhere else in California. You’re not paying for a bird, you’re paying for years of work and expertise. Why pay $50 for a laying Black Copper Marans hen? Because it probably took the breeder 100 birds and 5 years of selective breeding to obtain those gorgeous dark brown eggs. Is $50 worth 100 birds and 5 years of work? Very much so.

 

Do NOT purchase eggs, chicks, or chickens from us if you do not agree with all of these policies. If you purchase eggs, chicks, or any chicken from us here at Ellison Family Homestead, you acknowledge that you understand and accept all the terms outlined in our policies.

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How to order:

Email or text us at ellisonfamilyhomestead@gmail.com or 209-617-4172 with the breeds you are interested in and whether you want hatching eggs or chicks and how many of each.

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​CURRENT AVAILABILITY (None- Please check back in Feb 2025)

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View OUR 2024 BREED AND PRICE LIST. Price includes Marek's Vaccination. 

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