We guarantee live arrival of your poultry shipment. In the rare case that birds arrive deceased, you must notify us within 24 hours of delivery with clear photos of the losses. We may offer a refund, credit, or replacement at our discretion. We do not guarantee survival beyond 24 hours post-delivery.
We do our best to fulfill every order exactly as placed, but due to hatch rate variability, some breeds may be unavailable on hatch day. If this occurs, we’ll attempt to contact you to offer substitutions, rescheduling, or quantity adjustments. If we can’t reach you, we may either ship what’s available or reschedule your order at our discretion. We never substitute breeds without your permission. Customers are encouraged to check their email and phone before and on hatch day. Customers may also leave substitution preferences in the order notes at checkout.
Orders may be cancelled up to 7 calendar days before the scheduled hatch or ship date. Cancellations are subject to a 15% or $15 processing fee—whichever is greater. Cancellation requests within 7 days of the scheduled hatch or ship date are non-refundable.
All chicks and poultry leave our facility visibly healthy and properly vaccinated (if selected). While we guarantee live delivery, we are not responsible for deaths resulting from customer handling, improper brooder setup, or extreme weather. It is the customer’s responsibility to provide appropriate heat, bedding, feed, and water upon arrival.
Customers may request changes to their order (e.g., breed substitutions, quantity updates) up to 7 days before the hatch date. Change requests must be submitted in writing to sales@valleyfarmshatchery.com and are subject to availability. Changes made within 7 days of hatch date may not be accommodated and are not guaranteed.
If selected during checkout, your chicks will be vaccinated against Marek’s Disease prior to shipment or pickup. Unvaccinated chicks are shipped at the customer’s risk. Valley Farms Hatchery is not responsible for Marek’s-related illness in chicks where vaccination was declined. Valley Farms Hatchery makes no guarantee that Marek’s Vaccination is 100% effective.
It is the customer’s responsibility to provide an accurate and complete shipping address at the time of ordering. Valley Farms Hatchery is not responsible for orders that are delayed, misrouted, or delivered to the wrong post office due to incorrect or incomplete address information provided by the customer.
We do our best to include a few extra chicks with most orders (usually 1–4%) as a courtesy, but we cannot guarantee extras will be included. Factors such as hatch rates, breed availability, and shipping constraints may limit our ability to provide additional chicks. Customers should always plan based on the number of chicks they have ordered and paid for, as only the purchased quantity is guaranteed.
Our sexed poultry (pullets or cockerels) come with a 90% sexing accuracy guarantee. If more than 10% of the poultry are incorrectly sexed, we will offer compensation in the form of a refund or credit based on the overage. Straight run (unsexed) birds are excluded from this guarantee.
To ensure warmth and survivability during transit, a minimum of 10 poultry items is required per order. This includes chicks, ducklings, or other live poultry. Orders that do not meet the minimum may be delayed or canceled.
While we strive to meet all scheduled hatch and ship dates, delays may occur due to fertility rates, hatch rates, weather, or USPS delays. Customers will be notified as soon as possible in the event of a delay. We are not liable for any damages, costs, or losses resulting from such delays.
Customers who choose local pickup must collect their poultry on the scheduled pickup date. A confirmation email with pickup instructions, time, and location will be sent prior to the date. Unclaimed orders may be forfeited without refund. We will provide you with a ventilated box to transport your poultry home in.
Refunds, when approved, will be issued to the original payment method. If the card used has expired, a USPS money order will be mailed to the original purchaser, with a $5 processing fee withheld. Refunds are evaluated case-by-case and are not guaranteed for live poultry losses beyond the live arrival window. Refunds will not be issued via alternative or third-party payment methods.
To protect the health and safety of our birds and customers, Valley Farms Hatchery follows strict biosecurity protocols. We do not accept returns of live poultry under any circumstances, as doing so poses a serious health risk to our flocks. All sales of live poultry are final once picked up or shipped. Public access to the hatchery facility is not permitted; however, customers who choose local pickup are welcome to do so under our curbside protocol. Upon arrival, customers must remain in their vehicles and call us at 256-314-2282. A staff member will bring the order directly to the vehicle. These measures are in place to ensure a clean, disease-free environment for all poultry and to uphold the highest standards of flock health.