Eggs are hand collected daily and shipped Monday through Thursdays and on Saturday's via USPS Priority Mail. Shipping usually takes 3 business days, but on some occasions may take upto 5 days.
Eggs are individually bubble wrapped, placed in a box and padded with shredded cardboard. This box is then place into a larger box with is also padded with shredded cardboard. Last year we had over 160 orders of hatching eggs and can happily claim that only 2 customers reported receiving damaged eggs.
As we ship USPS priority mail, all packages are insured by default up to $100.00
It is important if the package is bent/crushed to take pictures before opening. Then take pictures of any broken contents. You can then file a claim with the USPS for any damage/loss using your receipt and photos.
Please check the hatching guide related to the breed you ordered. Links can be found on our main menu, under "Guides"
We cannot guarantee the viability of the eggs or the success of your hatches and therefore do not warrant refunds. We’ve ordered eggs over the internet USPS priority mail and had them arrive in 3 days another order shipped same method has taken 2 weeks to arrive. Also, shaking or bouncing of the eggs can impact viability, and we have no control of how the package is handled in route or if it gets X-rayed. We usually ship within 1-2 days of receiving an order and shipping takes on average 1-3 business days to arrive. We recommend having your eggs held at the Post Office of pick up. This negates your egg bouncing around in the delivery truck and or sitting in the sun/snow on your front porch. We can mark you eggs to “Hold for Pickup with your phone number” if desired. Just make these notes on your order or payment.
Note: We cannot guarantee a hatch rate, due to the nature of shipping, incubation, etc., but are willing to work with you regarding any problems you may have.
We don't offer sexed chicks for most of our breeds, so you have a 50% chance of receiving males or females. The exception would be our German Bielefelder chickens. They are an auto sexing breed and male/female can be easily determines at hatch. We recommend if your buying one of our breeds that aren't auto sexing, and have an expection of a set # of females, to buy a few extra. Once they are old enough to determine male/female, you can get rid of the males.
We do not vaccinate our chicks/ducklings/gosslings. We are registered under the US Department of Agricultures, National Poultry Improvement Plan and are NPIP/Avian Influenza free certified. Our flocks are closely monitored and you can be assured your are receiving the best quality, healthy livestock from our farm.
Many HOA's or city ordinances restrict keeping roosters, or there just to darn noisy. It's good to know that most don't start crowing until 12+ weeks.
We regretfully can't take them back due to our strick bio security and quarantine requirements which are part of our NPIP certification. However, there are some options:
Check our hatching guide related to the species you ordered.
“Nest run eggs” are eggs which are unwashed, ungraded and unmarked as to grade and size. These usually come from local farms or homesteads directly and are for consumption.
Mainly no, as we collect the majority of our Duck/Chicken nest run eggs from our female only flocks. On occasion, we may have excess eggs from our breeding flocks that are added to our nest run eggs sales.
The very best way to store fresh eggs from your own chickens is at room temperature. Really! When eggs are laid they’re covered in a protective coating called a bloom. Egg shells are naturally porous; air, water, germs, and smells can enter the shell. But the bloom seals the egg and blocks bacteria from entering, keeping the egg fresh and safe. However, when you chill an egg, the yolk and white inside do what all chilled liquids do: they expand. This essentially “breaks” the bloom, allowing bacteria to get in. So your eggs are better off on the counter than in the fridge. This is normal in Europe and most other countries, where they don’t even refrigerate eggs at the store.
You should also store eggs with their pointed end facing down. The blunt end of the egg contains an air sac, and storing with the blunt end down will cause the air sac to move. Keeping the air sac at the top prevents it from rupturing and introducing bacteria. It also keeps your yolk centered – which is only important if you’re making deviled eggs and want them to look just right!
Kept at room temperature, eggs are safe and good to eat for at least 4-6 weeks. Many people and experiments have shown that this time could be extended considerably. Personally I prefer to eat mine within two weeks, or refrigerate them. If you’re not planning to eat your eggs within a month, go ahead and stick them in the fridge. Eggs can stay fresh about 7 times longer when chilled. Refrigerated eggs are good for 4-6 months.
Does that sound sketchy to you? Consider this. When you buy eggs at the store, they are often 1-2 months old already. You can find out when your eggs were packaged by checking the 3-digit number next to the “Sell By” date on your carton. For my carton here, that would be day 173 – June 22nd. The “sell by” date is a month later, July 21st. Note that this is not an expiration or even “best by” date. Eggs are considered fresh for 4-5 weeks past the sell by date… which is 2 months past the date they were packaged. They also had to go through a washing process first, adding to their age. And those are eggs without their protective bloom!
This is one of the most common questions asked by new chicken owners. The answer is no, you should not wash your eggs. Remember the bloom we talked about? Washing removes this protective bloom, putting your eggs at risk for bacteria entering. In fact, washing eggs before selling is actually illegal in parts of Europe! If it really bothers you to eat unwashed eggs, you can always wash them right before using.
If you do get an occasional dirty egg, you can buff it clean with sandpaper or wash it with water only. Be sure to use warm water. Cold water will create a vacuum that sucks the dirt and bacteria right inside the egg. Washed eggs must be refrigerated due to loss of the protective bloom. Use these eggs first to reduce risk of contamination. Alternatively, you can scramble the washed egg (shell included!) and feed it back to your chickens or dogs.
This is automatically sent to your email address when you place an order. If you haven’t received your order confirmation within 24 hours, please get in touch at sales@horsethiefhomestead.com just in case there’s a problem with your order. Please check your mailbox’s spam or junk folder before contacting in case the order confirmation has been diverted there.
There is only a short amount of time between when you place your order and when we start processing it. If you contact us straight away after ordering, via sales@horsethiefhomestead.com, we may be able to cancel your order before it’s processed. If not, we’ll despatch your order and then you can return it to us if you wish upon receiving it.
Orders that require shipping within the U.S. will be delivered within three to ten days, depending on your preferred shipping method. Please get in touch if your order hasn’t been delivered according to the expected timescales, and we will check your order status.
We only ship to US customers in the lower 48.
The only products we are currently shipping are hatching eggs. These are being shipped to the lower 48 only and are shipped USPS priority mail, using large flat rate boxes. This costs $22.80
If you are local to Souther Arizona, we offer deliver on certain items. Rates as follows:
Within a 15 mile radius > $20
Within a 50 mile radius > $100
Within a 100 mile radius > $150
Sorry, no. At this time we don't.
