Frequently Asked Questions
NOTE: The term ‘Chick’ is used here as a generic for chick, duckling, and gosling
What You Should Expect
Not every chick we sell will be show quality or flawless. Dark-egg chicks are hatched from dark eggs laid by our large, primary breeding flock, which may have flaws. We continually work on our breeding program, but imperfection is the rule and to be expected. SOP chicks are from specially selected adult birds that meet the criteria specified in the American Poultry Association's Standards of Perfection. That said, their chicks cannot be expected to be perfect. Here again, imperfection is the rule and to be expected, possibly even disqualifying traits. While we don't expect disqualifying traits to appear, genetics is challenging and birds can have unexpected recessive genes that can become dominant if in the rooster and the hen. Birds are like people—no one is perfect, so please, have realistic expectations.
Ordering and Payment
Orders should be placed online through our Store website page.
Checks may be mailed to:
Thornfield Poultry
Hillsborough, NC
Shipping
Orders are shipped on Monday or Tuesday via the United States Postal Service Priority Express only. You will be invoiced for the cost of shipping one to three days, generally, prior to the actual shipping of your eggs, chicks, ducklings, or goslings. You will receive the tracking number by email when the birds have shipped.
To ensure the speediest shipment, all shipped chicks are carried to a USPS hub, either in Raleigh or Greensboro. Unfortunately, the USPS does not guarantee overnight delivery of chicks. Delivery depends on your zip code location. Please contact your local post office and alert them of the expected delivery. Chicks will be held at your local post office for you to pick up. We encourage you to track your shipment progress. USPS Priority Express guarantees delivery within 1 to 3 days, but DOES NOT guarantee FOR A SPECIFIC TIME, such as 1 day.
72-Hour Live Chick Guarantee
A minimum of six chicks, five ducklings, or two goslings is required for a shipping order. Chicks and ducklings may be shipped together, but goslings must be shipped separately for the safety of the smaller breeds. Thornfield Poultry guarantees receipt of the same number of chicks ordered and their survival for 72-hour after you receive them.
Pullet or Adult Bird Pick Up
We do not ship purchased pullets or adults. They must be picked up in person at a pre-appointed time at the entrance to our farm or a coordinated location.
Hatching Eggs
We sell our darkest Black Copper Marans eggs, which generally are 7s and 8s. While we take extreme care to ship our eggs as protected as possible, we cannot guarantee fertility or that eggs won't get broken. Once the eggs have shipped, their handling is beyond our control. We use our own, customized, extra thick foam shippers, double-boxed with peanuts in both boxes to insure the best protection. WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR EGGS, REMOVE THEM FROM THE INNER FOAM SHIPPER BY PUSHING THE EGGS UP THROUGH THE FOAM FROM THE BOTTOM.
Arrival of Day-Olds
When you receive your baby chicks, we recommend you immediately place them into a warm incubator for 6 to 12 hours and provide them with fresh water and a good chick starter. In the first week or so, we like to feed our young a mixture of water with a supplement called Rooster Booster in the ratio of ½ teaspoon Rooster Booster to 1 gallon of water. Your new chicks will need a brooder to stay warm until their down has been replaced by feathers and average night temperatures stay about 70 degrees.
Order Cancellation
You may cancel your order for a full refund, if cancelled more than 30 days prior to your anticipated ship date. If you cancel your order within 30 days of your ship date, there will be a $50.00 late cancellation fee. The balance will be promptly refunded.
NPIP Certification
We are NPIP Certified in the State of North Carolina, meaning our poultry flocks are tested every 6 months and certified free of Pullorum-Typhoid and Avian Influenza.
No Farm Tours
We are very proud of our farm and would love to share it with you, but due to biosecurity concerns, maintaining our NPIP certification, and the safety of visitors and our livestock guardian dogs, we are unable to provide farm tours.