Order fulfillment is on a first come, first served basis, with payments. Payments are required before orders are processed so we can begin order fulfillment. Our orders are processed according to specific seasons: Spring (March – May), Summer (June – August), and Fall (September – November). When it comes to chicken chicks and other fowl babies, we make every effort to fill orders within the selected season. However, depending on factors such as the number of pending orders, egg volume, and peak season demands, there might be occasions where fulfillment takes slightly longer, please be patient. Spring season is generally a longer wait time.

For fowl that exhibit seasonal laying patterns, such as guinea fowl, turkeys, and geese, we prioritize orders received during their specific laying and production season.

fertile eggs – we adhere to a first come, first served basis, considering both the order of payment and seasonal factors. Fulfillment is contingent upon various elements, including seasonal availability, weather conditions, and egg production. It’s worth noting that the collection and fulfillment of egg orders for the new year commence in March. Check out our high demand breeds list for breeds that may take longer to fill.

For fully feathered birds, fulfillment requires a minimum of 3 months, with timing based on the changing seasons, orders ahead, flock size and sexing of the birds. The process encompasses egg collection, followed by incubation (duration varies based on bird type), hatching (taking a month or longer), and subsequent raising to generally that fully feathered age which can range from 9 weeks and up. Given the nature of this process, a minimum 3-month timeframe is necessary to ensure the birds are ready for their new home.

Shipping to Canada: Due to postal regulations and Avian Influenza, hatchlings and eggs cannot be shipped via the postal service into Canada. Our Canadian customers have their birds shipped to a stateside post office for pick up. Let us know in comments that you are from Canada so we can assist!

Cancellations

Any orders that are canceled within one week of purchase will qualify for a full refund from Sugar Feather Farm minus a $5 credit card processing fee.

If you choose to cancel your order, you can decide to receive store credit (excluding shipping cost) or 30% cancellation fee. If you need to cancel your order, please email us the reason for your cancellation and your order number, please don’t cancel over text or chat. We can take certain situations on a case-by-case basis. We work really hard to take care of all our birds and this takes lots of labor and love. Our farm is our livelihood.  In the event that Sugar Feather Farm can’t fill an order, we reserve the right to cancel an order, and a refund will then be issued with explanation.

See example below:

$100 of orders

$25 shipping

Option A:

You will get $95 out of $125 ($100 Orders-%30 Cancellation fee=$70 + $25 Shipping= $95)

This includes Transactional fee also $95-Transactional fee

Female fees will be returned also

Option B

$100 is turned to store credit with $25 shipping costs are refunded only

Female fees will be returned also

Cancellations Prior to Shipment: Any orders cancelled 1-2 weeks before shipment will not be refunded no exceptions.

In case a customer has a deposit and wants credit on the site, the customer can substitute deposit for credits.

Returns and Refunds

Returns: Please note that due to USPS office regulations, we are unable to accept returns of live animals such as chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas, or quail. The only items eligible for return are unopened feed, kombucha starter, oil of oregano, pure raw honey, quail egg scissors, and t-shirts. All other items are nonrefundable.

Refunds: In the event of a refund request, please be aware that refunds will be issued using the original payment method used for your order. It may take up to a week for Sugar Feather Farm to process the refund once contacted, and we appreciate your patience during this time. The processing of the refund on the payment side can take anywhere from 3 days to one week. Please contact your bank for updates on the status of the refund. Once a refund is issued from our end, you will receive an email and text message notification.

Filing disputes or claims with PayPal or Credit Card: We kindly request that you consider reaching out to us directly before filing a claim or dispute. Our team is here to assist you and provide explanations or help resolve any issues. Filing a claim or dispute can have negative implications for our business, resulting in financial costs and potential harm to our farm. If you are disputing shipping fees due to USPS errors, we will need to follow their process, which may require some time. Filing a claim or dispute through PayPal or your bank not only affects us negatively but also hinders the resolution process. Please note that choosing to file a claim or dispute will result in the loss of your ability to shop or make future purchases with us, without exception.

Feed

Unopened bags of feed can be returned to Sugar Feather. Any opened bags will not be able to be refunded or returned.

Hatching Eggs

At Sugar Feather Farm, we ship all hatching eggs through USPS. During the order checkout process, you have two shipping speed options to choose from. The first option is USPS Standard Priority Mail which is a 2-5 day process, which includes insurance coverage up to $50. The second option is Priority Mail Express, which guarantees delivery within 1-3 days and includes insurance coverage up to $100. Typically, we ship hatching eggs on Tuesdays, and during busy periods, we may ship on other days of the week as well. Rest assured that we only ship the freshest eggs that have been carefully collected.

To ensure optimum freshness, we highly recommend selecting Priority Express shipping for your hatching eggs. However, please note that due to the Avian Influenza 2022 outbreak, there may be delays in state approvals and with USPS. While we package our eggs securely to minimize breakage, it’s important to acknowledge that rough handling during shipping, which is beyond our control, may occur.

Our farm takes pride in maintaining healthy birds that are fed a high-quality diet, resulting in strong and well-developed eggs that ship exceptionally well. We conduct fertility tests on our farm and hatch eggs weekly, but please understand that various factors beyond our control, such as USPS handling, temperature fluctuations, seasonality, and your own incubation practices, can affect the development and hatch rates of the eggs. We cannot guarantee the outcome once the eggs have left our farm. It’s worth noting that it’s not possible to determine whether an egg is fertilized or not by simply cracking it open after incubating, as development may not be visible for the reasons mentioned above. We encourage you to read our hatching eggs literature and view our egg candling pictures.

We possess extensive knowledge and expertise in incubation practices, and we urge you to purchase hatching eggs from us only if you fully understand and accept our hatching eggs policy. It’s important to acknowledge that shipping eggs always carries a certain degree of risk. If you desire a guaranteed number of live fowl, we recommend considering the purchase of live babies from our farm.

While any eggs damaged during shipment are nonrefundable on our end, if the package was mishandled and damaged, we will assist you in filing a claim with USPS to process a claim. To proceed with a claim, please ensure you take pictures of the damaged eggs and box, and email them to us within 24 hours of receiving the package.

Babies

There is generally no minimum for shipping and local pick up, however we recommend at least 3. Babies are shipped via USPS Priority Mail Express only and delivered to your post office, normally 1 to 3 days after they leave us. All Express orders are insured up to $100. All babies are sold straight run unless otherwise noted. We ship babies early in the week, and please be prepared to pick up babies promptly from the post office when they arrive. They are not delivered to your home. We do recommend a minimum for the safety of the babies, less and they are not warm enough and issues can arise, please consider this when placing an order. If you want less, we can accommodate but you will need to understand the risks associated with that. When shipping we do our best to equip the babies with all they need for safe travels – food, veggies/fruit/eggs a gel that is like water and food for them, heat packs if needed and a nice floor pad. This is all included in the shipping price.

Sugar Feather Farm believes in giving you the strongest babies so they can have a good start to their new life. We don’t ship or offer newborn babies of any breeds here on the farm, chickens, ducks, turkeys, guinea, geese and quail. We keep them an extra week or two so they can transition well to their new home. If you would rather have newborns, like day old’s, please let us know and we can accommodate this request.

Insurance and Guarantee

Ducklings and goslings ship very well. We have no control over the treatment the fowl receive once they leave us, all shipments and fowl are insured for loss, damage, or shortage occurring in route this is a basic insurance up to $100. If your order is over $100 additional insurance is purchased. If any issues occur during transit, please make your insurance claim though the USPS. We suggest opening that box right there in front of the postal worker, if there is an issue have them make a claim right there! If any chicks arrive with complications not incurred by the post office, promptly send us pictures of the chicks and the box/label with explanation to our email (contact@sugar-feather.com) with your order number in the subject line. We will review and if determined our errors, a credit will be issued. Extra babies sent not included. No refunds/credit will be given for the shipping charge, if sending out any replacements, you will need to pay shipping fee.

Fowl Quality

Sugar feather Farm has sought after stock from what we can tell are reputable breeders. We put all birds through rigorous farm standards to test out their environment, health, and genetics. With that this takes years of work. We do our best to seek the highest quality but many times we find this is not the case and must start over. Raising these breeds are challenging – why they are rare!

You should never expect a cosmetically perfect bird. In fact, you should expect to find some defects in virtually every bird you raise, out of 100 chicks for example only a few will be breeding quality. Just as every child is not destined to become a supermodel, every bird is not destined to win ribbons at shows or be suitable for breeding. Only a tiny fraction of fowl conforms to their breed standard in all respects. We do not represent that every bird we sell is show quality or is flawless. You should receive birds that can be the foundation for a breeding program that with enough time and skill can produce show-quality or breeding quality birds, if that is what you are seeking.

If you want to know any issues or faults with the individual breeds and plan on breeding or showing reach out to us and we can provide some of those details and suggestions. Sugar Feather Farm is not responsible for your program and what happens.

Deposit Policy

Only certain animals are part of the deposit policy. Right now, only the geese and turkeys are qualified for deposits.

Sugar Feather Farm offers a deposit service where you can put down a deposit of 50% of the purchase price on a fowl or product that is out of stock or back ordered to reserve that item when it becomes available. We also offer Zip where you can make payment plans for free. Sugar Feather Farm will keep in close contact on status and time frame for product to be in stock. We typically have a limited stock supply because we are a small operation not a hatchery and stock is dependent on several circumstances that can be out of our control. We are unable to control any unforeseen issues with the birds, weather or seasonal changes. If the bird is not producing or something happens – sickness or death, we can raise a new fowl for you depending on the current hen breeding schedule. Our popular breeds tend to sell out fast. If we can’t accommodate due to any reason on our end a credit will be issued and in very special circumstances a refund. If you need to cancel your order and you have put down a deposit you will forfeit your deposit.

Waiting List (without deposit)

Zip Customer Agreement

Farm Pickups and Visits

We require appointments for all fowl pickups. Please don’t just show up, we might not be able to accommodate you. For Biosecurity there will be no visitors allowed on the farm premises where the birds are fenced or breeding, NO EXCEPTIONS EVER. We have signage indicating this and fencing, please don’t go past this area. It is for the birds and your safety. However, you are welcome to look around at all the birds outside through our fencing prior to selection, it is quite a site to see! Selecting farm pickup at checkout is free of charge. DUE TO COVID-19 and Avian Influenza our pickups are a lot stricter, please see our blog article on this.

UPDATE: 2-2022 There will be no farm tours at this time due to the Avian Influenza Outbreak. When you come for pickup we ask you park at the lower end of drive don’t wear any shoes you wear on your farm or homestead that deals with poultry or waterfowl.

Ayam Cemani

Our Ayam Cemani breeding stock were selected from pure Ayam Cemani chickens for their black features and type. We follow the proposed standard of perfection and are members of the Ayam Cemani Breeders Association.  However, not all Ayam Cemani offspring grow up to be solid black, even with solid black looking parents. They have a special pigmentation called fibromelanosis. We cannot guarantee the distribution of black pigment in the offspring you receive, because the offspring might not carry the double gene for the fibro. These are project birds, which means there is no approved APA standard of perfection. We are constantly working on our breeding program here and each generation brings us closer to this standard. Our birds are very popular, so stock does fluctuate. Be prepared to wait for your bird, they are generally backordered. We will do our best to fill in a timely manner. For returns or refunds on Cemani – there are never returns for any chickens due to biosecurity and NO refunds on Cemani (sexing fee clause does not apply).

High Demand Breeds

Certain breeds we carry have a higher demand than usual. This can be because of popularity, rarity of bird, flock size or egg lay rates. So, this means for hatching eggs we assess the orders already placed and determine when we can fill it then work on collecting eggs. For babies, we set the eggs then it will take at least 22 days till hatch (quail/20 duck/turkey/guinea 29, goose 34). Then we give them a week to acclimate. If there are orders ahead those will be filled first. Expect to wait longer than usual for these breeds during the seasons, the farm is not required on these breeds to abide by the normal timeframes. Pre-ordering the high demand breeds is a good idea so when the season arrives your order processes first.

Payments

We take all forms of payment including Checks, PayPal, Credit Card and Cash, and Money Orders. Checks and cash are reserved for Farm Pickups only. We also include several deposit and payment plan options on our site. Full payment is due before any orders are shipped.

Sexing Birds

Store Credit

Store credit bought on the site can be redeemed for purchases on Sugar Feather Farms site.  Store credit CANNOT be redeemed for CASH. STORE Credit is valid for 3 years. Sugar feather farm reserves the right to change this policy anytime.

Gift Certificate

By purchasing or using a gift certificate (Including codes) issued by sugar-feather.com, you agree to these terms and conditions. Our gift certificates are redeemable for purchases made on sugar-feather.com. To redeem a gift certificated, a valid account needs to exist.

Gift certificates are not refundable and cannot be redeemed for cash except required by applicable law. Gift certificates cannot be used to purchase other gift certificates and cannot be reloaded, resold, or transferred for value. Gift certificates do not expire and are not subject to any fees. Sugar Feather farms has the right to cancel a purchased gift certificate if we suspect it been used or obtained unlawfully or otherwise violation of these gift certificate terms of use.

Abandon Policy

SMS Policy

By adding your cell phone number at checkout, you consent to receive automated text
Sugar feather farm will not be liable for any delays of SMS delivery because it all varies on transmission from us to your number
SMS MESSAGE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND WE MAKE NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED.
To cancel, you can change the number in your account to +00000000 (aka 10 “0”)
Messages and data rates may apply

Consultation

By consulting with The Fowl Guru, you agree that she is not responsible for deaths caused by her advice. Death can happen any time to anyone or any animal, so blaming The Fowl Guru or Sugar Feather for death will be waived automatically. If an animal is hurt before you consult with The Fowl Guru, it’s best to take it to a veterinarian for best results. If an animal is damaged after you consult with Nicolle, then still seek veterinary care.

Sugar Feather Farm offers consultations from Peter Brown, AKA the Chicken Doc on our website.  By consulting with The Chicken Doc, you agree that he is not responsible for deaths or injury caused by his advice.  If an animal is hurt before you consult with the Chicken Doc, it’s best to take it to a veterinarian for care. If an animal is damaged after you consult with The Chicken Doc, then still seek veterinary care.

Live Arrivals

Sugar Feather Farm works hard to ensure your orders arrive there on time and in healthy condition. When the birds or eggs leave our farm, they are healthy, alive and packaged very well to ensure a safe travel. For farm pickup you are able to see your birds and by taking the birds are agreeing that the bird is now in your care and your responsibility. Once they leave our farm we are not responsible or liable for the birds or eggs. Unfortunately, there are unpredictable times with USPS when something such as longer delivery dates get in the way. Please notify your local post office you have an order coming, expected date and tracking information. 

Redemptions

When you cancel your order, you will have 30 days to respond back on your decision. Any cancellations not responded back by customer will be voided.

Seasons

Sugar Feather Farm offers seasonal ordering for our products.. Seasons are Spring (March to May), Summer(June-Sept), Fall (Oct-Nov)and winter (Nov-Dec for local only on live animals, all other products ok). We open up Spring ordering for the following year generally in November.  The seasons are estimated time frames of when you could get your order, depending on availability and when the birds are laying. There is no guarantee they will get the order on said season because of different factors such as weather, demand and other natural conditions that are out of our control.

Store Credit Refunds

Any refunds that use store credit as a form of payment in your account, will be refunded into your account.

Substitutions

For baby orders- on rare occasions, a particular breed may not hatch as anticipated or the breed you have chosen might not be available. In such cases, the farm may exercise its discretion to substitute a comparable breed that we believe will suit your requirements. Should substitution not be possible, we will issue a refund or provide credit for the unfulfilled bird. Any changes made will be indicated on the order form accompanying your purchase or will be communicated via email. If this situation affects the shipment, the farm reserves the right to reschedule the order based on its discretion, ensuring the best outcome for all parties involved.

Fully Feathered Birds – In the unlikely event that the breed you have selected cannot be filled, your order may be fulfilled partially, with a substitute breed, or rescheduled based on the farm’s discretion. If a substitution is necessary, we will make every effort to choose a bird that complements the other birds in your order. Please note that we reserve the right to substitute similar breeds. You will be notified of any changes made to your order through the order form included with your shipment or via email.

On Hold Orders

Sugar Feather Farm may place orders on hold by customer’s request or waiting on customer response. If there is no mutual arrangement made and noted, Sugar Feather will wait 2-3 weeks max, otherwise the order will be updated to abandon, see abandon policy for details.