Ordering Process

All orders begin with our waitlist. Sign up with your name, email, and what you’re looking for — variety, age preference, and quantity. When birds or eggs become available that match your request, we’ll reach out in waitlist order. There’s no deposit required to hold your spot.

Once we contact you with availability, you’ll have 48 hours to confirm and submit payment. If we don’t hear back, we move to the next person on the list. This keeps things fair and ensures birds go to prepared homes quickly.

Shipping — Live Birds

Chicks are shipped via USPS Priority Mail in ventilated, insulated shipping boxes designed for live poultry. We include a heat pack or cool pack depending on forecast temperatures along the shipping route. Birds are shipped early in the week (Monday–Wednesday) to avoid weekend delays at distribution centers.

We will not ship when temperatures along the route are below 35°F or above 95°F. Bird safety comes first — we’ll hold your order and ship at the next safe window rather than risk transit stress. Shipping cost varies by distance and is quoted at the time of order confirmation.

Shipping — Hatching Eggs

Hatching eggs are wrapped individually in bubble wrap and shipped in foam-lined boxes via USPS Priority Mail. We select eggs from proven, fertile pens and pack only clean, properly-sized eggs with intact shells.

Important: shipped hatching eggs carry inherent risk. USPS handling, temperature fluctuations, and altitude changes during transit can all affect hatch rates. We pack with extreme care, but we cannot guarantee hatch rates on shipped eggs. We recommend letting shipped eggs rest pointy-end down for 12–24 hours at room temperature before setting them in the incubator.

Local Pickup

Local pickup is available in the Pittsburgh, PA area by appointment. We’ll coordinate a time that works for both of us. Please bring an appropriate carrier or box for transporting your birds safely. For biosecurity, we ask that visitors not handle birds other than the ones being purchased.

Payment

We accept PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. Payment is due in full before birds or eggs ship. For local pickup, payment is due at the time of pickup. Cash is also accepted for in-person transactions.

Health & Biosecurity

All birds leave our facility in good health. We maintain strict biosecurity protocols including limited visitor access, quarantine procedures for any new additions, and regular health monitoring of our flock. We do not accept returns for biosecurity reasons — once a bird leaves our property, we can’t reintroduce it without risking our entire flock.

If a bird arrives DOA (dead on arrival) via shipping, contact us within 2 hours of delivery with photos. We’ll work with you on a resolution. All DOA claims require photos of the bird and the shipping box.

Sexing Disclaimer

Silkies are notoriously difficult to sex before 4–5 months of age. We do our best to sex older birds accurately, but we cannot guarantee sex on chicks under 12 weeks old. If sex is critical to your purchase, we recommend waiting for older, confirmed birds. We’ll always be upfront about our confidence level when discussing individual birds.