Wild Acres Hatching Eggs – Information & Terms
Wild Acres is a small, family-owned breeder farm in Armstrong, British Columbia. Our heritage chickens free-range in mixed flocks for most of the year and are separated into breeding pens each spring. Our Indian Runner ducks roam freely throughout our fields year-round.
We maintain smaller breeding flocks and offer limited quantities of hatching eggs each spring. The health and well-being of our birds always come first.
Seasonal Availability & Egg Quantities
Hatching eggs are available in April, May, and June, generally until June 30, depending on production, flock health, and existing orders. Quantities may change depending on availability and seasonal conditions.
Our Breeding Practices & Egg Quality
- Our chicks and adult birds are not vaccinated.
- Breeding pens generally contain 2–4 roosters to support fertility and genetic diversity.
- Our flocks include both older and younger birds.
- Eggs are collected throughout the week, inspected for quality, pencil-labelled, and carefully packed.
- Our poultry receive a nutrient-rich diet.
- We show poultry and breed toward the Standard of Perfection but cannot guarantee show-quality offspring.
- Chick and duckling sex ratios are generally around 50% female and 50% male, but are not guaranteed.
Fertility & Hatch Rates
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!
You are purchasing fresh, fertile eggs—not guaranteed chicks. We cannot guarantee fertility, successful hatches, hatch rates, or the number of chicks produced.
Weather, bird age, seasonal conditions, egg handling, storage, incubation equipment, temperature, humidity, and shipping can all affect results. We prefer Brinsea and Sportsman Cabinet incubators, but even good equipment and careful incubation cannot guarantee a hatch.
Shipped eggs may have hatch rates of approximately 50% or lower due to transportation and handling. Farm-gate pickup does not guarantee better results.
Some embryos and newly hatched chicks may not survive. Young chicks are especially vulnerable and require proper warmth and care. Cracking eggs during or after incubation cannot reliably determine the original fertility rate, as early embryo development may stop naturally or be affected by transportation.
Ordering Recommendation: We suggest ordering two to four times the number of eggs as the number of hens you hope to add to your flock to allow for possible losses.
“Temperature may also play a direct role at the time of egg formation: there are costs associated both with the development of the reproductive organs (Williams & Ames 2004) and with producing eggs (Stevenson & Bryant 2000; Visser & Lessells 2001; Vezina & Williams 2002). At low temperatures, these costs are higher (Stevenson & Bryant 2000) and thus may constrain laying date.” Temperature has a causal effect on avian timing of reproduction – PMC (nih.gov)
Ordering & Deposits
- All orders must be placed through our online store. We do not accept phone pre-orders or maintain waitlists.
- Once your order is received and reviewed, we will email you instructions for submitting a $20 deposit per customer order.
- Your deposit confirms your order and reserves your place in our scheduling queue.
- Interac e-transfer is preferred. Cash is accepted at farm-gate pickup only after the deposit has been paid.
- We do not accept credit cards, cheques, or money orders.
- Deposits are non-refundable unless Wild Acres cannot fulfill your order. In that case, your deposit will be refunded by e-transfer.
- Orders are scheduled according to the date received, subject to availability. We will contact you approximately 1–2 weeks before your anticipated pickup or shipping date.
Email is our preferred method of communication. Please check your inbox regularly for order confirmations, deposit instructions, and updates.
Shipping Hatching Eggs
We ship in April, May, and June using Canada Post Xpresspost only to:
- British Columbia
- Yukon
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
We do not ship to Ontario, Quebec, or the eastern provinces.
- Minimum Order: 12 eggs. Different breeds may be combined in one dozen.
- Packaging Fee: $6.00, plus the estimated Xpresspost shipping cost.
- Shipping Days: Generally Mondays or Tuesdays to help avoid weekend delays.
- Delivery: Xpresspost typically has a 2–3 business day delivery target, but delays are possible and delivery dates are not guaranteed.
- Insurance: Hatching eggs are not insured through Canada Post.
Packages are labelled fragile, and your phone number must be included. Tracking numbers are emailed after 5 p.m. on the day the package is dropped off. Tracking updates may take several hours to appear.
Customers are responsible for monitoring shipments. For tracking issues, contact us or Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177, or visit Canada Post.
Once a package has been handed over to Canada Post, Wild Acres cannot control delays, handling, damage, or losses.
Farm-Gate Pickup
Pickup is available on Sunday afternoons in April, May, and June, by appointment and subject to availability. We will contact you approximately 1–2 weeks before your anticipated pickup date.
For biosecurity reasons, all pickups take place at our farm gate. We do not lend out incubators, sell pullets or adult chickens, or accept returns of birds once they have left our property.
Refunds & Customer Responsibility
All hatching egg sales are final. We do not offer refunds, credits, or replacements for eggs that do not hatch, have low hatch rates, or produce fewer chicks than expected. This applies to both shipped and farm-gate pickup eggs.
By placing an order, you acknowledge that you are purchasing fertile eggs, not guaranteed chicks, and accept the risks associated with fertility, shipping, incubation, and natural losses.
Once eggs have been picked up or delivered, proper storage, handling, and incubation are the customer’s responsibility. We are happy to offer advice, but cannot control conditions after eggs leave our farm.
Please only order if you are comfortable accepting these risks.
Ordering & Deposits
- Online Orders Only: All hatching egg orders must be placed through our online store. We do not accept phone pre-orders or maintain waitlists.
- Order Review: Once we receive and review your completed order, we will contact you by email with confirmation and instructions for submitting your deposit.
- Deposit: A $20 deposit is required per customer order to confirm your order and reserve your place in our scheduling queue.
- Payment: Interac e-transfer is preferred. Cash is also accepted at farm-gate pickup once the deposit has been paid. We do not accept credit cards, cheques, or money orders.
- Deposit Refunds: Deposits are non-refundable unless Wild Acres is unable to fulfill your order. If we cannot supply your order, your deposit will be refunded by Interac e-transfer.
- Scheduling: Customers are scheduled according to the date their orders are received, subject to egg availability.
- Customer Contact: We will contact customers approximately 1–2 weeks before their anticipated pickup or shipping date.
- Changes to Orders: If we need to make changes to your order due to availability or other circumstances, we will contact you by email.
- Dates: Exact pickup and shipping dates cannot be guaranteed. We will keep in touch by email and provide an approximate timeframe.
- Communication: Email is our preferred method of communication. Please check your inbox regularly for order confirmations, deposit instructions, and pickup or shipping updates.
Shipping Hatching Eggs
Shipping Locations
We ship hatching eggs to Canadian residences in:
- British Columbia (BC)
- Yukon (YT)
- Alberta (AB)
- Saskatchewan (SK)
- Manitoba (MB)
We do not ship to Ontario, Quebec, or the eastern provinces.
- Minimum Order: 12 eggs. Different breeds may be combined in one dozen.
- Packaging Fee: $6.00, plus the estimated Xpresspost shipping cost.
- Shipping Days: Generally Mondays or Tuesdays to help avoid weekend delays.
- Delivery: Xpresspost typically has a 2–3 business day delivery target, but delays are possible and delivery dates are not guaranteed.
- Insurance: Hatching eggs are not insured through Canada Post.
Packages are labelled fragile, and your phone number must be included. Tracking numbers are emailed after 5 p.m. on the day the package is dropped off. Tracking updates may take several hours to appear.
Customers are responsible for monitoring shipments. For tracking issues, contact us or Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177, or visit Canada Post.
Once a package has been handed over to Canada Post, Wild Acres cannot control delays, handling, damage, or losses.
Shipping Delays & Losses
Wild Acres cannot control Canada Post delays, handling, or losses once a package has been handed over to the carrier. We cannot guarantee shipment or delivery dates.
Refunds & Customer Responsibility
All hatching egg sales are final. We do not offer refunds, credits, or replacements for eggs that do not hatch, have low hatch rates, or produce fewer chicks than expected. This applies to both shipped and farm-gate pickup eggs.
By placing an order, you acknowledge that you are purchasing fertile eggs, not guaranteed chicks, and accept the risks associated with fertility, shipping, incubation, and natural losses.
Once eggs have been picked up or delivered, proper storage, handling, and incubation are the customer’s responsibility. We are happy to offer advice, but cannot control conditions after eggs leave our farm.
Please only order if you are comfortable accepting these risks.
To calculate the shipping of eggs we require:
your address, box number, postal code, phone number, email, and the type of eggs and amount ordered
Your postal code determines shipping costs along with box size and weight
https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/pages/parcelscon/default.page
Our postal code is V4Y 0P8
You can use the Canada Post website above and our box/weight table and then you can calculate your Xpresspost shipping charge and add $6 for packaging.
These weights are for chicken eggs and duck eggs.
| Amount | Box Size Cm L X W X H | Weight KG Duck Eggs |
| 1 dozen | 37 x 22 x 19 | 1.3 1.5 |
| 2 dozen | 35 x 32 x 19 | 2.3 3 |
| 3 dozen | 38 x 31 x 27 | 3.3 4 |
| 4 dozen | 38 x 31 x 27 | 4.3 |
Please also check out our shipping examples page.
Payments for Shipped Orders are made by:
Interac Email Transfers to info@wildacres.ca
Payments for Pick-Up Orders can be made by:
Interac Email Transfers before pick up to info@wildacres.ca
(Interac is preferred during Covid-19)
We do not accept Visa, Personal Cheques, Money Orders or PayPal
A box measuring approx. 32 cm X 32 cm X 18 holds 2 dozen eggs. This size of box with 2 dozen eggs weighs approx. 2.2 kg. (A dozen eggs is approx. 1 kg.)
Our Commitment to Breeding Quality
At Wild Acres, we are continually working to improve our breeding stock and the quality of our hatching eggs.
- Breeding Stock: We select healthy, younger birds for our breeding pens, choosing birds that meet the APA Standard of Perfection as closely as possible.
- Genetic Diversity & Fertility: We generally keep more than one rooster in each breeding pen to encourage genetic diversity and support flock fertility.
- Nutrition & Care: We provide quality feed, greens, vitamins, and herbs to support bird health, egg production, strong eggshells, and healthy chick development. Our birds also enjoy free-ranging during the off-season.
- Customer Communication: We are happy to communicate with customers by email or Messenger and share information about fertility observations when available. However, fertility and hatch rates are not guaranteed.
Egg Collection, Storage & Shipping Preparation
At Wild Acres, we take care when collecting, storing, inspecting, and preparing our hatching eggs for shipment.
- Collection: Eggs are collected several times daily from clean nest boxes lined with straw or shavings.
- Storage: Eggs selected for shipping are collected over a period of up to one week, turned daily, and stored in a cool, dark room at approximately 10–15°C with 55–65% humidity.
- Inspection & Labelling: Eggs are sorted, inspected, dated, and labelled in pencil according to breed.
- Fertility Monitoring: We monitor fertility and hatch results on our farm and ship eggs from breeding groups that are producing well. If fertility or egg availability changes, we will contact you. An alternative breed or order adjustment may be offered.
- Packaging: We use new egg cartons, boxes, bubble wrap, and packing paper to carefully protect your eggs. Heat packs may be included when weather conditions require them.
- Shipping Labels: Packages are clearly labelled as fragile to help identify their contents during handling.
- Customer Communication: We keep customers informed by email or Messenger during the collection and shipping process.
- Tracking: Tracking numbers are emailed after 5 p.m. on the day packages are dropped off at Canada Post.
We are available to help if shipping or tracking issues arise. However, once packages have been handed over to Canada Post, delivery, handling, and delays are outside our control.
“No animal that exhibits a lack of vigor or good health or which proves low in fertility should be used as breeding stock.”
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/ALBCchicken_assessment-3.pdf
A Final Word from Wild Acres
We are happy to share our experience and answer questions about incubating and raising poultry. However, incubation conditions and hatch results vary, and advice from Wild Acres cannot guarantee a particular hatch rate or the survival of every chick.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/facts-and-myths-about-fertile-eggs/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-embryo-development-views-from/
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