vancouver island's rainbow heritage chickens
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer pullets and/or hens? We only accept order requests for baby chicks. We do not take order requests for pullets, hens, roosters, or hatching eggs - no exceptions. We kindly ask that you please do not reach out to us asking for them or if/when they will be available. We occasionally offer these first-come first serve, and they are always posted on our social media pages when available. Be sure to give us a follow on there to stay up to date.
How accurately are your chicks sexed? Our chicks are sexed at approximately 98-99% accuracy. In the rare event that a chick that we've sold as a sexed female turns out to be a male, we will refund or exchange them if the bird is 8 weeks of age or less. We cannot guarantee availability of certain breeds or ages of birds at the time of the exchange.
Can I return an unwanted rooster to the farm? If you have purchased straight-run (unsexed) chicks, we do not offer refunds or exchanges for unwanted male chicks. It is important to have a plan in place what you will do if you do receive a rooster you had not planned for. Many customers utilize Craigslist or other listing sites to re-home their unwanted roosters. If you have purchased a sexed female chick that turns out to be a male, we will refund or exchange them if the bird is 8 weeks of age or less. We will not accept birds older than 8 weeks and cannot guarantee availability of certain breeds or ages of birds at the time of the exchange.
Can I get chicks shipped? Sorry, we do not ship or deliver chicks. We offer local pickup at the farm gate in Victoria BC only. Be sure that you or someone you know are able to be there to pick up your chick order.
Are the chicks vaccinated? As a small hobby farm, we do not offer this service. Our farm practices strict bio-security to ensure the health of the livestock.
Can I come for a farm visit? Sorry, but we do not allow any farm tours or access to the property beyond the farm gate - no exceptions. This policy is for bio-security reasons. Pick-ups are strictly by appointment only, and are held at the farm gate. We ask that guests arriving for a pickup respectfully to not pass the gate or enter the property and kindly wait at the farm gate in or beside your vehicle for us to bring your chick order to you.
Can I order a sexed male chick? Sorry, no. All of the sexed chicks that we offer will be females. Straight-run chicks may be male or female.
What does straight-run mean? Most of our chicks are sexed female at hatch, however, chicks that are listed as "straight-run" are unsexed and have a 50% possibility of becoming either a hen or a rooster.
Do you sell hatching eggs? We do not sell or take requests for hatching eggs, either by local pickup or shipped. In the rare event we offer hatching eggs due to excess, they will be posted first-come first-serve on our social media pages.
What bio-security practices does Harvest Moon Farm have in place? Our farm is committed to a variety of bio-security measures to ensure that our flocks and the birds that we sell are healthy and free of disease. We don't allow farm visits or access to our flocks, and instead all orders are picked up at the farm gate. Our breeding flocks are closed flocks that are kept in a fully gated area that is segregated from the rest of the acreage. They are housed in large, fully-roofed enclosures with fully covered and sanitary hanging feeders and waterers. There is no exposure to wild animals. Birds of different age groups are kept in separate areas of the property with no contact. Upon being removed from the incubator and before being picked up by you, chicks have never been exposed to anything outside of their separate, sanitary brooder outbuilding.
When will my chick order be ready? Due to the variable nature of working with hatching, we cannot provide exact or estimated hatch dates - only estimated seasonal ranges (such as spring, summer, or fall), which you will have selected your preference on your order form. Due to the high volume of order requests, it is not possible for us to provide ongoing updates to everyone. While it can be a little bit of a wait and we cannot provide or guarantee exact hatch dates, we thank you for your patience and promise your new chicks will be worth the wait! Please kindly keep in mind that this project is our hobby, not a commercial company - and we do work full time off the farm.
How long do I have to pick up my chick order once they are ready for me? After we send you an e-mail saying that your chick order is ready, you'll have up to 72 hours to confirm and arrange pickup and up to a week to come and pick them up. If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, your chick order will be forfeited to the next party on the waitlist.
What do I need to know about pickup day? We will send you the farm address and pickup instructions when arranging your pickup time and date. Please respect and honour your pickup time as if you would any other appointment, and do not be late as we are busy and it is unfair to leave your live chicks waiting in their transport box. We allow a grace period of up to 15 minutes of lateness (with communication) to allow for traffic variables, but after that point your chicks will be returned to their brooder and the order cancelled. Any no-shows without communication will be denied future order requests. All pickups are held at the farm gate, and we ask that guests do not enter the property for bio-security reasons. When you arrive, we will bring your new chicks up to you in their little transport box. Chicks are fragile and susceptible to stress, so we suggest heading home right away and avoiding too much handling on the way home or on their first day. Be sure to have your brooder ready and set up at home before the chicks come home.
Which breeds are the friendliest and can all of the breeds offered live together? All of the breeds that we are are friendly and gentle in temperament by nature, but will of course be influenced by how they are raised in their new homes. Any of the breeds that we offer are compatible to live together harmoniously.
Can you mix chicks and chickens of different ages? Chicks should only be housed in their brooder with those up to 1.5 weeks difference to avoid issues such as trampling and bullying. Most pullets will be ready to be thoughtfully integrated with the adult flock by around 10-12 weeks old age.
When will my chickens start laying? Most breeds will begin to lay between 5-8 months old, depending on breed and the season in which they hatched.
What health guarantees do the chicks have? We guarantee that our chicks have been raised in a strictly bio-secure environment and have not had exposure to disease on our property and do not leave their sanitary brooder building until pickup day. They have been started vitamin and electrolyte formula and have been examined for any visible defects prior to sale. We cannot guarantee the health of chicks once they have left our property and we cannot control what they have been exposed to or what type of care they have received once they are no longer on the farm. We do not offer refunds or returns on any chicks, with the rare exception of the purchase of a sexed female chick turning out to be male.
What can I do to prepare for my chicks and what are the care suggestions? All of this information can be found on our "care suggestions" page, found under the "about + faq" dropdown menu.
Can I come to you for care or health questions related to my chicks/chickens? Please note that we are not veterinarians and are not qualified to provide veterinary advice, or any advice beyond the scope of what is already provided on this website. If you have a health-related question about your birds, please seek the advice of a qualified professional. While we provide some general chicken and chick care suggestions on our website, it is expected that you have taken time to research and learn about the care requirements on your own accord prior to making your order or while waiting for your order to be ready. Due to the high volume of inquiries and responsibilities, we are unable to take the time to provide ongoing care education outside what we have offered on this website and suggest seeking more outside alternative resources if desired. Thank you for understanding.
What should I feed my chicks and chickens? We suggest providing chick starter feed from 0-6 weeks of age, grower feed from 6-16 weeks of age, and layer pellets from age 16 weeks and up. Adults hens can also be given grit and/or oyster shells. Adult chickens may be provided with all kinds of fresh produce or mealworms to accent their diet. Be sure to ask Google if the produce or herb is safe for chickens before providing if you aren't sure.
Can I make changes to my order after it has been placed? We ask that you try to not make changes to your order after it has been placed. It complicates our order system and may also end up placing you lower in the waitlist queue.
Can I cancel my order? You may contact us to cancel your order if need be. Please communicate with us if you have changed your mind about your order, to be fair to the others also patiently waiting in the order queue. After we send you an e-mail saying that your chick order is ready, you'll have up to 72 hours to confirm and arrange pickup and up to a week to come and pick them up. If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, your chick order will be forfeited to the next party on the waitlist. Any no-shows without communication will be denied future order requests.
Where are Harvest Moon Farm chickens genetics from? All of the chicks that we sell have been bred by us on the farm, from our thoughtfully bred flocks. We never import and resell from large hatcheries. Our original adult breeding flocks originated from over 40 distinct quality heritage bloodlines from a variety of fellow breeders across Canada and the USA.
When in the year can I make a chick order request? We accept chick order requests from February to October every year. During the off season, we may have pullets available offered strictly first-come first-serve and posted on our social media pages if available. Please do not contact us requesting pullets. Give us a follow on social media to stay up to date about limited offerings.
Is Harvest Moon Farm a large commercial hatchery? No. We are a small local family farm that breeds heritage chickens as a hobby and passion - and we work full time off the farm. We are not a commercial hatchery. Our flocks are small; approximately 8-10 hens and 1-2 roosters per group.
I made an order, but I haven't heard back from you yet? Thank you for making a chick order request with Harvest Moon Farm! Your order request has been automatically confirmed. The next time you will hear from us will be when we have confirmed live hatchlings for you. When your new chicks are ready, you will have up to a week to pick them up. Due to the high volume of order requests, it is not possible for us to provide ongoing updates to everyone. While it can be a little bit of a wait and we cannot provide or guarantee exact hatch dates, we thank you for your patience and promise your new chicks will be worth the wait!