PERSONAL APOLOGY from the owners – We are so sorry if all of our phone lines are busy helping customers with call in orders. We have trained and doubled our staff and phone lines but we still hear from you that our lines are busy and we do apologize. Internet orders are processed in the order received and please be assured that if you have an order number; your order is being processed. When ordering from our website you will receive an immediate email response with an order number which tells you that we have your order in house and will process it in 1-10 business days. You will receive a second email notifying you when we have scheduled a ship date for your order. If your email address on your order form is correct and your Spam software (please check your Spam inbox) has not blocked our email, please be patient; you will hear from us. We are hatching approximately 150,000 chicks weekly and will schedule your ship date as soon as we can. 90% of your questions can be answered by going to the Cackle Hatchery home page and clicking on FAQ and GUARANTEES/POLICIES.

VIRGINIA ORDERS – We do not ship orders to the Commonwealth of Virginia. While Cackle Hatchery tests our breeder flocks for several different things, Virginia is requesting a test that the State of Missouri does not do. Our state labs do not have the manpower or facilities needed to do the blood work that Virginia requires.

What states have restrictions on poultry mail orders? -We do not ship to the Commonwealth of Virginia (see above) or to Hawaii. Florida restricts ducks mailed into the state, allowing only the White Pekin. Missouri residents need a permit for Bobwhite Quail and Pheasant and Pheasant orders for pick-up or mailing. Your permit number must be on the order form or given to the representative when placing your order by phone.

Can I make changes to my order or add more birds to my order? -One change or addition to an order is allowed. Additional changes may be charged a fee. REASON: It has created too many mistakes to orders causing double shipments, sending incorrect birds, and causing our chick counts to be off which creates shorted orders. OPTION: You may cancel an order and start over with a new order. Please note there is a 10% cancellation fee for cancelled orders (fee explained in FAQ).

NOTICE: You’ve heard the expression “Don’t count your chicks before they hatch.” Well, at Cackle Hatchery our business demands that we count our chickens before they hatch, and to make it even harder our business demands that we count (estimate) our chickens before the eggs are even laid. We fulfill 95% of the shipping dates we give you for your orders and we apologize if you should be one of the few customers that encounter a delay in the shipment of your order. We will notify you by phone as soon as any delay is encountered. We thank you for your business and hope we earn your business.

Sincerely, the Smith Family