JK Homegrown Hatching Egg Sales & Shipping Policy
Last updated: September 1, 2026
NPIP number: [Number Pending]
Scope
This policy applies to hatching eggs sold by JK Homegrown for local pickup or shipment within the 50 United States. JK Homegrown does not ship hatching eggs internationally or to Puerto Rico or other United States territories.
Hatching eggs are separate from table eggs. They are sold for incubation and are subject to different availability, handling, claim, and fulfillment terms.
Availability
Hatching eggs are available only when JK Homegrown's working breeding groups are laying enough qualifying eggs. Availability is seasonal, is not guaranteed year-round, and may differ among species, breeds, varieties, and individual breeding pens.
Hatching eggs may be offered first-come, first-served or used to fulfill prepaid orders. The method may vary by offering.
JK Homegrown does not maintain a traditional waiting list. Prepayment reserves the buyer's position for the next available qualifying eggs from the selected breeding group. It does not guarantee a particular collection date, shipping date, or production rate.
If production slows, fertility falls below the required level, safe shipping conditions are unavailable, or legal restrictions affect fulfillment, JK Homegrown may delay the order until qualifying eggs can be provided.
Order Contents
When eggs are represented as a named breed or variety, JK Homegrown guarantees that they were collected only from the identified breeding pen. For example, eggs represented as Silver Ameraucana eggs come only from Silver Ameraucanas in JK Homegrown's active breeding program.
The eggs sold to customers are selected from the same breeding groups and by the same standards as the eggs JK Homegrown incubates on the farm. Customer orders are not filled from a separate or lower-quality group.
Each egg is marked so the buyer can identify its source.
JK Homegrown will not substitute another breed, variety, or breeding pen without the buyer's express approval.
If part of a split order becomes unavailable because production or fertility changes, JK Homegrown will contact the buyer. The buyer may wait for the original selection, approve a substitution, or accept farm credit for the unavailable portion.
Hen's Choice
A Hen's Choice order contains qualifying eggs selected according to what the eligible breeding groups lay during fulfillment. The buyer does not select or receive a guarantee concerning the breeds, varieties, proportions, or assortment included. Each egg is still marked so its source can be identified.
Free Extra Eggs
JK Homegrown may include free extra eggs when production permits. Extras are never promised as part of the purchased quantity and are excluded from refund, farm-credit, and replacement calculations.
Egg Selection and Preparation
Hatching eggs are sold unwashed. Eggs that are excessively dirty, cracked, misshapen, or otherwise unsuitable for hatching are excluded.
Every hatching egg is weighed on a gram scale. Minimum qualifying weights may differ by species, breed, variety, and whether the birds are large fowl or bantam.
Every egg is hand-inspected for cracks before packaging or local transfer. Inspection reduces preventable problems but cannot guarantee that every hairline crack, shell weakness, or hidden defect will be detected.
Eggs shipped by JK Homegrown are no more than three days old when shipped.
Eggs provided for local pickup are no more than seven days old when the buyer plans to load the incubator that day. Hatching eggs are typically less than five days old.
Breeding-Group Fertility Guarantee
JK Homegrown guarantees that ordinary hatching eggs are collected from a breeding group currently demonstrating at least 90 percent fertility through JK Homegrown's own fertility checks or test hatches.
This is a breeding-group guarantee. It does not guarantee that every individual egg is fertile.
JK Homegrown regularly checks fertility and conducts test hatches. Ordinary hatching eggs will not be offered from a breeding group that is testing below 90 percent fertility. Eggs from a group being evaluated may be offered only when clearly identified as tester eggs under the separate tester-egg terms in this policy.
Fertility, Development, and Hatch Rate
Fertility and hatch rate are not the same measurement.
A fertile egg was fertilized before it was laid. Fertility percentage measures the portion of eggs determined to have been fertilized. Hatchability measures how many fertile eggs successfully produce hatchlings. Total hatch rate measures hatchlings produced from all eggs set, including eggs that may not have been fertile.
JK Homegrown guarantees qualifying breeding-group fertility but does not guarantee hatch rate.
A fertile egg may fail to hatch because of early embryonic death, shipping damage, storage conditions, incubation temperature or humidity, turning, contamination, equipment problems, power interruption, genetics, developmental problems, or other factors.
An egg that shows no visible development is not automatically an infertile egg. It may have been truly infertile, or embryonic death may have occurred before development became visible. Lack of development by itself does not prove infertility or identify its cause.
Genetic and Developmental Variation
Breeding-group identity does not guarantee that every offspring will conform to a breed standard.
Normal genetic variation, recessive traits, unexpected characteristics, faults, deformities, and disqualifications can occur even when both parents were carefully selected. Incubation, shipping, nutrition, environment, and raising practices may also affect development, vigor, structure, color, and mature type.
JK Homegrown welcomes reports of unexpected traits, faults, deformities, or disqualifications because that information may help evaluate future breeding decisions. A report does not automatically establish a policy claim or prove that a condition was inherited.
Sex, Show Quality, and Breeding Quality
JK Homegrown does not sex hatching eggs and makes no representation or guarantee concerning the sex of an individual embryo or hatchling or the resulting sex ratio.
A hatch may contain approximately equal numbers of males and females, mostly one sex, or only one sex. The resulting sex ratio does not qualify for a refund, farm credit, or replacement.
JK Homegrown does not guarantee that offspring will mature into show-quality or breeding-quality birds or be suitable for the buyer's particular goals. Only a small portion of offspring from any responsible breeding program may ultimately meet the breeder's highest standards. No percentage of show-quality or breeding-quality offspring is promised.
Eggs are collected from breeding stock JK Homegrown considers healthy and vigorous at the time of collection. This does not guarantee that every embryo will develop normally or that every hatchling will remain healthy throughout life.
Payment
All shipped hatching-egg orders must be prepaid in full, including the selected USPS shipping service.
JK Homegrown accepts cash, Cash App, Venmo, and payment through the JK Homegrown website. Cash is available only for appropriate local transactions.
The buyer may cancel a shipped order for a full refund, including unused shipping charges, at any time before the package is shipped. Once the eggs have been packaged and accepted into USPS custody, cancellation and an ordinary order refund are no longer available. Only the remedies expressly provided by this policy remain available after shipment.
Local First-Come Holds
A message or inquiry does not reserve first-come, first-served hatching eggs for local pickup.
A 50 percent deposit is required to hold available eggs. The hold begins only after JK Homegrown confirms availability and the pickup arrangement and receives the deposit. The remaining balance is due at pickup.
The eggs are held for 24 hours unless JK Homegrown approves another arrangement.
If the buyer contacts JK Homegrown within the hold period and cancels, the deposit is refunded in full.
If the buyer provides notice that pickup must be delayed, the deposit may be transferred to a later dozen when the current eggs would pass JK Homegrown's viability window before the rescheduled pickup.
If the buyer misses the agreed pickup without contacting JK Homegrown, the eggs are released for sale immediately. Half of the deposit is forfeited and the other half is refunded. Because the deposit equals 50 percent of the egg price, the refund equals 25 percent of the total egg price.
If JK Homegrown cancels the local pickup for any reason, the deposit is refunded in full.
Local Handoff
Local hatching eggs are normally handed directly to the buyer in the designated pickup area outside the gate.
When a scheduling conflict prevents a direct handoff and weather conditions are suitable, JK Homegrown may approve placing a confirmed order in the farm stand. This is an exception, not the standard process.
Hatching eggs left in the stand will be clearly marked with the buyer's name, identified as reserved hatching eggs, and marked so they are not mistaken for table eggs. The buyer must collect them within the agreed pickup window.
NPIP and State Entry Requirements
JK Homegrown is an active participant in the National Poultry Improvement Plan under the NPIP number shown at the beginning of this policy.
Hatching eggs are shipped under JK Homegrown's current NPIP classifications and applicable testing status. JK Homegrown maintains the Pullorum-Typhoid testing required for its Oklahoma NPIP participation. Additional classifications or testing, including avian-influenza testing, are represented only when the applicable testing is current.
JK Homegrown reviews the destination state's current requirements before allowing an order to be placed. If a destination requires current avian-influenza testing or another status JK Homegrown does not currently maintain, the order will not be accepted.
JK Homegrown is responsible for obtaining destination-state import permits required for an accepted shipment.
If legal requirements change after payment but before shipment and JK Homegrown can no longer lawfully fulfill the order, the buyer receives a full refund, including unused shipping charges.
USPS Shipping Options
JK Homegrown ships hatching eggs through USPS. The buyer may choose USPS Priority Mail or USPS Priority Mail Express and is responsible for the applicable shipping charge.
Priority Mail Express is recommended because it generally offers the shortest available USPS transit time, particularly during periods of postal slowdown. Express costs more and does not guarantee hatch rate, egg condition, or freedom from carrier delay.
JK Homegrown does not ship hatching eggs on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Shipping Freezes and Holds
JK Homegrown may suspend or delay shipping because of:
Major holidays or unusually heavy postal volume
Extreme heat or freezing temperatures
Severe weather
Postal disruptions or known delays
Disease-control restrictions
Legal or documentation requirements
Any other condition that presents an excessive risk to the eggs
Holiday shipping freezes may begin before the actual holiday. Current freezes and resumptions will be announced as they are established rather than governed by one permanent calendar.
When fulfillment is delayed before shipment, the buyer may continue waiting or cancel for a full refund.
Shipping Address and Contact Information
The buyer must provide and confirm a complete and accurate name, shipping address, email address, and telephone number before shipment.
JK Homegrown may contact the buyer when an address appears incomplete or contains a noticeable discrepancy. This courtesy review does not transfer responsibility for the address to JK Homegrown.
Delay, loss, return, misdelivery, or damage caused by incorrect or incomplete information supplied by the buyer is the buyer's responsibility.
Hold for Pickup and Delivery
USPS Hold for Pickup is used by default when the selected service and shipping method permit it. The buyer must provide an accurate telephone number for the destination post office.
The buyer may request delivery to a physical address instead. The request must be made before the shipping label is created.
The buyer must monitor tracking and collect a held package on the same day it becomes available, preferably within 12 hours after notification and while the destination post office is open.
A customer who regularly receives hatching eggs may wish to ask their local post office whether a PO Box would provide a more dependable pickup arrangement. This is optional and is not a JK Homegrown delivery guarantee.
Packaging and Transfer to USPS
JK Homegrown individually cushions the eggs, packages them for ordinary postal handling, marks the shipment appropriately, and provides tracking.
JK Homegrown will take reasonable steps to help the eggs arrive promptly and intact. Once USPS accepts the package, transportation, routing, handling, delays, and delivery conditions are outside JK Homegrown's direct control.
Inspecting the Eggs on Arrival
The buyer must inspect the eggs promptly after shipment delivery or local pickup.
Cracked or broken eggs must be reported within 12 hours after delivery or pickup. Photographs are required. Video or additional documentation may be requested depending on the circumstances.
For a shipped damage claim, photographs must clearly show:
The outside of the shipping box
The shipping label
The package and packing materials after opening
Every visibly cracked or broken egg
Any other visible damage relevant to the claim
The buyer must retain the shipping box, damaged eggs, all packing materials, and the remaining contents until JK Homegrown confirms that USPS no longer requires them. The buyer must reasonably cooperate if USPS requests that the package and contents be presented for inspection.
Failure to preserve the evidence or cooperate with a required postal inspection may make the claim ineligible.
Eggs dropped, cracked, or otherwise damaged by the buyer after transfer are not eligible for a refund, farm credit, or replacement.
Resting and Setting Shipped Eggs
When transit and outdoor conditions are cool, shipped eggs should rest pointed-end down for approximately 12 hours before being placed in the incubator.
When transit and outdoor conditions are warm, the eggs should be placed in the prepared incubator promptly rather than being left resting at room temperature.
Incubator Preparation
The buyer must have the incubator cleaned, tested, and maintaining stable conditions before the eggs arrive. Ideally, the buyer should prepare and begin testing the incubator on the day the order ships.
Waiting until the eggs arrive to clean, assemble, test, or troubleshoot the incubator may affect claim eligibility.
JK Homegrown welcomes questions and will provide reasonable incubation suggestions and support. Providing guidance does not transfer responsibility for the buyer's equipment or incubation practices to JK Homegrown.
Candling
JK Homegrown recommends performing the first candling on incubation day 10. Buyers should not candle before day 10 without a legitimate reason.
Day-10 concerns should preferably be reported within 24 hours after candling.
Candling before day 10, repeated unnecessary candling, rough handling during candling, or excessive removal of eggs from the incubator may affect claim eligibility. Early candling is reviewed case by case rather than automatically voiding a claim.
Candling an egg later in incubation and observing no visible development does not, by itself, prove that the egg was never fertilized.
Intentional Break and Blastoderm Claims
A damaged egg that cracked during shipping may be examined for a blastoderm and documented as part of a claim.
An egg intentionally cracked by the buyer to examine fertility is not eligible for a refund, farm credit, or replacement. This applies even when the buyer cracks the egg before placing it in the incubator.
Blastoderm examination of an egg that has been incubated for more than 24 hours is not accepted as proof of infertility.
Documentation for Fertility and Development Claims
Photographs are required for every claim. Video or other documentation may also be required depending on the circumstances.
The buyer may be required to provide:
Photographs of the incubator's current display
Incubator brand and model
Recorded temperature and humidity
Whether the incubator uses an automatic or manual turner
The date and time the turner was activated
Turning practices
Egg positioning
Candling dates and results
Relevant power interruptions
Equipment alarms, failures, or setting changes
Other information reasonably needed to evaluate the hatch
Buyer-Controlled Incubation Problems
An order is ineligible for a refund, farm credit, or replacement when the evidence indicates that the loss was caused or materially affected by:
Equipment failure
Power loss
Incorrect temperature or humidity
Failure to turn the eggs appropriately
Improper egg positioning
Washing the hatching eggs
Excessive or improper candling
Rough handling
Late incubator setup or testing
Another buyer-controlled storage, handling, or incubation problem
Approved Fertility Claims
A customer's results do not automatically establish a breeding-group fertility failure.
When a supported fertility concern is reported, JK Homegrown conducts follow-up testing of the breeding group. The claim is approved only when JK Homegrown's testing confirms that the group's fertility fell below 90 percent between the previous qualifying check and the follow-up check.
Replacement eggs are the first remedy. If the buyer does not want replacement eggs, farm credit is offered next. A prorated refund is the final option.
Fertility Remedy Calculation
The remedy percentage equals the verified shortfall below the 90 percent guarantee plus five additional percentage points.
The maximum refund under this formula is 95 percent of the egg purchase price. An approved fertility refund is never a full refund.
For example, if follow-up testing finds 70 percent fertility, the shortfall is 20 percentage points. The applicable remedy is 25 percent.
Farm credit and refunds use that percentage of the egg purchase price.
Replacement quantities use that percentage of the original number of purchased eggs and are always rounded up to the nearest whole egg. A calculation of 3.1 eggs provides four replacement eggs. A calculation of 4.9 eggs provides five replacement eggs.
The buyer pays 50 percent of the shipping charge for replacement eggs sent under an approved fertility claim.
Original shipping charges are excluded from farm-credit and refund calculations.
Broken-Egg Remedies
Broken-egg claims are based on whether the number of intact eggs delivered falls below the number purchased. Free extras do not create separate claims.
For example, if the buyer purchases 12 eggs, receives 15, and two arrive broken, 13 intact eggs remain. The buyer has received at least the 12 eggs purchased, so no breakage remedy applies.
When the number of intact eggs is below the purchased quantity, replacement is limited to the documented shortage. The buyer pays the full shipping charge for broken-egg replacements.
JK Homegrown may include additional eggs when they are available and the buyer wants them, but extras are not guaranteed.
If the buyer declines replacement eggs, farm credit or a prorated refund based on the purchased-egg shortage is offered instead. Original shipping charges are not credited or refunded.
Egregious USPS Delay
A package that spends more than five calendar days in USPS custody qualifies as an egregious delay under this policy.
When a delayed package eventually arrives, the buyer should allow the eggs to settle as appropriate and set them in the incubator as soon as practical. Delayed eggs sometimes remain viable.
JK Homegrown may provide one replacement order when eggs are available. The buyer pays the full shipping charge for this carrier-delay replacement.
If the buyer declines replacement eggs, farm credit or a refund of the egg purchase price is offered. Original shipping charges are not refunded.
If a replacement order also experiences a serious carrier delay, JK Homegrown may arrange another shipment during a more suitable part of the season. The buyer remains responsible for the full shipping charge.
Entire Package Lost by USPS
A package qualifies as lost under this policy when it has remained in USPS custody for at least ten days, has not arrived, and tracking has shown no movement for at least ten days. JK Homegrown will initiate the applicable insurance claim when USPS permits the claim to be filed.
The first remedy is a replacement order shipped at no cost to the buyer when eggs are available.
If the buyer declines replacement eggs, farm credit or a refund of the egg purchase price is offered instead. Original shipping charges are not separately refunded.
JK Homegrown completes the insurance claim and retains the portion of any insurance proceeds needed to cover shipping.
Package Returned Without Delivery
When USPS returns a package without delivery, JK Homegrown will determine why it was returned before deciding whether any remedy applies. Returned packages are reviewed case by case, including whether the buyer supplied accurate information and fulfilled the tracking and pickup responsibilities in this policy.
Tester Eggs
Tester eggs are occasional trial offerings and are available only when JK Homegrown specifically announces them. They are not regular inventory.
Tester eggs may be used to evaluate fertility, fertility after shipping, packaging or shipping methods, transit effects, a new or changed breeding group, or another specific hatch-related question.
Tester eggs are discounted by 75 percent from the ordinary egg price. The tester pays 25 percent of the ordinary egg price and pays the full initial shipping charge.
Tester eggs carry no fertility, development, or hatch guarantee. Poor fertility, failed development, or an unsuccessful hatch does not qualify for a refund, farm credit, or replacement.
The only tester-egg remedies apply when USPS loses the entire package or the entire shipment arrives damaged and unusable. In either circumstance, JK Homegrown will reship tester eggs at no cost to the tester when eggs are available. Partial breakage or damage does not qualify unless the entire tester shipment is unusable.
Required Tester Data
By accepting tester eggs, the buyer agrees to provide:
Day-10 candling counts
Number of eggs showing development
Number of eggs appearing clear
Final hatch count
Incubator brand and model
Incubation temperature and humidity
Turning method and timing
Relevant power interruptions, equipment problems, or setting changes
Additional information reasonably requested for the stated test
Day-10 photographs are not required.
Photographs of newly hatched chicks, growing juveniles, mature birds, changes in color and type, and eggs produced when pullets begin laying are welcomed but optional.
A tester who accepts the discount and then fails to provide the agreed data will be placed on JK Homegrown's do-not-sell list and will not be eligible to purchase tester eggs or ordinary hatching eggs in the future.
Optional Long-Term Feedback
JK Homegrown welcomes optional photographs and updates from all hatching-egg buyers, including chick photographs, grow-out photographs, mature color and type, and eggs produced when hatched pullets begin laying. This information can provide valuable long-term data for the breeding program but is not required for an ordinary purchase.
Remedy Limits
Replacement, farm credit, and refund are alternative remedies. They are not combined.
The total remedy for a claim cannot exceed the original number or purchase price of the eggs the buyer paid for. Free extras are excluded from all remedy calculations.
Except for a cancellation completed before shipment or an order that cannot legally be shipped, refunds involving shipped eggs apply only to the egg purchase price. Original shipping charges are not refunded.