FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We ship hatching eggs - within the United States, chicks and pullets are local pickup only

For Hatching + Incubator Info See our helpful resources page

Testing the Flock, Regularly MA NPIP#1362

Our Flock is tested multiple times a year for Pollorum Typhoid, and is Avian Influenza Clean. We have a small closed flock.

Biosecurity / FARM VISITS

Sorry, due to overall flock biosecurity, we can not host poultry guests near the coops to visit the birds. Biosecurity measures include regular cleaning and disinfection of chicken coops. Feeding fresh food free of mold. Isolating any new flock members for at least 30 days. Limiting exposure to wild birds. Designated Farm Boots. Boot Dips. If you’d like additional photos / video, or have questions about our flock please reach out via mail opengatepoultry@gmail.com

CLUBS

We are members of The Marans Club, and the Ameraucana Breeders Club.

PARENT STOCK

Our stock has taken many years to build up. We started with hatching eggs from show quality birds, and specific breeders around the United States in 2016 and began sharing our flock in 2019. We consider the standard of perfection (SOP), temperament, and egg color when selecting our birds. Our breeding roosters all have big personalities, and have never shown aggressive behavior.

CHICKS

Our farm has been 100 percent solar powered since 2015, and this includes our incubators! All of our chicks up to two weeks old, are sold straight run. “Straight run” can be male or female. With each hatch, there’s a 50/50 chance of the chicks being male or female, and in birds it’s the female that decides the gender of the chick. If your goal is 5 hens, it’s best to get extra chicks. We believe in a balanced flock, and a rooster is the key. Cockerels that are not placed, will either be sold for food, or they’re harvested at Open Gate once they’re 16-22 weeks for our freezer.

We do not vaccinate our chicks for Mareks. Mareks is not very common, birds can survive it, and they can mask the symptoms. The vaccine is a live vaccine, it doesn't 100 percent keep your birds from getting or spreading mareks, it just makes the symptoms less and the chances of survival greater. There’s a small window for Mareks Vaccination and can not be given at a later date

I do recommend giving your chicks Medicated grain for 5-6 weeks to prevent any coccidiosis. After that time, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, for life. I would also give them some B-12 vitamin after the 5-6 weeks of medicated grain. I have some more info on the Helpful Resources Page.

Hatching Eggs

We are NPIP National Poultry Improvement certified - plus AI Clean and can't legally ship hatching eggs or birds without this certification, all breeders and hatcheries should have the certificate.

We ship eggs on Mondays - Tuesdays

We are sending fresh, clean, fertile eggs, from a flock that is tested for NPIP + AI CLEAN. Like all other small scale breeder + hatchery, we do not guarantee your hatch rate. There are too many factors that affect hatch rate (shipping, incubation methods). Our eggs are constantly tested for fertility. Shipped eggs are always a risk, but we do our best to save fresh eggs, and ship them in custom sized egg foam for maximum safe travel! We have success shipping MA > CA.

Refunds

If you need to cancel your order for hatching eggs or local chicks, we will issue you a refund. The sooner the better, just email us. If for some reason we cannot fill your order, a full refund will be issued.

Shipping

USPS Priority 2-3 day. We can fit up to 2 dozen per box. If you’d like additional, please place a second order.

Unpacking Your Eggs

Each order comes with an information sheet about unpacking your eggs, getting them ready to set, egg labeling info. Upon arrival, unpack your eggs, let them settle, fat side up, at room temperature (65-70 degrees) for 12-24 hours before putting them in the incubator. Do have your incubator on for at least 24 hours before adding eggs to it.

MITES/ LICE

We use Elector PSP, as it’s the most efficient, effective, and easy solution to treat mites and lice. It should work the first time you use it, unlike other products which are less affective and require multiple treatments. I would check the dose, and spray the vent area with Elector PSP as well. No egg withdrawal.

MINERALS / PROBIOTICS / VITAMINS

Our birds are regularly given probiotics in their feed, vitamins, and minerals. They also get some Icelandic kelp, meal worms, and black soldier flies. They welcome table scraps!

DEWORMING

We use Aquasol, Safeguard (fendbendazole) Goat Dewormer in water, Panacur (fendbenazole) Horse Dewormer Paste (pea size amount in the mouth). I put a link in Helpful Resources if you’d like to test for worms, and read about different dewormers, prior to doing so. We definitely deworm our birds!

SANITIZE + WATER CARE

We use Oxine. It has many uses, and is a great addition to poultry water and overall flock health and care. Here is a great oxine article for its many safe uses.

customer purchase and shipping agreement:

By purchasing hatching eggs you accept the terms of the agreement with Open Gate Poultry (Katie Nemeth)

“I understand orders placed are pre-orders, and are filled by order number and availability from the flock. Open Gate has 5+ years of success shipping eggs from MA to CA. I understand that by purchasing hatching eggs, they must be incubated for a length of time, at a certain temperature and humidity. There is not a hatch rate guarantee due to shipping and incubation factors. A 50% hatch rate is considered good for shipped eggs. Once the order is filled, eggs are shipped USPS Priority and typically take 2-3 days to arrive. In case of substantial damage, a claim must be filed immediately with USPS. For best results, packages are “held for pickup”, and “ship to house” is a customer choice.”

Open Gate Poultry can ship up to two dozen eggs per package. If you purchase a half dozen to dozen, it is insured for up to a $100. If you purchase 1.5 dozen to 2 dozen, it is insured for the subtotal of the package. Hatch rate is not a guarantee. We go above and beyond to package the eggs in foam, surrounded by shredded newspaper, inside box 7. We have tried different methods over the years, and this one has worked best. We do our best to package the eggs securely and test fertility often. We do our best to make sure your eggs arrive intact and ready to incubate once they settle. Bonus eggs included with every dozen. Open Gate is not responsible for your eggs during shipping, or hatch rates.

If you are not satisfied with your package, when it arrives, you immediately need to file a claim with USPS. We can not file a claim for you, because when filing a damage claim with the USPS - they need to see the original shipping box to verify damage! The first step is, a postal employee certify that the shipment arrived damaged and show that as well when you file a claim.

Step 1 | You need to save your shipping box, tracking number, proof of purchase, and photos of damage. If you receive a 1/2 dozen or dozen the box is insured for $100.00… If you receive two dozen eggs in one box the box is insured for the ITEM SUBTOTAL. “Postal regulations prohibit payment of postage for damage claims” - USPS. For example, if the item subtotal is $84.00 and shipping is $25.00 USPS will only refund $84.00.

Make sure the claim is filed as: “Hatching Eggs”

File a Claim by Phone: This is done ASAP. Verification of damage has to be by a USPS employee, at the Post Office, or Mail Carrier.
Call 1-866-974-2733 and file a claim. They give a claim number.
You receive a form. Provide Proof of Value. Make sure to mark #11 (Animals).

File a Claim Online: https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm immediately for eggs. If you put in the claim online, and it’s not automatically paid to you based on your evidence of damage, you will receive a letter within two weeks that requests you bring your damaged box to your local post office for proof of damage. We are doing our best to get your eggs to you safely, so you don’t have to put in a claim.

Get in touch if you have questions!