Hatching Egg Policy
Last Updated: August 2026
Hatching eggs are one of the most exciting ways to experience poultry breeding, but every egg is a biological product—not a guaranteed chick.
By purchasing hatching eggs from Atlas Palm Hatchery, customers acknowledge the inherent uncertainty involved in fertility, embryo development, shipping, and incubation.
Minimum Quantity for Shipped Hatching Eggs
Shipped hatching-egg orders require a minimum purchase of 6 hatching eggs (½ dozen) per shipment.
Eligible varieties may be combined toward the six-egg minimum when specifically permitted by the applicable product listings or ordering system.
Certain products or breeding groups may have their own minimum quantities, which will be stated in the product listing.
Local pickup orders are not subject to the six-egg shipping minimum unless otherwise stated.
Fertility
Hatching eggs are collected from breeding groups that we reasonably believe to be producing fertile eggs unless a listing specifically states otherwise.
Fertility does not equal hatchability.
An egg may be fertile and still fail to develop, stop developing during incubation, or fail to hatch.
Shipped Hatching Eggs
Shipping can expose eggs to conditions outside Atlas Palm Hatchery's control, including:
- Vibration
- Impact
- Rough handling
- Temperature fluctuations
- Transportation delays
- Air-cell damage
- Detached or saddled air cells
- Other transportation-related stress
We carefully package hatching eggs for shipment, but we cannot control how a package is handled after it leaves our possession.
For this reason, Atlas Palm Hatchery does not guarantee the hatch rate of shipped hatching eggs.
Incubation
Successful incubation depends on many factors, including:
- Incubator accuracy and calibration
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Egg turning
- Ventilation
- Sanitation
- Egg handling
- Storage conditions
- Power interruptions
- Incubator design
- Individual embryo development
Once eggs leave our possession, these conditions are outside our control.
Hatch Rates
Atlas Palm Hatchery does not promise a particular hatch percentage or number of chicks from a hatching-egg order.
A report that an egg appeared clear, stopped developing, developed a blood ring, failed to pip, or failed to hatch does not by itself establish that the egg was infertile when it left our care.
Unsuccessful incubation alone does not qualify an order for a refund, replacement, or credit.
Egg Appearance
Egg size, shape, shell color, bloom, markings, and shade naturally vary.
Product photographs are representative of the eggs produced by a breeding group but do not guarantee that every egg received will have an identical appearance.
Breeding Outcomes
Unless expressly guaranteed in a product listing, Atlas Palm Hatchery does not guarantee:
- Chick sex
- Chick color
- Adult color
- Pattern
- Feather type
- Crest development
- Adult size
- Egg color eventually produced by offspring
- Show quality
- Conformation
- Specific genetic expression
This is particularly important when purchasing eggs from developing breeding projects or genetically diverse lines.
Shipping Damage
If an order arrives with visibly broken or physically damaged eggs, please contact Atlas Palm Hatchery promptly.
Customers may be required to provide:
- Customer name and order number
- Clear photographs of the damaged eggs
- Photographs of the shipping box
- Photographs of the internal packaging
- A photograph of the shipping label
Please retain the original packaging until any claim has been resolved.
Physical shipping damage is separate from hatchability. An intact egg that subsequently fails to develop or hatch is not considered shipping damage solely because it did not hatch.
Incubating Shipped Eggs
We encourage customers to handle shipped eggs carefully upon arrival and to use incubation practices appropriate for the species and condition of the eggs.
Customers should understand that even properly incubated shipped eggs may hatch at a lower rate than eggs that have never been transported.
Purchasing shipped hatching eggs means accepting the inherent uncertainty associated with transportation and incubation.
That's part of both the magic—and sometimes the heartbreak—of hatching.