Delivery 

Following receipt and clearance of payment, most of our poultry equipment, supplies and hatching eggs will be dispatched within one working day. Eggs are dispatched using Royal Mail 24 Tracked, heavier parcels using Royal Mail Tracked 48, and small items such as leg rings, using Royal Mail 2nd class postage. A few large or bulky items are available for collection only. Delivery times are estimates and may occasionally be affected by factors outside our control, including delays by third-party delivery companies.

Payment Methods

We accept payments by Paypal and all the major credit/debit cards via the secure payment providers Square and Stripe. We also accept Apple Pay and Google Pay via Stripe. 

Cancellation of Order  

Please contact us by email if you wish to cancel an order. A deduction of 5% will be made from refunds for customer-cancelled orders to cover non-refundable payment processing charges and administration costs. Please note that livestock may be reserved for collection several days or weeks in advance. During this period Durham Hens incurs ongoing feeding, housing and care costs. The deduction helps offset a small proportion of these costs where orders are cancelled by the customer. Orders cancelled by Durham Hens for any reason will be refunded in full.

Livestock  

Traditionally, livestock is sold as seen. If you wish to return livestock purchased from us, we have a 48-hour return policy in which we offer a replacement or refund. If you have any concerns, please contact us immediately. Please note, we will not replace or refund birds that have been pecked or wounded by a customer's flock, that die due to predator attack or injury within 48 hours of leaving our premises, that die for any reason after 48 hours of leaving our premises, or for hens that fail to lay, as all of these matters are outside our control.

Hen Holidays  

We ask for a non-refundable deposit of £30 to confirm your booking, and the remaining balance is due when you collect your hens. If you need to cancel your hen holiday, your deposit can be transferred to a future date, provided 14 days' notice of cancellation is given.

Courses  

Bookings can be transferred or cancelled (subject to a 5% cancellation deduction) provided that 7 days' notice is given. If a course is cancelled by Durham Hens for any reason, a transfer will be offered or a full refund.  

Returns  

Customers have the right to cancel most orders within 14 days of receiving the goods and must notify us by email if they wish to do so. Returned items must be received within 14 days of cancellation and be in an unused and resaleable condition to qualify for a refund. Return postage costs are the responsibility of the customer unless the item is faulty or incorrectly supplied. The right to cancel does not apply to perishable goods, including hatching eggs.

Faulty Items  

If you believe an item is faulty, please contact us as soon as reasonably possible. We will ask for evidence of the damage or arrange collection of the item. A replacement item or refund will be issued depending on the product.

Hatching Eggs  

Orders for hatching eggs cannot be cancelled once dispatched and hatching eggs cannot be returned as they are perishable goods. Durham Hens guarantee that eggs will arrive intact and will replace any eggs damaged in transit, provided we are notified promptly and suitable evidence is supplied. As hatching eggs are a natural product, we cannot guarantee that eggs will hatch. Once eggs leave our premises, many factors beyond our control can affect hatchability, including storage conditions, postal handling, temperature fluctuations, incubator performance, humidity levels, power failures and incubation practices. We regularly monitor the fertility and hatchability of our breeding pens in our professionally calibrated incubators and only sell eggs from pens achieving a minimum fertility rate of 80%. We do everything we reasonably can to maximise the viability of eggs before dispatch, including careful selection, correct storage, regular rotation, specialist packaging and appropriate labelling for transit. Most customers who follow our hatching guidance and use correctly calibrated equipment achieve good to excellent results. As a guide, we would typically expect customers to achieve around four live chicks from six eggs when incubation and hatching conditions are favourable. We do not offer refunds, replacement eggs or compensation for poor hatch rates, infertile eggs, early embryo losses, late embryo losses, failed hatches or other incubation outcomes. Once eggs have been dispatched, these outcomes are influenced by factors beyond our control and cannot be independently verified. Orders for hatching eggs cannot be cancelled once dispatched. Hatching eggs are perishable goods and cannot be returned once they have left our premises. By placing an order for hatching eggs, you acknowledge and accept these terms.

Durham Hens operates a zero-tolerance policy towards violent, threatening, abusive or intimidating behaviour directed at our staff.

We reserve the right to refuse service, cancel orders, or cease correspondence with any person who behaves in a violent, threatening, abusive or intimidating manner towards our staff, whether in person, by telephone, by email, through social media, or by any other means.

Where appropriate, incidents may be reported to the police or other relevant authorities.

This Privacy Policy explains how Durham Hens Limited collects, uses and protects any personal information you provide when using our website, placing an order, making an enquiry or using our services.



Durham Hens Limited is committed to protecting your privacy and processing personal data in accordance with UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page.

Information We Collect

We may collect the following information:

• Name
• Postal address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Payment information
• Order history
• Information relevant to customer enquiries, surveys or promotions

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To process and fulfil orders
• To arrange delivery of goods or livestock
• To process payments
• To provide customer support
• To maintain business records
• To improve our products and services
• To comply with legal, accounting and tax obligations

If you have agreed to receive marketing communications, we may occasionally send information about products, services or special offers that may be of interest to you. You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time.

Sharing Information

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information to third parties.

We may share information where necessary with trusted third parties who help us operate our business, including payment providers, delivery companies and professional advisers. We may also disclose information where required by law.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, accounting and tax obligations.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. Appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures are in place to safeguard the information we collect.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to help us understand how visitors use the site and to improve the user experience.

Cookies do not give us access to your computer or any personal information other than information you choose to share with us.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline them if you prefer. Doing so may affect the functionality of some parts of the website.

Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. Once you leave our website, we are not responsible for the protection and privacy of any information you provide to other websites. You should review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Request deletion of personal information where appropriate
• Object to certain types of processing
• Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided on our website.

Durham Hens Limited is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office.