FAQs & Help Centre

$300 per kit, including delivery, setup and pickup. We don’t charge HST because the CRA considers us a small supplier. There’s also a $125 security deposit, which we refund on pickup day.

We don’t have one. The CRA considers us a small supplier, so we’re not registered for HST and don’t charge it.

We start the refund on pickup day, once we’ve checked the equipment is in good shape. It goes back to the card on file and usually takes a couple of days to show up. If something is badly damaged, we use the deposit to replace it.

Now. We’re booking the 2027 season. Sessions run on a fixed schedule, and every open date is on the calendar.

As early as you can. Spots are first come, first served, and we can’t hold them.

Sorry, we run a fixed schedule, so we can’t add dates outside the sessions on the calendar.

Yes. We can invoice a school, school board, parent council or daycare centre directly. Contact us and we’ll set it up.

Yes. We’ll just need to make an invoice for you by hand. Contact us and tell us which session you’d like.

Yes, there’s a rental agreement and a liability waiver. Please read and understand both before booking a session.

Cancel at least 7 days before drop-off and there’s no charge. Within 7 days, we keep the $125 security deposit.

Yes. Contact us and we’ll find a session that works for your group.

Not right now.

We’re based in Waterloo and deliver to most places west of Highway 427: Waterloo Region (Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge), Wellington (Guelph, Erin, Orangeville), Halton (Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Georgetown, Acton), Peel (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Hamilton and Etobicoke.

Sorry, we can’t deliver outside our range. If you’re not sure whether you’re covered, send us a message and we’ll check.

No. We deliver and set up every kit ourselves, and collect it at the end.

No. Delivery, setup and pickup are included in the $300.

We plan our delivery route a week before each session starts. We aim to arrive between 8am and 4pm, and we’ll let you know roughly when to expect us once the route is set. We generally work from east to west, so if you’re in Etobicoke we’ll be there earlier in the day, and if you’re in Hamilton, later.

Ideally, yes. It keeps things simple. If no one can be there, let us know ahead of time so we’re on the same page.

We set everything up and walk you through how it works. It takes about 10 minutes, and it’s a good time to ask questions.

Not much. The incubator takes up about a square foot. The brooder box is about 1.5 by 3 feet and needs to be near an outlet for the heat lamp. Keep both away from drafty windows and doors, and away from heaters.

About 30 days: 21 days for the eggs to hatch, then about a week and a half with the chicks. See the calendar for exact dates.

About a week and a half after the chicks hatch. We take everything, chicks included. See the calendar for your exact pickup date.

7 fertile chicken eggs, an automatic incubator, a candling light, a brooder box, a heat lamp, wood shavings, feed, a food dish, a water silo, a paperback instruction manual and lesson plans. You also get weekly video instructions, and you can text us whenever you have a question.

No. Every kit has the same equipment and support, and they’re all $300. The kit pages show how the program works at home, in a classroom or at a daycare.

No. The incubator turns the eggs and holds the temperature on its own. You just top up the water every couple of days.

A commercial hatchery that follows federal safety regulations. They don’t come from backyard chickens.

No, just chicken eggs.

A paperback instruction manual, a video each week, and a personal cell number you can text any time of day. We’ll give you the number on drop-off day.

About 21 days. Some chicks come a day or two early or late.

Check the calendar and look for the hatching chick icon in your session. That’s your expected hatch day.

Yes, it happens. Unless you’re lucky, you probably won’t see a chick the moment it comes out. You will hear them peeping once they’re getting ready to hatch, though.

Usually not. All our eggs are fertile, but some stop developing along the way, so most kits hatch some of the seven, not all. It’s a normal part of the process and a good thing to talk about with kids.

Check your eggs by day 9. If none are developing, let us know and we’ll swap them for eggs we’ve been incubating, so they still hatch on schedule. If none of those hatch, our Hatch Guarantee covers it. We’ll refund you in full and drop off some chicks for your kids or students to enjoy. You’ll have them for about a week, and we’ll pick them up on the last day of the program. The rental isn’t extended.

We donate every chick to small family farms in Indigenous, Mennonite and homesteading communities across southern Ontario, where they live the life of a typical chicken on a small farm.

No. It’s something we’d like to offer one day, but for now every chick goes to a small family farm, and those farms don’t take visitors.

Ask us and we’ll talk about it. We want to know the chicks are going to a home with the space and experience to care for them. Once you adopt them, we can’t offer support for raising them.

Yes. Good hygiene is important so no one gets sick by accident. Wash hands before and after. Don’t eat or drink while holding the chicks, don’t kiss them, and don’t touch your eyes until you’ve washed up. Keep a close eye on kids while they handle the chicks, both to keep the birds safe and to make sure everyone washes up after.

While the eggs are incubating, about 30 seconds: check the incubator for warning codes and top up the water. After the hatch, about 5 minutes to refill food and water and change the wood chip bedding.

The eggs are fine on their own in the incubator over a weekend. Once the chicks hatch, someone on staff will need to take them home. You’ll only need to do this for one weekend.

Yes, during the first 17 days. The incubator does most of the work, and the water usually lasts about 3 days before it needs a top-up, so a day or two away is fine. From around day 18 you’ll want to be home, because the eggs will be hatching and the chicks will need care soon after.

Chicks are mostly quiet, but they can get noisy when something startles them. If you clean the brooder every day, you won’t notice a smell.

Yes. In a dark room, hold the candling light against an egg to see the chick developing. Keep it quick and handle the eggs gently.

On day 18 the chicks are getting ready to hatch, so the instructions change a little:

• Top up the water one last time.
• Close the incubator and keep it closed until the chicks have hatched. Opening it lets out the humidity the chicks need to break free.
• Stop candling the eggs.
• Don’t move the incubator.

Pipping is the first small crack a chick makes in its shell. It means the hatch has started. Getting from the first pip to fully hatched can take many hours.

Contact us and we’ll guide you through what to do.

Once the hatch is done and the chicks are dry and fluffy. Newly hatched chicks can go up to 48 hours without food or water, so there’s no rush to open the incubator.

Text us right away and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

Yes, as long as an adult watches closely and makes sure they wash up. The risk comes when kids handle chicks unsupervised or skip hand washing. Have kids wash their hands before and after holding the chicks. While handling them, no eating or drinking, no kissing the chicks, and no touching their eyes or face until they’ve washed up.

The risk is extremely low. Our eggs come from a commercial hatchery that must follow federal safety regulations. The risk is similar to getting eggs from a grocery store.

They can, but following basic hygiene rules dramatically reduces the risk. Handling any living animal has some risk, and chicks poop and pee. The best way to prevent illness is clean hands. Wash up right after handling the chicks, and don’t eat, drink or touch your face until you have. Don’t play with the chicks near food. It’s up to the adults in the room to make sure kids handle them properly.

Yes. Dogs and cats do get curious about the chicks, so set up somewhere you can keep pets away.

Yes. Everyone on our team who delivers, sets up or picks up a kit has a police check. If you need a copy, let us know.

Yes. We carry $1M in general liability coverage. If you need a copy of our certificate, just ask and we’ll send it.