Rooster Error

Rooster Error

We take great care to provide accurately sexed chicks, and our professional sexer achieves an accuracy rate of over 90%. However, no hatchery can guarantee 100% accuracy, and an occasional rooster may be received in error.

Reporting a Sexing Error

If you believe you have received a rooster in place of a pullet, please do not rehome or remove the bird until its sex is clearly confirmed — early physical signs can be misleading. 

Once you are confident that you have received a rooster, please report it to us between 14 and 22 weeks of age.  Submit original order #, shipment date, number and breed in error, explanation of rooster behavior that has been demonstrated and photos of the suspected rooster(s) to chicks@chesapeake-hatchery.com.

Reports submitted outside these windows cannot be accepted.

Refund Policy

If a sexing error is confirmed and reported within the appropriate timeframe, we will refund the purchase price of the incorrectly sexed bird. Refunds apply to the per-bird purchase price only and do not include shipping, vaccine add-ons, or other fees.

What We Cannot Control

Roosters received as a result of natural variation in the sexing process are not considered a defect in your order. We appreciate your understanding that working with live animals involves a small degree of uncertainty, and we are committed to making it right when errors occur within our control.