Terms and Conditions for
Live Animals and Hatching Eggs
We’d like to make acquiring our animals and hatching eggs a predictable and pleasant experience for all involved. In support of that, all reservations and purchases of animals and hatching eggs from Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard are subject to the following terms and conditions. There are no exceptions to these terms and conditions, so please read them carefully. If you have any questions or concerns, we're happy to address them before confirming your reservation or purchase.
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INQUIRIES AND RESERVATIONS
Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard is a working family farm. We stay pretty busy maintaining the farm and vineyard, caring for our menagerie of animals, raising children, and holding down full-time careers. We strive to respond to inquiries within 24 hours, though we ask for your patience if there is a delay in responding to you.
Reservations may be made by emailing us or contacting us by private message through our Facebook page. Once in contact, we will work with you to reserve your selection(s), confirm the total amount due, and arrange a time and location for pick up.
We will place available animals on hold to accommodate scheduling pick-up. However, we do not guarantee holds on available animals for more than 10 days without a reservation fee equal to 1/3 of the total amount to be collected at time of pick-up. Reservations for unweaned calves will require a contract.
If you no longer wish to move forward with the sale after your reservation has been confirmed, please let us know as soon as possible. Any reservation fees paid will be returned in full if the reservation is cancelled within 10 days of the reservation being confirmed, though may be forfeited in part or in full if the reservation is cancelled after that time.
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WAIT LIST
We have wait lists available for calves, goslings, and hatching eggs. When animals/hatching eggs meeting requested specifications become available, we will contact individuals on our wait list based on the order the request was received (i.e., first come, first served). Individuals on our wait list will always be offered the opportunity to purchase animals meeting requested specifications before they are offered to the general public.
Note that we cannot predict the success of a hatch or calving, thus we cannot guarantee those on our waitlist will be contacted the same breeding season they are added to the waitlist. If we don't fill your request in a season, we will keep you on our list for the following year(s).
Please email us or send a private message through our Facebook page to be added to the appropriate waiting list.
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CANCELING/RESCHEDULING PICK-UP
Our time is as equally valuable as yours. Agreeing to meet you to transfer ownership of our animals takes both planning and time from our day. We also recognize that life happens. If you need to cancel a pick-up for any reason, please contact us immediately and we'll happily work with you to reschedule. As a general rule of thumb, if we have agreed to meet you:
Within Staunton, VA (24401), please make your cancellation request at least 4 hours prior to the agreed upon date/time of pick-up.
Outside of Staunton, VA, please make your cancellation request at least 24 hours prior to the agreed upon date/time of pick-up.
Failure to cancel/reschedule pick up and failure to show up on the agreed upon date/time will result in your reservation being cancelled, any reservation fees paid forfeited in full, and future transactions with us forfeited.
PAYMENT
Reservation fees are due by no later than the 10th day of the reservation period. Full payment is due at the time your selection is transferred out of our care. We accept cash, Cash App, Paypal, and Venmo. We respect your privacy and will never share or sell your personal information with any third parties.
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STRAIGHT RUN BIRDS
Unless otherwise specified, you are purchasing straight-run birds. Our straight-run birds have not been vent sexed or DNA tested, and auto-sexing by down color is not foolproof for the breeds we specialize in. When purchasing straight-run birds, we do not guarantee that you will receive any specified quantity of male or female birds.
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SEXED GEESE
While we will vent sex goslings after 4 weeks of age sex, there is always the possibility for human error. Therefore, we do not guarantee the sex of any bird under 1 year of age.
At the purchaser's expense, gender of goslings can be determined by DNA testing. Prior to purchase, we can send blood samples to IQ Bird Testing to determine sex; the fee charged by lab will be added to the total purchase price of the bird. Alternatively, the purchaser may send samples off for DNA testing following pick-up. If a DNA sample is submitted to a laboratory reputable in avian DNA testing and the results received within three weeks of purchase confirm the bird was incorrectly vent sexed, the bird can be returned to Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard within two weeks of the results for a full refund (proof of DNA testing required). Mis-sexed birds confirmed by DNA testing must be returned to Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard in the same health status as when they were transferred out of our care.
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SEBASTAPOL GOSLING COLOR AND FEATHER TYPE
We cannot guarantee color or feather type of goslings before their feathers come in, typically around 2-3 months old. Below are examples of the three feather types that our flock may produce. Please note that it often takes a full molt for Sebastopol geese to reach their full curly feathered potential.
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Curly Breasted
(full body curl)
Smooth Breasted
(smooth breast, light curl on back)
Fully Smooth
(smooth all over, no curl)
HATCHING EGGS
We incubate eggs each breeding season to confirm fertility rates. Hatching eggs will only be offered from those we've confirmed fertility rates for. All of our collected eggs are marked with date of lay and are properly stored prior to incubation. We do not store hatching eggs for more than 10 days. We also have no control over when our birds will stop laying, so we cannot guarantee hatching eggs will be available if you are unable to pick them up within 10 days of your reservation being confirmed.
Our hatching eggs may have a bit of dirt on them from their time in the nest. We do not wash them because doing so can damage the outer protective layer of the egg, increasing its susceptibility to contamination and harmful bacteria that will negatively affect the development of the bird. In our experience, maintaining the outer layer (even with a bit of dirt) has not impacted the hatch rate or gosling quality.
Despite the steps taken on our end to maximize the chances for a successful hatch, we cannot guarantee the end result due to the many variables that can occur during transport and incubation. In addition, it is worth noting that Sebastapol eggs can be more difficult to incubate and hatch than most waterfowl. For these reasons, we are no longer responsible for the outcome of your hatching eggs once the eggs have been transferred from our care and will not offer refunds or replacements.​
Our hatching eggs are available for local pick-up only; we do not ship them.
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VACCINATIONS
Unless specifically stated or otherwise requested by you, the purchaser, available animals are not guaranteed to be vaccinated. If specific vaccinations are requested prior to transfer of ownership, you will be responsible for covering the cost of the vaccination(s) that are outside of our flock/fold vaccination program.
QUARANTINE
It's your flock or herd, so you may do as you will. However, we recommend that all animals received from an outside source, including Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard, be quarantined and observed for at least 30 days before exposing them to your flock or herd.
USE OF OUR PHOTOS AND NAME
You do NOT have permission to use our photos and/or our name, Twisted Pines Farm and Vineyard, for any reason. ​