Welcome to The Fluffy Thistle. These terms apply to the purchase or supply of poultry, hatching eggs and related products and services from us, as well as our equipment hire, cockerel return service and wildlife rescue activities.

 

Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude or restrict any rights or remedies which cannot lawfully be excluded under UK or Scottish law.

 

1. Sale of Live Poultry

 

All birds are visually assessed and believed to be healthy at the time they leave our care.

 

Poultry are living animals and their health can change following collection due to factors outside our control, including transport, stress, introduction to a new flock, housing, husbandry, nutrition, parasites, disease exposure and environmental conditions.

 

Customers are responsible for providing appropriate housing, nutrition, biosecurity and ongoing care after taking possession of their birds.

 

If you have concerns about the health of a bird shortly after collection, please contact us as soon as possible.

 

Nothing within these terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

 

2. Sexing of Birds

 

Unless specifically advertised as sexed, chicks and other young poultry are supplied unsexed.

 

Where a bird is described as believed to be male or female before it can be reliably sexed, this represents our best assessment only and is not a guarantee.

 

We cannot guarantee the eventual sex of birds sold as unsexed.

 

Our separate cockerel return service may be available if you later find yourself unable to keep a male bird.

 

3. Hatching Eggs

 

Hatching eggs are collected regularly from our breeding flocks and selected for incubation suitability before sale.

 

Fertility and hatch rates cannot be guaranteed.

 

Once an egg leaves our premises, successful development and hatching can be affected by numerous factors outside our control, including transportation, handling, storage, incubation temperature, humidity, turning, incubator accuracy and power interruptions.

 

The sale of hatching eggs therefore does not constitute a guarantee that an individual egg is fertile or that a particular number of chicks will hatch.

 

4. Returns, Refunds & Consumer Rights

 

Because live poultry and hatching eggs require appropriate handling and biosecurity, we cannot simply return animals or eggs to stock after they have left our premises.

 

However, nothing in this policy removes or limits your statutory rights where you are legally entitled to a remedy.

 

Please contact us promptly if you believe there is a problem with something supplied by The Fluffy Thistle.

 

5. Cockerel Returns

 

We understand that people who hatch or purchase young birds can sometimes find themselves with cockerels they are unable to keep.

 

Cockerels originally supplied by The Fluffy Thistle may be returned to us subject to available capacity. We may also accept cockerels originating elsewhere when we have suitable space.

 

There is no charge for bringing a cockerel to us.

 

Once accepted, the bird joins The Fluffy Thistle's poultry flock and is subsequently managed and cared for as part of our poultry.

 

Acceptance of a bird does not constitute a sale back to us and we do not provide payment, refunds or replacement birds in exchange for birds brought to us.

 

An incoming cockerel will remain within our flock for a minimum of two weeks before we consider supplying him to another poultry keeper.

 

During this period we monitor general health, condition, behaviour and temperament.

 

We will not knowingly supply a cockerel displaying signs of illness or persistent aggression.

 

Cockerels considered unsuitable to leave our flock will remain with us where appropriate.

 

There is no charge for taking an available cockerel. Donations towards feed and care are appreciated but entirely optional and may take the form of money, feed, bedding, corn or other useful poultry supplies.

 

6. Incubator Hire

 

Incubators remain the property of The Fluffy Thistle throughout the hire period.

 

The hirer is responsible for using the equipment according to the instructions provided and returning it in reasonable condition, allowing for normal use.

 

A refundable deposit is required. The deposit will be returned following the safe return of the equipment, provided there is no loss or damage beyond reasonable wear and tear.

 

The hirer may be responsible for the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing equipment that is lost or damaged through misuse, neglect or failure to follow the supplied instructions.

 

Although we provide guidance and support, hatch success cannot be guaranteed. Fertility, egg quality, transportation, storage and incubation conditions can all affect results.

 

Equipment hire fees are payment for use of the equipment and associated support, not a guarantee of a successful hatch.

 

7. Brooder Hire

 

Brooder equipment remains the property of The Fluffy Thistle.

 

Equipment must be returned at the end of the agreed rental period in reasonable condition.

 

The hirer remains responsible for the husbandry and welfare of chicks or other birds being raised using the equipment.

 

Heat plates and other electrical equipment must be installed and operated according to the supplied or manufacturer's instructions.

 

A refundable deposit applies and may be retained wholly or partly where equipment is not returned or has been damaged beyond reasonable wear and tear, reflecting the reasonable loss incurred.

 

8. Advice & Support

 

Customers hiring incubators or brooders are welcome to contact us by telephone or message for practical support and advice during their rental period.

 

Any information we provide is general husbandry guidance based on our experience and the information available to us at the time.

 

It is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. Where an animal is seriously ill, injured or deteriorating, appropriate veterinary assistance should be sought.

 

9. Wildlife Rescue

 

The Fluffy Thistle also undertakes small-scale wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

 

The Fluffy Thistle is not a registered charity.

 

We do not require a donation before accepting wildlife that we are able to assist. Donations are entirely voluntary.

 

The costs associated with wildlife in our care, including food, housing, rehabilitation supplies and veterinary treatment where required, are otherwise funded by us.

 

Acceptance of wildlife is dependent upon factors including our available facilities, capacity, the species involved, biosecurity considerations and whether we can appropriately and lawfully provide the required care.

 

Our aim is to rehabilitate wildlife for release wherever this is possible and appropriate.

 

Where an animal cannot safely be released, its individual circumstances and welfare requirements will determine what happens next, subject to applicable wildlife and animal-welfare legislation.

 

We reserve the right to decline an admission where we do not have suitable capacity or facilities, where accepting the animal could compromise the welfare or biosecurity of animals already in our care, or where another organisation or veterinary practice would be more appropriate.

 

10. Suspected Avian Influenza & Infectious Disease

 

Please do not bring a dead or visibly sick wild bird to our premises without contacting us first.

 

We may refuse to accept a bird where infectious disease, including avian influenza, is suspected.

 

Where reporting requirements apply, the appropriate government or animal-health authority should be contacted.

 

11. Biosecurity

 

Our property contains a substantial mixed poultry flock and may also contain birds undergoing assessment, isolation or rehabilitation.

 

Visitors must follow any biosecurity instructions given by us.

 

We reserve the right to refuse access to animal areas, restrict handling, require footwear or other precautions, or cancel a visit where we believe there is an unacceptable disease or welfare risk.

 

Customers collecting poultry should maintain appropriate biosecurity when introducing new birds to an existing flock.

 

12. Visits & Collections

 

Visits are strictly by appointment only.

 

Please contact us before travelling to view, collect or bring us a bird.

 

Unscheduled access to the property and animal areas is not permitted.

 

Appointments may occasionally need to be changed or cancelled because of animal welfare, disease-control, biosecurity or other circumstances outside our reasonable control.

 

13. Children & Visitors

 

Children must remain under the supervision of their accompanying adult while on the property.

 

Poultry and other animals can behave unpredictably. Visitors must follow instructions regarding which animals may be approached or handled.

 

Visitors should not enter enclosures, pens or animal-only areas unless specifically invited to do so.

 

14. Liability

 

Customers and visitors are responsible for following reasonable safety, animal-handling and biosecurity instructions provided by The Fluffy Thistle.

 

We are not responsible for losses resulting from circumstances outside our reasonable control or from a customer's failure to provide appropriate care, housing, husbandry or to follow instructions supplied with hired equipment.

 

Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence.

 

15. Donations

 

Any donations made in connection with our cockerel service or wildlife activities are voluntary contributions towards associated feed, supplies, veterinary costs and care.

 

A donation is not required for us to consider accepting an animal and does not purchase preferential treatment or guarantee that we can accept an animal.

 

The Fluffy Thistle is not a registered charity and donations should not be understood as charitable donations to a registered charity.

 

16. Changes to These Terms

 

We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes to our services, operating procedures or applicable requirements.

 

The version published on our website at the relevant time will be the current version.

 

17. Contact

 

If you have any questions regarding these terms or our services, please contact:

 

The Fluffy Thistle

 

Telephone: +44 (0) 7449 127172

Email: Thefluffythistle@outlook.com

Last updated: September 2026