Frequently Asked Questions

Many people have asked so here are some frequently asked questions:

Questions about Ordering

When do orders happen?

Every month, you'll be able to order eggs, pies and honey.

Every other month, you can add chickens and drumsticks to your order.

Here's the order page with all the dates for this year.

The delay in chicken orders is that the guys at the colony wait until chickens are old and plump enough to slaughter. Typically they do so every eight weeks. They will only slaughter the exact number of chickens they have orders for, so order deadlines are essential.

How to order

We've put together a short online form to help us gather accurate orders from everyone.

The next time an order happens, you will receive an email with the orde and pick-up dates/times. And right below that, there you'll see a "Place your Order" button within which will launch the form.

Please place your order, send your payment, and that's it. We'll notify you when it's pick-up time.

How much does it cost?

Here's our most current pricing list: https://www.freshfoodyyc.com/price-list

Do you deliver?

Not at this time... But we're in the neighbourhood and easy to find.

How do I pay you?

We accept email transfers.

We'll only place orders that have been paid for. As soon as you place your order via the form, you can send payment. Should orders change or be cancelled for any reason, we'll refund your money.

They will only deliver exact orders, so the deadline is essential.

About order pickup timing...

Usually, chickens come cooled but not completely frozen as they are slaughtered a day or two before. We try to keep them cool for as long as possible when they are delivered. However, we don't have enough freezer space to keep anything overnight, so your prompt pickup is critical as we can't guarantee that chickens will remain frozen and fresh.

Where do we pick up?

We're in Hawkwood, NW. Once you sign up and make an order, we will send you our exact address where you can pick up.

What happens if there are cancellations?

If for any reason you need to cancel your order, you can send us a message up to the night before delivery. We will do everything possible to cancel your order but that may not happen.

If for some reason delivery doesn't happen (sometimes they have delays or issues with butchering... It's rare but it has happened) We'll communicate with everyone who's ordered right away.

Of course we'll refund your money in full on either scenario.

Questions about what we sell

Are the chickens free range/organic?

No. They are in cages, but they are not pinned down like on the large scale operations and they do have space to move and walk around. We've seen the facilities by ourselves and they are clean and it looks like they care for what they grow. Mainly, they eat what they grow so they care for their food.

Do they use antibiotics on these chickens?

Yes. However what I understand is that they don’t do pre-emptive injections, or on fixed schedules, only if they deem necessary.

What do they feed them?

They tell me they feed them chicken feed… Made out of the same grain they grow on the colony. They don’t buy or use processed feed.

How old are these chickens?

On average, 6 months. vs 6-8 week old chickens from Costco. What this means is that they actually get to mature, which means they tend to have more flavour, less forced fat, etc.

Can we buy directly from the colony?

The way they are set up, they don't really do single or casual sales. If you want to buy single or small orders they send you to the farmer's market and prices are different there. We're able to buy from them because we do some kind of volume. If you can purchase in volume, by all means, we can hook you up.