Backyard Chickens
A backyard flock is one of the first steps towards self-sufficiency and it's really easy to do. With growing awareness about the problems of industrial agriculture and increasing desire to eat local food many municipal governments are amending their bylaws to allow poultry keeping in residential neighborhoods.
People have been raising chickens for thousands of years. When settlers first came to North America they brought their favourite chickens with them. Several breeds were developed in Europe, Asia and North America over hundreds of years, but with industrialization and the loss of small farms we are starting to lose the breeds that were bred so carefully for so long. Industrial poultry are often highly hybridized so their offspring will not breed true which makes them less than ideal for a backyard flock.
We recommend heritage chickens for a backyard flock. Not only are they beautiful and personable, but they make better dual-purpose (good for both eggs and meat) birds and you'll be doing your part to preserve traditional breeds of chickens and maintain genetic diversity.
We keep various breeds of chickens. The following are what we are offering for sale in 2013:
People have been raising chickens for thousands of years. When settlers first came to North America they brought their favourite chickens with them. Several breeds were developed in Europe, Asia and North America over hundreds of years, but with industrialization and the loss of small farms we are starting to lose the breeds that were bred so carefully for so long. Industrial poultry are often highly hybridized so their offspring will not breed true which makes them less than ideal for a backyard flock.
We recommend heritage chickens for a backyard flock. Not only are they beautiful and personable, but they make better dual-purpose (good for both eggs and meat) birds and you'll be doing your part to preserve traditional breeds of chickens and maintain genetic diversity.
We keep various breeds of chickens. The following are what we are offering for sale in 2013:
Our Chickens
Sussex
The most important dual-purpose chicken from England and the base of which many modern day hybrids are based. Friendly, early-maturing, hardy producer of large numbers of cream-colored eggs make the Sussex an ideal chicken for the backyard flock. There are different colours of Sussex - we raise Light Sussex.
Rooster: 9 lbs Hen: 7 lbs Eggs: ≈ 230 large, cream-colored eggs per year
Rooster: 9 lbs Hen: 7 lbs Eggs: ≈ 230 large, cream-colored eggs per year
Marans
A dual-purpose breed developed in France and famous for their large chocolate-brown eggs. This breed is hard to find and is in high demand right now. We can understand why as we have found them to be friendly, hardy, beautiful layers of large dark brown eggs. We raise Black and Blue Copper Marans.
Rooster: 8.5 lbs Hen: 6.5 lbs Eggs: ≈ 180 large, dark-brown eggs per year
Rooster: 8.5 lbs Hen: 6.5 lbs Eggs: ≈ 180 large, dark-brown eggs per year