Our Birds
Our birds are big favorites around here.
We raise birds for meat, eggs and pleasure. It is hard to explain the peace and simple joy it is to watch and be around a flock of chickens contently clucking and scratching around the lawn.
Our chickens are valuable contributors to our family's menu on a daily basis. The collection and consuming of fresh eggs are some of life's sweet pleasures.
In addition to the flavor, color and texture of a fresh egg, it is one of the world's easiest super-foods.
A fresh grass-fed chicken in the pot is another big reason for raising chickens. We do have hatchery bred and hatched commercial meat birds, but really value the heritage breed birds.
The commercial birds are hard to argue with as they are fast growing and have a carcass more similar to what people are used to seeing in the grocery store.
The heritage birds are slower growing, don't reach the same size and don't have the disproportionate carcass of the commercial birds. However, when flavor is important the heritage birds are where it's at. The other appeal of the heritage chickens as meat options is that they are a real, traditional chicken. Plain and simple. No genetic modification, no major health difficulties (commercial meat birds regularly have heart and joint issues as a result of fast growth and un-natural size). The heritage breeds have differences amonst each other but as a general rule, these are your grand-parents farmyard birds. They are easy to keep. They are generally dual purpose (providing eggs and meat) and can grow well on a basic diet of grasses, bugs, grains and household scraps.
We have or have had several breeds. As mentioned we have commercial varieties of meat and egg production birds (Cornish Giants and Isa Browns) but our love is for the heritage breeds. Breeds we have tried have been New Hampshires, Australorps, Americaunas, Wyndottes, Red Rocks, Fayoumi's and a few others I am sure. Right now our chicken yards and brooding pens are home to Buckeye's, Chanteclers, Rhode Island Reds, Dominiques and crosses of these.
In addition to chickens, we have had geese (no longer), ducks and have turkeys.
