Meet the Fowl

Chickens

This year marks a big step for us. We’re beginning our transition to American Bresse chickens and moving to start offering meat. It’s something we’ve talked about for awhile, and we’re excited to finally make it happen.

American Bresse are a French heritage breed known for producing some of the best tasting chicken in the world. But that’s not the only reason we chose them. They’re hardy, calm, and excellent foragers, with great egg production to match averaging about 260 eggs a year. They thrive on free ranging and fit perfectly with the way we already raise animals. Naturally, ethically, and with sustainability in mind.

Our first Bresse chicks are arriving from Cumberland Creek Farm early November, and if everything goes as planned, they’ll start laying around March. Once they’re established, we plan to offer:

• Farm fresh eggs for eating and hatching

• Straight run American Bresse chicks

• Whole, farm raised American Bresse chickens, processed and packaged here on the farm under Georgia’s small farm exemption

It’s a slow, intentional shift, but one that moves us closer to raising a truly self-sustaining flock that provides everything from hatching eggs to high quality, pasture raised table birds.

While we make this transition, we’ll also be offering some of our current mixed flock for sale in small family groups — great for new homesteaders or backyard keepers wanting healthy, proven layers. These include Turken, Mystic Onyx, Jersey Giant, Amberlink, ISA Brown, Lavender Orpington, and Welsummer hens, all originally from Hoover’s Hatchery and raised here on the farm.

Our rooster, a gentleman of a Turken, has been an excellent guardian and good to the hens. When the time comes, we’ll be looking for a good home for him with a family who appreciates a respectful roo. He's been a no problem roo for us, we don't keep aggressive animals here.

Our Welsh Harlequin ducks have quickly become one of our favorite parts of the farm. They’ve grown into calm, curious birds with a lot of personality, and they’ve proven to be every bit as productive as we hoped. We chose this breed because they’re known for their excellent egg production laying 150-200 a year. They have mild temperaments, and beautiful coloring. The drakes shine with iridescent green heads while the hens are soft shades of cream and white.

They’re also a practical choice for us. Welsh Harlequins are hardy, thrive on forage, and are typically too heavy to fly far, which makes them easy to manage while still allowing them plenty of free range freedom. Their reputation as both a good layer and a quality table bird fits perfectly with our goal of raising multi-purpose animals that truly earn their keep.

Their eggs are incredible. They're rich and full-flavored, with deep golden yolks that make every breakfast or baked good feel a little more special. Even with a smaller flock, these girls are out-laying our chickens right now as we head into fall.

Ducklings are fairly easy to sex in the first few days, with the boys showing darker bills and the girls lighter or mixed ones. We’ll be offering:

• Farm fresh duck eggs

• Sexed Welsh Harlequin ducklings

• Whole, farm raised ducks processed and packaged here under Georgia’s small farm exemption.

Ducks

Guinea Fowl

Our guinea fowl flock is still coming together, but it’s shaping up nicely. We have one seasoned adult pearl hen, one young white guinea keet we hatched ourselves, and six young lavender keets we purchased so it wouldn’t be alone. They’re still growing out in the coop and run for now. Guineas have a habit of slipping through fences and roosting in trees until they’re full sized and fully trained to come back to the coop. Yes, you can train them to come into the coop in the evening just like the other birds!

These birds are mostly here for fun and for their bug-eating talents. Few things patrol a pasture like a group of guineas. They’re quick, alert, and excellent at keeping ticks and other insects under control, and they don't dig holes like chickens do. They’re also some of the most talkative animals on the farm, and once you’ve been around them a while, you start to tell the girls’ two-tone “buck-wheat” call from the boys’ single note.

Our plan is to keep the flock around six to eight birds total. If we end up with too many males and tempers start flaring, a few will make their way to the freezer, and we’ll hatch new keets as needed to keep the group balanced. As they mature, we’ll also begin offering hatching eggs when available for anyone wanting to start their own guinea flock.

We don’t plan to process guineas for meat sales like our chickens and ducks, but they’ve absolutely earned their place here. They bring color, character, and energy to the farm. And everyone on the farm appreciates the lower amount of bugs. Especially the horses.