This is our FAQ page. Here you can find some of the answers to questions we regularly receive. If you don’t find your answer, feel free to contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
- What’s the minimum order I can place? Well, that depends. When the weather is good (not too hot, not too cold), we can ship as few as 6 chicks, with a minimum of 10 from November through April. We usually have heat packs and they can be included for $5 each. If you’re ordering sexed juveniles, typically we can ship a single pair, weather permitting.
- I just want hens (or pullets), is that possible? Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we keep hatching roosters (ha ha). Truthfully, we will ship a trio (one male, two females), but we are a working farm. We don’t have the capacity to house all the “unwanted” roosters, and we are unwilling to just dispose of them like a larger hatchery. Occasionally we will have hens that we are retiring from our laying flock, and they can be purchased for pickup directly from our farm.
- What’s the best breed of chicken? It really comes down to what you’re looking for that determines the right answer. Many people get involved with rare breeds because of something they read online. Often these descriptions contain a little hyperbole (exaggeration), so do your research. We are happy to share our experiences and help you decide. We love talking to people about chickens, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
- I want some of those Barbezieux here in Minnesota– Ok, this really isn’t a question, but we get this sort of request a lot. Most breeds have an optimum climate that they will perform in. If you live in a cold, northern climate, a Mediterranean breed might not be best for you. So see the answer to question 3… let’s chat. We will help you find a good fit, even if you have to buy it somewhere else.
- How big are your birds at 6 weeks (or 8, or 10, or 12)– We raise and sell some of the best lines of premium heritage poultry in the world. However, that word “heritage” often has some implications. One of them is: they take time. Most of our breeds are best processed for meat between 20-24 weeks. If you want to work with really amazing meat birds, you just need to know it’s going to be a commitment. But if you’re like us, you love it. Another consideration is that many of the table birds in the 19th and early 20th century were actually crosses of these premium birds. Paris and London were both supplied by hybrid meat crosses, Brahma/Dorking, Sussex/Dorking, Dorking/Houdan, etc. These will get you lovely dinners in a shorter time, and the experiment can be fun. But if you want to grow out the pure breeds, as we often do, it will be 5-6 months before you break out the whiz-bang.