IMPORTANT FOR CHICKEN INQUIRIES
Due To Covid we have seen a fabulous upsurge of people taking back control of what they eat. This has meant everyone wants laying birds in there back yard TODAY,,,, sorry folks that’s not possible as there’s no tap we can turn on! Demand means it will happen eventually. An analogy would be wanting to plant an apple tree that has apples on now.. not possible but they are blooming now and the apples will come in the fall.
Spring is the time when day-old chicks are available. Depending on their breed, it takes 18 weeks to 6 months to turn a day-old chick into a point-of-lay hen. Generally, point-of-lay birds are available through commercial outlets, where they raise the birds with just red light (no natural light) and can produce something that’s commercially affordable.
Unless you get real lucky and someone’s reducing their flock of already-laying birds, the way to get an egg laying chicken, is to put an order in for day-old chicks, which you then raise to that point-of-lay moment. Once your chicken is laying, you can expect (from the good breeds) to get a really good first year of laying. Some breeds carry on for many years.
To connect with an island business that brings in and produces point-of-lay birds, check out Reliable Poultry’s website here.
We are current SOLD OUT of day-old chicks
FABULOUS BACKYARD POULTRY VIDEOS
Chicken Workshops
We offer a 2 hour practical session about chickens that encompasses a range of necessary knowledge to start / maintain a healthy flock. Learn from the beginning stages of housing and feeding right the way through to the common pitfalls one might encounter. On top of that, we talk about how to provide your family with your own food & reduce your carbon footprint. The 100 yard diet!
Our Knowledge
We’ve been raising birds for over 30 years now and are passionate about all it entails! Our flock is mixed between approx. 60% of proven cross-bred layers with 40% consisting of ‘rare’ breeds. This ensures genetic diversity in hopes of strengthening the survival in extreme conditions – diseases, earthquakes, feed shortage etc. We invite those who purchase our Eggs to visit the flock and see first-hand where their food comes from. For protection, Roosters range with our birds, resulting in fertile eggs; they can be taken and incubated. We feed a NON GMO ration to supplement their pastured foraging. All chicken feed sold in BC is vegetable based. Like dog food , the quality and digestibility of what you feed your chickens will be evident in their health and production. We believe that Pro Forms rations are superior and our customers confirm that with anecdotes about how much less feed they need and less manure is produced.
Chicken terminology
Rooster
A male adult chicken, beautiful but noisy, a flock of hens don’t need a rooster to be productive but the eggs can’t be fertile without a rooster around.
Hen
A female adult chicken, produces eggs
Point of Lay
A chicken at the start of it’s reproductive, egg laying life. The age a chicken reaches point of lay varies depending on breed and time of year, from 17 weeks old and up to 6 or 7 months for the “rare” breeds. They are rare for a reason!
Pullet
A young female hen
