We started with poultry when I was in 4th grade with a trio of white pekin ducks and a pair of BBR Old English Game Bantams. After I had them for quite a while I started to like the bantams better than the ducks. They were easy to handle and weren't nearly as messy! I added silkies and more old english to my flock as well as some egg layers from the feed store. We have rescued a few birds off the side of the road as well and they now live a happy life here. Our birds are free-range and are only caged up at night as we have predators. Our birds are very socialized as well and do not mind being held or fed out of your hands.

The only birds we "breed" (and that term is used loosely) are the old english. What we usually do is put OEGB eggs under our silkies and silkie cross as they are excellent mothers and seem to always be broody anyway. We let the birds hatch the chicks out. We usually have a few chicks every spring, so you can check back for chicks this spring!

Below are a few pictures of our flock out and about in fall 2006 and winter 2007. We have a total of 13 adult chickens and 1 duck. They are just pets and I show whatever is showable at the county fair every summer.



Our White Silkie hen, Jesse, that came from Texas in 2005.

Some Old English enjoying the sunshine.

A blue old english hen and her 2 chicks.

One of our old english cockerels, "Marco".

Some of the flock hanging out.

Claire, a blue old english pullet.

Chaos, a brown red old english cock that we hatched out in 2003.

A couple of my "big girls", Little Red and Wyandotte. Original names, huh?

An old english blue hen that hatched in 2005. Her name is "Cammy". She is one of my favorite hens.

Our roosters seem to get along pretty well!

Something doesn't fit in....

This is Toasty, our lone mallard drake. He hangs out with the chickens and swims in the creek behind the barn.