We have a wide variety of chickens, ducks and guineas at ACF. We have raised several breeds, including Rhode Island Reds, White Silkies, Plymouth Rocks and Black Orpingtons. Over the years, we have hatched our own chicks and ducklings in an incubator as well as let nature take its course and allowed broody hens to 'do the job'. We have decided to cut back on ducks for the time being and concentrate on chickens and guineas. One day we would like to build a duck house on our small pond and allow the ducks to live out happy lives there.
Our birds are allowed to free range while we are home. We have had many different predators claim the lives of our poultry, so we decided the best thing for them was to remain enclosed when we cannot provide protection. Fresh eggs are the absolute best and if you've never tried some - you must! Eggs bought from the store usually have flatter, duller yolks and less bright whites. Did you know that you can eat guinea eggs? You can! Two guinea eggs are equivalent to one chicken egg....just be careful of those shells, they are super hard and I still haven't figured out how to avoid getting shells in the eggs! Did you also know that if you would like to eat a farm fresh egg hard boiled, it is best to keep the egg in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 weeks? That's right! If you've ever tried to hard boil an egg that was laid a few days ago you'll find that it's quite hard to peel. The white membrane hasn't developed enough to allow a "good peel". To test how old an egg is, fill a pot with water - enough to cover the egg completely. If the egg lays flat on the bottom, the egg is fresh - the more the egg tips upwards or stands vertical the older the egg. As the egg ages the air pocket inside the egg grows, which is what causes the egg to "stand" in the pot! Be sure you check the site in the spring time - that's the favorite time for hatching and who knows what type of chickens or guineas we'll hatch out! |