Our Philosophy...its not "just a chicken"
You can buy chicks many different ways. You can go to the local feed store and see what chicks they brought in from the commercial hatchery and you can order directly from those commercial hatcheries. You can also buy from one of the many local poultry dealers that resell/wholesale from the hatcheries. (not everyone is honest about if they are hatching or reselling, so be sure to ask questions)
Our favorite option for buying chicks is working with an actual breeder. Yes, we buy from breeders too! We have to diversify our genetics from time to time. And its important for us to find someone that doesn't just hatch chicks. That's not a breeder. We are talking about a true breeder who has ethics, breeds with goals and shares the same values and dedication to their poultry as we do. Why does it matter? Is it "just a chicken"? Why don't people support puppy mills anymore? Why do we buy cage free eggs? Because of the conditions and care. We want to DO BETTER as a society! We want chicks from hens that lived BETTER lives, got fresh air, quality feed, spent their days out in the sunshine, not over crowded in tiny coops/pens/cages for the the sole purpose of making money off them! That's why you come to a local farm like ours. While this IS a farm, we never look at our birds like they are just chickens!
At Ole Yankee Farm, we believe that providing quality care for our chickens is the key to producing the best quality eggs for the next generation of healthy chicks and future hens. How do we care for our birds?
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Breed to the Standard of Perfection, when applicable
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Unlimited, safe access to fresh air and sunshine (this is critical for good health!)
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Feed top-quality feeds from Blue Seal and our home-made scratch
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Never overcrowd or overbreed, mate naturally in family groups
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Strong, biosecurity and disease prevention practices
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On-site fecal testing for parasites
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Regular, scheduled evaluations & disease testing to ensure health
When buying your first or next flock mates, ask yourself where you want them to come from and what matters to you in the process! We post a lot of photos and even videos of our birds. We are happy and proud to virtually show you our flocks and our process. We want to work with others who share the same standards of care for all poultry! When you can look at your flock and says no they are not "just chickens" then you know you have come to the right place!