2024 Kid Counter:
*B Bucks: 2      Available: 0
Does: 25            Available: 4
Wethers:  30    Available: 0

Herd Status:

I am currently milking 10 twice a day.  There are two bred does due in December.  I have one doe that did not get bred and will be bred in September with many of the current milkers. You can check out my breeding plans here.

I have 15 junior does that consist of a few keeper kids and kids that did not sell from this spring. I just added two late doe kids from July in the front pasture with them. These are for sale however some still have their horns which will be banded the first of September.

7 Bucks all breeding age I will be using this fall.

Bringing on two aged does whom I have had the pleasure of growing kids from over the years.  They are coming to hopefully get a year on milk test if I can get them bred.

 Welcome to Helbert Hens!

Three girls on the Aug 2024 ADGA Elite list this time.  Lippy, Lyla, and Sandy(Bred by Stephanie Gibson). 

With Cookie now joining her sisters qualifying for ADGA milk stars in all three categories Pipzy Farms Orions Belt qualifies for his +B.  ADGA has this program on its roadmap to be implemented in the NG software in 2024 so I am very excited to have all the does and bucks caught up with production awards.  For now I will just put pending beside the animals that have qualified but are not officially showing in the NG software.  Pending by their name does not mean they are pending sale. :)

Junior bucks waiting for cookies. Danny, Chip, Luminere, Benji, Carmel and Big Chuck.

Helbert Hens
​Where it's great to be a big chicken.

 When I started breeding poultry I made the mistake of trying to breed too many breeds and too many varieties.  I just wanted them all.  In fact you might say I was obsessed with the beauty and personalities of each breed.  There came a point where I had to sit down and decide why I wanted chickens and what I hoped to accomplish in a breeding plan.  Over the years some of my favorite breeds have not been sustainable due to the cold and seemingly never ending Ohio winters.  I found that keeping the breeds in separate coops was great for containing illness and keeping family groups ranging and socializing together however very difficult to maintain even with a well implemented winter husbandry plan.  Some breeds lost favor and didn't flourish because they would not free range but preferred to stay in their runs and eat feed all day. They might have been happy but I was having to clean those pens and fill feeders twice as often which made me very unhappy.

To make a long story short, I decided to limit the breeds/varieties we raised. The English Jubilee and English Buff Orpington worked well for us as they are big beautiful friendly birds that are cold hardy and easy to keep.  Even with the limited lighting in winter we still get some eggs.

The Animals

We may bring on new breeds and phase out breeds as we journey through our chicken adventures.

All flocks have their own coops and are allowed to free range on a rotational basis.  Usually 4 to 6 pens out each day. Chicks that are 4 to 16 weeks are raised in the old horse barn until they are big enough to be incorporated into a coop.  Chicks day old to 4 weeks are in the hatch room in our house.

Organizations and programs we support.

American Poultry Association
American Dairy Goat Association
American Goat Society
​Ohio Dairy Goat Association