Welcome to Helbert Hens!
As far as chickens go:
It has been freezing temps as the girls are ramping up their laying season. I hope to have hatching eggs for sale early March. Eggs are going into the incubators next week for my first fertility tests and chicks of the year. Unfortunately, I lost several key male breeders for my NHR line so the decision has been made to discontinue selling that line until I get the flock built back up with some uniformity. I really do not want to bring in any new blood so that may take some time.
As for the Nigerian Dwarf goats:
The 2022 kidding season kicks off this weekend on Feb. 12th with Tulip. You can check out the kidding plan spring 2022 page if you want to get dibs on a particular breeding pair or just get on the list for a doeling , buckling or wether this spring. All you need to do is go to the contact page and let me know what and when you are looking for a baby or two to bring home.
All Doelings from last fall and winter 2021 are all sold or waiting for pickup. I am going to be offering some bred does and junior does ready to breed after Valentines Day. I also have several wethers available after Valentines day at $100 each.
Milk testing with DHI Coop out of Columbus continues year long even as we are down to 7 girls milking currently. As the girls freshen I will update the website and facebook with pictures of new babies and adults listed for sale. I also did put in my application for Linear Appraisal if they put us on the schedule.
What about the coturnix quail?
The quail are doing really well and we may have a limited quantity of breeding sets and female only sets with cages to offer this year. Quail are such wonderful layers. They never disappoint. I am thinking about putting together kits this year with a cage, a few quail and of course a quail egg cutter so you can easily cut the tips off those tiny eggs and enjoy in all your egg dishes.
You have Boer too?
Well, kind of. People are always in shock when they see the Boer does in the paddocks. I bought a few does with thoughts of getting some self sustainable meat by growing out the male offspring. My thoughts were to AI however, first attempts were late in the season and things didn't go as planned. So this year I did purchase two lovely little baby Boer bucklings. We will try in the fall some natural breeding and see how that goes. These are not show goats but utility or what they would call commercial. They are not registered. They are however very friendly and well mannered. We are WADDL testing the Boer on the same schedule we test our dairy goats for CAE, Johne's and CL. Any positive test is culled off the property immediately.
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 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. I also chose the Delaware because of their cold hardness and the great flavors of their meat. The Delawares are friendly and bold and one of my best layers of large light brown eggs year around.
To make a long story short, I decided to limit the breeds/varieties we raised. The English Jubilee 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. I also chose the Delaware because of their cold hardness and the great flavors of their meat. The Delawares are friendly and bold and one of my best layers of large light brown eggs year around.
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The AnimalsWe may bring on new breeds and phase out breeds as we journey through our chicken adventures.
As of 2021 we raise and breed large fowl English Jubilee Orpingtons, heritage Delawares, WLR Cornish, New Hampshire, White Ameraucana and the Austrian Sulmtaler. We also raise and breed the bantam breeds Serama and Porcelain d'Uccle. And of course, we raise and breed Nigerian Dwarf goats. |
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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.
31-1112
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American Poultry Association
United Orpington Club - District 3 Polish Breeders Club - District 4 International Cornish Breeders Association Ameraucana Alliance Ameraucana Breeders Club - North East American Dairy Goat Association American Goat Society Ohio Dairy Goat Association |
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