What Breeds of Chickens do you Have?

When we first began with chickens, our chief chicken farmer, Wyatt, went under what we called a "Noah's Ark" theory. There were a few Barred Plymouth Rocks, a few Americaunas, a few White Plymouth Rocks, a few Silkies,White Faced Black Spanish Bantams and others. Over time, more birds have come to live here. A few years back, we took in some rescue birds which had been abandoned at a friend's rental (for more on how we introduce rescues and other new birds to the flock, feel free to ask), some birds given to Wyatt to allow them to live out their lives here because they were being attacked in town, and a variety of new breeds we have added in the spring additions. We now have Phoenix (including rare White Phoenix), Cochins, Marans, Blue Andalusians, a Dutch, Jersey Giants, Sicilian Buttercups, Black Stars, and others. Each bird has its own personality, and its own home here.

How many birds live at Patriot's Dream Farm?

This is a regularly changing number, though we usuall hover somewhere around a hundred. Sgt Major, who you see on the main page, is our lead rooster. He is known for breaking up fights between hens, as well as for protecting his hens from pesky younger roos who are still learning their manners. Because of this, the girls love him. He and Muffy, our blue ribbon Ameraucauna rooster, lead the hens who live outside the pens. They prefer to sleep in the tree by the house and the tree above the buck pen. Golden Boy, Sgt Major's son from the 2011 Spring hatch, are favorites of the Rhode Island Red ladies and Phoenix ladies who live in their respective areas, while Muffy has his own group of wheaton and white Ameraucauna hens. Bitty and Dutchie move between their groups and the tree in the big chicken pen.

Gallus is a mild mannered rooster who lives in the show pen. He is Sicilian Buttercup, and has one Sicilian Buttercup hen with him. Also in that pen are Annette, the BOB Silver Phoenix hen, the White Faced Black Spanish hens (who effectively run that coop, and usually place 1 and 2 in their breed) and the Silkie ladies, as well as one frizzle hen.

Blondie, a white Phoenix hen, and her boyfirend the white Phoenix Rooster, live in a breeding pen between the bantams and the big pen. They will turn brassy without cover, and must also be separated to have true blood lines for their babies, so they remain separate fro the others.

The big pen has no top. The hens from there like to sleep in the tree above it, as well as along the top of their fence and in their big hen house. This means the hens who live here come and go throughout the day, but return to their pen at night and at feeding times. This pen is where some of our oldest hens are, and we don't allow babies in there until they are at least two months old. Around 30 - 35 hens live there.

Because we breed, we end up with extra roosters which are often sold or traded so there is not so much pressure on the hens. Also, this allows a natural lifestyle for the chickens and their young, which also enables the hens to live out their years here at Patriot's Dream. It means hens like Jalympics come knock on the back door for Wyatt to bring them treats, and we often find them sleeping in chairs on the back porch. You might think every chicken in the county would stop by to eat, but our dogs somehow know the difference between the birds who belong and those who don't, and they run off the ones who don't belong.

When babies fall in goat waters, they often cuddle and warm up with the dogs until they are ready to go back with their mamas in the flock. Sometimes we find them riding around on Huey the pygmy buck's head. For the most part, everyone is one big silly family here. So how many birds live here? Sometimes that changes with the day, especially during Spring hatching season. Come see for yourself!

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