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Our Chickens |
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Welcome to our feather fancy hobby! We call ourselves "
Roundcreek " as we live right beside "Roundscreek" which ties
into the "Raven River" in our backyard in Raven,
Alberta. At Roundcreek we keep various heritage breeds of
bantams and standard size birds for eggs and for breeding purposes.
We keep rare heritage breeds for the conservation of them ,and of
course the pure love and goodness of them!! We find poultry keeping
very entertaining and rewarding! I have had chickens for @30 years , it
all started for me when an uncle gave me easter eggers when I was a
child and it has turned into a life long hobby. This may come as a
surprise, in North America over a third of all breeds of livestock and
poultry are concidered rare and are in fast decline. More
people need to get involved and raise some of these old varieties of
livestock that our ancestors had before it's too late. In Canada over
60 breeds of poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs, horse, ponies and waterfowl
are endangered.
These animals are our treasures, our history and hold a
key to so many genetic possibilities. We need to keep these old breeds
pure and save our diversification. See how fun and rewarding it is to
have a basket full of different colored eggs or a freezer full of
different flavors of meat or the joy of looking at your beautiful
colors of animals. So many of the breeds that played a huge part
of feeding Pilgrims and our grandparents are now in danger of
extinction. We save so many of our other pieces of history
such as historical landmarks. " Why not our historical
livestock"? I was so surprised to read the lists that were formed
here in Canada based on a study of poultry breeds that have been
around for what seemed like "FOREVER" may not be so. Some
came in from the Mayflower or were creations made from those origionals
and now with commercialization are disappearing fast. Please look into
it yourselves and see how fast these breeds are being replaced by the
faster growing or producing animal. For example, the beautiful
well known Barred Rock on the RISK list for a mere 1000-3000
birds. Being replaced by Isa browns or some other commerical
hatchery bird. Other North American famous birds such as
the New Hampshire Reds, The Rhode Island Reds and the Black Jersey
Giants are on the Vulnerable lists meaning 500-999 birds. Columbian
Rocks, Light Sussex and Canada's OWN creation the Chantecler are on the
ENDANGED and CRITICAL LIST meaning super low numbers of these
precious birds. On the critical list in Canada you will find the
beautiful Dorking which are in the blood of many of the poultry breeds
and they are sadly on the less than 100s list which are Critical and
Rare. You will also find White Wyandottes, White Jersey Giants,
Brown Leghorns and Delawares are also Critical LISTS to name just
a few.
Please go to RareBreeds Canada www.rarebreedscanada.ca/
Please check out Society for the Preservation of
Poultry Antiquities and read the articles about why the SPPA is needed
and please check out there new updated for 2008 Critical list.
poultryb.dot5hosting.com/sppapage.html
<http://poultryb.dot5hosting.com/sppapage.html>
<http://ca.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/neo/poultryb.dot5hosting.com/sppapage.html>
The American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy has also compiled a list of livestock breeds that
need conservation . The priority Lists and information can be found
here on their website
albc-usa.org/
<http://albc-usa.org/>
If you have the time and the space then
try this very rewarding hobby and way of life and help save them
from extinction at the same time. The way to create more of these
creatures is to get the demand up by getting a rare heritage
breed and keep them purebred. Try to find animals that are the closest
to the "standard of perfection" for that breed as possible. This
is because you will probably want to multiply and reproduce your
animals and you dont want to reproduce animals with faulty traits .
There is a book for poultry called " Standard of Perfection" and this
will be your guideline for seeking out good quality stock and your
duty if you reproduce to cull for imperfections. .
Find a market for what you would like to produce whether it be to your
local farmer's market or your friends & your family. Look
into the different breeds and see why each one was created and
the history behind it, whether it be for their beautiful colored eggs
or the way they dress out or exhibition qualities. Find one that
is suited for your needs and demands. Chickens are
easy and so fun to watch as they are so productive and are always
busy chasing fat bugs, scrounging for food, laying eggs and taking care
of their chicken families. The old breeds still have the instinct
left in them where alot of the new commercial breeds dont anymore and
don't/can't even naturally mate. I choose the dual purpose,
productive varieties that are very quiet and make great pets as
well. I am going to be hatching eggs this spring of some very
rare and beautiful varieties in bantam and standard size. If all
goes well I will have some extra chicks for sale. Check back
often to see whats available and have a look yourself and see how hard
it is to find heritage breeds of animals. Let's try to change
these numbers and have fun at the same time.
Breeds we are hatching in 2013
PLEASE REMEMBER ALL DAY-OLD POULTRY IS SOLD AS
STRAIGHT RUN ONLY.
** WE HAVE NO WAY TO SEX ANY OF THE DAY-OLDS as they would have
to be vent sexed.
Bantam Breeds -very limited
Blue Wyandottes
Belgian Antwerp Quails
Rhode Island Reds
Large Fowl
Barred Plymouth Rocks(brown eggs)
White Leghorns( white eggs)
Brown Leghorns(white eggs)
Rhode Island Reds(brown eggs)
Light sussex-(light tint eggs)
Easter eggers-(blue/green eggs)
** Note my breeds are Heritage- dual purpose breeds. If your
looking for meat , I recommend getting a cornish cross from a hatchery
as they are going to give you alot more meat for your time and feed. If
your buying chicks for the pullets ( hens) and you happen to have the
extra cockerals around at 6 months to a year .. they will probably
be worth butchering instead of wasting their bodies.
for
current brochure click here: Brochure
Please email me " Chickie Vickie" at rndcreek@yahoo.com
<mailto:rndcreek@yahoo.com> breed availability ,
current brochure, directions and to reserve your baby chicks.
**We are small backyard hobbyist/stewards with the love for farm
animals , especially chickens and horses.
This is for farm pick up . We are located in Spruce View ( Raven)
, AB.
Come by and see our " Chicken Park", where you will get a chance
to see rare heritage breeds of chickens and turkeys.
***Cash sales " Please no
cheques for chickens. "
We are feather fanciers, we are NOT a hatchery and cannot ship.
I do not have any hatching eggs for sale .
If you dont hear from me, please try again.
******Helpful TIPS
I ask everyone that is getting chicks to please get a coccidiosis
medicine for them, especially in the hot, humid summer months. I really
recommend North Star Doves located in Ponoka, AB. They have medicine
and products for pretty much everything! I really love their 4 in 1 for
reducing mortality in the young chicks.
http://northstardoves.com/Coccidiosis.html
If you do not use the 4 in 1, please at least add apple
cider vinegar to the chicks water @ 2 TBSP per Gallon.You can use it
along with the 4 in 1 as well or start the vinegar after using 4 in 1
for 1-2 weeks. Apple cider vinegar can be used for chickens and turkeys
of any age! Apple cider vinegar helps reduce coccidiosis and harmful
bacteria and algae growth in the water. This can also be mixed
with vitamins. You can add a vitamin and electrolyte supplement to
their drinking water,@ 1/4 tsp. per liter of water. For stressed chicks
I recommend adding a tsp. of brown sugar per liter of water or the
electrolytes for a couple days after arrival for a quick energy boost
just to help them recover from shipping stress of being moved and of
course the 4 in 1 to go along with it for 1-2 weeks @ tsp per
gallon. You can pick up vitamins for chickens at most Peavy
Marts, UFA or Co-Op feed stores. For the 4 in 1, you must contact
Northstar doves! Giving baby chicks a boiled egg chopped up
is very good for them also. These tips will greatly reduce
mortality in chicks that have been stressed due to moving to their new
homes. Its very sad when baby chicks die and I want to inform you the
best I can to reduce mortality.
** Birds can and do get parasites from wild fowl and vermin
pests so please treat your birds each season to be sure they are kept
clean. You can treat chicks as young as 4 weeks and up without any
adverse effects.. I use liquid pour on ivermectin as it kills internal
and external parasites.. What you do is put 1 part ivermectin to 10
parts water in a spray bottle and spray the birds next to their skin..
so spread apart some feathers above their vent and below and spray a
few sprays.. and do under their wings.. or you can just put the
straight ivermectin in a syringe and put 2 to 3 drops on the large
fowl birds in various places on the skin such as under wings and
above vent.** use only 1 to 2 pure drops of pure ivermectin on
bantam fowl. Diamataceous earth is great to add to nests for keeping
parasites away as it acts like glass to bugs! Also you can
using dusting powders from your local farm stores too.. I prefer to
handle and treat birds at nite when they are settled.. I LOVE those
flashlight hats!!
**Domestic poultry also picks up sickness from infected
wild birds such as Avian Pox/Fowl Pox, Fowl Cholera,
Mycoplasmosis/CRD/Air Sac Disease. IF your birds are not feeling well,
and have cold like symptoms, try Oxytetracycline -or Terramycyin,
you can also get this at your local farm store such as CO-OP.
Here is a link for different diseases- <http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-chicken-illnesses-and-treatments.html>
***Terramycin is often the first drug poultry growers use when it comes
to treating bacterial infections. It is readily available at farm
supply stores and veterinarian's offices. Terramycin has been proven to
be safe and effective in treating many bacteria-born poultry
diseases. Terramycin is easy to administer and has no serious
side effects.
Enjoy the photo gallery
Photo gallery, enjoy the shots!
Goldlaced wyandotte hen
Bourbon
red poult
Silvergray Dorkings
ameraucana
chick
blue cochin
brahma chicks in dark and buff
bantam
Canadian Chanteclers Belgian
Antwerps
dorking and speckled sussex chicks
bourbon
red poult
splash and black
wyandottes = blue wyandottes
blue cochin hen
Peachcat and chicks
ameraucana
chick and eggs
enjoying pumpkin at Halloween
buff brahma bantams
Canadian
Chantecler bantams
Silvergray dorkings
Silverlaced Wyandotte bantams
Silverlaced
Wyandotte bantams
Rhode Island Red bantams
Speckled Sussex
Silvergray Dorkings
Buff Silkies