Chicken
& Duck |
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Our
home-grown chickens and ducks are raised on whole, non-GMO grains, vegetable
scraps and foraged goodies that they find for themselves in the grass
and leaves around their home. We do not treat our birds with hormones
or antibiotics. Our birds are ready for your freezer by mid-September
and they range in size from 3 1/2 pounds to just over 5 pounds. |
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Purchase |
![]() Roast chicken marinated and stuffed with garlic scapes sitting in a 10" pan. |
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About
Our Chickens
Our chickens are a commercial dual-purpose breed. As chicks, they are fed a non-GMO starter mix and then as they age, they are put on whole grains to finish: wheat, blackoil sunflower seeds and millet. Their diet is also supplemented with vegetable scraps and they often forage for other natural goodies. They begin their lives in a special room in our straw bale chicken coop. At about 3 weeks old, we move them into their new home which is a pole-barn that has been modified to keep them safe from predators. Once they are large enough, they are allowed to wander the gardens and pastures to forage, scratch and play. After living with us for 15 to 20 weeks, we bring our birds to a government inspected abattoir for processing.
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![]() Meat bird housing in the pole-barn. |
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![]() Meat bird chicks in the straw bale chicken coop. |
![]() Pole-barn housing. |
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![]() Charlie and her 17 babies (2017). |
About
our Ducks Muscovie ducks are large ducks that originated from
Central and South America. The drakes (males) are very large - some
are 30+ inches in length and over 15lbs, whereas the females are half
the size. Unlike other ducks, Muscovies do not 'quack' but instead,
'hiss' similar to a snake!
Our ducks are a mix of colours - pure white, white
with dark green and black and some are brown. As they age, all our ducks
develop the Muscovie characteristic canucles around their face. Carnucles
are the red, featherless areas around their eyes and sometimes around
their necks or beaks. |
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![]() Babies bathing in a rainwater pool. |
![]() Duck swimming in one of our seasonal ponds. |
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Animal
Care All our chickens and ducks are fed a mix of whole grains and legumes (wheat, sunflower seeds, millet, legumes and peas), supplemented with fresh vegetable bits and naturally sourced calcium. We do not treat our birds with anitbiotics or pharmaceuticals. When a bird is sick we treat her with apple cider vinegar, oilve oil, garlic and herbs, and bring her into the house where we can nurse her back to health. The chickens and ducks spend the day foraging in the yards, gardens, and pastures, socialising with the other farm animals. At night, we protect our flocks from preditors in spacious buildings where they have access to grains and fresh water. |
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Farm Boutique Open May to October, 24/7! 845 Galway Road, Kinmount, Ontario |
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Location Contact |
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Contact us: farmers (at) thistlecroft.ca |