Our Chickens Our chicken flock started with one polish rooster we found in a box in a parking lot. Lisa bought him some girls to keep him company. Now we have between 250 and 300 birds. Lisa loves chickens and has built a diverse flock of heirloom and rarer birds that have beautiful plumage and produce a variety of egg colors. The birds are completely free to range, foraging in pastures and forests around the farm. They are tended to by a flock of "friendly" roosters that protect them, find them food, and well, keep them happy. At night they roost in a coop and most lay their eggs there, although we also make the rounds of the hay barn, the trees with hollows, and the back of my truck to find all the "free laid" eggs. We feed the chickens formulated food outside daily to ensure they get enough protein and calcium, but they feed all day on grass, plants, insects, our kitchen scraps, and oyster shell that is buried all around our farm since it was once the site of an oyster plant. We are licensed to package eggs and produce about 60 dozen eggs a week. Our eggs are brown, chocolate speckled, green, blue, pink, and white and are packaged in clear cartons. We sell all of our eggs locally at the Astoria Coop, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture subscription purchase), and our veterinary clinic. Occasionally we sell the old birds for meat. The French Maran's are the authentic ingredient for Coq Au Vin, traditionally being made by tenderizing old Maran roosters in red wine, one of my favorite dishes to make and eat. Here is a list of the type of chickens we currently raise and some photos. French Maran Americana Polish Buff Orpington Blue Andalusian Salmon Faverolle Red Leghorn Rhode Island Red Silver and Gold Spangled Hamburg Silver Laced Wyandotte Frizzle Cochen Silver Phoenix |
