All posts tagged: backyard chickens

The Colors Of Fall

๐ŸƒThe Colors Of Fall๐Ÿƒ
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Each month the colors of our hatching eggs vary slightly. Some months we see heavy speckling and color saturation, other months heavy blooms and pastels.
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This basket of color was assembled yesterday after our collecting. The photos and colors are like a journal entry in the diary of our life here on the farm.
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Soon the hens will rest and all that will remain are the quail eggs. For now it is lovely to get to soak in natureโ€™s egg rainbow.
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Our last shipment of chicks will go out October 2nd this year and we will continue to ship chicken and quail hatching eggs as long as the ladies allow through fall.
alchemist_farmThe Colors Of Fall
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This Months Colors

โœจA Photo Diaryโœจ
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I used to write in journals, these days I capture the happenings of our lives in images. Each image tells a story of what we have been working on and where we are headed with the farm.
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Egg colors capture our imagination as we continue our breeding programs. Each season brings a new generation that yields new shades for your daily egg collecting basket.ย 
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Little hands help sort and marvel at the different textures.ย 

alchemist_farmThis Months Colors
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Color Brings Us Joy

No matter how long the chores take it is the color of the eggs sorted at the end of the day that make it all worth while.
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I am continually tinkering on automatic coop doors, feeders and waterers for our 12 breeding groups spread out over our acreage. Sometimes I have little side kicks asking me to repeat the names of a breed or wanting to label eggs. Every moment on the land is a teaching moment with little ones and it all stems from the captivationย these colors inspire. โ€œI love the chocolate ones!โ€ Will be followed by โ€œI love the way the green ones feelโ€. Every egg is an opportunity for our children to connect to where their food comes from. Every label is a chance to practice letters and every feeder filled is a reminder that we must care for our animals every day.
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What does your rainbow inspire over at your place?

alchemist_farmColor Brings Us Joy
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The Egg Tooth

๐ŸฅEgg Tooth๐Ÿฅ

Did you know that as chicks form in the shell they create a special extra piece on the end of their beak called an egg tooth? This day old Ayam Cemani chick is modeling it perfectly.

The egg tooth helps them in the long journey out of the egg and falls off naturally after a few days time of hatching. If giving a baby chick to a broody hen it is best to give the chick when it is less than 3 days old. Looking for the egg tooth on a chick will be in indicator ofย that perfect age for mama hen/chick bonding.

The first time I saw a chick hatch out of an egg was a powerful experience. It is amazing how tight they are inside of the egg and how they are able to break out having no space to work with. Watching my first chick hatch changed my relationship to chickens, it gave me a new deep respect for how strong and versatile they are.

No matter what is going on in our lives, nature shows us that there is always a way forward – we may have to work for it, but it is there!


We have limited numbers of chicks of this beautiful and unique breed. If you would like to have some of these all black beauties strutting around your barnyard reach out! We ship nation wideย 

alchemist_farmThe Egg Tooth
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Egg Art

Some weeks the farm chores distract us from natures perfect beauty. When we take a moment to slow down and really soak in what nature has created we am awe struck by the variety of shades, textures and shapes that are being created on the land.

alchemist_farmEgg Art
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Natures Beauty

๐ŸŒฟNatureโ€™s Beauty!๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿฆ”
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Daily collecting of quail eggs is a constant treat because they are so beautiful! Every quail hen lays a distinct pattern and her daily egg will be unique but follow the same pattern principle.
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Nutrient dense, these eggs are full of iron and taste like a Chicken egg with butter added ๐Ÿ˜

alchemist_farmNatures Beauty
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Want To Know All About Backyard Chicken Keeping? We Have You Covered!

Hey Everyone!

Spring is in full swing and chick season is upon us.ย ย Every year our head chicken wrangler gets thousands of questions from folks of all sorts of expert levels in backyard chicken raising. This year for the first time she is offering two full class daysย (March 11th and April 1st) when two classes will be taught back to back. The first class offered on each class day isย “Backyard Chicken Raising For Beginners” and the second is “Advanced Backyard Chicken Raising”. You can come to one or both classes on either class day to brush up on your chicken whispering skills and expand your knowledge base!

Check out the descriptions belowย for a full outline of each class as well as locations and times.

Class 1: Beginners Backyard Chicken Keeping Course

ย This two hour class is designed for those who are interested in keeping backyard chickens and want to know the basics from which breeds to select for your flock goals to how to build a predator proof coop. We will discuss brooding of chicks, feed for all stages of a chickens life, proper coop maintenance, integration of existing flocks, collection and storage of eating eggs, how to set yourself up for success in relating to your new yard companions and how to look for signs of illness.

 

Class 2: Advanced Backyard Chicken Keeping and Hatching

ย This two hour class is going to be packed with all of the nitty gritty details that the experienced backyard chicken keeper is looking for clarity on. We will discuss various incubation techniques as well as incubators available on the market, selecting correct eggs for incubation, testing for signs of fertility, candling, feather color genetics and how to breed for specific looks in your birds. On the health front we will cover vaccination, holistic health management of your flock, setting up proper biosecurity, what it means to be NPIP certified and if it makes sense for your flock, what to keep in your home veterinary kit, treatments for common ailments, class questions.

Saturday March 11th
This full class day will be held at Alchemist Farm in Sebastopol (space is limited).ย Cost for each class individually is $55 or $100 for both classes. Our Beginner class begins at 10am and goes until 12pm we will have a lunch break and if you are joining us for our Advancedย classย it will begin at 2pm and go until 4pm. This class day includes viewing of some of our breeding groups in action and is a rare opportunity to come beyond the Alchemist front gate. Clean booties to maintain biosecurity will be provided.ย To register for this class you can email us at: [email protected]

 

Saturday April 1st

This full class day will be held at: SHED located at
25 North St.ย Healdsburg, CA in Healdsburg. Cost for each class at this locationย is $45. Forย class times and registration you can follow this link:

http://healdsburgshed.com/events/beginner-chicken-keeping/

http://healdsburgshed.com/events/advanced-chicken-keeping/
Class participants in either class day receive 15% off aย chick or hatching order placed in 2017!

alchemist_farmWant To Know All About Backyard Chicken Keeping? We Have You Covered!
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Little Chicken Wranglers

Endless entertainment for little hands. We love having friends over to play when the sun is out. Many little ones have never held a chicken but our birds are patient and happy to accept cuddles from all ages ๐Ÿ™‚

alchemist_farmLittle Chicken Wranglers
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