It has been a joy working with our gentle, hardy Standard White Chanteclers over the years. It has been an equal joy meeting all the people who these heritage birds attract. I no longer keep a commercial flock, but I am always happy to share what we learned over the years. All the best in all your heritage breed adventures!
Our Breeds, in Kincardine Ontario
Standard White Chantecler
The Standard White Chantecler is a dual purpose bird developed by Brother Wilfred Châtelain in Quebec, in the early 1900’s. The first ‘Canadian’ Chicken, was breed for hardiness, cold tolerance, year round egg production and good meat production. The new breed was admitted into the Standard of Perfection in 1921.
Today, this hardy, quiet, dual purpose bird is well suited to pastured poultry operations and naturally finds it’s place on homesteads and small farms. Our Chantecler roosters are consistently polite and gentle with humans making them an excellent choice for the family with younger poultry keepers.
Our breeding program has recently expanded to take over the Cirrus Hill Farm well reputed flock. We are excited to be partnering with this experienced farm who has worked hard to preserve this beautiful and functional rare breed.
Each year we work hard to be ready to ship quality fertile eggs all across Canada and to fill orders for chicks from our farm. Shipping will begin as soon as the temperature is warm ensure safe transportation. Live birds are for on farm pick up only.
All orders should be placed well in advance of you desired pick up time. We suggest at least six weeks to allow us to coordinate orders, hatching and shipping.
Beltsville Small White Turkey
“Developed for the household market of smaller families, specifically to compete with the Sunday capon as a luxury poultry choice, the USDA introduced the first (still naturally reproducing) commercially successful new turkey breed, designed to create a new industry for the struggling farmers of the 1930’s. The Beltsville Small White turkey was named for its birthplace, the famous Beltsville, Maryland USDA poultry research station. Introduced to the market in 1941, they quickly became the premium 25% of the domestic market. The Beltsville Small White turkey is a miracle of traditional selective breeding, and a priceless agriculture heritage. They could fairly be called the “mother” of the modern turkey industry. This small, busty, naturally reproducing (modern turkeys can’t breed naturally) true heritage turkey with its practical snowy white plumage looks like its descendant, the modern giant industrial BBW, but there the similarity ends. Smart and personable, hardy, fertile and capable foragers, layers of delicious eggs almost year-round, they produce a delicious meaty table bird 8-16 pounds in 6-7 months. They will breed naturally and raise their young in their first adult year and can be managed for year round production without specialized reproductive technology. The BSW was declared “extinct” in the USA as a pure breed by the APA in the 1990’s, and they remain designated as “critically endangered” by Rare Breeds Canada and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. We are pleased to report that they are making a well deserved come-back in Canada from the priceless Canadian and American pedigreed foundation flocks maintained at Cirrus Hill Farm. The BSW is the ideal choice for the family poultry flock, hobby farms and CSAs able to market a true gourmet product, and are an APA standard breed for exhibition. Smaller, and so gentle and friendly, much more sociable and endearing than chickens, they make enjoyable pets, and a great 4H project for the youngsters. Kids are certain to wow the judges and come home with ribbons from the county fairs with their charming, easily trained Beltsvilles, and your family will be “hooked” on these old-time turkeys!” (from Cirrus Hill website.)
We maintain a family flock of these wonderful turkey’s.