West Kidland Farm Rare and Traditional Breeds

Our breeding stock are currently on their winter holidays, and will be returning to their individual breed pens at the beginning of February, nicely rested and ready for the new breeding season. Hatching eggs will be available from the beginning of March. There are various young birds currently available - please see the Livestock for Sale page for details.

Here at West Kidland Farm we keep a variety of chickens, geese and ducks. Please see the list below for details and pictures of each breed. For current availability of what is For Sale, please follow the link. We have recently added Silver Campines, Silver-Laced Wyandottes, and Dewlap Toulouse to our breeding stock. All will be available in 2012.
Here at West Kidland, we specialise in supplying and advising the first time chicken keeper. We are always happy to show you around all the different breeds available, explain the different characteristics of each breed, what colour egg you can expect etc. In addition, we are always happy to offer the benefit of our many years of poultry keeping, and advise you on health issues, housing etc. Please phone 07790 525984 to make an appointment if you are interested in poultry keeping.

Our breeding stock are kept in large individual pens with purpose built housing and nesting boxes in each pen. Each pen generally contains between four and ten birds, comprising three to eight hens and one unrelated cockerel per four hens. The breeds are kept in their pens to prevent any cross-breeding, therefore tainting the genetics of that breed. Our free-range laying flock are allowed to roam wherever they desire, and they make sure that they take full advantage of this privilege. The daily egg-hunt can be a daunting task! Our geese and ducks also have a license to roam and they are often to be found investigating the quality of the grass in the horses paddocks, or having a chat with the Berkshire Pigs!

We keep a closed flock here at West Kidland Farm, and it is highly unusual for us to buy in live birds. The vast majority of new stock is derived from purchased hatching eggs. This way, we limit any infections or spread of disease. The birds are kept on good, well-drained pasture, and no pen is allowed to be over scratched. All the birds have unlimited access to fresh air, all are treated for Red Mite infestations, and are wormed twice yearly. Because we practice good husbandry, and keep a healthy flock, we do not vaccinate any of our birds, as this would be remarkably unpractical on the scale to which we operate. Where possible each breeding season, we hatch our youngsters naturally under our team of hybrid broody hens (in fact, one broody (known as Uber Broody) in 2010 hatched no fewer than 7 clutches, beginning with ducklings on the 28th January). When the broodys are not co-operating, however, we hatch in our incubators. All of our waterfowl are incubator hatched.

All our chicken houses are made by ourselves, and we are constantly upgrading and designing new houses depending on the breed which will be occupying that particular house. For example, the Buff Orpingtons prefer to huddle at night rather than perch, therefore they have a house with no perches built into it. By contrast, the Cream Legbars would be most upset if they were unable to perch, so they have ample perch space. Our free-range flock occupies Chickenham Palace, where they have on average a good foot and a half of perch space per bird, along with many more nest boxes than they actually need.

For all the breeds mentioned below, Chickens, Ducks and Geese we are happy to sell hatching eggs. We are able to post said hatching eggs in specially designed polyboxes, or we are equally happy for farm visits to see the ducks, chickens and geese and take the hatching eggs away with you. We never sell hatching eggs that are more than 4 days old, as the fertility will have decreased slightly by then. We also always test the fertility of the individual breed prior to selling any hatching eggs. Hatching egg prices are mentioned in the price list further down the page. You can also buy our hatching eggs from eBay. Check out bennybjorn05.

Please see below for some pictures and information about each of the breeds that we keep and are planning on breeding from in 2011.

For eating, we sell free range brown eggs, free range duck eggs, and also our multi-coloured egg boxes, laid by our free range flock of "Cat's Hybrids"

For more Poultry related information, please go to: http://poultry.allotment.org.uk. Here you can find a lot of useful information regarding all poultry issues, plus a handy online forum where you can discuss everything Poultry related.

Many photos courtesy of Alejandro Briones. Gold Brahma cockerel photo courtesy of Noemie Pinoch.

Brahma - Gold		Brahmas originally arrived in the UK as early as 1840. Although the name originates from India, the breed was actually developed in America. Brahmas are wonderful, large and very docile chickens. They have feathered legs, and grow to quite a height! Brahmas have beautiful feathering and they are very elegant birds. They are quite happy to stay behind relatively low fencing, and they prefer dryer conditions because of their leg feathering. In wet and muddy conditions they can develop mud balls (or fecal balls) attached to the feathers. These need to be removed otherwise it can result in the loss of toes or toenails. The breed is slow maturing and does not reach full maturity until approximately two years of age. As the birds are so large trusting and docile, they are easy to tame. The breed is not terrifically prolific in terms of eggs laid, but during the breeding season are high in fertility and chicks that hatch are generally strong and fast-growing. The hens don't start to lay eggs until they are about six to seven months old, but they will continue to lay throughout the winter months, unlike many other pure breeds. Hens also make excellent broodys, and can sit on a large number of eggs due to their size. We currently keep a trio of Gold Brahmas (numbers increasing in 2012), a quintet of Dark Brahmas, a large number of Blue and Black Brahmas and currently a pair of Buff Columbian Brahmas. We will have Gold, Dark, Buff, Black and Blue Brahmas available to purchase in 2012. Please check back for details and photos which will be added soon!!
Brahma - Dark
Brahma - Black / Blue
Brahma - Buff Columbian	Photo to Follow
Campine - Silver	Photo to Follow	A delightful small, white egg laying, very pretty bird. The Campine used to be much in demand as the base breed for white egg laying hybrids, but declined in popularity, and is now one of the more rare breeds. These little birds do tend to be quite independent, and prefer to be totally free-ranging, and we frequently find them in the strangest of places. They have a very inquisitive nature, and are the first to investigate new areas. They are reasonably prolific layers, but need to have half an eye kept on them, as they will lay there eggs anywhere that they deem suitable, e.g. under someone else's house, in the goat enclosure, in a patch of stinging nettles etc. We will have Silver Campine youngstock available in 2012. The Campine is classified as At Risk on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Cream Legbar		The Cream Legbar is a relatively new breed, originating as a cross between a Brown Leghorn and a Barred Rock with a little Araucana blood added into the mix. The breed is a blue / green egg-laying breed, and is a true autosexing breed. Cream Legbars are very firm and muscular birds, and are generally crested, although we also keep the Muff variety. They are relatively prolific egg layers, and can continue to lay over winter if the weather is not too foul. The hens will generally start to lay at around six months of age. We keep a mixed group of Crested and Muff Cream Legbars, and the hens all lay either green or duck-egg blue eggs. These birds are relatively hardy, and do not find it difficult to manage in muddy conditions. Both Muff and Crested Cream Legbars will be available to purchase in 2011 - please see price list below. Currently, we have available a number of Cream Legbar pullets that hatched later in the season in 2010. They are not the Muff variety, but are still striking looking little birds. The Cream Legbar is classed as Category 3, Vulnerable on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Indian Game		The Indian Game is a breed which is often referred to as a Cornish Game as they have been bred in Cornwall since the 19th Century. The breed is very stout and makes a good table bird as they are reasonably fast growing and have a good food-bodyweight conversion ratio. They do prefer the milder climate and whilst they can look quite fierce, they are not a nasty-natured breed, and can become quite tame. The eggs laid are relatively low in number, but often fertile. Full-grown birds can be quite large, and as such require lower perches and a large pop-hole for access to their house. We keep a breeding quartet of Indian Game and we have a second cockerel who is kept with Light Sussex hens to produce a quality hybrid table bird. Both the pure Indian Game and the hybrid meat birds will be available in 2011 - please see price list below. The Indian Game is classed as Category 3, Vulnerable on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Maran - Blue / Copper Blue		The Maran was one of the latest breeds to be imported into the UK. Its origins are in France. The breed soon became popular in the UK because of the nature of the bird and its' very dark brown eggs. All of our Marans are the feathered leg variety. The bird is originally a dual-purpose bird, producing meat and eggs equally well. Marans are very placid, which can border on laziness, therefore they need plenty of space to maintain activity levels are prevent them from becoming too fat. The hens are extremely friendly, and given the chance will exit their pens, and follow you around in the hope of scrounging some additional food! We keep a breeding quartet of Cuckoo Marans, a trio of Blue Marans, and eight Copper Black Marans comprising two cockerels and six hens. We hope to have all of the aforementioned varieties of Maran available to purchase in 2011 - please see the price list below for details.
Maran - Copper Black
Orpington - Black		The Orpington was created and introduced into the UK in 1886, and its' name derives from the area in which is was originally developed. The Orpington is a very large breed of bird and very fluffy as a result of being soft-feathered. While this makes them lovely to look at in the Summer, they do prefer to be kept in very sheltered accommodation throughout the winter months, as they do not do well in wet and windy conditions. They also require a lot of bedding as they are not perching birds, they generally prefer to huddle together when roosting. They are a reasonably prolific breed throughout the breeding season, but are not known for their egg laying ability throughout the winter months. The most popular colour of Orpington in this area is undoubtedly the Buff, and we keep a large pen of Buffs comprising three cockerels and ten hens. They are remarkably friendly, and upon espying a human will run up to you to investigate what you are all about! We also keep a breeding trio of Black Orpingtons, a quartet of Blue Orpingtons, and Six Gold Laced Orpington comprised of two cockerels and four hens (currently - more to add later in 2010). The Orpington is a slow maturing breed, and not the easiest of breeds to sex until they are of a relatively advanced age, as the hens and cockerels look exactly the same as youngsters. Once mature, however, you would be hard pressed to find a more impressive looking bird! The Orpington as a breed is classified as Category 2, Endangered, and the Buff Orpington is classified separately as Category 3, Vulnerable on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Orpington - Blue
Orpington - Buff
Orpington - Gold-Laced
Sussex - Light		The Light Sussex is possibly one of the most popular of British Breeds of Chicken. They are a very friendly and inquisitive breed, and are very good beginners birds. They are brilliant for teaching children about keeping chickens, as they are also very pretty to look at and lay lovely white eggs most of the year round. They are quite a prolific breed and do make good broodys as well as excellent mother hens. The cockerels tend to be nice natured, and are not too hard on their hens. We keep a quartet of breeding Light Sussex from three different bloodlines selected for their excellent neck-feather marking. We currently have youngstock available, and will continue to have them available throughout 2010 an 2011 - please see price list below for more details. The Sussex is classed as Category 3, Vulnerable on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Sussex - Speckled		The Speckled Sussex is very, very similar to the Light Sussex, just a bit prettier! They are not quite the beginners birds that the Light Sussex are, but once you have kept poultry for a little while, then they are an absolutely wonderful addition to the flock, not least because they look so nice, and stand out amongst other chickens. As they get older the Speckled Sussex become remarkably friendly. Our oldest hen, Fluff (see in the picture on the left), is more than happy for anyone to enter the pen, pick her up and give her a cuddle! We have a quartet of unrelated Speckled Sussex, with three different bloodlines from Devon and Somerset. The Speckled Sussex is classed as At Risk on the Rare Breeds Watchlist.
Wyandotte - Silver-Laced	Photo to follow	The Silver-Laced Wyandotte is a stunning bird, that will definitely catch the eye of anyone who happens to spot it in your garden. The hens are compact, with a broad body and fairly rounded appearance, indicating that they are pretty good layers as pure-bred chickens go. Wyandottes are reasonably docile birds, and the hens make good broodies, and even better mothers. Their chicks tend to be hatched fairly strong, and are fast-growing. The Silver-Laced variety of Wyandotte is generally thought to be the first recognised variety of Wyandotte to have been imported into this country. We will have Silver-Laced Wyandotte youngstock available for sale in 2012.
Hybrids		We breed a large number of hybrid chickens each year for both laying and meat purposes. The meat birds are fed a corn diet, resulting in a beautiful yellow table bird with a much improved taste. All of the hybrid birds are free to roam wherever they desire, and are always available for sale. Many of the laying hybrids come from either a Cream Legbar or Maran background, and therefore lay a wide variety of coloured eggs, from very dark brown, all the way to green and blue. This enables us to produce our multi-coloured egg boxes for eating (see above), which can keep the kids happy!. The hybrid birds also come in a wide variety of feather colours from white, through buff to blue, and dark brown, so the birds are multi-coloured as well. The prices of the hybrid layers are below in the price list.

We keep a number of ducks and geese year round for breeding and eating purposes. The meat birds are the Silver Appleyards and Aylesbury Ducks, along with Farmyard Toulouse and Embden Geese. For Entertainment purposes we keep Indian Runner Ducks in a variety of colours. During the breeding season, the Indian Runner Ducks are kept in separate accommodation to prevent any cross-breeding, and the two groups of breeding Geese and three groups of breeding Ducks continue to roam free to wherever they desire. They have two ponds on which to bathe, although ponds are not strictly necessary for the keeping of Geese and Ducks. They must always, however, have sufficient water in which they can immerse their heads and necks. The meat ducks, along with the Indian Runners are not good flyers, the meat birds because they are generally too heavy to leave the ground and the Indian Runners because they simply prefer to run everywhere, which is highly amusing to watch! All of our meat birds are fed a corn and grass ration. They have as much grass as they can possibly eat (often stealing the horses grazing), and a controlled ration of corn to prevent them running to fat. The finished table bird reflects the diet in that they have a lovely yellow glow to the skin and a vastly superior taste. Please see below for more information about the various duck and geese breeds.

Please note: Christmas orders for Duck, Goose or Turkey need to be placed early as we only keep a limited number of stock. This is in order that we maintain a non-intensive environment in which to rear our birds, resulting in a much tastier Christmas Dinner.

Aylesbury		The Aylesbury is so-named after the area in which it originated - the Vale of Aylesbury in England. It is a large, fast growing, early maturing table bird, with a taste and quality to its meat that is hard to match. It is a pure white bird, with a pale bill. The Aylesbury is an ideal bird for first time duck keepers as it has a friendly nature, and is easy to tame. However, they can be quite noisy as the female quack is rather loud! We keep two large breeding groups of Aylesburys, and a large number of youngstock which is always available to purchase. Please see the Waterfowl price list for further details.
Indian Runner - Apricot and White		The Indian Runner is possibly one of the most entertaining ducks ever known. As a breed it arrived in the UK from Asian origins in the 1850's. It is instantly recognisable due to its distinctive upright stance and long neck. They are brilliant to watch simply padding around the garden, and they do not create as much mess as a standard meat duck as they are constantly on the move. They are a very prolific egg layer, laying almost daily from late winter until late summer. They are not the most maternal of breeds. We keep breeding trios and quartets of Apricot and White, Chocolate and Black Indian Runners. Most of the youngstock is sold before it has hatched, so it is advisable to place an order for youngstock early in the breeding season. Please see the Waterfowl price list below for more details about each variety.
Indian Runner - Black
Indian Runner - Chocolate
Silver Appleyard		The Appleyard was developed by duck breeder Reginald Appleyard in Suffolk. It is a fast-growing large and heavy set bird and makes an extremely tasty table bird. It is a very docile breed and is well suited to being kept on a small scale. They are very stylish looking with classic yellow bill and orange legs and feet. The drakes are very striking with green head feathers, while the ducks are a less obvious but still very pretty brown colour. The breed is available in large fowl and miniature varieties, but we only keep the large table birds (and they are very large!). We keep three groups of Silver Appleyards, each group consisting of one unrelated drake running with two or three ducks. We normally also have youngstock available, as we hatch ducklings throughout most of the year (except November and December). Please see the Waterfowl price list for more details.
Dewlap Toulouse	Photo to follow	The Dewlap Toulouse is effectively the Big Daddy of the Farmyard Toulouse, and they do grow to a rather remarkable size, and can act in a somewhat dog-like manner! They are amazingly stunning birds, and are probably the single most effective stranger repellent second only to a Rottweiler. Which is not to say that they are nasty birds, on the contrary they can be very loving and afectionate, but their size makes them a formidable opponent for any predator, so they are brilliant for seeing off foxes. We will have Dewlap Toulouse youngstock available to purchase in 2012.
Farmyard Toulouse		The Toulouse goose originates from Southern France and was originally kept for the production of foie gras. The meat quality of this bird is outstanding, but can be fatty if the birds are given the opportunity to eat a lot of corn. The pure bred Toulouse can be a slow growing bird, and therefore, the majority of geese that we keep for the table are a Toulouse / Embden cross as these are slightly faster in growth and less prone to excess fat. The Toulouse is grey in colour. The Toulouse is a lovely natured bird, and not overly loud but they will make a racket to alert you to anything that they find slightly disturbing, and they therefore make pretty good guard dogs (as do the Embdens). Please see the Waterfowl price list for more information.
Embden		The Embden is the tallest of the Geese Breeds with a very long neck. Most of our Embden Geese are not purist traditional stock, but rather a hybrid variety that has been selected for the quality of the meat. The Embden is pure white in colour, resulting in the Embden/Toulouse cross bred being white with grey patches. The Embden goose has a bright orange bill and legs, and very striking piercing blue eyes. The eye colour is lost when crossing the breed with the Toulouse. For prices please see the Waterfowl price list below. An interesting point is that our Christmas Embden/Toulouse cross geese all made in excess of 5kg when dressed. We had three that were in ecxess of 7.5kg, and one that made it to 8kg! Very nice and tasty he was too!

Breed	Hatching Eggs (per egg)	Day Old Chicks (as hatched)	8 - 14 weeks old (fully feathered, off heat and sexed where possible)	Point of lay Pullets
Brahma - Gold	£1.10	£2.50	£15.00	£28.00
Brahma - Dark	£1.00	£2.50	£12.50	£25.00
Brahma - Black / Blue	£1.00	£2.50	£12.50	£20.00
Campine Silver			Available in 2012
Cream Legbar	£1.00	£2.50	£15.00	£25.00
Indian Game	£1.00	£2.50	£10.00	£20.00
Light Sussex	£1.00	£2.50	£10.00	£20.00
Maran - Blue	£1.00	£2.50	£12.50	£22.50
Maran - Copper Black	£1.00	£2.50	£12.50	£25.00
Maran - Cuckoo	£1.00	£2.50	£10.00	£20.00
Maran - Wheaten	£1.10	£2.50	£15.00	£25.00
Orpington - Black	£1.10	£2.50	£15.00	£25.00
Orpington - Blue	£1.10	£2.50	£15.00	£25.00
Orpington - Buff	£1.00	£2.50	£15.00	£25.00
Orpington - Gold-Laced	£1.50	£2.95	£18.00	£36.00
Wyandotte - Silver-Laced			Available in 2012
Hybrid Layers	£0.50	£2.00	£8.00	£12.50

Breed	Hatching Eggs (per egg)	Day Olds (as hatched)	8 - 14 weeks old (fully feathered and off heat)	Full Grown, Point of Lay Ducks
Indian Runner - Apricot	£1.00	£3.50	£12.00	£20.00
Indian Runner - Black	£1.50	£3.50	£15.00	£22.00
Indian Runner - Chocolate	£1.50	£3.50	£15.00	£22.00
Aylesbury	£1.25	£2.50	£15.00	£20.00
Silver Appleyard	£1.25	£2.50	£15.00	£20.00
Dewlap Toulouse	Available in 2012
Toulouse	£1.50	£6.25	£15.00	N/A
Embden
Embden x Toulouse

West Kidland Farm

Knowstone, North devon		Contentment is Flavour