Warwickz Farm Poultry

Warwickz Farm is home to a growing range of poultry, both chicken and ducks (water fowl). Not only do we have an ample supply of eggs but it also allows us to enjoy some rare species and contribute to the continuation of some wonderful breeds that due to mainly commercial reasons face uncertain long term futures.

Step this way and we will go for a stroll down Warwickz Farm Poultry Plaza

Chicken

Araucana

Originating from Northern Chile, with reports of the breed from the mid 16th century this unusual bird is famous for its blue and green eggs. Yes, green eggs and ham is not just a Dr Seuss invention it is often on our menu at Warwickz Farm.

While we find our Araucanas lay reasonably regularly thus supplying us with plenty of fertile eggs, they are unfortunately not a very broody breed these days, however with the services of our clucky bantams we are able to replenish our stocks as required.

For a flightless bird they are very flighty in nature and it takes only a very little disturbance to their environment to have our lavender and black araucanas dancing around the coop.

Leghorn Bantam

Originally introduced to the world from the Italian port of Leghorn (Livorno) this prolific laying breed became a forerunner of many of the commercial hybrids now used in egg production.

Popular in black and white Leghorns come in a variety of colours and are an attractive breed. The bantam version that resides at Warwickz Farm has the advantage of while being a small bird it lays the same size egg as the full size version and lays the same large number of eggs.

Plymouth Rock

Developed in the mid 19th century in the USA as a good general farm chicken this imposing breed is an excellent producer of both meat and eggs, though it is only the eggs that are consumed here on the Farm.

The Plymouth Rock comes in the original and stunning barred variety along with a number of other colours and due to the hardy and generally docile nature of this broody breed it soon became very popular.

Our Plymouth Rock rooster is the largest bird on the property and you do not want to have your ears too close to him as he heralds the dawning of the day.

Shaver

When we are concentrating on selling fertile rare breed eggs or hatching them we can always rely on the traditional egg laying farm favourite chicken the red Shaver to ensure the larder is never short of eggs.

While one of the regular commercial laying strains we find the Shaver is not just a good egg producer but is also a good broody fowl which comes in handy when extra feathery incubators are required.

Sebright

While checking my facts for this page I noticed that this pure breed of bantam had two spellings Seabright and Sebright. On further investigation I discovered that the breed was named after Sir John Sebright who was instrumental in the development of the breed at the turn of the 18th century.

Sir John, a Hertfordshire MP and landowner along with some associates successfully crossed the Laced Polish fowl with bantams in an attempt to replicate the beautiful plumage of the Laced Polish on as small a bird as possible.

By 1899 the Sebright became one breed, famous for the quality of the lacing on the feathers with two varieties the Golden and Silver both of which we have on Warwickz farm.

Silkie Bantam

Marco Polo is credited with introducing this adorable little chicken to the west in approximately 1300 on returning from his travels in the Orient.

They were named Silkie due to the impression of down or silky hair instead of feathers. Silkie Bantam feathers are without the usual forms of webs thus there is no adhesion of the barbs to one and other, this giving the silken appearance. These bantams also differ from other fowl in that they have dark skin and five toes.

An extremely nurturing breed of chicken as well as a reasonably good egg producer they add a delightful splash of colour and warm and fuzzies to the farmyard.

Pekin Bantam/Old English Game Cock

One of the signature birds at Warwickz Farm is Russell the Rooster who has the run of the Farm with Henny Penny his Game Hen sweetheart.

Russell as a cross of an Old English Game Cock and a Pekin Bantam is a little on the small size (but tell him that at your own risk) as far as our roosters go but his stunning array of colours and his dignified nature set him apart from his cousins.

Orpington

This delightful breed was developed by William Cook and his family from the village of Orpington in Kent, England in 1886. A general purpose breed they produce a heavy carcass and lots of brown eggs. They have a substantial appearance due to broad and full feathers that lie smooth against their deep bodies.

Our lovely Bertie Wooster is a Buff Orpington, Buffs originally being bred from the Golden Spangled Hamburg, Buff Cochin and Dark Dorking. Quite docile for large birds they are very hardy, mature quickly and the hens are good brooders and mothers.

Bertie is a farm favourite due to his calm nature and friendliness.

Ducks

Cayuga

Recognised as one of the hardiest of domestic ducks the Cayuga was named after a lake in northern New York state named after the native Cayuga people and is an active forager.

With a striking green black metallic plumage these eye catching fowl can become increasingly mottled with white as they age.

A quiet and calm duck they can be easily tamed if hand reared and they think nothing of leading large visiting tourist coaches around the property at a sedate 1 mile per hour.

Rouen

Sir Francis, our magnificent drake displays the characteristic Mallard colouring of the males of this breed. With an irridiscent green head, white neck ring, claret breast, blue wing bars and body of French grey and glossy black highlighted with white he is a spectacular sight in any weather.

Named after the Rouen region of northern France this breed while similar to the Mallard is a much larger and domesticated version. A good layer of eggs, one of Sir Francis's gals has recently adopted a warm corner of the goats house to lay her eggs.

Blue Swedish

Bred for the table this large duck is slate blue with a white splotch on its breast. Believed to have originated in Sweden it now tends to be found in warmer climes.

Fun Fowl Facts

It is possible to hypnotize a chicken by holding it with its head to the ground and its eyes facing forward and drawing a line in the dirt in front of it over and over again. The chicken will stay still right there as long as you do this.

You have heard of a gaggle of geese and a flock of sheep but did you know that the collective term for a group of chickens is a "peep of chickens"

In Fruita, Colorado, the town folk celebrate 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day'. Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on September 10, 1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another 4 years WITHOUT A HEAD. Mike died from choking on a corn kernel.

China not only has the most people in the world, but also has the most chickens with over 3,000,000,000.

In Gainesville, Georgia - the chicken capital of the world - it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork!

The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.

Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.

Rooster Ramblings

Gday, my name is Russell and I am a rooster, a bantam Pekin Old English Game Cock to be precise.

I thought you might like to take a few moments to meet some of the members of my Roosterdom. Cock A Doodle Dooo, step this way folks.

First of all I would like to introduce you to some lavender ladies of a very eccentric variety, the Araucana. These girls are totally neurotic and could be victims of mad chooks disease if there was any such thing. Can you believe that they actually lay green eggs and (even worse) humans eat them!! (the eggs not the chooks, or not my chooks anyway).

I am relieved to tell you that I safely leave them to the charms of their in-coop stud. Is it any wonder that he calls out to me Cockoo Butthey Wildo as I pass?

By the way, just so you know, being master of all I survey I am obviously a free range rooster with the run of Warwickz Farm along with my game hen consort Henny Penny.

Our next port of call is to the residence of the stately and rather aloof Plymouth Rock rooster. He is currently cohabiting (due to a short term accommodation shortage) with 3 shavers and a rather delectable black Orpington whom I wouldnt mind getting to know a little better. This Yankee boy while paying due respect to me does give me good competition when it comes to heralding in the dawn or any other time we decide to have a crowing contest.

Next door we have 3 little bantam Silver Sebrights who fail to impress me much at all however the humans will go on about their beautiful lacework. The rooster and his 2 hens show me no respect whatsoever and I have a sneaking suspicion that they think they are doves. I am not even sure if Mr SS knows how to crow. Oh well, what can you expect from a breed that is only 108 years old and named after an English politician.

Oooops, careful there, those damn ducks have been through and I nearly stepped on something very watery and fowlish, noisy disgusting things!!

Ah, here we are, just check out these classy chooks, my Chinese Silkie bantam subjects. Oh yes, and the chicklets too. A partridge and a white who hatched out of season to the delight of us all, even the humans.

Kinda nice thing to happen too after the stoatally devastating experience of a stoat attack a few months back that wiped out, well lets just not go there okay? You will have noticed how the humans have reinforced the chook house security right through Poultry Parade since then.

Our newbie worries me a little, step this way, he is in here. Human visitors dropped him off the other week and he is huge large. Notice his golden feathers and long legs. Not too sure about him and he doesnt seem too fussed about meeting any girls. Funny noise he makes too.Anycock Il doo. l just dunno seems to like me though

Hmmmmm, human carrying buckets wading through ducks, looks like its teatime in Poultry Lane with hopefully lotsa fallout for yours truly

Hey yall thanks for dropping in, yall come back now ya here

Cock A Dooodle Dooooooooooo