Bantams are here!

Bantam chicks

Assorted Bantams

For the next three weeks we will have assorted Bantams in the coop. They make great pets, at this age they are very small and come in many colors. Some are feather footed and some are clean.

 They are $3.99 each

Bantams are suitable for smaller backyards as they do not need as much space as other breeds. Bantam hens are also used as laying hens, with some breeds laying up to 150 eggs per year. However, Bantam eggs are only about one-half to one-third the size of a regular hen egg. The Bantam chicken eats the same foods as a normal chicken. In commercial situations they are fed grain-based foods because this is convenient and efficient for the producer. Chickens in the wild eat more insects and vegetation than grains.
Bantams have become increasingly popular as pets as well as for show purposes because they are smaller and have more varied and exotic colors and feather patterns than other chickens. Breeds such as the Sebright, Dutch, and Pekin are particularly popular show birds, and true bantams.
The Bantam rooster is famous in rural areas throughout the United Kingdom and the United States for its aggressive, "puffed-up" disposition that can be comedic in stature. It is often called a "Banty" in the rural United States.
Many bantam hens are renowned for hatching and brooding. They are very protective mothers and will attack anything that gets near their young.
Old English bantam roosters were commonly used for fighting in Europe. They were smaller and faster than normal roosters used previously.
Bantams do have a higher mortality rate when they are kept as backyard pets. They are easy targets for hawks, cats, foxes, or any other small predator. The average backyard free range bantam lives 1–3 years.

French Guinea Chicks are here!

Guinea...NOT a chicken!!

On the blog Guineas were listed as all sold, but we now have some in the store for sale. Get them while they last. You can always place a pre-paid special order. These birds do better in a flock. They are $6.99 each.

Baby guineas, called keets, are about as adorable as they sound and easy to tend. But once they grow older they are worthy watchdogs, fighting off trespassers both human and animal alike. Guinea fowl make good farm animals: their tastiness, their relatively low-maintenance lifestyles, their vigilance at keeping away predators. Guinea fowl make an interesting and colorful addition to your flock and are very useful on the farm to alert and protect other animals from predators.

In addition to providing home-security help, guinea fowl are valued as one of the best exterminators of pest insects, making them a complement to any backyard garden. Since guineas prefer to mobilize in tight-knit groups, don’t be alarmed when they don’t understand the nuances of property lines and roadways.

They free-range and will naturally roost in trees if left without a shelter to sleep in. They are also tick-eating machines.

Dominique Rooster

Dominique Hen

 

The Dominique

The Dominique is truly an original bred American bird. Dominiques are considered a "heritage" breed of chicken in that they've been around for hundreds of years and are now critically endangered. Some people can't tell the difference between a Dominique and a Barred Rock, but the trained eye will notice that Dominques have a rose comb versus the Barred Rock's single comb.


Well known in the United States by the mid eighteenth century, it remained popular for almost 100 years, but by the mid ninth century the Barred Rock took its place. By the 1950s the Dominique was thought to be extinct, but a few breeders held on to these birds and by 1970s they were back in the breeders circle. They are now on the “Watch” list and are being breed by hatcheries again.

Dominiques are hardy birds that do well in free range environments, but will tolerate being confined. They are extremely good foragers and have a reputation for being good egg layers. Their indistinct barred coloring referred to as “Hawk Coloring” and offers some protection from aerial predators. The birds are calm, gentle and easy to show. They feather out and mature early.

The Dominique has a small rose comb and clean legs. Roosters can weigh around 7 pounds and hens 5 pounds. Known as a dual purpose bird, it also lays medium size brown eggs.  


  





Spring Chick Sale

Spring Chick Sale

Our brooder is full of beautiful baby chicks. Through March 31, buy a DOZEN chicks for $30. We also carry several styles of chicken coops.

In our brooder today, we have two week olds, one week olds, and newly hatched chicks. We received a mixed up order this week, here is a list of our new babies.

Golden Comet     Red Cross     Speckled Sussex     Buckeye
Brown Leghorn  Columbian Ross Cross     Araucana
Partridge Rock    Light Brahma     New Hampshire    
Rhode Island Red

!!!!!!BIG CHICK SALE!!!!!!

CHICK SALE

March 22 through March 31

One Dozen Chicks for $30

In the coop right now we have, golden comets, buff orpington, wellsumer, black australope, white rock, barred rock, buckeye, light brahma, brown leghorn,speckled sussex, and more arriving soon. Sale excludes, Bantams.

Spring is here and the weather is just right to get your flock started!

First Day of Spring!!!!

Time to get those coops ready! We have lots of baby chicks here at Woodville Ace waiting for you. Some of our chicks are almost 2 weeks old meaning that the time you have to keep them in the brooder is already shortened. You will have eggs before you know it, more will be in on Thursday.

Buff Orpington

Buff Orpington

There are many different kinds of Orpingtons, but what we mostly sell here at Woodville Ace are the Buff. With the beautiful buff plumage and feathering gives the breed a sturdy appearance. In the 1880's William Cook was a successful poultry man in the village of Orpington, in Kent County, England. Mr. Cook was the publisher of The Poultry Journal and the book, The Poultry Keeper's Account Book, as well as sold poultry supplies. In 1886 he introduced the Black Orpington, a new breed he developed, and at the Crystal Palace Poultry Show his pullet took the first place cup. 

 The first Orpingtons were crossed with breeding Black Minorcas with Black Plymouth Rocks. An excellent production bird that produced brown eggs through the winter months. Breeders selected birds for their looks and over time the birds became lethargic and poor producers. So the Cook family continued to breed these birds to produce a better bird with many different colors. The modern day Orpingtons come in colors including blue, buff, cuckoo, ermine, jubilee, partridge, red, and white. Only the black, blue, buff and white are recognized by the American Poultry Association.

 

The Buff was developed when breeding a Golden Spangle Hamburg, Buff Cochin and Dark Dorking, which became the best in show and in hardiness and egg production. And is still the most popular of the Orpingtons. They are raised as a general purpose bird; they have a heavy carcass and lay plenty of brown eggs. They do well in confined spaces as well as good free rangers. They are very docile and have been known to bond with humans, making them pets as well. They mature early, and winter well. Hens are good brooders and mothers.

 

Average weight for a rooster is 10 pounds and 8 for a hen. Medium size red combs with five well defined points, medium size bright red waddles and earlobes. They are very well known for their nice disposition.         

Frizzles

White Chinese Geese

We have Frizzles and Chinese Geese in the store. These birds are a little different than your normal flock of chickens. They make great pets or addition to your birds. Come on in today and see what we have in our coops. We have one week old chicks and three day old chicks.

Spring is almost here!!



Our coops are full of beautiful baby chicks and more arriving on Thursday!


We currently have Light Brahma, New Hampshire, Golden Comet, Speckled Sussex, WellSumer, Black Australop, Buckeye, White Rock, Buff Orphington. And three White Turkeys left.

This week we also have White Chinese Geese and Frizzels coming in!

 



Buckeye Hen

Buckeye Rooster

The Buckeye

 

An American native, the Buckeye was developed in the 1890's by Nettie Metcalf, a farmwife in Warren, Ohio. It is the only American breed to sport a pea comb, and the only one that was solely developed by a woman. During that period women were mostly the keepers of chickens in the US.

The Buckeye is a cross between Barred Rock hens and a Buff Cochin rooster, then some black breasted game fowl were added to get a dual-purpose bird that would perform well on the farmstead.

 

The Buckeye is known for it's meaty legs, wings and breast and have very dark meat. They are calm, sociable birds that like being around humans. The roosters can get aggressive. They are good foragers, and they perform well when allowed to roam, but will adapt to close confined spaces. They grow more slowly when confined. When kept in confinement they don't get feather picky as some breeds do when over crowed. They are known to venture out even on the coldest days and hens readily become broody.

 

The Buckeye is a striking bird with deep reddish brown to mahogany color. Small red pea comb and waddles. They can have black to dark green tail feathers. Roosters weigh around 9 pounds and hens 6.5 pounds. The buckeye is an average layer of brown eggs.

 

 



Here Turkey Turkey Turkey......

Baby Turkeys are here!

We just got in White and Bronze baby turkeys.

$12.99 each



The Brahma

 

Also known as the furry footed chicken. Little is known about the original breeding of these chickens other than the name comes from the Brahmaputra River in India. Some poultry historians believe the Brahma are the same birds as the Chittagongs of India. Others speculate they came from the immigrants crossing Chinese Shanghia chickens with the Chittagongs in the early 1840's in California.

 

The more modern Brahma is slow to mature and is also one of the largest chicken breeds. They have a level back line, but their long feathered legs, arched neck, and short tail gives them a upright posture. These physical traits with lovely color patterns make them a magnificent-looking bird.

 

They are not the best egg layers but lay a large brown egg throughout the winter months. The hens go broody, yet can break their eggs due to their size. They need lots of room and do better with access to the outdoors. They are mellow and quite hardy, stand up well in both heat and cold temperatures.  

 

One of the more interesting qualities of the Brahma chicken brees is that they come in a range of colors:

Black, buff, dark, light and white.

Pea combs and medium waddles, both red. All Brahmas have feathered feet. He roosters can weigh up to 12 pounds and hens 9.5 pounds.