POULTRY
Malaysian Seramas
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English Orpingtons
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Silver Laced
Wyandottes
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Swedish Flower Hens
ETC
Seramas are the most popular house pet in Malaysia, outnumbering dogs and cats.
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These tiny chickens often weigh a mere 8-16oz. They make up for their tiny size with BIG personalities. They are naturally tame and people oriented: they love nothing better than an afternoon in your lap watching TV. I have even taken a rooster for a trip to Home Depot. They can also be cheeky buggers, flying onto your head, or attacking your shoelaces.
Seramas can live happily in a guinea pig cage indoors, or a small outside coop - with additional heat in extreme environments. They come in all colors which just adds to the excitement.
Seramas make endearing pets. Just as well, since it takes about 4-5 serama eggs to equal the egg of a standard laying hen. No, this breed is kept for its charm and attitude. Seramas are also bred to show standards and many folks enjoy the camraderie of a good serama table top show.
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In a table top show, the birds are judged not only on looks but on their performance. The birds are given a brief period in the spotlight to strut their stuff. Points are awarded not only for the looks, but for the sheer bravado of the bird. These are relatively informal affairs where everybody cheers all the birds on.
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Seramas come in straight feather, frizzle (curly - my favorite!) and silkied varieties.
Seramas mature quickly and are easy to sex at a few weeks old. Since seramas are kept as pets rather than laying flocks, they tend to be sold as male/female pairs or single roosters only.
English Orpingtons, on the other hand, are fluffy magnificent giants.
These are not the buff american orpingtons you are used to from the hatchery. These guys come in all colors, cuckoo, mottled, mauve, lavender, chocolate, gold laced, name it. These are 8-14 pound bowling balls of fluff. They are known for their sedate and quiet dispositions - Roosters are generally trustworthy with children and the hens are matronly. I have to admit, their lovely disposition might come from a certain mental slowness. But they are delightful nonetheless. And their size minimizes aerial predation - they simply outweigh most hawks.
English Orpingtons are a solid dual purpose breed, meaning they lay a reasonable number of large, cream to light brown eggs (about 200 a year) and can also be used at meat birds. Hens weigh about 7-8 pounds and roosters are up to 10 pounds and up. Despite their size , these birds are so gentle that they can be bullied by more assertive breeds. They are well adapted to cold environments with their bulk and fluffy feathers. In hot summers, however, they can overheat and they appreciate some misters, fans, or a cool stream to stand in.
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Orpington hens will go often broody and hatch their (or anyone else's) eggs. They make devoted mothers. I do find English Orpington youngsters difficult to sex - some birds don't reveal their true identity until the first crow or egg laid.
Silver Laced Wyandottes
These chickens are stunners with their crisp black and white attire.
These striking chickens are ready for the most chic Black and White Ball. Known as SLW for short, they have a steady, calm, non aggressive temperament. They are solid dual purpose birds and good layers, excellent additions to the homestead flock. Eggs are light creamy brown and they lay about 4 eggs per week. Wyandottes, like Orpingtons, are tolerant of cold weather and are hardy in general. This variety is particularly popular and you may be most familiar with the big hatchery derived birds, with muddy lacing and marginal body type. We carefully sourced our foundation birds from the best breeders to perpetuate SLW with excellent color and conformation.
Muscovy Ducks
Muscovies are the only duck breed not derived from the mallard duck. They are almost not a duck at all, but something between a duck and goose.
Muscovies offer several advantages over other breeds of ducks. For one they are quiet; their vocalizations are quite subtle compared to the raucous quacking of other breeds. They come in several attractive colors including blue,chocolate, lavender, pied and more. I find them to be quite easy care - they manage their lives with little intervention. They are good foragers and savvy about predators. Muscovies do not need a lot of water. Though they appreciate a pond or creek, a child's wading pool or stock tank will absolutely do. They are also good layers and tend to gather their eggs in a single nest rather than scattering them all over. These are very prolific birds, hatching large clutches - often several a year - and the hens are good mothers. If you are seeking a meat producing farm addition, muscovies will do you proud. The drakes attain good size (up to 18 pounds or so) and the meat is dark and rich.
Muscovies are also distinctive in being perching ducks. Mine fly quite well and sleep at night perched on top of fence posts of the barn roof, out of the reach of most predators. Though flighted they dont tend to leave the property. This could be a down side - I am sure, quite sure, that generations from now whoever lives on my ranch will still have muscovy ducks - No one will be unable to catch every one of them and the breeding will go on.
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These ducks cohabitate with my chickens and goats quite nicely.
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Turn on Sound!
Bourbon red
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Blue Slate turkeys
Heritage breed turkeys are the healthy, ethical alternative to commercial birds. The industry has genetically altered commercial breeds until they can't get out of their own way. They can't breed on their own (all eggs are fertilized by artificial insemination), they can't even stand when they get heavy. They are not designed for longevity. Heritage breeds continue to stand the test of time and are an excellent choice for the small farm.
Heritage turkeys are hearty, self sufficient and charming. They fly, forage, nest, raise their own young. They do mature into excellent meat birds albeit somewhat more slowly than commercial breeds. Bourbon reds top out at 18-32 pounds. Hens can lay 160-180 eggs per year, though the production is more unpredictable than a chicken hen.
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These turkeys typically have friendly, outgoing personalities and they are so much fun!
