the poultry of HCF
Our top breed is the Swedish Flower Hen, known as the Blommenhon is its native land. We obtained some in 2012 and they have been a mainstay on our farm ever since. We have the oldest SFH flock in Maryland. These birds are from the temperate areas of Sweden and were a popular homestead bird there for many years; they are not as cold hardy as one might think, as frostbite has been an issue the last 2 winters, but they do enjoy being out in all weather. They almost became extinct with the influx of commercial poultry into Sweden and were saved by the efforts of a handful of farmers and breeders in three areas of Sweden. Known for their spectacular and unique colorations, Swedish Flower Hens lay a good sized cream or tan colored egg about 180-250 days a year. They are excellent foragers and will roam our entire property in search of their own meal. Hens are curious and generally friendly; roosters are generally friendly but we have had some that were very aggressive...they make good soup! While not heavily muscled and therefore not good for roasting, they are the perfect size for stew, soups and other dishes where the meat is an ingredient.
We are part of the founding group of breeders for the Swedish Flower Hen Club of the US. Our goal is to breed the SFH in its correct form while maintaining its diverse beauty.
We also have blue Swedish ducks. A large breed of duck, they do not fly and are excellent foragers. They lay beautiful cream to pale green colored large eggs ideal for baking. A calm duck, they are intelligent and fun to watch. We do not like duck meat, but we are told they make excellent table birds. We have colors varying from silver to dark gray. We are working on improving the bib pattern while maintaining the wonderful qualities these birds are known for.
We are adding black Swedish ducks this year, which are black with a white bib. Otherwise identical to the blue Swedish, they are a color outcrop of the breed.
For a while, we had black Spanish turkeys. They vanished during a storm, and we hope these delightful birds will return home. We will be raising turkeys this year as well, most likely Royal Palms and Black Spanish.
Other breeds of chickens include:
Oliver eggers: A mixture of breeds that lay colored eggs crossed on dark egg layers, they lay a green to olive colored egg. Ours are Maran hens crossed with a green layer rooster. The Marans are show quality ladies, but these are laying birds for the most part.
Bantam Cochins: sweet and adorable, we keep them to use as broody hens, and the two roosters are amazing. Friendly and gentle, these guys take care of most of the mixed layer hens. Ours are show quality and we may have some eggs or chicks available this summer.
Silkies: fluffy hens, these are also our mama hens. We have pet and show quality birds.
Amerucanas: known for laying blue, green or pink eggs, we use these to help round out the flock and make sure we can pick out the valuable SFH eggs and have plenty of mixed breed eggs or eating eggs.
We just added light Brahmas and Buff Orpingtons this year. New to us, these are known for calm, quiet hens and good table roosters. We also have various other breeds as egg layers.
Our chickens are fortunate enough to be able to free range at will. The groups are fluid, to some extent, except for the Swedes; those roosters are highly defensive of their ladies so no cross breeding goes on in that flock. While we have predators, such as foxes, raccoons and coyotes, we have two livestock guardian dogs with the express job of protecting the birds from predators. They do an excellent job, so much so we do not have to lock up coops, leaving us available for overnight swim meet trips and do not lose birds to air predators either!
Our birds are fed organic feed as a supplement to whatever they can glean as they roam the property.
The egg yolks, as a result, are a bright golden yellow to orange, with firm whites. Studies show that eggs from pastured hens are healthier than those laid by battery hens, and it is easy to see the quality difference between a free range pastured hen egg and even those laid by a "free range" hen.
We provide hatching eggs to the Frederick County Schoolhouse Chicks program. This program provides classrooms in Frederick country with an incubator and eggs so children from all walks of life can enjoy the fun and educational value in hatching eggs and raising chicks.
Hatching eggs may be available on a seasonable basis. Please contact us for more information..
Red Ranger meat chickens were added this spring and processed here on the farm. This breed is able to free range and grows more slowly than Cornish cross chickens but generally does not experience the same health problems. We raised Rosambros a few years ago and found it a good experience to allow them to experience living outside and living a normal life before we humanely processed them. We also have raised Freedom Rangers and have found them to be excellent as well.
We are part of the founding group of breeders for the Swedish Flower Hen Club of the US. Our goal is to breed the SFH in its correct form while maintaining its diverse beauty.
We also have blue Swedish ducks. A large breed of duck, they do not fly and are excellent foragers. They lay beautiful cream to pale green colored large eggs ideal for baking. A calm duck, they are intelligent and fun to watch. We do not like duck meat, but we are told they make excellent table birds. We have colors varying from silver to dark gray. We are working on improving the bib pattern while maintaining the wonderful qualities these birds are known for.
We are adding black Swedish ducks this year, which are black with a white bib. Otherwise identical to the blue Swedish, they are a color outcrop of the breed.
For a while, we had black Spanish turkeys. They vanished during a storm, and we hope these delightful birds will return home. We will be raising turkeys this year as well, most likely Royal Palms and Black Spanish.
Other breeds of chickens include:
Oliver eggers: A mixture of breeds that lay colored eggs crossed on dark egg layers, they lay a green to olive colored egg. Ours are Maran hens crossed with a green layer rooster. The Marans are show quality ladies, but these are laying birds for the most part.
Bantam Cochins: sweet and adorable, we keep them to use as broody hens, and the two roosters are amazing. Friendly and gentle, these guys take care of most of the mixed layer hens. Ours are show quality and we may have some eggs or chicks available this summer.
Silkies: fluffy hens, these are also our mama hens. We have pet and show quality birds.
Amerucanas: known for laying blue, green or pink eggs, we use these to help round out the flock and make sure we can pick out the valuable SFH eggs and have plenty of mixed breed eggs or eating eggs.
We just added light Brahmas and Buff Orpingtons this year. New to us, these are known for calm, quiet hens and good table roosters. We also have various other breeds as egg layers.
Our chickens are fortunate enough to be able to free range at will. The groups are fluid, to some extent, except for the Swedes; those roosters are highly defensive of their ladies so no cross breeding goes on in that flock. While we have predators, such as foxes, raccoons and coyotes, we have two livestock guardian dogs with the express job of protecting the birds from predators. They do an excellent job, so much so we do not have to lock up coops, leaving us available for overnight swim meet trips and do not lose birds to air predators either!
Our birds are fed organic feed as a supplement to whatever they can glean as they roam the property.
The egg yolks, as a result, are a bright golden yellow to orange, with firm whites. Studies show that eggs from pastured hens are healthier than those laid by battery hens, and it is easy to see the quality difference between a free range pastured hen egg and even those laid by a "free range" hen.
We provide hatching eggs to the Frederick County Schoolhouse Chicks program. This program provides classrooms in Frederick country with an incubator and eggs so children from all walks of life can enjoy the fun and educational value in hatching eggs and raising chicks.
Hatching eggs may be available on a seasonable basis. Please contact us for more information..
Red Ranger meat chickens were added this spring and processed here on the farm. This breed is able to free range and grows more slowly than Cornish cross chickens but generally does not experience the same health problems. We raised Rosambros a few years ago and found it a good experience to allow them to experience living outside and living a normal life before we humanely processed them. We also have raised Freedom Rangers and have found them to be excellent as well.