Located in Northern California
The birds at Freestep Farm
Some
of my colorful flock.
When I was a little girl, I really really wanted a dog. One day my father brought home a pretty little bantam rooster whom we named “Rover”. He would attack my mother and my brother, but I used to pick him up and carry him all over the place. I loved that rooster!
When I bought my first house around 1996, I immediately bought a few pullets from the feed store and kept them as egg-layers and pets. When I moved out to the country, the fascination grew, and so did the population of birds! Some people enjoy watching fish swim in a tank, finding it relaxing. But that makes me dizzy… To me, there is nothing more calming and centering than to sit in the yard and watch my birds. These sociable creatures come running when they see me, and many will eat from my hand. They entertain me constantly with their funny and interesting behaviors. I swear it’s better than TV. After trying out many different breeds, I’ve decided to narrow my focus to two breeds: Black Copper Marans, and my pet project:
The Big Silky Project
I
am attempting to create a large-sized, dual-purpose, Silkie-feathered bird that
has a calm temperament and lays white eggs.
Above
left is a promising F2 cockerel, on the right an ideal F2 pullet.
This
obsession began because I wanted to get
as many different egg colors as possible.
It was easy to find brown and blue/green layers that were docile, but
what I noticed about layers of white eggs is that they tend to be nervous and
flighty… and neurotic chickens aren’t much fun to be around, in my opinion.
I
admired the personality of Silkies, as they are generally laid back and
friendly. I also love their soft and
fur-like appearance which seems to match their soft temperament. Most of them do lay white to tinted eggs,
but the eggs are small, and the Silkie is not what you would call a dual
purpose breed.
My
goals with this breeding project are (not necessarily in order):
1)
Increase
the size and weight of the birds
2)
Bring egg color as close to white as possible
3)
Maintain Silkie feathering
4)
Maintain
a calm, friendly temperament
5)
Select
for lack of black skin pigment
6)
Select
for hardiness and disease resistance
7)
Increase egg size
8)
Select
for large, full crests
9)
Select
for fast growth
10
) Select for eye-catching colors and patterns
As you can see, I have my work cut out for
me. I am crossing Silkies with the
calmest white-egg layers I can find, standard-sized crested breeds, and large
heavy breeds. I am NOT attempting to
simply create a larger Silkie, rather a distinct breed. I am in the 
early stages of this
project, just now working on the F3 and F4 generation. I expect I may have something close to my
goal in about ten years. Of course in
any breeding project of this type, there will be lots of chicks produced and
very heavy culling. Extras will be
available at very reasonable prices and should make good all-purpose fowl for
those who want layers, bug control and pets.
Below
and left, F1 and F2 crosses
These two birds are
white-skinned Silkies. They would make
a Silkie fancier scream, but they are exactly what I am looking for in my
breeding program. The hen on the right
has very nice Silkie type and is one of my favorites. The cuckoo rooster below
is one of the foundations of my program.
Black Copper Marans
The Black Copper Marans are a large, dual-purpose breed from France that are gentle and beautiful… but what makes them really special is the color of their eggs. The hens lay terra-cotta or chocolate colored eggs. This color is not created by artificial light, special feed, or any kind of artificial color or dye. The eggshell color is a pigment the hen “paints” on the egg during the laying process, and is controlled by genetics.
Above are eggs from my Marans flock. The chart shows the different shades that Marans are known to lay; the darker, the better.
I
acquired my first Black Copper Marans in 2005, which are clean-legged
birds. I love their size, beauty, and
gentle temperament. But while the egg
color was a deeper brown than any other egg I’d had, they were not as dark as
the pictures of Marans eggs I’d seen, and I still wanted chocolate eggs! After doing some reading and research, I
learned that the unique deep brown egg color is rare and takes careful breeding
to maintain. I have since acquired some
excellent feather-legged Black Coppers from the Wade Jeane line, which is
regarded as one of the best bloodlines in the country for dark egg color. I put these roosters over my original hens
and the offspring are producing the lovely dark eggs you see above. I am crossing these daughters back to the feather-leg
roosters to continue improving egg color, while at the same time keeping a pure
line of the feather-leg birds.
Last
year I got some red chicks from my Black Coppers. This color is caused by a recessive gene, and is called
Black-Tailed Buff. This is a recognized
variety of Marans, and appears to be rather rare. They matured with outstanding conformation and lovely, calm
temperaments. Egg color is acceptable
to the breed standard, but I’d like to see them darker. This year I bred the Black-Tailed Buffs and
I’m getting some very nice chicks. I
will continue working with this variety to improve egg color.
I am also dabbling with ducks:
Silky Ducks
Silky ducks are a rare breed of bantam duck with fur-like feathering similar to Silkie chickens. They can still swim like any other duck, but they cannot fly. They are reported to be great broodies and mothers.
Closeup
of Silky Duck feathering.
And my husband’s new love: Sebastopol Geese!
Sebastopol Geese
This breed has a unique appearance, as they have twisted,
curly feathers making them look like they are wearing hula skirts. They are particularly docile. Our
hand-raised babies are the sweetest, most personable fowl we have ever raised.
If imprinted on humans, the goslings will follow you everywhere, cuddle up with
you, and nibble gently on your hair (as the gosling above is doing). They are hardy, beautiful, and make
delightful pets and weed-eaters.
We are located in Northern California. Check the Sale Page to see what’s available now!
Sorry, but I cannot ship live poultry from my post office.