Chickens are one of the best animals to start with when entering the idea of raising farm animals. They are fairly easy to raise, but are not bland when it comes to all the breeds to choose from. You can also choose different breeds for egg layers, broiler chickens, and dual-purpose chickens.
This blog entry will take you on a tour of Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery. It will show you the process from incubating eggs, to raising chickens, and general care of chickens.
My family has recently taken interest in raising chickens. We have been volunteering at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm and learning much about farm life. To learn more about the topic of chicken raising, we took a trip to visit the Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery in Wake Forest, NC. It is a family business that is primarily run by Ben and his father.
I’m always excited to hear about people in my generation who have a desire to make a difference. Ben Alig is the one who helped to fuel this journey of raising chickens. His interest began at 11 yrs. of age and has been continuing this journey for almost 6 yrs. now. He did much reading and research to learn what he could about chicken raising. What started out as a project for fun has become a growing business. It was Ben's initial investment of his birthday money that they then used to build several chicken tractors to help raise money for the coop and starter flock.
Visit their website: http://littlebirdiehatchery.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Birdie-Chicken-Farm-and-Hatchery/270113413053763?fref=ts
Building chicken tractors has helped continuing profits for the farm. They take about 10 – 12 hrs. to build.
This is where the chicken raising begins. The incubator is complete with a digital command center to insure the chicks receive proper temperature. Eggs go in and chicks come out ready to embrace the world!
They are so cute! Don’t you just want to take them all home?
I was relieved to learn that the blood is visible because the chick has not finished absorbing the yolk sack. The nutrients within the yolk will provide it enough nourishment for three days.
This chicken hatchery was the handy work of Ben and his father. It is complete with heat lamps, feeders, and a source of water.
The little chicks huddle under the light to absorb the heat. These chicks are 1 week old.
Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery sells a variety of supplies including heat lamps, chick feeders , and chick water bases. View their list of supplies here: http://littlebirdiehatchery.com/Chicken_Supplies.php
The family takes care to insure their chickens receive the best care even down to the feed they use. The finer, powder feed is for the chicks and the chunkier feed pictured below is for the more mature chickens. The feed is high in protein and contains whole grains including flax seeds which are rich in Omega 3 vitamins. The quality of food farm animals eat does matter. This nutritious diet results in more healthful eggs and meat.
Ben referred to these fancy Heritage varieties as “floor models.” They demonstrate the different breeds that are available. They have 20 different breeds to choose from. Here are some of the chickens breeds they raise; Rhode Island Red, Plymoth Rocks, Leghorn, Polish Top Hat, Wyandotte, and many more. They have quite a selection and they are all uniquely beautiful.
Our tour ended with a look at the garden at Little Birdie Chicken Farm and Hatchery. I loved the layout and design. The vegetables were happy and thriving. It was constructed by the Carolina Food Gardens. You can learn more on their website. http://carolinafoodgardens.com/
Special thanks to Ben Alig for the detailed tour and to his father for all he has contributed to these amazing projects !
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