Large Fowl Salmon and Blue/Black Faverolles
Karen Griffiths - North Yorkshire
Contact 07557 239928
Eggs from bantam salmons and bantam blacks available
Christine Norman - Contact - 07443456871
Large Fowl Salmons
David Neill - Ireland
Contact 07710587776
Faverolles Bantams Salmons
Louise Westwater - Cheshire
07854128348
Large and bantam Salmon Faverolles available now (June 2021)
Thomas Bradshaw, based in Cornwall
Contact him via Facebook Messenger @Thomas Frank Bradshaw
There are a few very simple rules to follow when buying chickens, which can make all the difference.
- Take your time to find a reputable breeder. It’s all too easy to get excited and rush of to the first or nearest breeder. The trouble is, you might then find yourself in some dreadful place, where the birds are cramped and dirty, mite-ridden and feather-pecked, and you end up buying them just to rescue them. This would not be the best start to poultry keeping. Don’t get yourself into this position.
- Take a look at the animal husbandry. Are the coops clean? Do the birds have easy access to food and water? Are the feeders and drinkers clean?
- Take a look at each bird that you are interested in and make sure it has bright sharp eyes.
- Make sure the nostrils are clean and do not have any discharge coming from them.
- Check that the back end (vent) is clean .If the chicken has a dirty vent it is often a sign of a sick bird or one with worms.
- Part the feathers around the vent and take a minute or two to have a good look for lice on the bird. Take your time as lice are very small and you need to stand and stare for a while before you see them moving.
- Take a good look at the legs. Older birds have thicker rougher legs, whereas if the bird is young and healthy the legs will be clean and slim and shiny. (It’s not uncommon for people to try to sell older birds and say they are young).
- Check that the bird is bright, shiny and active in its appearance. If the bird has fluffed up feathers and is sitting quietly on its own away from the rest of the flock, it may well be sick and you should not buy it. Do remember that when you are buying any birds there is always a risk. When you move them, they have to build resistance to any new bugs on the new land they will be living on. Also, the move itself is a very stressful occasion and stress can weaken birds and make them more vulnerable to disease.So you need to start with health birds that can cope with the move,not spread disease to birds you may already have,and be happy healthy birds to give you years of pleasure and eggs.