The Feather Shed

07/09/2026

Spring has officially arrived 🌼💛
The daffodils are putting on a beautiful show and bringing some much-needed colour back to the garden. There’s something about seeing those first bright blooms that makes it feel like winter is finally behind us.
Longer days, warmer sunshine and everything starting to come back to life, definitely one of my favourite times of year. 🌱☀️
Happy Spring! 🌼🐝

03/09/2026

🐥 The boys nobody wants…

One of the realities of breeding an autosexing breed like the Cream Legbar is that we know from hatch which chicks are boys and which are girls.

Everyone wants the little pullets… but unfortunately there’s rarely much demand for the cockerels.

That doesn’t mean their lives have any less value while they’re here.

My boys get to grow up together with plenty of room, sunshine, fresh air, grass to scratch through, dust baths and all the normal things chickens love to do. 🌱🐓

They aren't kept in tiny cages or treated as a waste product simply because they're male. They get to be chickens and enjoy a good quality of life for the time they are with me.

Breeding livestock sometimes comes with realities that aren't particularly pretty or easy to talk about. For me, good animal husbandry isn't only about looking after the birds that have a future in the breeding pen, it's also about giving the ones that don't a good life while they're here. ❤️

These little fellas might not be the chicks everyone is lining up to buy, but while they're at The Feather Shed, they're going to have a pretty good time being chickens. 🐓🌿

27/08/2026

Apparently the dog beds in the goat sheds have been repurposed… 😂🐐

Why sleep on the ground when you can all pile into one bed together?

Four little Boer babies, one dog bed, and apparently personal space is completely overrated. 🤎

Safe to say, the goats approve of our choice of shed furnishings!

26/08/2026

🐣 Another little bunch of fluff in the brooder!
A mix of chicks from our breeding pens, all busy doing what chicks do best — eating, scratching, sleeping and making an impressive amount of mess for something so small.
We have fertile eggs and chicks becoming available throughout the breeding season, including our Cream Legbars and Wyandottes.
If you're looking to add some quality purebred poultry to your flock this spring, feel free to send us a message about upcoming availability. 🐥
📍 The Feather Shed
📦 Fertile eggs can be posted (subject to availability)
🐣 Chicks up to 3 weeks ( require heat) available

22/08/2026

09/08/2026

Ever notice how so many people are selling"colour" instead of quality?

Beautiful egg colours are exciting, but before you spend your money, ask to see the parent stock.

🐓 What do the rooster and hens actually look like?
🥚 Are they bred from carefully selected breeding pens?
📸 Are there clear photos of the birds producing those eggs?
Do they know genetically what the chicks from those eggs will lay?
Will they be Standards or bantams?

A basket full of colourful eggs tells you very little about the quality, health, type, or genetics behind them.

Here we're passionate about breeding from carefully selected parent stock, quality birds comes first before pretty egg colours. Good breeding starts with good quality birds and should always be the primary objective.

Always ask to see photos for the parent stock not just see photos of the pretty eggs.

01/08/2026

The Blue Laced Silver breeding pen
💙🖤🤍

30/07/2026

Why we run small breeding groups

People often ask why we keep our breeding pens small rather than running large colony groups.
For us, it's all about producing the best birds we can.
Small breeding groups allow us to closely monitor fertility, identify any breeding issues early, and know exactly which birds have produced each hatch. I currently run and the most 6 hens per rooster, that means we can make better breeding decisions and continue improving the quality, type and consistency of our breeds.
It's a slower approach, but we believe it's the best way to preserve and improve these beautiful breeds for future generations.
I also buy posted eggs from different breeders and have found the best hatch rate with ones that run the same system.

26/07/2026

🐔 A small upgrade that's already making a big difference!
We've recently upgraded our pens with new feeders and drinkers, and we're really happy with the results.
The new feeders are helping cut down on wasted feed, which means less mess and more feed where it belongs. The new drinkers are also keeping the water much cleaner by preventing the birds from getting poo in the water.
Clean water and less feed waste are simple changes that help keep our flock healthier while reducing unnecessary waste.

11/07/2026

Starting to see some colour in the egg basket, cream legbars have been leading but now some of the marans pullets are laying. 😍