Our Standards
Respect
Our number one priority at Clementa Hill Farmstead is treating the birds with the utmost RESPECT. We truly believe the level of care we provide our poultry is second to none. By having smaller flocks, we are able to identify issues, make improvements and adjustments on an individual basis if needed.
the poultry
Over the many years of raising chickens and ducks, we have ordered chicks and ducklings from multiple different hatcheries, picked them up locally at feed and farm stores and adopted them from others. We have had good luck with two specific hatcheries and have exclusively ordered poultry from them for the past five or so years. They offer pure bred lines which we prefer over the hybrid breeds. Both hold very high standards and amazing customer service. We have experienced little to no health issues with either of their poultry. It is very important to us to have a hatchery that exudes such a high level of standards that compares to ours. Being that we live in Minnesota, all of our poultry are cold weather hearty.
Layer Chickens
Our flock is comprised of many breeds of chicken including Marans, Barnevelders, Sussex, Rhode Island Reds and Easter Eggers. With all of these ladies running around, it creates a wonderful scene of colors, sizes and behaviors. They lay different colored and patterned eggs too!! We receive tons of compliments from our customers regarding how fun it is to open Clementa Hill Farmstead egg cartons to find the rainbow of colored eggs and patterns. It also keeps us entertained when opening the nesting boxes.
Layer ducks
Ducks are fairly new to Clementa Hill Farmstead. For the last couple of years, our flock consisted of Khaki Campbell ducks. We decided on Khaki Campbells mainly for two reasons. First, they were said to be a good duck for first time duck owners. Second, they are a hearty breed. From what we experienced, they are easy to raise (after getting over the fact that all ducks are extremely messy) and have held up well to the extremes of Minnesota weather. We have since expanded our flock with different breeds including Swedish, Buff, Rouen and Silver Appleyard. We have learned that every breed of duck has a different personality. Unlike chickens, ducks socialize often with one another. They are quirky and are so entertaining to watch, especially if you have a pool or pond for them to splash around in. With the demand for duck eggs skyrocketing, we are excited to supply our customers with the most nutritious duck eggs around.
meat chickens (Broilers)
"Today, we raise non-GMO Rainbow Rangers..."
There are many different breeds of chicken suitable to be raised for meat. The most common is the Cornish Cross or a very similar hybrid which you find in most grocery stores. During the first couple years of raising chickens for meat, we raised Cornish Cross chickens. They are genetically bred to grow as fast as possible. With this rapid growth comes issues such as organ failure, lack of movement, lameness, breast blisters, etc. Without a strictly restricted feed schedule, they will only travel as far as the feeder and waterer. Being novices at the time, we didn’t know any better and didn’t appreciate the fact that they were not acting like a normal chicken; foraging, scratching, pecking, exploring… This lead us to raise the Red Ranger. It sat between the crazy fast growing Cornish Cross and the slow/normal growth rate of a heritage breed chicken. We noticed immediately that, even as chicks, they were more energetic. When we moved them to pasture at four weeks old, they would go out foraging as far as their containment would allow. They were acting like a normal chicken. Today, we raise non-GMO Rainbow Ranger Broilers which stem from a parent flock of Ranger broilers who are exclusively fed a strict diet of non-GMO feeds.
the diet
FEED
"...fed organic, non-GMO, non-medicated, corn free, soy free, locally grown feed."
Arguably the most important and definitely the most frequently asked question we get is, “What kind of feed do your chickens eat?” All of our chickens and ducks, broilers included, are fed organic, non-GMO, non-medicated, corn free, soy free, locally grown feed. As chicks, they are fed a mash (ground whole grains) vs whole grain variety due to their inability to eat large whole grains. After a few weeks on mash, they are fed whole grains for the remainder of their life. The top three ingredients in our feed are peas, wheat and oats.
The Layer feed schedule:
Layer hens start their chick lives on a 21 percent protein content mash feed. As mentioned above, they stay on mash for a few weeks then transition to whole grain for another five weeks. At eight weeks old, they are fed a grower feed containing 18 percent protein content. At 20 weeks (right around the time they start to lay their first eggs), they are fed a layer feed containing 16 percent protein content. Up to 20 weeks, our layers are given an endless supply of feed. We keep the feeders filled and allow them constant access. Once they start on the layer feed at 20 weeks, they are fed every morning approximately 1/3 pound of feed.
During the winter months, we feed our layers a grower feed with 18 percent protein. This boost of protein helps to maintain a healthy weight which in turn keeps them warm.
The Broiler feed schedule:
Broilers start out on the same 21 percent protein feed as the layer chicks for the first three weeks. They are then transitioned to a grower formula with 18 percent protein which they remain on until butchering around 10 weeks of age. We monitor the last four weeks carefully and may restrict their feed during this time. Otherwise, they have constant access to feed with the feeders topped off every day. A big red flag I look for is if the Rangers are no longer using the entire space they are confined in to forage. By restricting, or limiting, their access to grain, they are encouraged to go out and forage for bugs, worm and whatever else they may find on the green pasture where they are raised.
Fermented Feed:
We have experimented with fermented feed a few times in the past. Studies have shown that properly fermented feed increases beneficial bacteria in the gut, decreases pathogens, makes protein easier to access or digest, can cut your feed costs in half and increases water intake due to feed being saturated. Why have we not continued with fermented feed? Our first experiment failed due to lack of knowledge on how to properly ferment. We waisted a bunch of feed and it was very frustrating so we took a break from it. The next few times I believe we successfully fermented but the chickens seemed hesitant to eat it. This was discouraging so we went back to dry feed once they had eaten the smaller batch of fermented feed. Last year, we had success on a very small scale. We fermented around 50 pounds of feed and the chickens loved it. But then winter came which makes fermenting feed impossible outside. Needless to say, we are not ready for basement fermentation with three children under the age of five… We are dead set on one day feeding all our poultry fermented feed, year around.
Free Range Forage:
During the months when we don’t have snow on the ground, our bird’s primary diet is bugs, worms and anything they find while foraging. We offer them feed every day but have found they are not as interested in at as they are the pasture. This is great for saving money on feed!!
WATER
This may seem silly to talk about the water that our poultry drink, but being the nerds we are, we think deeply about this stuff. City water often contains chlorine, ammonia, fluoride, imbalances in metals and other harmful bacteria. Water treatment plants add these chemicals to kill off harmful bacteria. Without going too far into the weeds, we value our well water at Clementa Hill Farmstead. Now, well water can also contain harmful bacteria and such. I was speaking to another farmer years ago who learned there was a high percentage of arsenic in the well water at the farms around them. They had their water tested and discovered what they had heard was true; high levels of arsenic. YIKES! After putting in a filtration system and performing another water test, the issue was solved. So, having some concerns of our own, we went ahead with the water test. Luckily for us, our well water came back clear of any harmful bacteria, chemical and such. We plan on testing our water every few years or so to make sure everything is good to go.
SUPPLEMENTS, TREATS AND COMPOST PILES
Layers:
We try not to go overboard with supplements and treats. Chicks receive an electrolyte supplement in their water for the first two weeks. On the very rare occasion we start getting thin egg shells (lack of calcium in diet), we provide free choice oyster shell. If we have a week of -20 degree weather, we will throw out scratch and dried meal worms for a boost of protein and added activity and happiness. Our layers always have access to grit which is especially important during winter months when all the gravel and sand is covered in feet of snow.
Our compost pile is wide open and in very close proximity to the coop. With young children, we have lots of table scraps. With a large garden, we have produce that gets “buggy” or goes partially bad. All of these things going into the compost pile which the chickens and ducks find very delicious. They basically eat what we eat! The past few years, we have began to save the remains from filleted fish and processed wild game. It all goes to the birds now rather than the trash.
Broilers:
The only supplement the broilers receive is an electrolyte additive to their water for the first week or so when they are chicks.
Ducks:
We have been asked if ducks eat the same feed as our chickens. Yes, they do. However, ducks also need additional niacin (vitamin B3) in their diet that the feed doesn’t satisfactorily meet. When we first raised ducks, we would add Brewers Yeast to their feed in a separate feeder. We have since found that with all the fish remains, salmon skins (we eat a LOT of salmon), niacin rich produce and worms that our ducks are eating, they get an abundance of niacin in their diet. They are very healthy looking ducks!
the habitat
BROODER
We convert our garage into one large brooder. We split up the chicks into three or four separate areas (depending on how many birds we order). This mitigates injuries to the chicks when they huddle up underneath the heat lamps during colder nights. There is also less competition around the feeders and waterers. Broiler chicks get moved to green pasture at four weeks (weather dependent) and layer chicks and ducklings get moved to the coop around the same time frame. The layer chicks and ducklings are protected in a separate area in the coop to avoid the older layers from pestering them. After around eight weeks, the chicks and ducklings have grown and have been acquainted with the older layers long enough to remove barriers and join the flock.
THE COOP
The layers spend their nights secured in a coop with an automatic chicken door. The coop is well ventilated with many windows on every side and predator proofed with hardware cloth, barrel bolts and carabiners. They roost on real tree branches that have been secured in the coop. With the nesting boxes attached to the coop, they don’t have to go far to lay eggs.
THE PASTURE
Our back hill on the farm is covered in natural grasses with some grains, sunflowers, and other fodder additions. The layers have free range of the pasture. This is also where the broilers live. They are protected by an electric poultry net that covers approximately 1/2 acre. When we first starting using poultry netting, we gave the broilers over an acre to forage. The majority used less than half of this area and would stay near their chicken tractors and mobile shelter. For those that would venture too far out, we would have the occasional eagle, hawk and owl make prey of them. For those two reasons above, we decided on having only the 1/2 acre for them to forage. We have had great success with this.
THE YARD
The layers basically have free range of the entire property, including the back yard, compost piles, fruit trees, fruit bushes and parts of the garden. The edges of our property line are wooded and they spend the majority of their time in the woods. We have two pools for the ducks to swim in near the wood line. It is so much fun watching them splash and play all day long.