| At Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc., we take pride in our free-range-raised chickens. “Free range” is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and indicate that the animal has been allowed access to the outside. The USDA regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time that an animal must have access to the outside. Free Range may apply to meat, eggs, or dairy farming.
The term is used in two senses that do not overlap completely: as a farmer-centric description of husbandry methods, and as a consumer-centric description of them. Farmers practice free range to achieve free-range or humane certification, to reduce feed costs, to produce a higher-quality product, and as a method of raising multiple crops on the same land.
In ranching, free-range livestock are permitted to roam without being fenced in, as opposed to fenced-in pastures. In many of the agriculture-based economies, free-range livestock are quite common.
Free Range Jurisdictions
Traditional American usage equates "free range" with "unfenced," and with the implication that there was no herdsman keeping them together or managing them in any way. Legally, a free range jurisdiction allowed livestock (perhaps only of a few named species) to run free, and the owner was not liable for any damage they caused. In such jurisdictions, people who wished to avoid damage by livestock had to fence them out; in others, the owners had to fence them in.
Free Range Poultry
In recent years, with the days of free range cattle mostly in the past, neither the presence of a "legal fence" surrounding the farm nor the pros and cons of old-time free range ranching are the main points of interest. Instead, the term "free range" is mainly used as a marketing term rather than a husbandry term, meaning something on the order of, "low stocking density," "pasture-raised," "grass-fed," "old-fashioned," "humanely raised," etc. In poultry-keeping, "free range" is widely confused with yarding, which means keeping poultry in fenced yards. Yarding, as well as floorless portable chicken pens ("chicken tractors") may have some of the benefits of free-range livestock but, in reality, the methods have little in common with the free-range method.
A behavioral definition of free range is perhaps the most useful: "chickens kept with a fence that restricts their movements very little." This has practical implications. For example, according to Jull, "The most effective measure of preventing cannibalism seems to be to give the birds good grass range." De-beaking was invented to prevent cannibalism for birds not on free range, and the need for de-beaking can be seen as a litmus test for whether the chickens' environment is sufficiently "free-range-like."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) require that chickens raised for their meat have access to the outside in order to receive the free-range certification. There is no requirement for access to pasture, and there may be access to only dirt or gravel. Free-range chicken eggs, however, have no legal definition in the United States. Likewise, free-range egg producers have no common standard on what the term means. Many egg farmers sell their eggs as free range merely because their cages are two or three inches above average size, or because there is a window in the shed.
The USDA has no specific definition for "free range" beef, pork, and other non-poultry products. All USDA definitions of "free-range" refer specifically to poultry. No other criteria-such as the size of the range or the amount of space given to each animal-are required before beef, lamb, and pork can be called "free-range." Claims and labeling using "free range" are therefore unregulated. The USDA relies "upon producer testimonials to support the accuracy of these claims."
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CHICKENS
 Araucana
The Araucana, also known in the USA as a South American Rumpless, is a breed of chicken originating in Chile. The Araucana is often confused with other fowl, especially the Ameraucana and Easter Egger chickens, but has several unusual characteristics which distinguish it. They lay blue eggs, have feather tufts near their ears, and a tail. To comply with the north American standard they must have no tail and are rumpless.
Cocks weigh 6-7 pounds and hens 5-6 pounds. Bantam Variety Aracuana Rooster weigh 1½-1¾ and hens 1¼-1½ pounds.
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 Plymouth Barred Rock
The Plymouth Rock, often called simply Rocks or Barred Rocks (after their most popular color), is a chicken breed that originated in the United States. The Plymouth Rock is a dual-purpose, cold-hardy bird and therefore makes a great breed for the small farm or backyard flock owner. These chickens are often called Plymouth Rocks, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the Barred variety. There are seven varieties of Plymouth Rock chickens: barred, blue, buff, Columbian, partridge, silver-penciled, and white.
The Plymouth Rock was developed in New England in the middle of the 19th century and was first exhibited as a breed in 1869. Several individuals claimed its invention, using crosses of Dominiques, Black Javas, Cochins, and perhaps Malays and Dorkings. John C. Bennett (1804-1867) has been credited with either creating or popularizing the breed. Plymouth Rocks were bred as a dual-purpose fowl, meaning that they were valued both for their meat and for the hens' egg-laying ability. The first Plymouth Rock was barred and other varieties were developed later. The breed became popular very rapidly, and in fact, until World War II, no breed was ever kept and bred as extensively in the United States as the Barred Plymouth Rock. Its popularity came from its qualities as an outstanding farm chicken: hardiness, docility, broodiness, and excellent production of both eggs and meat.
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Red Star (Sex-link)
Sex-links are cross-bred chickens whose color at hatching is differentiated by sex, thus making chick sexing an easier process. Sex-links come in many varieties, few of which are a true breed. As hybrids of laying or dual-purpose breeds infused with extra vigor via heterosis, sex-links can be extremely good egg-layers which often produce 300 eggs a year or more depending on the quality of care and feed.
Two common varieties are the Black sex-link (also called Black Stars) and the Red sex-link (also called Red Stars). Blacks are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster and a Barred Rock hen. Red sex-links are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster and a White Rock, Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island White or Delaware hen. One example of a red linked breed is the Red Shaver. In Europe, the Cream Legbar (an actual true-breeding pure breed) and ISA Brown sex-links also exist.
Sex-links are a good choice for ensuring you receive only female hens for sure. Generally sex-links are considered to be a friendly breed if raised properly (like all chickens of course).
DUCKS
 Blue Swedish This unusual duck has beautiful silvery blue, white, and black feathers and comes from the coastal areas of Holland, Germany, and Belgium.
The Blue Swedish is a medium-sized bird that weighs between 6.5 and 8 pounds; the male usually weighs more than the female. Blue Swedish ducks are very calm birds and make good beginner's ducks. They love to free range and will go broody. This breed of duck is listed as watch by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
The color of Blue Swedish ducks is due to heterozygosity in a color gene. If a Blue Swedish duck and drake breed, the young are the usual 25% / 50% / 25% ratio in:-
- 25%: A homozygous form, black where the blue should be.
- 50%: As the parents.
- 25%: The other homozygous form, splashed or silver with combinations of blue and black and white.
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 Cayuga
A Cayuga duck is a breed of domesticated duck used for egg and meat production as well as an ornamental bird. The Cayuga name is taken from Cayuga Lake, one of the lakes in the Finger Lakes chain, in New York State where the breed was popularized.
The Cayuga breed is in the Medium class and has been a recognized breed of the American Poultry Association since 1874. The standard weight for adult males is 8 pounds and females 7 pounds. The Cayuga are characterized by a black bill and black plumage which is an iridescent beetle green in the correct light. In breeding an emphasis is put on correct coloration, carriage and a large breast. The Cayuga duck has dark brown eyes, black shanks and toes, except in old drakes where some orange shading may appear. Ducklings have black plumage. For exhibition presence of white color in the outer plumage is a disqualification. It is also well liked by many as a great yard pet as they tend to stay close to home.
For those who wish to keep ducks, but live close to others that would make keeping the Pekin breed impractical because of the loud quack, the Cayuga duck may be an alternative as its quack is not as loud or frequent as the Pekin. The temperament of the Cayuga is docile.
Adult Cayuga ducks enjoy eating snails, slugs, and most other insects.
The Cayuga duck will more often sit on and hatch her eggs than other domestic breeds of duck.
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 Chocolate Runner
The Indian Runner ducks are domesticated waterfowl that live in the archipelago of the 'East Indies.' There is no evidence that they came originally from India itself. The Runner became popular in Europe and America as an egg-laying variety towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Indian Runner Ducks brought in unusual plumage color mutations. These include the dusky and restricted mallard genes, light phase, harlequin phase, blue and brown dilutions, as well as the famous pied varieties named by the geneticist F.M. Lancaster as the 'Runner pattern.'
Indian Runners are an unusual breed of domestic duck. They stand erect like penguins and, rather than waddling, they run. The females usually lay about 150 – 200 eggs a year or more, depending whether they are from exhibition or utility strains. They were found on the Indonesian Islands of Lombok, Java and Bali where they were 'walked' to market and sold as egg-layers or for meat. These ducks do not fly and only rarely form nests and incubate their own eggs. They run or walk, often dropping their eggs wherever they happen to be. Duck-breeders need to house their birds over night or be extremely vigilant in picking up the eggs to prevent them from being taken by other animals. Keeping the birds in sheds until well after dawn is reportedly the best solution.
The ducks vary in weight between 3 and 5 pounds. Their height (from crown to tail tip) ranges from 20 inches in small females to about 26 inches in the taller males. The eggs are often greenish-white in color, but these too vary.
Indian Runners love foraging. They also like swimming in ponds and streams, but they are likely to be preoccupied in running around grassy meadows looking for worms, slugs, even catching flies. They appreciate open spaces but are happy in gardens from which they cannot fly and where they make much less noise than Call Ducks. Only the females quack. All drakes are limited to a hoarse whisper. Runners eat less in the way of grain and pellet supplement than big table ducks. Of course, they should be given calcium and protein-rich food, especially the ducks during the extensive laying season.
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 Gold Star Hybrid
The Gold Star Hybrid is a calm, even-tempered duck that is an excellent layer. They are calmer than the excitable Khaki Campbell, which has been considered the best egg-production breed. Like Red Star chickens, their gender can be distinguished at birth by their color. Unfortunately, since this is a hybrid, this characteristic is not carried through in future generations.
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 Khaki Campbell
The Khaki Campbell (or just Campbell) is a breed of domesticated duck that originated in England and is kept for its high level of egg production. The breed was developed by Adele Campbell of England at the end of the 19th century. The "Khaki" portion of the name refers to the duck's typical color.
Adult Campbell ducks weigh approximately 4 pounds. Campbells can come in three color varieties: khaki, dark and white. The Khaki Campbell duck is mostly khaki colored with a darker head. They are a cross between Mallard, Rouen and Runner ducks.
The egg production of the Campbell breed can exceed even the most efficient of egg laying domestic chickens, with the breed laying an average of 300 eggs a year.
Khaki Campbells become mature at approximately 6 months. Khaki Campbell hens very seldom will hatch out their own young. Brooding behavior has been sacrificed in exchange for prolific egg laying ability in this breed. Mechanical incubators or broody chickens are used to hatch out Khaki Campbell ducklings. It takes approximately 28 days for a Khaki Campbell duckling to hatch.
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 Welsh Harlequin
The Welsh Harlequin is a breed of domestic duck originating in Wales. In 1949, in Criccieth, Group Captain Leslie Bonnet discovered a color mutation among his flock Khaki Campbells, and began breeding selectively for it. By 1968, hatching eggs were exported to the United States, and live birds in 1981.
Today, the Welsh Harlequin is a light-weight duck breed known for its vivid plumage and egg laying ability. Welsh Harlequins are 5 to 6 pounds females have a greenish black bill, and their plumage is a creamy white color with brown stippling, with brown wings edged with white. Drakes are similar to a faded Mallard with a yellow bill. Welsh Harlequins are good layers, produce a lean carcass, and are good foragers. They may be more vulnerable to predators such as birds of prey because of their light coloration.
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 White Layer
A lovely all-white duck that lays only white eggs, as opposed to the mixed blue and white eggs produced by the Gold Star that is its cousin. They have a clam temperament and can lay nearly 300 eggs a year.
GEESE
 African
The African (left) is a breed of domestic goose. Not actually African at all, African breed geese are descended from the wild Swan Goose, just like their close cousin the Chinese goose. Though they share some similar characteristics (such as color variations), the two can be distinguished by the African's larger dewlap and different knob shape. African geese are also quite a bit heavier than Chinese, and are more well-known for their docile temperaments.
 Two origin theories persist for the fowl: the first purporting that Africans are the result of crosses of Swan Geese and Chinese, while the other asserts that they are pure derivations of the Swan Goose, and their unique traits are simply the result of selective breeding. Whichever the case, it has existed as a distinct breed since at least the middle of the nineteenth century, and was admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
African geese appear in three color varieties: Brown, Buff and White. Browns have black bills and knobs, and plumage with irregular shades, from a very light to dark brown. Whites have all-white plumage and orange bills and knobs.
The Super African (right) is a direct descendent of China’s Lion Head goose, including the pronounced dewlap on the throat. They are a fairly noisy breed, one of the best guard geese.
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 Chinese
The Chinese Goose is a breed of domesticated goose descended from the wild Swan Goose. Chinese geese differ from the wild birds in much larger size (up to 11–22 lbs in males, 9–20 lbs in females), and in having an often strongly developed basal knob on the upper side of the bill. The knob at the top of the beak is more prominent on males than females. By 6–8 weeks of age, the knob is already pronounced enough that it can be used for sexing. Chinese geese are a close cousin of the African goose, a heavier breed also descended from the Swan Goose.
Chinese geese appear in two varieties: a brown similar to the wild Swan Goose, and white. While many domestic Chinese geese have a similar body type to other breeds, the breed standards as defined in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection and other sources call for a slimmer, taller fowl.
Chinese geese are among the better laying breeds of geese. A female Chinese goose can lay 50–60 eggs over the course of the breeding season (February to June), although there are reports of Chinese Geese laying up to 100 eggs during that time.
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 Buff
The Buff Goose is a breed of domestic goose named for its single color variety, which is an apricot or fawn hue rather than literally buff. They are medium-weight birds, with ganders averaging 18 pounds and geese 16 pounds.
Like most other domestic geese, it was developed from the Greylag Goose of Europe and Asia. Whether it was bred independently from a mutation with grey geese or from buff imported stock from Europe is unclear. It is a dual-purpose bird used both for meat and egg production. They are mostly used by small farmers, and are known for their calm and docile disposition.
The Tufted Buff (right) was developed as a cross between the Buff goose and the Roman Tufted goose.
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 Sebastopol
The Sebastopol is a breed of domestic goose, descended from the European Graylag. They were also referred to as Danubian geese; a name first used for the breed in Ireland in 1863. 'Danubian' was used as a synonym in the 19th century, and only given precedence by Edward Brown after the turn of the century.
The Sebastopol is a medium-sized goose with long, white curly feathers. The feathers of the neck are smooth and sometimes greyish-brown. Crosses have produced all-gray, buff, and saddle back variants. Feathers on the breast may be curly (frizzle) or smooth. The gander weighs 12-14 lbs while the goose weighs 10-12 lbs. The legs and shanks are orange and the eyes bright blue. On average, females produce 25-35 eggs per year. Though domesticated breeds of geese generally retain some flight ability, Sebastopols cannot fly well due to the curliness of their feathers and have difficulty getting off the ground. They need plenty of water in order to keep themselves clean, and to clean their sinuses (as do all waterfowl).
In German, they are called Lockengans or Struppgans, meaning "curl-goose" and "unkempt goose."
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 Toulouse
The Toulouse is a breed of domesticated goose originating near Toulouse, France. It is a large bird, with a weight of up to 20 pounds, and is known for its ponderous appearance and large dewlaps. The original grey colored breed is a very old one and the name has been recorded back as far as 1555.
The bird generally has a placid disposition. They do not need water or a pond. However, being waterfowl, they love bathing and playing in water and will also mate in water. They are not great wanderers, preferring to stay close to home, making them ideal for a large garden or orchard, where they will thrive.
The breed is a moderately good layer of eggs, producing as well as most other goose breeds. They rarely have problems producing fertile eggs, although problems can occur during severe weather in the winter and spring, as is the case with most breeds. An average Toulouse lays 20-40 eggs per year. These birds are generally not good sitters.
The Tufted Toulouse (right) has all the characteristics of the French Toulouse, but with a tuft on its head like the Roman Tufted.
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 White Embden
The Embden Goose is a breed of domestic goose. The origins of this breed are thought to be from region North Sea, in Holland and Germany. The eminent author Lewis Wright wrote around 1900 was of the opinion that they originated from the town of Emden in Lower Saxony, Germany, although Edward Brown in his 1906 Races of Domestic Poultry believed that the breed was created by crossing the German White with the English White and then, by a process of careful selections, creating the goose as it is today. Others suggest that the English Embden's great weight and size was produced by selective breeding with the Toulouse breed, which was then bred out leaving the large size of this breed. In any case, the continental stock used in breeding the modern birds is most likely descended from the great white landrace of Frisia, which has been attested as early as the 13th century.
The breed is pure white with a short, light orange bill, and orange feet and shanks. They are fast growing birds and will quickly reach about 20 pounds for the Goose, and 30 pounds for the Gander. The Embden's legs are fairly short. The head is oval-shaped and they have a long and graceful neck. The eyes are an ocean blue. The body is bulky and well rounded, having a long back and a short tail. The wings are very strong and of a good length. The feathers are close and very hard. The breed’s habits are to forage for tidbits in the grass and water, a very hardy breed. The adult bird will commence laying eggs fairly early in the year, in February as a rule, laying 30 to 40 eggs.
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Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
Your Source for Northwest Farm Fresh Foods Shipped Worldwide
4301 South Chapman Road
Greenacres, Washington 99016-8732 USA
Phone (509) 928-1800 | Fax (509) 922-9949
Email:
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Website: www.mountainvalleyviewfarm.com
Online Store: www.mountainvalleyviewfarmstore.com
Blog with us at www.mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com
Mountain Valley View Farm Hours:
Monday – Saturday
8:00 a.m. – Noon; 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Closed Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Other farm hours by advance appointment only.
Please call (509) 928-1800 to schedule an appointment.
Getaway Studio Dining Room
& Bed and Breakfast
Phone (509) 928-8900
Directions to Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
From I-90 East or West
Take the Sullivan Exit (291B) – South for about 3 miles
Turn left on Saltese (east), and continue straight for .5 mile
Turn right on South Chapman Road (south), and proceed .9 mile
The farm will be on the left-hand side of the road – 4301 South Chapman Road
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