Birds & Bees

IMG_5793Birds

We have a variety of birds for egg production as well as decoration. All of our birds are treated with love and respect as with anything else here at Desert Bloom, and provided with the best environments we can provide to ensure a safe, happy life. All of our birds are cage free, and are housed in fenced in pens for protection. During the daytime we let the birds out to free range around the farm.

Chickens

We have had small amounts of chickens for 10 years, however in the spring of 2015 we will have a new flock of almost 100 chickens in production. Our chickens are all cage free and kept in aviaries for their safety. During the day we let the chickens out to roam and live happy chicken lives. Our chickens love people and even eat right out of your hand! We have a variety of hens to add color like a bouquet of flowers, and even a few roosters to provide natural sounds throughout the farm.

Ducks

Our ducks provide us with fresh duck eggs which are slightly larger than chicken eggs with a different flavor. We currently have a very limited amount of duck eggs due to the fact that we only have a few ducks, though we are preparing to add some more ducks to the bunch, the more the merrier right? With their very own aviary, the ducks are protected from predators at night, but hang out by the pond during the day. If you see them out there, throw them some food! They’ll thank you.

Emu

We have one emu that lays a very limited number of eggs each year, generally in the spring time. Raised from a hatchling and now 18 years old, the emu is definitely a part of the farm’s history. Emu eggs are much larger than chicken eggs, equivalent to approximately 10 chicken eggs one emu egg is plenty for a family breakfast and can make one amazing omelet. The emu egg has a higher yolk to white ratio than chicken eggs, giving it an excellent flavor.IMG_5770

Misc Birds

Mostly for the joy of looking at, we have some birds that just add to the atmosphere of the farm. We have one peacock with beautiful feathers, and a goose that loves to be pet!

Bees

Honey is a wonderful sweetener to use in teas, or to enjoy by the spoonful. Too much of the store bought honey is loaded with chemicals that come from the plants the bees have access to or brought in from china with unknown contents. Since it can be difficult to find a good source of local honey and we wanted to have bee hives. Since our organic gardens and flowers are all the bees have access to, we know they aren’t getting nectar loaded with chemicals. We have two bee hives in separate locations that we take care of to provide our gardens with bees, as well as provide us with honey.