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Hi! We're Maeg & Sarah
of Silver Fox Farm.
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How It Started
In 2017, we found the home we had been looking for: 6.5 acres, some woods, and a small, simple house on the most beautiful road in Greenfield, MA. We moved in and got married in the front yard that same year. We fell asleep at night listening to the galloping of the horses next door.
Before we bought our farm, we dreamed of it often. We joked that we could lovingly name it after the few silvery grey hairs appearing on Sarah's head. That joke stuck, and our farm had a name.
Having both kept chickens in our past lives, Sarah and I knew that we wanted to start a flock right away. We spent our first summer here building a giant blue coop, and have been building and hatching ever since.
Before we bought our farm, we dreamed of it often. We joked that we could lovingly name it after the few silvery grey hairs appearing on Sarah's head. That joke stuck, and our farm had a name.
Having both kept chickens in our past lives, Sarah and I knew that we wanted to start a flock right away. We spent our first summer here building a giant blue coop, and have been building and hatching ever since.
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Working on our first coop build.
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How It's Going
Since then, we have expanded far beyond that first blue coop (our current coop count is 16, because chicken math), and we are deep into breeding and sharing our flocks.
We currently work with Black Copper Marans, Self Blue Ameraucanas, Bantam Salmon Faverolles, and Olive Eggers, and we are proud members of the National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP # MA-1366). We ship hatching eggs all over the U.S., and offer chicks locally in Western Massachusetts.
We are motivated by our mission to help others produce their own food, and breed friendly, healthy birds that lay a vibrant rainbow of egg color.
We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community, locally and beyond, by helping others create a layer of food resiliency and experience the joy of raising chickens. Especially right now, when the vulnerability of many things that we’ve long taken for granted (the post office, steady paychecks, food supply chains) is increasingly visible.
We currently work with Black Copper Marans, Self Blue Ameraucanas, Bantam Salmon Faverolles, and Olive Eggers, and we are proud members of the National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP # MA-1366). We ship hatching eggs all over the U.S., and offer chicks locally in Western Massachusetts.
We are motivated by our mission to help others produce their own food, and breed friendly, healthy birds that lay a vibrant rainbow of egg color.
We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community, locally and beyond, by helping others create a layer of food resiliency and experience the joy of raising chickens. Especially right now, when the vulnerability of many things that we’ve long taken for granted (the post office, steady paychecks, food supply chains) is increasingly visible.
Our Breeding Goals: How We Make Awesome Birds for You
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Our Breeding Programs
A great deal of thought and work goes into our breeding programs. Our goal as breeders is to create birds that you want to have in your backyard or small farm, not just for food but also for companionship. Health and temperament are our top breeding goals, along with working toward the Standard of Perfection. If a bird is aggressive or has a health issue, we won’t breed it, no matter how gorgeous. Breeding for Temperament Breeding for temperament has been an issue close to our hearts since we discovered that many large hatcheries kill male chicks at hatch, because of a lack of demand for roosters. Part of this lack of demand is due to local laws that limit having roosters, but some is a result of roosters’ reputation for aggression. A good rooster is a chicken keeper’s collaborator, not challenger. By breeding for temperament, we hope to create roosters that you’ll enjoy as companions and protectors of your flock. Selecting for Health Health is important, too. With around 15 years of chicken keeping between us, Sarah and I know how hard it can be emotionally (and financially!) to deal with illness and health issues in your flock, especially when chickens can be so hard to diagnose. For that reason, we won’t breed a bird that’s had a health issue, in order to keep the health and vigor of our breeding stock high. Instead, they get to live out their lives with our laying flock after treatment. The Standard of Perfection And of course, there is the Standard of Perfection for each breed, the ideal to which all breeders aspire. All birds with great health and temperament are considered within the context of the Standard. The best become part of our purebred clan mating breeding program, and the rest become part of our Olive Egger program or our laying flock, which keeps our farm stand flush with eating eggs. Playing with Egg Color We also love tinkering with egg color. Finding a warm, freshly laid egg is pure magic, and even more so if that egg comes in a color you can’t find at the grocery store. Chocolate brown and blue. Olive, mint, and sage. Silver and pink. Speckled and bloomed. Each breed we work with is unique in some way, be it egg color or temperament. Get to know our breeds here. |
One of our Olive Egger roos, Egon.
Ameraucana and Marans pullet eggs.
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How We Farm
Bantam Salmon Faverolle grow outs enjoying some fresh pasture.
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Our birds are loved and well-cared for from the moment they hatch:
Our flocks live in coops hand built by us, with large outdoor runs, and also enjoy access to pasture in tractors that keep them safe from predators (predator pressure is HIGH around here!). We never use breeding cages; part of the advantage of using a clan mating program is that our birds always enjoy the social atmosphere of flock life. Our birds are fed 100% organic feed, along with kitchen treats and forage. (Yes, organic feed is twice the price as conventional, but we think it’s worth it and hope you do, too!). We grow out each and every male chick, unlike large hatcheries that cull them at hatch. Once they hit maturity, any boys that won’t be joining our breeding program are processed by hand by us, right on the farm, with love, care, attention, and speed. We are grateful for the sustenance they provide. While our flocks provide food, hatching eggs, and chicks, they are more than just livestock to us. We value the relationships we have with our birds, and love getting to know their personalities, quirks, and relationships within the flock. As hard as we and the birds work on the farm, you’ll also find us cuddling with our Bantam Faverolles over morning coffee, mashing up special food for our sassy crossbeak Phoebe, or hanging out with our beloved Ameraucana roo, Forester. We love and adore our birds, and can’t wait to share the flock with you!
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Got More Questions?Our chickens--er, customer service representatives--are standing by.
Just contact us through the form below, and we'll get back to you ASAP. |
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The Complete Chick Guide
Your success is important to us, so we created this free ebook to help you hatch and brood chicks! In this 40 page guide, you'll learn everything you need to know to hatch successfully and care for your chicks from their first day until they move to the big coop. |
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What Our Customers Are Saying About Us:
"I ordered hatching eggs from Silver Fox Farm and their service was prompt and courteous. I had a hen go broody out of nowhere and was totally not prepared, but Maeg at Silver Fox Farm sent me a dozen hatching eggs within 3 business days and I was good to go! Of course, mama hen was a diva and I couldn't get her to stay broody (it happens!), so I ended up gifting the hatching eggs to a fellow chicken keeper in my area and she was able to hatch them out. Maeg is always so helpful and knowledgeable - I highly recommend Silver Fox Farm!"
-Kelsey Jorissen Olesen, Green Willow Homestead
-Kelsey Jorissen Olesen, Green Willow Homestead
"I ordered hatching eggs from Silver Fox Farm and of the two dozen I received all were fertile and developed - I hatched out a dozen of them - and believe it was only my novice incubator skills that didn't hatch all two dozen. That being said, the 12 who I've been growing out are the most vigorous, foraging, friendly chickens I've ever had. I had hoped to hatch out a Black Copper Marans rooster, and I have two, and at least for the foreseeable future I'm keeping both. The most interesting mixes are the back cross BCM and Olive Eggers - the roosters are astonishingly gorgeous. Maeg was incredibly helpful and I used her incubator instructions as well as brooding instructions. Thank you for providing me with gorgeous chickens. They're amazing." - Amanda
“Silver Fox Farm provides a warm and friendly experience. Beginning with prompt communication, to delivery. Our beautiful chicks were delivered healthy and the hatching eggs were clean and carefully wrapped. Silver Fox Farm is a pleasure to do business with and can count on our support again in the near future.”-Carlo & Marcelo