Our Breeding Program
We started breeding bantam Buttercups in 2006, when we shipped in a pair from Julie Cieslack in Michigan. She was the secretary of the American Buttercup Club at the time. Since then, we have been breeding and selecting every year to improve the quality of our birds.
In 2012 we shipped in a box of chicks from Bob Rennolet in South Dakota, another member of the American Buttercup Club. We were very pleased to find that these birds had some slightly different traits than the birds we had bred up to that point. This gave us the opportunity to intermix the two strains to improve our quality.
In 2015 we made a road trip to a show in Northern California where we met Larry Stallings, another buttercup breeder and an APA certified judge. We swapped a few birds to invigorate each other's bloodlines.
In late 2016, after breeding the bantams Buttercups exclusively for a full decade, we finally acquired some large fowl Buttercups and began breeding them as well. The two main flocks we acquired birds from were Bridget Riddle in California and Three Gables Farm on Salt Spring Island near Victoria, Canada, neither of whom still breed them. We were honored to receive birds from these excellent flocks before they moved onto other projects.
Fortunately, we have experienced extremely high laying rates with our Buttercups in both sizes. We usually have excess numbers of eggs, which makes it easy for us to ship eggs. This is unusual for an ornamental breed (particularly the bantams) and is one of the best reasons to breed Buttercups. Whether it is your goal to raise chickens solely for eggs, or to have a breeding program, high egg production is an essential trait.
More breeders are desperately needed to continue to preserve and improve the Sicilian Buttercup and many other rare poultry breeds. Even if you are a newcomer to raising poultry, your small breeding project can make a significant difference in the future of a breed. Please contact us if you are interested in ordering birds, or want to hear more about our flock, Buttercups in general, or other rare livestock.
In 2012 we shipped in a box of chicks from Bob Rennolet in South Dakota, another member of the American Buttercup Club. We were very pleased to find that these birds had some slightly different traits than the birds we had bred up to that point. This gave us the opportunity to intermix the two strains to improve our quality.
In 2015 we made a road trip to a show in Northern California where we met Larry Stallings, another buttercup breeder and an APA certified judge. We swapped a few birds to invigorate each other's bloodlines.
In late 2016, after breeding the bantams Buttercups exclusively for a full decade, we finally acquired some large fowl Buttercups and began breeding them as well. The two main flocks we acquired birds from were Bridget Riddle in California and Three Gables Farm on Salt Spring Island near Victoria, Canada, neither of whom still breed them. We were honored to receive birds from these excellent flocks before they moved onto other projects.
Fortunately, we have experienced extremely high laying rates with our Buttercups in both sizes. We usually have excess numbers of eggs, which makes it easy for us to ship eggs. This is unusual for an ornamental breed (particularly the bantams) and is one of the best reasons to breed Buttercups. Whether it is your goal to raise chickens solely for eggs, or to have a breeding program, high egg production is an essential trait.
More breeders are desperately needed to continue to preserve and improve the Sicilian Buttercup and many other rare poultry breeds. Even if you are a newcomer to raising poultry, your small breeding project can make a significant difference in the future of a breed. Please contact us if you are interested in ordering birds, or want to hear more about our flock, Buttercups in general, or other rare livestock.
One of our males at the fall 2013 Washington Feather Fanciers APA show in Chehalis, WA.
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One of our hens displaying the unique female Buttercup plumage at the 2013 Washington Feather Fanciers APA show in Chehalis, WA.
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