Tarcombe Farm

Tarcombe Farm Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Tarcombe Farm, Farm, Little River.

Tarcombe Farm, Little River
Established 1864

Tarcombe Farm breeds Welsh Ponies, Fjord Horses, pygmy goats plus chickens for your backyard, raised with a focus on welfare, natural herd/flock living and thoughtful, regenerative farming.

19/08/2026

Day Old Chickies!!

We have our first hatch of the season, and all these wee little cuties are looking for homes. Must go in groups of at least 3 and they will need heat obviously. All unsexed.

Rhode Island Red $15ea (3 available)
Light Sussex $15ea (12 available)
Easter Egger / Rainbow Layers $10ea (30 available)
Australorps (Black, Blue & Splash) $15ea (10 available)

Pickup from the farm in Little River, or can be pickup Glenroy by arrangement.

Now here's a beauty. This gorgeous blue egg came from one of our Cream Legbars, and there are actually two things going ...
30/07/2026

Now here's a beauty. This gorgeous blue egg came from one of our Cream Legbars, and there are actually two things going on with it worth a closer look.

First, that lovely blue colour. It comes from a pigment called oocyanin, which our Legbars carry thanks to the blue-egg gene. What's special about blue is that, unlike brown pigment which only coats the outside of the shell, oocyanin is laid down right through the shell as it forms. So a true blue egg like this one is blue all the way through, inside and out.

And second, see all those little bumps dotted across the surface? Those are extra bits of calcium, tiny raised granules of calcium carbonate that settle on the shell as it's being made. It's known as a pimpled egg, and it gives the shell that gently gritty, sandpaper feel. It's completely harmless, doesn't affect the egg inside at all, and it's perfectly good to eat.

Two little quirks of nature on one egg. We think it just adds to the charm.

Have you ever picked up an egg dotted with tiny white speckles like this one and wondered what they are? Good news, ther...
29/07/2026

Have you ever picked up an egg dotted with tiny white speckles like this one and wondered what they are? Good news, there's nothing wrong with it at all. Those little pale flecks are simply extra deposits of calcium on the outside of the shell. An eggshell is made mostly of calcium carbonate, laid down layer by layer while the egg spends around twenty hours forming inside the hen.

If that calcium-laying process gets a little interrupted or uneven, some extra calcium can settle in spots on the surface, giving you these speckles and bumps. They're completely harmless, don't affect the egg inside one bit, and the egg is perfectly good to eat.

We think they give each egg its own bit of character, a lovely little reminder that every one is made by hand, so to speak, by our hens.

28/07/2026

Ever wondered what we're looking for when we candle an egg? Here's a little lesson from the farm.

Inside every egg, at the rounded end, there's a small pocket of air called the air cell. Normally it stays put, held neatly in place between two membranes just under the shell. But if an egg gets knocked, shaken or jostled about, those membranes can come loose and the air cell detaches.

When we then candle the egg and gently tilt it, you can see the tell-tale sign: the air bubble rolls and wobbles around instead of sitting still, sometimes breaking up into lots of little bubbles drifting through the white (the albumen), just like in this video. It's called a detached or ruptured air cell, and it's one of the most common things we spot when candling eggs that have been handled roughly or travelled a long way.

It doesn't always mean the egg won't develop, but a damaged air cell can make it harder for a chick to hatch, which is exactly why candling is such a handy tool for us to check what's going on inside. In this specific egg where it's fully ruptured, you can see all the air bubbles rolling around. We wouldn't bother incubating this because it's highly likely that it would not develop at all.

Sometimes, if it's just a little bit of detachment of the membrane, the egg will still successfully incubate.

Do you have a favourite chook? Does one of yours always come running up to you?Researchers believe hens can recognise an...
27/07/2026

Do you have a favourite chook? Does one of yours always come running up to you?

Researchers believe hens can recognise and remember more than 100 individual faces - both other chickens and their favourite people! We definitely see it here. We have one called Cinnamon who absolutely adores Laura and comes running for pats whenever Laura heads out to the coop. She tolerates me too... but mostly because I'm the one who brings the food!

Tell us about your favourite feathered friend below.

We love watching our chicks grow. Did you know their feathers come in a set order? When they first hatch they're covered...
26/07/2026

We love watching our chicks grow. Did you know their feathers come in a set order? When they first hatch they're covered in soft, fluffy down, but the wing feathers are the very first to appear, growing in within just days of hatching. The tail feathers come through next, usually around a couple of weeks old, and the body feathers fill in last of all.

By around three to four weeks most chicks are fully feathered. That's why they can look a bit gangly and half-dressed in the middle of it all, with feathered wings but bodies still catching up. It's all part of growing up strong and healthy even though they look a little 'ugly duckling' for a bit.

If you're interested, we will have day-old chicks available as the season moves on, lovingly raised with great care from the very start. We also take order for hatching out chicks on demand - part of the way we reduce wastage of unwanted chickens being hatched out.

At Tarcombe Farm, we take great care of our heritage breed hens and Rainbow Layers, ensuring every egg is candled before...
25/07/2026

At Tarcombe Farm, we take great care of our heritage breed hens and Rainbow Layers, ensuring every egg is candled before selling or setting in the incubator. We check for cracks, air sac issues and egg shell integrity.

If you’re keen to hatch your own little flock, we sell fertile eggs ready for incubation and will also hatch on demand in our professional incubators, so you can also take home your own cute balls of floof. Hatching on demand is just part of the way we try to reduce "unwanted" chicks being hatched out, (but we do always have some spares each run). We set new eggs weekly.

Pop over to our site tarcombe.farm or send us a message to find out more we’re always happy to help you get started on your backyard hen journey.

Say hello to Scarlett, one of our much-loved Easter Eggers here at Tarcombe Farm. With her stunning silver lacing and pe...
24/07/2026

Say hello to Scarlett, one of our much-loved Easter Eggers here at Tarcombe Farm. With her stunning silver lacing and pencilling on her feathers, she’s a truly beautiful hen who brings so much charm to our backyard. Scarlett lays the most gorgeous light blue eggs, which are a treasured treat for us all.

She’s got a gentle, calm nature and loves settling into her nest with a cosy spot of hay. We think her personality shines just as brightly as her unique plumage – she’s a real character and one of our favourite girls.

Scarlett is probably one of the most popular chickens we have when people come to visit us. She is stunning. An Appenzeller cross Easter Egger - we are not 100% sure who her mum is but we are hoping we get lucky again this season and get more just like her.

There’s something truly magical about a basket full of naturally coloured eggs. Our hens give us a beautiful rainbow eac...
23/07/2026

There’s something truly magical about a basket full of naturally coloured eggs. Our hens give us a beautiful rainbow each day, from soft blues and greens to warm browns, creams and even subtle pinks. This colourful variety comes straight from their breed and genetics, not anything added. It’s nature’s own palette, gifted fresh from our friendly Easter Eggers and Rainbow Layers who happily free range within their tennis-court coop.

Every egg in that basket is unique, no two are quite the same, making it a lovely celebration of farm life’s simple wonders. It’s a joy to gather these treasures, knowing they’re as natural and cared for as can be.

Discover the charm of naturally coloured eggs from our heritage hens today. Learn more at tarcombe.farm

Here at Tarcombe Farm, we take great pride in the care and attention we give our breeding hens. During breeding season, ...
22/07/2026

Here at Tarcombe Farm, we take great pride in the care and attention we give our breeding hens. During breeding season, our hens are kept in secure pens so we can carefully track parentage and supply fertile eggs with confidence. This is standard practice for any responsible breeding farm. Rest assured, our hens enjoy excellent nutrition, plenty of space to move around, clean and dry living quarters, and fresh water every day. We also regularly check for fertility and ensure healthy development. Outside of breeding season, our flocks gets to roam and forage happily around the farm in batches. It’s all part of our promise to uphold high welfare standards while delivering top-quality birds and eggs you can trust.

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Little River, VIC
3211

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