Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, Waterfowl LLC

Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, Waterfowl LLC A diversified, non-GMO farm focused on breed preservation and self-sustainability. Offering poultry meat and pork. The online store is Stellar Market.
(2)

Home of The Quail Lady—Coturnix quail, heritage poultry, GOS pigs, MDGA Mini LaManchas, and AKC Komondors raised with purpose and passion. Owned by Alexandra and Eric Doss, Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, and Waterfowl LLC is a FWC licensed farm and operate under NPIP and FDAC. We also are permitted through FDAC to sell eating eggs and poultry meat. We operate a Coturnix research and development faci

lity focusing on delivering quality to our customers. In addition to Coturnix, we breed game birds, waterfowl, heritage and rare poultry breeds. Our mission is to educate the public on raising fowl, providing high quality heritage breed poultry and game birds to their farming needs, consulting people for success, and supplying the public with pasture raised poultry and eggs.

There’s a reason commercial hatcheries can be a quarter of the price of a breeder.I hear it sometimes: “But I can get th...
09/06/2026

There’s a reason commercial hatcheries can be a quarter of the price of a breeder.

I hear it sometimes: “But I can get that chick from a hatchery for $5.”

And you absolutely can!

Commercial hatcheries have an important place in the poultry world. But comparing a large hatchery to a small breeder isn’t really comparing the same thing.

A hatchery may produce and ship thousands upon thousands of chicks. They buy feed and supplies in huge quantities, have specialized equipment, employ multiple people, and operate on volume.

A breeder may be hatching dozens.

We are maintaining breeding pens. Selecting breeders. Tracking genetics and pedigrees when applicable. Evaluating temperament, health, type, egg color, size, productivity, or whatever traits our particular breeding program is working toward.

We hatch birds that sometimes never make the cut for the breeding program.

We raise birds for weeks when someone wants a pullet instead of taking their chances on a day-old chick.

We feed those birds every single day while we wait.

We clean brooders. Change bedding. Check temperatures. Move birds. Treat injuries. Replace equipment. Lose sleep when something isn’t right.

And sometimes Mother Nature gives us absolutely NOTHING we asked for. 😂

You need three pullets?

Wonderful.

The hatch gives me six roosters. 🤦‍♀️

Then we hatch again.

A small breeder also doesn’t have an unlimited supply sitting on a shelf. Sometimes there is a wait because we’re working with living animals, fertility, hatch rates, genetics and Mother Nature—not inventory coming off an assembly line.

You’re also helping pay for the birds you don’t see for sale—the breeders we purchased, raised and evaluated, the ones we decided not to breed, unsuccessful hatches, years spent developing a line, testing, licensing, equipment, housing and everything else that goes into maintaining a breeding program.

Does that automatically mean every breeder is better than every hatchery? Absolutely not.

And does everyone NEED breeder-quality poultry? Nope!

If you simply want some nice backyard chickens for eggs, a hatchery may be exactly what you need.

But if you’re purchasing from a reputable breeder, you’re usually paying for something different.

You’re not just paying for the chick in the box.

You’re paying for everything it took to produce that chick before it ever went into the box. ❤️🐣

And that is why small breeders will probably never compete with commercial hatchery prices—and we’re really not supposed to.

Have you ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule when bringing home a new animal?Most people associate it with dogs and cats, but h...
09/05/2026

Have you ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule when bringing home a new animal?

Most people associate it with dogs and cats, but honestly, I think it applies to livestock just as much.

The general idea is:

🐾 3 days to decompress
🐾 3 weeks to start learning the routine
🐾 3 months to really feel at home

Now, obviously animals don’t have a calendar hanging in the barn counting down the days. Some animals settle in almost immediately, while others take much longer. But I think it’s a really good reminder that we sometimes expect way too much from livestock when they first arrive.

Think about it from their perspective.

You just picked up a goat, pig, chicken, turkey, rabbit, or whatever animal it may be and took them away from everything they knew.

Their herd or flock is gone.
Their person is different.
Their feed may be different.
The water tastes different.
The barn is different.
The noises are different.
Even the dirt under their feet is different.

Those first few days, they may be nervous. They may hide. They may call constantly for their old herd. They may not want anything to do with you. Some eat less, some pace, and some act completely different than they normally would.

Give them a minute.

Over the next few weeks, they start figuring things out. They learn where dinner comes from, what time you show up, which gate opens, where they sleep, and who their new friends are.

And after a few months, you may be looking at an entirely different animal.

I’ve seen it plenty of times over the years. An animal that seemed scared, standoffish, or unsure when it first arrived eventually becomes the one yelling at you because dinner is five minutes late. 😂

Of course, with livestock we also have quarantine and biosecurity to think about, so “settling in” doesn’t mean throwing a new animal straight into the herd or flock on day one.

But the biggest thing is just give them time.

I think sometimes we forget how big of a change moving to a new farm really is for an animal.

So if you recently brought home livestock and they aren’t acting exactly how you expected yet, don’t judge their entire personality based on the first few days.

The animal you bring home on day one may be completely different from the animal standing at your gate waiting for you on day 90. ❤️

The Thanksgiving turkeys are doing so well! They’re growing beautifully and spending their days out on pasture, enjoying...
09/04/2026

The Thanksgiving turkeys are doing so well!

They’re growing beautifully and spending their days out on pasture, enjoying fresh grass, sunshine, and plenty of room to explore. They’re also raised on non-GMO feed, something that is very important to us when raising food for our family and yours.

Thanksgiving may still feel a little ways away, but holiday turkey reservations are officially OPEN!

We only raise a limited number each year, and once they’re spoken for, that’s it. If having a locally raised, pasture-raised turkey on your Thanksgiving table is important to you, make sure you reserve yours early!

There’s something pretty special about knowing where your Thanksgiving dinner came from—and knowing how it was raised. ❤️

Message us to reserve your turkey!

We are located in Ruskin Florida

The link to order is in the comments 🩷

A group of pullets got to leave for their new home today, where a family with some very excited kids is waiting to becom...
09/02/2026

A group of pullets got to leave for their new home today, where a family with some very excited kids is waiting to become official “chicken tenders.”

For those who may not know, a pullet is a young female chicken under one year of age. One of the services we offer is raising and selecting pullets for families who want backyard chickens but cannot have roosters—or simply don’t want to take their chances buying straight-run chicks.

And there’s actually quite a bit that goes into it!

Generally, our pullets leave between 4–8 weeks old, depending on the breed. Some breeds are much easier to s*x early, while others like to keep us guessing a little longer. 😂 If I’m not confident, I wait.

I know waiting a few extra weeks can be hard when you’re excited about your new flock, but I would much rather keep a bird here longer and be as certain as possible that I’m sending you a pullet than rush the process and send an “oops” cockerel or rooster home with you.

I also try to go the extra mile when putting these groups together because everyone’s idea of the perfect backyard flock is different.

Some families want a colorful egg basket with blues, greens, creams, and browns.
Some only want brown egg layers.
Some specifically want white egg layers.
Others have certain breeds they’ve fallen in love with or want a particular variety of personalities and appearances in their flock.

So when I’m sorting birds, I’m not simply grabbing the first females I see. I’m looking at breed, s*x, age, egg color, the customer’s requests, and what will make the most sense together as a flock. Sometimes that means raising multiple hatches and waiting for certain breeds to develop enough for me to confidently identify the girls.

It takes more time, feed, space, and hands-on evaluation than selling day-old or straight-run chicks, but that’s exactly the point of the service. You’re paying for me to do those weeks of raising, watching, sorting, and worrying about who’s a girl and who’s secretly growing suspiciously rooster-looking feathers. 😂

Can I promise Mother Nature will never fool me? Of course not. Chickens occasionally humble even the most experienced people. But I will always take the extra time to make the most confident selections I can.

Today, this little group finally got their turn—and somewhere there are some very excited new chicken tenders getting to know their flock.

I was asked to make more quail posts, so here we go! 😂🐣With it being way too hot to safely ship hatching eggs right now,...
09/01/2026

I was asked to make more quail posts, so here we go! 😂🐣

With it being way too hot to safely ship hatching eggs right now, we’ve been doing plenty of hatching here on the farm. But we also have quite a few hens living in pens without males—which means LOTS of eating eggs.

And one of my favorite things to do with them? Hard-boiled quail eggs! 🥚

They may be tiny, but quail eggs pack quite a bit of nutrition into that little shell. They provide high-quality protein along with healthy fats and nutrients including vitamin B12, riboflavin, selenium, iron, phosphorus, and choline. Because they’re so small, they’re also an easy little protein-packed snack.

Plus…they’re just fun to eat.

Hard-boiled quail eggs are great by themselves, tossed onto salads, added to lunches, used as little appetizers, or—one of the most popular options—pickled!

I know some of you are serious quail-egg picklers, and this is where I need your expertise. 👀

What is your FAVORITE pickled quail egg recipe?

Spicy? 🌶️
Garlic? 🧄
Dill?
Sweet and tangy?
Beet pickled?
Something completely different?

Drop your recipes or favorite flavor combinations below! I have plenty of eggs, so I might have to try a few. 😂🥚

If you raise heritage livestock, especially a breed with a limited population like the Gloucestershire Old Spots, you’ve...
09/01/2026

If you raise heritage livestock, especially a breed with a limited population like the Gloucestershire Old Spots, you’ve probably heard people talk about COI — Coefficient of Inbreeding.

But a higher COI doesn’t automatically mean “bad breeding,” and a low COI doesn’t automatically mean “good breeding.”

So what does the number actually tell us?

COI estimates the probability that an animal inherited two copies of a gene variant that are identical by descent—meaning those copies trace back to the same ancestor on both sides of the pedigree.

For perspective:

🧬 0% COI — No common ancestors are identified within the pedigree being calculated.

🧬 6.25% COI — Approximately what we would expect from a first-cousin breeding.

🧬 12.5% COI — Approximately what we would expect from a half-sibling or grandparent-to-grand-offspring breeding.

🧬 25% COI — Approximately what we would expect from a full-sibling or parent-to-offspring breeding.

These numbers are reference points—not automatic labels of good or bad.

As COI increases, homozygosity increases. That can make traits more consistent, which is one reason linebreeding has historically been used in livestock breeding. But it can also increase the likelihood that harmful recessive genes will pair up. When high levels of inbreeding accumulate across generations, we can also begin to see inbreeding depression, including problems with fertility, litter size, vigor, growth, survival, and overall fitness.

That sounds like a pretty good argument for always choosing the lowest possible COI, right?

Not necessarily.

This is where preservation breeding gets complicated.

In a rare breed such as the Gloucestershire Old Spot, our goal isn’t simply to create the lowest COI pig possible. Our goal is to preserve as much of the breed’s remaining genetic diversity as responsibly as we can.

If breeders continually select from the same handful of animals simply because those pairings produce attractive COI numbers, those genetics can become overrepresented within the population.

Meanwhile, less-common bloodlines may quietly disappear.

Once those genetics are gone, we can’t simply recreate them.

That means a thoughtful preservation breeder has to look beyond one percentage on a pedigree.

We need to consider COI, pedigree depth, common ancestors, bloodline representation, genetic diversity, structure, health, temperament, reproductive performance, and the breed standard when making breeding decisions.

Sometimes a carefully planned linebreeding with a higher COI may have a legitimate purpose.

Sometimes the lowest-COI pairing isn’t the best pairing.

And sometimes preserving an underrepresented family is more important to the long-term survival of the breed than producing the prettiest number on a COI calculator.

COI is a tool. It is not a breeding program.

Preservation breeding means understanding what that number tells us—and then looking at the entire animal, pedigree, and population before deciding what should produce the next generation.

We aren’t just breeding the next litter. We’re responsible for what genetics are still here generations from now.

The Thanksgiving turkeys are doing so well! Today we moved everyone into a larger, lush area with plenty of room to expl...
08/29/2026

The Thanksgiving turkeys are doing so well! Today we moved everyone into a larger, lush area with plenty of room to explore and forage. 🦃🍗

Some immediately took off exploring like they owned the place, while others are still standing around looking a little suspicious of their new surroundings. 😂 Give them a little time—they’ll figure out pretty quickly that all that fresh greenery is a good thing!

They’re growing at a really nice pace, enjoying time on the ground, and being raised on a 100% non-GMO diet.

I’ve already received several Thanksgiving turkey reservations, and I’ll continue taking reservations as the season progresses. If having a locally raised, pasture-raised turkey on your Thanksgiving table is important to you this year, now is a great time to start planning.

It’s always fun watching these birds grow from little poults into the turkeys that will eventually become part of someone’s holiday tradition. ❤️

Friday Reflection I’ve noticed some angry reactions on my recent meat posts, and while I normally brush those things off...
08/28/2026

Friday Reflection

I’ve noticed some angry reactions on my recent meat posts, and while I normally brush those things off and keep moving, I think there’s an important conversation to be had about what responsible livestock breeding actually looks like.

When you raise heritage and rare breeds, preservation does not mean breeding every animal produced.

In my program, only about 15% are selected as breeding animals, either to remain here or to go to other responsible breeding programs. Having a male and female of the same breed does not automatically mean they should reproduce. Good breeding requires selection. Structure, temperament, health, genetics, breed standards, bloodlines, and the future of the breed all matter.

The animals that don’t make that breeding cut still need a purpose.

For livestock on our farm—whether chickens, turkeys, rabbits, or pigs—that often means being raised for food. Many are pasture raised, cared for every single day, and about 99% of our animals are raised on a non-GMO, soy- and corn-free diet. We put a tremendous amount of time, money, work, and care into giving them a good life.

And yes, I can care deeply about an animal while knowing that animal will eventually feed my family or someone else’s.

Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Heritage livestock breeds were developed with a purpose. They survived because generations of farmers found value in raising them. If we want these breeds to continue, there has to be a reason for farmers to keep putting the time, land, feed, and resources into maintaining them.

I understand that raising animals for meat isn’t for everyone. I respect that. You don’t have to buy our meat, raise livestock, or even agree with me.

You can love animals and raise livestock.
You can respect an animal and still raise it for food.
You can preserve a breed without breeding every animal hatched or born.

Sometimes responsible farming means making the hard selections, too.

Lots happening in the pig pasture!We currently have pigs at the processor, which means pork will be coming back soon! Th...
08/27/2026

Lots happening in the pig pasture!

We currently have pigs at the processor, which means pork will be coming back soon! There’s still time to reserve some of our smaller pork shares if you’ve been wanting to try our pasture-raised heritage pork without committing to a half or whole hog.

And while some pigs are heading to the freezer, the next generation is already here. ❤️

We recently welcomed TWO new litters from our Red Wattle × Gloucestershire Old Spot sows! These piglets will be available as feeders, with a limited number potentially available for breeding programs.

If you’re looking to raise your own pork or add some new genetics to your program, feel free to reach out.

And for those waiting on purebred Gloucestershire Old Spots, we have our next purebred litters due in October! I have 2 left I can offer as breeders, although they are from the same line. Everyone else went to new farms and we couldn’t be happier. 🐷

From raising breeding stock to producing quality heritage pork, there is always another generation coming up here on the farm.

For those still waiting on pullet orders, we are waiting for the pink fairy on some breeds. Pullet orders are considered...
08/27/2026

For those still waiting on pullet orders, we are waiting for the pink fairy on some breeds. Pullet orders are considered custom orders and can take time. I will be reaching out to those on the list this weekend with updates. We are slowly fulfilling the rest of the orders for the season 🙂

Address

US-41
Ruskin, FL
33570

Telephone

+18133804432

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, Waterfowl LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, Waterfowl LLC:

Shortcuts

Share

Category