The Barrier Flock

05/04/2024

Spring adventures are in full bloom. 🌸

Today, we planted a good amount of vegetables in our garden beds. However, we still have many more plants left to transplant. I have eagerly awaited moving them out of my basement and mini greenhouses. Since moving to the mountains, gardening requires more patience due to a shorter growing season and uneven terrain compared to Greenville, SC.

Pictured is a White Clematis 🤍

04/26/2024

This morning, we sold this beautiul order of eating eggs! 🥚

Chicken friends - Do you have an abundance of eggs from your chickens? We’ve been receiving 3-4 dozen daily. 🤯

02/18/2024

02/18/2024

Metzer Farms, our favorite waterfowl hatchery, featured my handsome boy Felix!

Meet Felix! 🦆 Such a great photo of the handsome Rouen ruling the flock at …. Tiffany says: “I love Rouens! I adore how they resemble Mallards but are much larger. They are an excellent breed for beginners because their demeanor is lovely, making for great pets, and for homesteaders, they are a perfect dual-purpose bird, making for a great egg layer and meat bird!”

Have you ever had a Rouen in your flock? If so, share their name in the comments!

02/14/2024

Happy Valentine's Day from my flock to yours! ❤️🐔

02/04/2024

The egg order going out this morning looks beautiful 🥚☀️

When spring rolls around, we'll have more color in our basket! 🌈

02/03/2024

It has been a beautiful and sunny few days here in Western NC. The girls have been enjoying the warmth and sunshine. 😎☀️

In a few days, I will start my winter sowing, hoping for a bountiful garden and increased productivity this year! 👩‍🌾🍅🌻

Hens featured: Moana - Blue English Orpington and Summer - Buff Brahma 🐔

11/08/2023

It is time to start prepping your waterfowl for cold winter weather. Ducks and geese are very hardy but that does not mean they don't need a little help and some additional insulation from the elements. Here are a few tips:

✨Like all animals, your ducks still need water in the winter so make sure their water sources are not frozen and they have access to a clean drinking source.
✨Change your feeding strategies a bit. Ducks need plenty of treats and greens during winter months when foraging is difficult.
✨Ducks don't mind being out in the cold but they need a little help getting up off the ice. Lay some straw down so your ducks can get up and down.
✨Extra straw also provides insulation for your waterfowl against cold temperatures. Straw in your coop provides excellent insulation for ducks to protect them from the cold ground.
✨Make sure your coop has some solid walls to provide protection from the harsh elements. Ducks need somewhere to hunker down when the weather gets bad and cold winds blow.
✨Your coop should also have adequate ventilation. Moisture from body heat and runoff from the snow is far more dangerous to your birds than the cold weather as it can invite mildew and bacteria.

Photo Cred: The Barrier Flock - Thank you so much

11/03/2023

Felix 🦆

Our Rouen drake Felix has turned into such a handsome fella! The ladies think he is handsome, too! He is not even one and has claimed the throne over all the other ducks!

I love Rouens! 💚 I adore how they resemble Mallards but are much larger. They are an excellent breed for beginners because their demeanor is lovely, making for great pets, and for homesteaders, they are a perfect dual-purpose bird, making for a great egg layer and meat bird!

10/17/2023

Our spring batch from is laying abundantly! These ladies are giving me all sorts of colors in my basket.

This gal is Lily, one of our Brown Leghorns. Her breed is similar to the White Leghorn, just more colorful. She lays a lovely white egg. Surprisingly, it was one of the colors my basket was lacking. The white eggs make all the other colors POP! This breed is a wonderful layer, laying about 275-300 eggs a year! 🤯 They are a lightweight bird, making their feed-to-weight ratio excellent! Perfect for people who want chickens just for eggs and are cautious of today's feed prices.

10/16/2023

It is time for you all to meet Phoebe finally! 💗 She is our American Buff Goose from 🪿

Long time no see, my friends 🫣

The last time I posted was when these geese were babies. My life took an unexpected turn, and I needed immediate surgery on my spine. Luckily, I had some of the best surgeons, and I am now on the mend! It is lovely that I can spend time with the flock again! 🙌🏼

I hope to be sharing more fun content soon! Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch and sent thoughtful messages! 🥰💕

05/29/2023

Meet Atticus, our young Cayuga drake! 🦆

He’s been surprising us since we’ve got him as a few days old.

He has always had a unique personality. He is more like a house cat. He likes to play fetch and string toys. He loves to plop anywhere. He’s now one of our special needs birds. Sadly he had a bad leg injury causing him to lose the ability to use his right leg. He’s doing pretty well for a one-leg duck. He has learned to use his one leg pretty well, but we keep special attention to him to ensure he gets the most out of life and is not hurting. The other day, we took him to the river for a swim. The river has been a fun way for him to exercise his leg with the current. He loves it!

He has really enjoyed walking and adventuring with his harness. He doesn’t have as much stamina to roam and forage as other ducks. He will plop anywhere and not in the best places, so this helps so we can pick up if he gets worn out and into safety. It also ensures we are close to him in case of a predator attack. He is not strong enough to run away.