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Shipping class: Fertile Eggs
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Fertile eggs
Araucana
Are you in love? We certainly are with the blue of the eggs of Araucana chickens. Often described as flighty, Araucanas are not so much sought after for use as pets, but rather for their stunning blue eggs! Originally from the Araucania region of Chile in South America, these beautiful birds steal your heart the moment you see the eggs they lay! Admittedly, their muffs and crests also make them look super cute along with their pea comb and overall appearance. They are medium-size birds and very hardy, being able to not only tolerate but also thrive in a variety of environments. They are excellent consistent layers that do not often go broody. Although they mature fast, their first eggs are small, gradually increasing in size as they approach their first year of age. They come in various colours, in both standard and bantam types. It should be noted that the breed standards vary from country to country. In Australia, only the tailed Araucana is recognised in the Australian Poultry Standards. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the lavender Araucanas as well as blue, splash, black and various other colours. Although our main focus is to perfect our birds based on the Australian Poultry Standards for the breed, we also endeavour to select for the deeper, more blue-turquoise coloured eggs, which we also use in our easter and olive egger breeding programs. Indeed, the blue egg gene when combined with the dark brown egg genes (e.g. from Marans or Welsummers) results in various shades of green and olive eggs, colours that are very sought after amongst rainbow egg lovers. Similar to Marans and other heritage breeds, the egg shell shade of blue can change depending on the age of the hen, her diet, the season and other factors.
Australorp
A truly Australian breed, the Australorp chickens are a must for any Aussie household. Well adjusted to our climate, this popular hardy breed boasts a dual-purpose bird renowned for both its prolific egg-laying ability and its meat. Often also referred to as the Australian Orpington due to its derivation from the British black Orpington, it combines utility features from its original black Orpington, white Leghorn, Langshan and Rhode Island Red parents resulting in this majestic bird that comes in four plumage colours, recognised by the Australian Poultry Standards: black, blue, white and splash. Each colour is unique, with spectacular features, such as the green sheen of the black feathers, the different shades of grey-blue in the blue and splash birds, and the snow-white of the white birds, which are a rare colour still in the working stages of perfection. The eyes are dark brown or black and the legs are also dark. They have a single comb and come in both standard and bantam sizes. We only breed the standard size. The egg colour varies through different shades of cream and light brown, with some eggs also displaying speckles. At Agia Skepi farm, we have selectively bred a group of our hens to lay a beautiful light pink egg, often with white speckles. Some of these eggs may be included in our dozens depending on availability. Australorps have a gentle demeanour and due to their docile temperament are excellent pets. They are good foragers, not particularly flighty, friendly to other chicken breeds, and they can happily co-exist with different poultry, such as turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks or geese.
Barnevelder
The Barnevelder is a Dutch breed named after Barneveld in central Holland. The females are renowned for their striking lacing pattern in their majestic plumage, but also for their docile temperament and their large brown eggs, occasionally with speckles. They are very good layers and often lay dark brown eggs. They come in a few different varieties. Here at Agia Skepi farm, we breed the double laced Barnevelders, which is the original colour variety, the silver double laced Barnevelders, as well as the rarer lavender silver double laced Barnevelder.
Brahma
We call them our gentle giants, because they truly are. The Brahma chickens are a large, majestic bird that impresses at first glance! As much as they do look big with their fluffy feet, what astounds you the most when you first meet them is their docile temperament and regal features. They do make the most friendly, easy-to-handle pets! Originated in Asia, the Brahma were imported to the United States of America, where they were further bred. They are low maintenance chickens that are cold-hardy due to their feathery legs, however because of their rich plumage they do not fare as well in extremely hot conditions. They are a dual-purpose breed, being both great meat birds and good egg layers, continuing to lay through the winter when other breeds stop laying. Their eggs have a soft tinted creamy colour, sometimes with speckles, and are large. Their plumage comes in various colours such as light, dark, buff, blue, black, white and gold. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the majestic dark Brahmas as well as the gold partridge and gold blue partridge Brahmas. Please note that our Gold Partridge dozens can also hatch the blue variation. They are good foragers and due to their size they are not flighty, however they do need adequate space in coops and nesting areas, especially since they can go broody, a sought after trait for those of you who seek to benefit from broody hen egg incubation and hatching. Brahmas also require enough food to support their large size. An enchanting heritage breed that transforms every backyard and every home, Brahmas never disappoint and make the most wonderful pets.
Cream Legbar
Are you after beautiful sky-blue eggs that are laid all year round to beautify your egg basket? This is the breed for you! The British Cream Legbar is known for its amazing large blue eggs, soft external features as well as the ability to sex the chicks as day olds. Legbars are a fast growing and maturing breed that was made in the early 20th century in Cambridge University by crossing Plymouth Rock (for its barring gene) with brown Leghorn (for its egg-laying ability) to achieve distinct characteristics, such as the auto-sexing pattern. These birds were laying white eggs. Further crossing with cream Araucana resulted in the blue egg colour and crest, though not all birds are crested. It must be noted that although the Cream Legbar is available in Australia, its genetics are not standardised enough to guarantee according to Standard offspring, even from parents that are show lines; therefore, all lines in Australia must still be considered project lines. Good lines however, provide for the most reliable auto-sexing features and blue coloured eggs. They are an active flighty breed, have a good temperament and are great foragers. They are well adapted to the Australian climate, though they do better with hot rather than cold weather.
At Agia Skepi farm, our main focuses for our cream legbars are the optimisation of their features according to the Standard (crests, yellow beaks and legs, feather pattern and overall type) and the improvement of the deepness of their sky-blue egg colour. Although we only breed creams, some of them have come from parents that were split for gold. The reason we keep these breeders is their deepest blue egg colour, however hatching our eggs or purchasing our chicks may result in non-cream legbars. As we mentioned above, the cream legbar in Australia is still a project breed. Furthermore, we have not tested our breeders for the double blue egg gene and although all of them lay beautiful blue eggs, there is a possibility of hatching an offspring that does not lay blue eggs. This is not something we have encountered yet, however we feel that it is important to state it here.
Finally, please note that although our cream legbar eggs are a bright sky blue colour at the beginning of the season, some eggs tend to fade as the season progresses. This is the case for all cream legbars, not just ours. The colour can fade significantly to the point some eggs may even look whitish with a blue haze. These are not cream or white eggs, and the same layers were laying bright blue eggs at the beginning of the season. If you order eggs during the summer or autumn, you may receive some that are a lighter blue (almost white with a blue haze).
Ducks
No The Campbell is a British breed of domestic ducks. It was bred by Mrs Adele Campbell at the end of the 19th century, who reportedly mated various breeds of domestic ducks, such as Indian runners, Mallards and Rouens, with wild ducks to produce the Campbell breed. They are well known for their prolific egg laying capabilities and they come in white, dark and khaki colour. Here at Agia Skepi farm, we breed the khaki Campbell. The drake (male) comes in khaki colour with a darker, often green, head and neck, whereas the duck (female) has a more modest khaki plumage throughout her body. Our line of these ducks has been specifically bred for their superb egg-laying abilities. They still require work to be bred to the standard for the breed and this is an ongoing project for us as we improve their appearance and feather colour every season. They are much sought after for their large white eggs that they consistently offer throughout the year at a 300 eggs per year capacity, or more. They are rarely broody and they mature around 7 months of age.
The Cayuga is an American breed of domestic ducks and is named after the indigenous Cayuga people of the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where they were first introduced. It’s been used for meat as well as eggs (around 100-150 per year), but in more recent years it’s been kept for the stunning features of its black plumage with iridescent beetle-green lights. They truly are show birds, and our lines at Agia Skepi farm originate from show lines. The bill, legs and feet are black and their eyes dark brown. But their beauty does not end with their plumage; Cayuga ducks lay the most amazing green/black eggs. It is important to note that, as with most coloured egg layers, the Cayuga egg starts off in the season as dark green or almost black and it lightens as the season progresses to a lighter green and to almost white or pale green at the end of the season. One of the most majestic ducks to have around, they provide you with stunning eggs and make every garden or backyard truly special.
In addition to our Khaki Campbell and Cayuga duck eggs, we offer mixed egg dozens (and half dozens), which include pure eggs from each of these two breeds.
Goose Eggs
Contact us for availability.
Geese are special birds for special people. There are several waterfowl species in the family of the geese, with various plumage colours and head appearances. One of the most amazing traits of these birds is their monogamous nature: they form permanent pairs until they die or are forcibly separated. Paired geese are more dominant and feed more, two attributes which are directly linked to more offspring (goslings). Most geese are migratory, however those that have been domesticated and live near humans often remain with their human companions throughout the year providing they have free access to food and water. Due to their tendency to make noise when approached by strangers or when they feel threatened, they are often used as alarms to warn their keepers of danger. Domestic geese have been bred for their meat and large edible eggs, however here at Agia Skepi farm we breed our geese as pets and ornaments, allowing them to live a safe free life in our large enclosed area, protected from predators. They lay their eggs once a year in spring time and the females sit on their nests for about 35 days until goslings emerge. We keep Pilgrim and Sebastopol geese, which all live together in mated pairs, resulting in offspring that are pure Pilgrim, pure Sebastopol, or a mix of the above.
Guinea Fowl
Contact us for availability.
Amongst the oldest known birds, guinea fowl originate from Africa. They have featherless heads and a distinctive black crest. Guinea hens are larger than guinea cocks due to the larger reproduce organs of the female. Males and females are almost identical in appearance but have different calls, which can be used to distinguish them. They are mostly monogamous, mating for life, however exceptions can be observed when in captivity. They are social birds and typically live in groups. They are fantastic foragers and great natural pest controllers (they eat insects such as ticks, scorpions, flies, locusts and invertebrates), and that is one of the main reasons we keep them. They are strong flyers and often roost high up in the trees. They can sense danger from afar, making loud noises that not only warn, but also deter predators. Keets (young guinea fowl) can be trained to sleep in a coop at night. The females lay 25-30 eggs in a nest and sit for 26-28 days. Many females often share hidden nests. The eggs are small with extremely thick shell and highly nutritious. Most guinea fowl have grey plumage with dense white spots (pearl gray), but rarer colours exist, such as peach, cinnamon, chocolate and lavender, which we breed here at Agia Skepi farm, including the rarest red-eyed guinea fowl.
Leghorn
The Leghorn is a well-known Italian heritage chicken, with its origins in the beautiful rural Tuscany. They are a breed most commonly used as egg layers, with the white Leghorns having given their genetics to numerous hybrid projects that have resulted in commercial layers and new breeds. Medium-sized birds, found both in standard and bantam form, the Leghorns have a large single comb (a rose comb is permitted in some countries), bright yellow legs and white ear lobes. They lay a good size white egg and are consistent layers, hence their importance and usage in commercial egg production. They rarely go broody, are hardy in nature, and are fantastic scavengers. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the Exchequer Leghorn, a truly majestic bird that captivates everyone who sees it.
Marans
Spelled with a silent “s” at the end in both the singular and the plural, this French breed of chickens are world-renowned for their dark chocolate brown eggs. Originated in south-western France, Marans are dual-purpose birds utilised for both their meat and eggs. They come in many different colours and in both standard and bantam sizes. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the beautiful blue and black copper marans and the wheaten marans. Our copper marans pen also has a couple of splash marans hens. It is important to note that the British type has unfeathered legs, whilst the French Marans have feathered legs, and that the Australian Poultry Standard recognises both the feathered- and clean-legged type. The eyes are red/orange and they have a single red comb, with the face, earlobes and wattles also being red. Depending on the plumage colour, the shanks/feet and beak colour can vary from greyish to pinkish white and from pale to dark horn, respectively. Marans do not go broody often and are a low maintenance breed that fares well in the Australian climate. They are friendly, hardy and of medium-size, perfect for any family seeking to enhance the colour of their egg basket. The intensity of the egg shell colour can change depending on the season, diet, weather and age of the laying hen. Marans can lay some of the most spectacular eggs with heavy blooms, making them look purple or pink, as well as with speckles, and are thus very sought after, particularly to use in olive egger and rainbow egger breeding programs.
It is important to note that not all marans hens lay the same shade of chocolate colour. Also, not all marans hens lay speckled eggs and not all have heavy bloomed- eggs that can appear mauve or purple. Although we strive to breed our birds with the aim of enhancing the dark shade, offspring of dark-laying hens are not guaranteed to lay the same shade of dark. It is simply chicken genetics. When you order our copper marans or wheaten marans eggs, you will receive some darker and some lighter eggs – not all eggs will be the same shade of brown/chocolate.
Rainbow Eggs
Our rainbow eggs are unique for three reasons. First, they include our own olive and easter eggers, which are specially mated crosses of our breeds that lay different shades of olive (green), spearmint, blue, grey, pink, mauve, purple, yellow and brown. Secondly, each rainbow dozen includes the eggs of the day, i.e. those eggs that were laid on the day of collection and could be different sets of colours each day. And finally, our rainbow dozens also include eggs from our different purebreds, giving you the unique opportunity to hatch various breeds and obtain a beautiful rainbow flock, all at the same time. We offer nine different options for you to choose from:
1. Our Dream Dozen can include various shades of pink and purple/lavender, green (olive) and mint/grey eggs as well as occasionally bright blues and/or darker browns with bloom, depending on the time of the year. Please read the * at the end of this text before you proceed to purchase this dozen.
2. Our Fairytale Dozen can include a unique combination of light pink, plum (darker brown with bloom), cream, olive, grey (olive with bloom), bright blue, mint and/or specked eggs, depending on the time of the year. Please read the * at the end of this text before you proceed to purchase this dozen.
3. Our Purebred Mix Dozen includes a mix of our purebreds that are laying and are available at the time.
4. Our Classic Rainbow Dozen includes a lovely mix of colours from both our purebreds and our olive and easter eggers.
5. Our Pastel Rainbow Dozen includes eggs from our purebreds and olive and easter eggers that are in pastel shades.
6. Our Olive Egger Dozen includes first and second generation olive eggers as well as multigenerational olive eggers.
7. Our Easter Egger Dozen includes our easter eggers, which are various egg colours.
8. Our Olive and Easter Egger Dozen includes a colourful mix of these two kinds of layers.
9. Our Speckled Bliss Dozen includes a variety of speckled eggs. Different egg colours, some may also have bloom, and all have speckles, smaller and larger. Some eggs are purebreds and some are crosses. All the eggs in these dozens carry the speckled genetics, however they may hatch different egg colours to the original egg. Every Speckled Bliss is individual and not two of these dozens are ever the same. We cannot customise them.
10. Our Bloomers Dozen includes a variety of eggs with bloom, some heavier and some lighter bloom. Some of these eggs may also have speckles. They are a combination of eggs from all our pens and can hatch both purebreds and crossbreds. Every Bloomers Dozen is individual and not two of these dozens are ever the same. We cannot customise them.
11. Our Grey dozens include eggs that are various shades of grey, from lighter grey to darker grey. These are heavy-bloom second, third or fourth generation olive eggers that are backcrossed to Araucana roosters. Some of these eggs may also have speckles. There is no guarantee these eggs will produce grey layers, but their genetics and the genetics of the roosters they are with are carefully selected to increase the chances of grey layers.
* Pink, plum and purple/lavender/mauve eggs: It is important to read this if you are purchasing these eggs from us. These are typically in our Fairytale and Dream Dozens. Pink, plum and purple eggs are most of the times cream-shelled or brown-shelled eggs that are covered by an x amount of bloom. The bloom is a protective cover and can be calcium-based or protein-based. The amount of bloom a hen adds to each of her eggs can vary from one day to another, making her eggs look different from one day to another, often very different. All her eggs though carry her bloom genetics irrespectively of how each egg looks. We do not only sell the eggs with heavy blooms from that hen, but we offer all her eggs, some looking more pinky, plummy or purple than others. The value of her eggs is the genetics they carry, not their specific appearance. Because we do not control the amount of bloom the hen will add to each of her eggs each day, we cannot and do not guarantee the colours you will receive. It will be what was laid that week and may differ from specific photos we advertise for these dozens. As mentioned above, it is this hen’s (and rooster’s who mated her) genetics that we offer, not specific colours laid on certain days versus other days by a hen. Moreover, calcium-based blooms, which appear more powdery, are less stable than protein-based blooms and the hydration levels can influence the look of these eggs. Heavy bloom eggs look the best when they are freshly laid. From that point on, the environmental humidity, the egg hydration levels as well as contact with an eggsafe carton material for example, can affect their appearance. In posted eggs, the above can change the look of these eggs from the moment they leave our premises to the time they arrive in your hands. Lighting also affects the appearance of these eggs and how they are photographed. For all the above reasons, we do not guarantee specific shades of pinks, plums and purples. Finally, for custom orders we may mention in writing to you “depending on availability” for specific colours. When we do, it means that we may not include a specific colour we discussed if we do not get it in the two days prior to postage. When we receive an order from you, specifically one that includes pinks, plums and purples (though the same goes for all colours of eggs), we assume you have read all the above, and you understand and agree with it.
Rhode Island Red
Rhode Island Reds are an American dual-purpose breed, raised both for its meat and brown eggs. They are found in both standard and bantam form, and the plumage colour can range from a lustrous deep red to almost black, with a black tail. The comb is usually single and the legs are yellow. It’s an important breed that has been widely used to produce commercial hybrids. They are good-size birds, great layers of large brown eggs, have a friendly temperament (with the exception of some roosters that can display territorial behaviours) and are well adapted to all types of the Australian climate, characteristics that render them particularly popular down under.
Sussex
One of the most graceful chickens, the British Sussex is a dual-purpose breed renowned for its meat quality and egg-laying capability. Found in both standard and bantam forms and in eight recognised colours, the Sussex is one of the oldest British breeds and a favourite in the poultry world. They are a large fowl but very gentle in nature, with a single comb, orange/red eyes and white legs. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the light Sussex, with a white body, a black tail and black in the flight feathers and wing coverts, and neck hackles that are white with black striping. Our line of light Sussex lay a beautiful light pink egg. We also breed the buff Sussex, which has the same markings, but with greenish-black on a golden-buff ground. From time to time, we also offer coronation Sussex chicks, a colour that has the same markings as the light, but with lavender instead of the black. Finally, a rare project colour that is not yet recognised in the Standards is the stunning lavender Sussex, which is lavender throughout. We also have these available seasonally. All of our Sussex lines have very friendly characters and are great as a family backyard chicken. They do well in the Australian climate, are fantastic foragers and therefore very economical birds to keep, and produce an excellent supply of eggs, even throughout the winter months. Some hens tend to go broody and therefore make excellent mothers.
Turkeys Eggs
Turkeys are a large bird native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey of Mexico. The domesticated turkeys we farm all originate from the wild turkey species. The gobbler (male) is even larger than the hen (female) and has a snood, which is a fleshy wattle hanging from the top of his beak. When the male is in a relaxed state, the snood is pale and short. However, when he begins his courtship display (strutting), a rush of blood engorges the snood making it redder and elongated, hanging well below the beak. It also often appears swollen and bright blue during this time. The long-snooded males seem to have a resistance to coccidial infection, an intestinal protozoan parasite, and overall stronger immune systems due to the higher presence of red blood cells in their snood. This explains why in dyadic scientific observations females show preference to long-snooded males, which are also avoided by other males. It must be noted that turkeys can fly short distances, so if you plan to keep turkeys, clipping one feather or housing them in a fully enclosed area must be considered. Our turkeys at Agia Skepi farm are a collection of rare and stunning colours, including Royal Palm, Narragansett, Auburn and a mix of those. In addition, we breed the rare blue (slate) variety of turkeys. These birds can be used as pets due to their gentle nature, but also for their delicious meat and unique large speckled eggs, which are very nutritious.
Welsummer
A Dutch breed, the Welsummer (or Welsumer) is a true mix of breeds: it originated in the small village of Welsum in the eastern Holland at the beginning of the 20th century by crossing Rhode Island Reds, Barnevelders, Partridge Leghorns, Cochins and Wyandottes. With a single comb and vivid yellow legs, the Welsummer is a medium sized bird found in both bantam and standard size. The cockerels are truly majestic and are those that have been traditionally used in commercials and cartoons. There are three colour variations, the Partridge, Silver Duckwing and Gold Duckwing. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the Partridge Welsummer, which is also the only colour recognised in Holland. They are friendly birds that are suitable for pets and much sought after for their spectacular speckled red-brown eggs. Depending on the line, Welsummers can be pattern-sexing, with day old chicks displaying distinct features between the male and female.
Wyandotte
An incredibly popular American breed, the Wyandotte (American Sebright) was originally developed in the 1870s and was named after the Wyandot people of North America. It’s a bird that is often seen in shows due to its beautiful, elegant features and the various colours it comes in. The first colour that was developed and indeed one of the most popular was the silver laced. Although its origin is largely unknown, it is thought to be derived from the dark Brahma (colour pattern) and the spangled Hamburg (rose comb). A dual-purpose, fairly large breed (that also comes in bantam size), they lay large brown eggs and are often used for their yellow-skinned meat. The shanks are also yellow and the ear lobes, face and wattles are red. Their rose comb is one of the first features to be noticed after their amazing feathers. At Agia Skepi farm, we focus on the rarer and most beautiful blue laced red and splash Wyandottes, but we also offer other colours. Our dozens will hatch various colours. These birds have a docile and friendly nature and for this reason are great backyard chickens. They often go broody and are reliable sitters on fertile eggs as well as great mothers. Their egg laying capabilities are often praised as they keep laying through the winter months when other chickens cease egg production. Definitely a must for every chicken keeper, the Wyandottes are one of the best and most impressive companion birds.