Aylesbury ducks, Black Indian Runner ducks, Pilgrim geese and the odd chicken

We sell hatching eggs and ducklings and will rear birds to order. Contact us with any enquiries or to place an order. For prices see our price list. Hatching eggs can be sent anywhere in the UK, ducklings and ducks are collection only from the farm. Fresh hatching eggs can be collected from the farm or mailed in multiples of six, sent first class using polystyrene egg posting boxes. We do test samples regularly for fertility, so regret that we are unable to make refunds or replace eggs that do not hatch. We also hatch ducklings to order, for collection only.

Please note that as the summer draws on duck eggs naturally become less fertile; from a 100% fertility rate in the Spring, by early July we achieve a fertility rate of 66-75% (although we cannot guarantee that you will). Please be aware of this when deciding to purchase eggs, and that fertility diminishes further as summer progresses; we stop selling hatching eggs at the end of July.


Aylesbury duckling	Young Aylesbury duck & drake	Young Indian Runner pair

Utility Aylesbury ducklings and hatching eggs: Our Aylesbury ducks are reared for both meat and eggs; after years of duck keeping, a duck egg is now far preferred to those of the hen for their taste, not just through sheer greediness for their superior size. Our Aylesbury hatching eggs are available from February through to end of July, and are from a flock of very active and large, unrelated drakes and ducks. The Aylesbury is a fabulous meat breed, with a dressed weight of 6-8lbs, and they aren't slack in the egg department either, producing an egg a day throughout the laying season; the eggs are very large and creamy white. These are the Jemima Puddleducks of the waterfowl world. The birds are free range, have day long access to swimming water and produce very large eggs.

Black Indian Runner ducklings and hatching eggs:We have a breeding flock of wonderful, comic Black Indian Runner ducks. These are lightweight, egg laying birds, and need fresh water to dip their heads in but don't require a pond if you can't provide one (although they love the water if you can). They don't muddy the ground as much as most ducks, so are more suitable as a garden pet and backyard egg provider if you want a beautiful addition to the garden but can't face the prospect of dispatching birds for meat. On the other hand, if you do love to eat duck, the runner may have a limited supply of meat but it is wonderful eating. The eggs are a lovely pale blue (although one of our older ducks produces a white one), the size of a large hens egg.

Chickens: we have kept various chickens (and guinea fowl) for many years but haven't had any clucking around for far too long. We've decided to remedy this and are developing a small flock of Black Orpington large fowl and some Indian Game (also known as the Cornish), both being big meat birds.

Pilgrim geese: The orchard is home to the geese, which allows them to gorge freely on windfalls in the autumn and to keep the grass between the trees beautifully cropped and fertilised the rest of the year. They are fed mixed corn during the winter but in summer their diet is just grass. Our pilgrims are beautiful calm birds and we are currently building up our flock so will not have any goslings or geese available for a while.


Pilgrim females	Geese in the orchard	Pilgrim females

Tips for successful hatching
In response to lots of queries about the hatching and raising of ducklings, we have produced a factsheet.

Seasonality: Ducks lay seasonally and hatching eggs are normally available from March to the end of July. If you want birds of a specific gender, they need to be reared to 8 weeks following a 4 week incubation, so do order well in advance (i.e. a minimum of 12 weeks) so they can be hatched and reared especially for you.

On receiving hatching eggs: When you get your eggs, store them overnight in a cool room, pointed side down, and then bring them up to room temperature before putting them under your broody or into the incubator.

What our customers say:
"Last year I bought some Aylesbury hatching eggs from you and they were a big success. The resulting birds were a very good size (finished at 8-9lb), much the best of all the ducks I produced last year. I would like to buy some more this year." CD, Orkney.
"My wife bought some duck eggs from you a couple of months ago. The Aylesburys are huge, I think they double in size each week. We will be back to you in the spring for some more." IG.
"Thanks again for raising such excellent (Black Indian Runner) ducklings. They arrived safe and sound and are installed in the kitchen". JK, Scotland.

Please contact us to place an order or if you have any questions. For prices, see here.