Why We are Unique
Farming Practices
Our farm is in the rolling mountains of Vermont. Surrounded by wildlife, maple, birch, and pine trees. Our farm is home to some of the rarest flocks in the country and is raised with a focus on animal welfare and breed conservancy. Many of the Sugar Feather Farm birds are on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy list and many are breeds that are unknown or not as popular as commercial breeds.
To us, animal husbandry always revolves around the animals’ well-being, it is both the farmer’s responsibility to care for his animals and the consumers’ concern for welfare that is animal husbandry. Many fowl have been domesticated to the point that they must rely on human caretakers; therefore, they are our responsibility. We believe in breeding for disease resistance and health through nutrition and genetics. We do however vaccinate for Marek’s Disease, a uncurbable deadly disease that is everywhere, this is being a responsible farmer and giving our fowl a good start in life.
We do not allow farm tours inside the breeding areas. Also, no handling of the birds. We do our best to take pictures of our breeding stock and all stages on our website. Our farm is part of the National Poultry Improvement Project (NPIP 13-37), and as such, maintain biosecurity standards.
Farming Practices
What is NPIP certification? The NPIP (or National Poultry Improvement Program) is an organization which is dedicated to improving the quality of health for commercial poultry by applying a standardized regiment of disease prevention measures and disease testing. Since we are shipping poultry all over the U.S. it is very important that the poultry is free from contagious diseases. We are part of the NPIP program and so we are subject to regular inspections, disease testing, and standardized disease prevention practices – such as foot baths, disinfectant, and consistent testing for Pollorum, and Avian Influenza disease. We are subject to all state held regulations.
Sugar Feather Farm is dedicated to bringing rare and unique fowl back from the brink of extinction and restoring their presence on the family farm. Without our and other farmers efforts, these birds will become simply a memory. Our goal is to give these magnificent breeds, which are of great value to agriculture, the best possible chance of survival. We also like to keep fowl that we think are an asset to anyone’s homestead.
Sugar Feather Farm strives to find a balance between our fowl and the land they occupy, this is something that is a work in progress. Farm-raised animals can have a profound effect on the ground they range, so we are always improving our methods for providing sustainable free range that does not destroy the surrounding ecosystem. We are surrounded by forests and use the woods and all it has to offer to better help our fowl program.
