Please note also that we will be taking fewer bookings in 2011.

The number of orders I can take in one week is determined by my birds and my incubator. The birds can't lay more than one egg each per day, and I can only put so many eggs in my incubator at one time. Only some of the eggs make it to 'term' so I always have to put more eggs in than I actually need. I can usually book 10-12 orders per week, but if we have nasty weather during the week I collect those eggs (which is 5 weeks before they are due to hatch) then it could be less.

Please also take note: Anyone picking up eggs unprepared will be REFUSED EGGS and will be charged the CANCELLATION FEE. (We have had too many people picking up eggs who are not prepared, didn't read the instructions, etc. This puts the ducklings' lives at risk and we will not allow that.

We sell Hatching Packages to schools and day-cares for classroom projects. We do not sell kits to private homes at this time, sorry. We also do not sell just the eggs - only kits.

Hatching Kits
	Single Kit	Additional Kits, same school see explanation below	Notes
Duck Kit, ready-to-hatch	$50.00	$65.00	3 live eggs, 3-4 days away from hatching
Duck Kit, ready-to-hatch with ONE extra egg	$75.00	ONE PER SCHOOL*	4 live eggs, 3-4 days away from hatching
Duck Kit, FRESH	$50.00	$65.00	12 eggs [take 28 days to hatch]
Cancellation Fee	$30.00 PER KIT	n/a	See below

* If you order a hatching kit with an extra egg you may not order any additional kits.

The cancellation fee will be charged on ALL no-shows, orders canceled after the last order date for that hatch, AND on all orders that must be refused due to lack or preparation. This includes people arriving without a way to transport the eggs safely AND anyone who does not have an incubator up, running, and stable (doesn't apply to fresh eggs).

Since 1988 we have provided hatching packages to a number of area schools and are very pleased to make this offer again. Please note: we do not sell hatching packages to private homes at this time.

1. 3 Ready-to-Hatch Duck Eggs OR 12 freshly laid duck eggs
2. 2 Kg. (Approx. 4 - 5 lb.) of Duck Starter
3. Vitamin Supplement for the ducklings' drinking water
4. 2 Fresh Duck Eggs to examine
5. Duck feather samples (when available)
6. Reference Materials and Activities on the Net! (Everything you've always wanted to know about ducks and hatching!)

We 'rent' rabbits to schools - usually by the month. We normally have babies available from early April through October, but may have youngsters available year round. For more info try here

Rabbit Kits
	Single Kit	Notes
Bunny Kit, One Bunny	$50.00	Kit comes with feed and bedding.
Bunny Kit, TWO Bunnies	$100.00	Kit comes with feed and bedding.
Cage Rental	$10.00	Comes with food and water dishes (to be returned)
Cancellation Fee	$30.00 PER KIT	See below

We have a few supplies available for purchase, along with hatching kits. We do not sell supplies separately at this time. We do not sell or rent incubators (try Science Is if you are in the Calgary area, otherwise check the suppliers and hatcheries lists on Feathersite). Hatching Package: For more information see: About Us

Incubators: We are sorry but we cannot provide you with an incubator or brooder. Medium sized, Styrofoam, table-top incubators cost between $150.00 and $200.00 and typically hold up to 30 duck eggs. Currently the best source for new incubators is Seven Oaks Supply [1-800-661-6991] in Edmonton who will be happy to ship by bus. Equipment is also available for purchase from Rochester Hatchery [1-780-307-3622](Westlock, Alberta). Incubators can be purchased locally. It is also possible to improvise and 'build your own incubator' (see section called 'The Incubator').

In Calgary, (ALberta, Canada) Hova-Bator incubators are also available for rent from Science Is (547-4422)

We sell hatching eggs and stock occasionally, but we do not ship or deliver - all orders must be picked up at the farm.

We sell hatching eggs, day-old ducklings and goslings as well as older birds occasionally. We currently raise Khaki Campbell, Silver Appleyard, and Chinook Ancona (our own variety) ducks (See our Breed Notes for more information). We also sell duck eggs for eating.

Our hatchery is small, so we usually can't fill large orders.

Stock
	Hatching Eggs	Day-Olds, Unsexed	Young birds, up to 5 weeks, Unsexed	Young Birds, 5 weeks and older, Unsexed	Adult Stock, production quality, as available	Adult Stock, show or breeding, Sexed
Khaki Campbell Ducks	$20.00 / doz.	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00	$25.00	$30.00 and up
Silver Appleyard Ducks	$25.00 / doz.	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00	$25.00	$30.00 and up
Chinook Ancona Ducks *	$25.00 / doz.	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00	$30.00
Mixed Breed 'Mystery' Ducks	$25.00 / doz.	$10.00	$15.00	$15.00	–
Mixed Breed 'Easter-Egger' Chickens	$25.00 / doz.	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00	$25.00
Turkeys: Royal Palm X Bronze	$40.00 / doz.	$15.00	$25.00	$40.00	$75.00

* Important Note: Our Chinook Anconas are still under development. This means that offspring from these birds may still vary a great deal in both appearance and size. We can make no guarantees about their type as yet.

We sometimes have birds available for processing in the fall ($10 ea.). We have rabbits available year-round. We do *not* process meat. All animals must be purchased live. Meat rabbits can NOT be used for breeding. Contact us directly for more information.

---

<BOOKMARK:extra_kits>

Many schools in the past have ordered multiple kits for their school so that each class can hatch their own ducklings. While this is understandable, it does not take into account the implications of this choice. Each kit involves bringing two or three ducklings into the world. Each duckling needs to be looked after. This need does not end when the ducklings are returned to the farm.

The new increased price for the second kit reflects our desire to make teachers aware of the fact that extra kits are not usually necessary - sharing one kit can help to communicate the fact that we value the life of EACH duckling and that we are not going to bring an extra life into the world just so classes don't have to share. It fosters greater respect for life and for the environment.

These ducklings are brought into the world specifically for this hatching program. In a very real sense, they would not exist if you hadn't asked for them to be born. This means that in a very real way, each class shares a responsibility for the lives of those ducklings. Given the fact that ducks can live a long time and that we take back somewhere between 100 and 300 ducklings every year, it should be pretty clear that we cannot raise and keep all of the ducklings we get back.

Over the years we have had an increasing number of teachers and parents call us to ask what happens to the ducklings after they are returned to the farm, and many want assurances that “their” ducklings are not going to be killed. While we understand the sentiment, most parents and teachers do not give much thought to what this means. We understand that THEIR ducklings are special and that they have become very attached to them. However, this can be said of EVERY SINGLE DUCKLING HATCHED. The life of EACH ducking is valuable to us and deserves the same respect as all the others - not just their ducklings. While the school's connection with the ducklings may end when they are returned to the farm, we continue to feed, clean and care for them (which takes both time and money), sometimes long after that. We at the farm must also come to terms with the fact that most of the ducklings will not live out their natural lives, and in fact many are dispatched soon after returning to the farm.

The reasons for this include:

1. Ducklings eat a great deal of food and there is a world-wide food shortage - we do not wish to contribute to the crisis by using feed for ducklings that could be used for other purposes.
2. Taking care of 100-200 ducklings is time consuming and hard on the land.

The ducklings are not “wasted” in that they are used for food for our Pyrenees Livestock Guardian Dogs.

We would encourage teachers to discuss some of these facts with their students - part of the learning associated with this hatching program should relate to the realities of where our food comes from and why we have domestic livestock. We ask that teachers not deceive their students by telling them that their ducklings will have a long life at the farm. While some do - our current senior duck is nearly 17 years old - most do not, and saying they do is, to put it bluntly, a lie. The care of the animals is very important to us, as well as honesty about why farm animals exist and how farms operate.

Domestic animals like ducks, rabbits, cows, sheep, and the like were developed for the sole purpose of providing us with eggs, milk, meat, and other products. They are used in the production of everything from vaccines to shoes (and many more things in between). Ignoring the connection between the food we eat and the animals used and indeed killed to produce it also makes it easier to ignore the conditions under which these animals are raised, kept, and slaughtered. We all benefit from taking the lives of animals and we should all share in the responsibility of making sure ALL of animals in our care (even those we will never see, and those destined to become food) are treated with respect and cared for according to their needs. We realize that many teachers wish to protect their students from some of these realities, but we at the farm are personally and deeply committed to honesty in all we do, and we will not provide hatching kits or rabbits to any school that does not deal honestly with the truth of animal production and farming.