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Candling Heritage Chicken Eggs
  • Apr 9, 2024
Hatching Heritage Chickens at Chosen Farm, a member of the Good Shepherd Poultry Network

A heritage chicken lays an egg and Jed Greenberg gathers it, but he never washes it. By not washing Jed maintains the bloom on the egg, a liquid that develops when the egg is laid. The bloom dries in seconds, but it covers the entire shell thus protecting the chick from bacteria. Washing, Jed says, lowers fertility and drives dirt into the egg which contaminates the inside. Unwashed eggs can be kept in a 60-70 degree room for 7-10 days, after which fertility drops. Jed stores his eggs in plastic egg crates with the bulbous end up.

Eggs at the Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch
  • Apr 2, 2024
Eggs and Hatching!

March and April and May are when Thanksgiving starts if you are a turkey farmer. Even with all the scientific advancements made by humankind, there is still only one way to produce a turkey poult for Thanksgiving and that is through a hen laying an egg. Once the egg comes out, we have learned how to replicate what the mother would do in nature, but the beginning of the cycle has always been the same. Follow along with us, step-by-step, as we explore this fascinating process!

Frank Reese and his flock of heritage breed turkeys
  • Mar 20, 2023
Frank Reese, Savior of Biodiversity

Saviors come in many forms. For turkeys, it’s Frank Reese Jr., a poultry farmer who has had a fondness for turkeys since childhood and lived life with one focus — save heritage breeds with genetic lines that in some cases date back to the mid-1800s.

Frank Reese’s Turkeys Are Getting Hot by Derek Hawkins
  • Feb 18, 2022
Frank Reese’s Turkeys Are Getting Hot by Derek Hawkins

The heat index at Reese’s Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas, is climbing toward 105 degrees, and the August sun is beating down on the yard where the birds spend their days.

Join Frank Reese at the REGENERATE Conference
  • Oct 22, 2021
Join Frank Reese at the REGENERATE Conference

Good Shepherd Conservancy President Frank Reese and Jed Greenberg will be leading a virtual workshop at the REGENERATE Conference on Monday, October 25th from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. The workshop will teach participants about how modern industrial poultry hybrids were created, the dramatic impact they have on today’s poultry industry, and introduce Standardbred heritage poultry production as an alternative to that system. 

Frank Reese's Heritage Chickens are Back!
  • Sep 29, 2021
Frank Reese's Heritage Chickens are Back!

After a long wait, Heritage chickens are finally back! Raised by none other than Frank Reese on the Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch, these chickens are second to none. Available in two breeds  — Barred Plymouth Rock and New Hampshire. 

Good Shepherd Conservancy — The Origins of Factory Farm Poultry
  • Jul 30, 2021
Good Shepherd Conservancy — The Origins of Factory Farm Poultry

Frank Reese on the Urgency of Heritage Poultry Conservation
  • May 19, 2021
Frank Reese on the Urgency of Heritage Poultry Conservation

The Bronze turkey is the king of turkeys and the foundation of all other breeds, varieties, lines and commercial modern turkeys of today. My Bronze turkeys have been here on the Kansas prairie for over 103 years and we must not lose them.