Meet The Farm!
I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Veterinary & Animal Sciences program in 2005. Its been along time coming but I’ve finally started a farm of my own, The Helderberg Covey LLC is primarily a quail operation offering several quail products from eggs to dog treats.
The farm is also home to a free range 100% woodland roaming chicken flock.
Unfortunately, quail don’t behave like chickens, putting themselves safely to bed at night and making even somewhat life sustaining decisions. Coturnix quail (Japanese quail) have been domesticated for up to 2000 years, unlike Northern Bobwhite Quail, which are a wild game-bird. (More on the Bobwhite later!)
Where most production quail operations maintain quail in small “battery cages” with a single square foot per bird and 5-6 birds per cage, it was important to me to provide my animals with as much freedom to express species specific natural social behavior and as
much space as is feasible while still being able to provide above standard husbandry, individual animal health and welfare observations and perform business sustaining farm production tasks, such as collecting eggs and catching birds for proper record keeping and proper breeding program practices. HC birds are maintained in aviary environments, not in small cages.
Our birds are also provided with natural environmental enrichment, such as natural cover harvested from trees, shrubs, weeds, grasses, bark, logs, various substrates, live invertebrates and scratch feeds provided daily. Our breeding birds are selected for health and non-aggressive temperaments
first and foremost, and only then followed by beautiful feather color varieties, egg color and meat and organs for the highest quality pet products for our canine family members, sport, hunting and work partners.
I welcome you to visit our site photo gallery and social media to meet the HC birds and also the HC canine members! The Helderberg Covey is not only home to me and my birds.
The farm is home to 2 dogs:
⭐️ Phoenix, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who styles herself as the Chick Nanny, monitoring the brooders in my home and giving the babies kisses whenever she gets a chance!
⭐️ Rían, the German Shepherd/Pitbull mix, who has taken on the unexpected roll as an incredible Livestock Guardian Dog! Rían makes this whole endeavor possible by working day and night, keeping predators away from the farm, which enables me to safely aviary house the quail and free range the chicken flock with zero predation loses, zero predator sign on the property, nor property damage from black bear. He may not be your standard breed for such a job but no-one can tell him that! Good luck trying!
Phoenix and Rían have their own socials, of course @https://www.instagram.com/phoenix_and_rian?igsh=MTA5cGl1amZpa2Y1Mw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr