We fulfill orders as quickly as we can, but because we are a "boutique" (aka tiny) hatchery, fulfillment time depends on the time of the year, the breed you are interested in, and several other factors. We try to be transparent with customers about order timing and any delays.

We don't breed commercial, fast-growing breeds at Utangard, only heritage breeds. Each of the breeds we raise is considered "dual purpose," meaning that they are great for meat AND egg production. In order to choose an appropriate food source for your family, consider the following:

• Quail grow the fastest- they reach egg-laying age by 6 weeks, and ideal processing weight between 6-10 weeks. Our quail come from a "jumbo" line that we have been working on for years, so they tend to weigh more than a typical coturnix quail would.

• Bresse (at least our line) grow faster than Chanteclers, however, Chanteclers seem to hold their weight/fat throughout the winter months better. So if you are going to be processing in the winter, take that into consideration.

• The turkeys take the longest to reach butcher weight: you typically want to butcher them around 26-28 weeks.

For all of our birds, we are focused on the following:

• Temperament. We have kids, and we don't want to worry about them or ourselves every time we enter a pen. So all of our birds are heavily monitored for temperament. We want friendly birds, but roosters/toms that will still protect their flocks against predators. We also look for good foraging, and we LOVE broody hens.

• Size and Growth Rate. As dual-purpose birds, we want them to gain weight easily without ever getting unhealthy. When selecting breeding groups each spring, we look for birds that gained quickly and have substantial meat on their frames.

• Aesthetics. Especially with the Royal Palms and the Bresse, we look for certain things to ensure we are breeding to the standards. Royal Palms need to have black rimmed tails, black back feathers, black beards, and any white feathers need to be pure white. While Royal Palms tend to be smaller than many turkeys, we try to breed our larger birds. For the Bresse aesthetics, we aim for delicate bones, deep blue legs, white ear lobes, and stark white feathers with no leakage.

• Overall health. We want healthy, happy birds at Utangard, and that's what we aim to pass along to customers. Often when selling chicks, we will hang on to them an extra day or two to make sure we aren't passing along runts or failure to thrive.

As of right now, no, we do not ship eggs or chicks. The hatch rate drops tremendously when eggs go through the shipping process, and chicks get extremely stressed out. We are happy to help connect you with a trusted breeder in your area in order to help you build your flock.

The finishing of any bird can make a difference in the taste and texture. For full guidelines on the "French finish," we recommend that you visit ambresse.com.

You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.