Frequently Asked Questions
All the Answers to Your Questions
Welcome to the Wrather Farms Q&A page. Below you will find a collection of some of the most frequently asked questions about our farm. However, if you still have additional questions after consulting our list of FAQs, then please get in touch directly and we will happy to answer any additional questions.
Are your chickens organic/free range/non-GMO?
We feed Nutrena Naturewise products as the main food source. Our adult birds consume the All Flock pellets. Our growing birds consume the Starter/Grower crumble. Our birds intended for processing are fed the Meatbird crumble. Breeder birds are supplemented with Fertrell Poultry Show & Breeder Supplement. Our flock also occasionally receive mealworms, organic garden scraps, and scrambled eggs. Corn/wheat scratch is offered on occasion as well, but not as a matter of routine. Our breeder birds and growing birds are kept in spacious but secure enclosures for their safety. There may be a free-range rooster strolling about from time to time though.
Do you vaccinate your chickens?
We do not vaccinate our chicks, and our flocks are composed of non-vaccinated birds.
What is NPIP and what does it mean?
NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Program. Under Tennessee's participation in this program, our flock is tested every 6 months for Avian Influenza and annually for Pullorm/Typhoid (two forms of salmonella). Neither of these really mean much of anything. If we had Avian Influenza, we would surely know there is a problem (everything would be dying). Pullorm Disease and Fowl Typhoid have been largely eradicated in the United States. The only benefit to NPIP status is that we have the ability to ship eggs and chicks across state lines with the government's blessing. We have chosen not to ship live chicks, but we do offer shipped hatching eggs.
I only want pullets. Do you offer sexed chicks?
We offer three breeds that are capable of being sexed by color/pattern at hatch - Zombies, Fibromelanistic Easter Eggers, and Bielefelder. The Zombies and Fibro EE's are sex-link chickens. They are cross-bred chickens, and the sexability at hatch only works the first generation. Our Bielefelder are an autosexing pure breed. Their sexability traits continue from one generation to the next. Female Bielefelder are a darker chipmunk pattern with black eyeliner at hatch. Some females may have a faint white spot on top of their head. Males are a paler chipmunk pattern at hatch, no black eyeliner, and possess a clear white head spot.