What We Believe In

My reasons for starting this website in the beginning, was simply to separate my silkie chickens, from the rest of my more normal life; however, I soon realized how much conflicting information regarding poultry health and backyard flock keeping is out there. Given my many years working as a veterinary technician, it was hard to ignore. I soon decided to incorporate the farm into a  non-profit Agricultural Service.

More and more Americans each day are deciding to keep a small backyard flock. The popularity of "having a pet that makes breakfast" is growing at a tremendous rate! This is fantastic! It opens a door to never-ending opportunities to promote the health and well being of our feathered friends, but it also puts a lot of chicks and chickens in new homes lacking the experience and knowledge it takes to keep the flock healthy - as well as their own family. I was that family when I started out with my first 3 Silkies here in St. Augustine. We all start somewhere. 

I believe that when someone wants to learn about something, endless studying until facts are known forward and backward is crucial. I also continue to see too much misguided information out there regarding keeping backyard flocks healthy. While I understand that everyone has an opinion, and I respect the right to voice it, some topics come down to plain jane research and science and are not subjective... but rather proven to be true. 

The need for solid, correct and unopinionated answers to newcomers' backyard flock questions is unequivocal. I started Sweetheart Silkies, Inc., a Non-profit Agricultural Service - in St. Augustine -to somehow be a small part of filling this need, as well as to share my love of Silkie Chickens.  Our chicken community desperately needs solid thinkers, who are respectful to newcomers, and truly care about chicken health and their families, to take the lead in disseminating incorrect information and promoting backyard flock health and poultry sanitation.