How do I order?

In the second half of each month, and before 6 p.m. on the last day of the month, visit the Farmette-Outfitters site to place your order. The ordering process should route you to the drop-site nearest you. If the drop-site nearest you is crazy-far, you are just too early. Try again in a few days when the orders for the last month are closed out and the orders for the next month are opened up.

Where do I pick up the Feed?

Your pick-up location will depend on where in Washington state you are. If you are in Whatcom County, you can pick up in the North Driveway at Flower Feather Farm. Join the Feed Newsletter for specifics.

When do I Pick Up the Feed, if I am picking up at Flower Feather Farm?

We usually learn our ship dates around the 10th of the month:

• Check in here and look for the calendar below. If there is nothing showing, we don’t have a ship date yet.

• Alternately, sign up for emails and watch your inbox for notifications.

• And/or, join our Facebook Group Page.

• Click on the event and make a note of the delivery day and pick-up dates and times. Please come during those times.

What is the Pick-up Protocol?

6017 Medcalf Road, NORTH driveway. We are about 12 minutes off of the Meridian 1-5 exit and 2-4 minutes off of the Hannegan or the Guide, respectively.

• Back in for safety pulling out and for ease of loading. Back in ALL THE WAY to the gate and leave room for a car NEXT TO YOU. If someone is pulling in while you are loading, you need them to pull alongside you, rather then in front of you which will block you in.

• Check the list to ensure your expectations of what was ordered are correct.

• If your feed is in the shed, put on blue protective booties for biosecurity. They are provided for you in the red nesting boxes outside the gate. If your feed is in the driveway, you can skip the booties.

• Enter the Chickery and find your stuff. Premium Layer (PL) is left on a pallet, Everything else will be sorted by product type.

• Read the tags to make sure you got what you expected to get.  Do not make assumptions about what the codes on the front mean: CS could be Custom Scratch or Chick Starter or Candied Slugs.  You won’t know what is in the bag until you read the tags.

• Cross your name off of the list, AND fill in the bit where it asks who picked up.

• If you need help loading, ask any able-bodied (i.e. not me, the silver-haired lady) person that you see to help you load the feed you have identified as yours. If you get help loading, put some bills in the tip jar.

• If you absolutely can’t pick up at the assigned times, schedule a time that works in advance so we can put your feed out of the way and out of the weather from the get-go.

• If you don’t contact me or pick-up within a week, we will assume it’s a donation and thank you kindly.

• When you get home, order for next month.

What If I Can’t Come on Feed Pick-up Weekend?

You will need to schedule in advance of Feed weekend a pick-up time that will work for you. There is no charge for this if you schedule prior to Feed weekend.

What If I Get the Wrong Bags?

You will need to bring it back. Even though you may receive help loading, it is your responsibility to confirm each and every bag.

What If I Forget to Come Pick-up?

You will need to schedule a time to come pick up our feed via this Late Pick-Up link which will require you to pay the late pick-up fee in order to schedule.

Why Do We Have To Make an Appointment?

So, you may be wondering why we have transitioned from the easy-going early days of "pick up whenever" to the new strict "don't drop by" policy.

The answer? Missing bags.

Best possible explanation is that people are getting confused about which order they are picking up and are taking more than they should. For example, ordering 1 bag in July for August pick-up, and ordering 2 bags in August for September pick-up, and then coming in August and taking 2 bags. This is why I so strongly stress that you need to verify your expectations with the list.

Worst possible explanation is that someone is stealing.

Either way, the solution is that I need to be present for all pick-ups, and for that to be manageable, we need a have pick-ups occur at arranged times. At the end of the Saturday pick-up window, we put all the feed behind closed doors, just in case it was a theft problem, which is why you will need an appointment to pick up your stuff.

I liked the old way better too, for what it is worth.

What If I Run Out?

I try to keep on hand a few extras bags of Premium Layer and Broiler.

What is Fermentation About?

We ferment the feed to increase both nutrition and yield and the chickens love it. More details on fermenting feed found here.

How should I Ferment it?

We put 4 quarts of broiler feed, 1 C of Fertrell’s Poultry NutraBalancer, and about 2 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket, stir it up and let it sit overnight. In the winter we wrap a seedling mat around the bucket to keep the chill off. Read more in the Fermented Feed post.

How can I Open a Feed Bag?