Earlier this spring, I was invited by P. Allen Smith to attend the Garden 2 Grow retreat at his Moss Mountain Farm located in the beautiful hills just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. One of the highlights of the retreat was the invitation by P. Allen himself to tour Poultryville. A poultry enthusiast since 10 years of age, P. Allen Smith has made it one of his life’s missions to preserve rare and threatened poultry breeds. He created the Heritage Poultry Conservancy with that in mind and is incredibly dedicated to this cause. His knowledge of poultry is amazing and his passion is palpable.

Poultryville is something to talk about. The beauty of this chicken coop in unbelievable. Laid out in a barn like fashion, this coop houses breeds to the left and right. The barn is divided into smaller coop partitions each with their own outside run. Within these partitions are different striking and beautiful breeds.

Yes, there is a golden chicken statue that marks the entrance!

Once inside of Poultryville, the pens are separated with chicken wire. It is bright, airy and very tidy. One rooster is kept with a few hens. The other roosters are kept in a separate area. This prevents fighting and also allows the staff to help track the breeding and off-spring.

These gorgeous Blue Faced Spanish chickens are just one of the breeds. I love how the rooster is watching his girls from just outside their coop. These girls have big floppy combs and striking faces. They thrive in the Southern climate but would never fare well on the Cape. I felt very lucky to see them in person.

I adored these Light Sussex! They were curious, sweet and very interested in checking all of us out.

As we were learning about the breeding program, P. Allen held this big guy. He was one of the biggest roosters that I had ever seen and soon enough he was in my arms. I was in chicken heaven.

We went on later that afternoon to explore the outer chicken pens. Here the striking Buff Orpingtons, a favorite breed of P. Allen Smith’s and mine, were outside enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

The brooder was also full of sweet little peeping chicks.

From there we explored the larger enclosures with Sebastopol and Toulouse geese.

As the sun began to set, it was soon time to say goodbye to Poultryville and return to the Big Sister Oak for the evening’s activities. I would love to return one day and spend more time exploring and learning more how all poultry enthusiasts can help to make a difference in breed preservation. For more of my visit to Moss Mountain, take a peek at the link below.

Take a tour of Moss Mountain’s Gardens.