A place for the flock
A place for the flock
An East Syracuse farm preserves threatened breeds of heritage birds while working to build a positive relationship with nature.
Passionate conservationist John Crump works on the preservation of heritage breeds of duck, chicken and most notably, the Cotton Patch Goose.
Small but lively, the Flocking Crazy Farm started by chance in 2020 when Crump decided to buy a few chickens for his East Syracuse property.
When so-called “chicken math” quickly grew the size of his flock, Crump began looking for other animals that would protect his birds from predators. That’s when he learned about the Cotton Patch Goose, a mild-mannered breed of waterfowl.
Crump also discovered the Cotton Patch Goose was considered a threatened breed, according to The Livestock Conservancy.
Flocking Crazy Farm’s mission quickly became about the sustainable future of endangered heritage poultry breeds, and Crump has 16 of the less than 1,000 Cotton Patch Geese left in the world.
Today, these 16 sociable and friendly geese protect the rest of the farm’s flock with Crump’s aim to be a steward of the Cotton Patch Geese and nature overall.
is a contributor for The NewsHouse.