Our adventures on the farm began in 2007 when we moved from Arlington, VA to Lexington, VA in search of a more peaceful existence. We wanted to operate a farm where we could raise much of our food and have extra to sell in town. We sold eggs, meat chickens, turkeys, beef and pork to the healthy food store and to clients interested in fresh, non-medicated pasture raised meat, eggs and veggies.
We raised pigs every year and first began the operation with our own boar and sows. The litters ranged from 8-12 piglets and they kept us busy. We eventually sold the boar and sows and purchased piglets from a local breeder.
We purchased three pregnant cows from a local ranger and learned a lot about cows and their protective nature. After being chased through the woods after trying to give shots to the newborn calves, we decided that cattle were too much for us to handle and stuck with pigs!
We maintained a flock of laying hens for 11 years, each group of layers having its own personality. The Leghorns kept flying out of the coop area and laying eggs in the barn which kept the black rat snakes happy. We got rid of them and went with more sedate hens although the Leghorns were prolific layers. After keeping roosters for a few years, we decided to be rooster free after one attacked my husband when he went out to feed the horses. Roosters are very territorial and he hadn’t seen much of my husband. After a trip to the emergency room I agreed that is was time to re-home Elvis and he was adopted by a lady who showed him at the fair. Our last flock was like dogs as they followed us around the farm. We allowed them to free range during the day if we were home but locked them up at night to prevent predators. We did lose a few hens to a hawk that still lives in a nest along our drive up to the farm. We currently have four horse. Two of them are seniors who are living out their retirement. The other two, are used for cutting/sorting cattle and mounted shooting.