We get this question a lot. It’s a tough one to answer when we’re standing behind the tables at the market. We usually just say “busy” but that doesn’t really answer the question.

We’ve had a few people recently ask us if getting into farming is worth it. We say a very resounding “YES!” but it just depends on the person and which type of farming they want to dive into. Our focus the last couple of years has been poultry and that’s mostly what we’re going to be talking about here in this post.

We’re not going to sugar coat it. Farming isn’t easy. But the end result is a fulfilling one. You get to see things from start to finish, get to make people happy, and get to keep people healthy! Our customer base has become our friends, our once-a-week interactions something we look forward to more than anything, and our birds are an extension of our passion for this business.

Let’s take a look at some of questions we get regularly to give you an idea of what goes on behind the farm gates.

What time do you guys get started in the morning?

Typical rise and shine time is 4:30am. We’re up and ready to clean pens, feed the birds, pack for farmers markets, collect and wash eggs, make labels, take inventory, and get moving for the day. The two of us work together on most things although our girls help us when and if they can. Lily usually mows the lawn and does a great job! They come to market when they can and we love when they do.

Do you ever wish you had a different job?

Absolutely not. Plus, farming isn’t just raising animals or produce. It requires marketing, accounting, equipment maintenance and repair, and animal husbandry just to name a few. Yes, collecting eggs can be monotonous and winter makes everything take longer, but things can get real busy, especially in the summer with increased production, that no two days are the same. There’s an excitement that comes with farming that just can’t get reproduced in other jobs. Plus we get to work together every day on solving farming issues, running the business and raising a family.

How many birds do you have on the farm?

Currently we have:

Laying hens 2500, Meat chickens 1300, Meat ducks 385, Young hens that are not laying yet 700

Check out our “bird house”.

So around 5,000. It can get noisy! Not all the hens lay eggs every day, usually about 5 or 6 per week. And we share the duty on taking care of them. So even though the number sounds really high, it’s manageable. We also have a big farm with lots of property so they have their space as well. We always tell people who are thinking of getting into the farming business to start slow and build a customer base. We feel very fortunate to have this many birds.

Look for us at the Rochester Public Market and the Brighton Farmers Market all year round.

For more information on those markets click here.