New generation of farmers
In 2018 Russ, Jen and their youngest son Scotty moved to our new to us home. Our first project involved building a fenced yard to keep our very energetic German Shepherds from roaming the county.
2019 rolled around and we discovered Chick Days at Tractor Supply. We had to have some of those adorable babies and so our adventure of becoming chicken parents began.
Over the years we have lost chickens, built larger and better coops obtained more chickens and converted our birds to the cage free lifestyle.
With all of our investing in chickens it was decided that we needed additional protection for them from the raccoons, coyotes, and bobcats that thought they had a new buffet.
Livestock guardian dogs became our focus and we decided that Great Pyrenees pups would be a great fit for our plans.
Maverick, Penny and Huey came to us as puppies and have been raised guarding our chickens and bringing smiles to all those that meet our gentle giants. Dixie was added to the livestock guardian gang in the summer of 2023.
Of course we learned that our pups needed more to do and that instigated a search for goats. Elvis came to us as a bottle baby and has become the big daddy of 3 litters of kids! Mind you, we didn’t want Elvis to be lonely so Maki, Audrey and Olivia joined the Hudstead.
This spring a second litter of Great Pyrenees pups joined the ranks as well as three litters of kids (2 sets of twins arrived four days apart). As the years have rolled by, three of our four children have moved home, as well as the grandmother.
It truly takes all of us to ensure that our livestock are treated and loved as family members. As our knowledge of homesteading grows, so do our dreams and plans for the future.
We already sell our chicken eggs and Great Pyrenees pups and will begin selling goat milk and goat cheese in the upcoming weeks. In the future we are adding a miniature cow, goat lotion and homemade sour dough loaves. Come grow with us and enjoy the products our furry and feathered family members provide.
