Over 10 years ago, we were merely surviving joint pain, brain fog, migraines, exhaustion at the end of each day. We woke up every morning, got ready for work, sent the kids to school, came home, dinner/dishes/homework/bedtime, rinse and repeat. Every. Single. Day.
When we decided to buy eighteen acres on the north side of DeMotte, IN, it wasn't to raise animals and change the narrative. It wasn't to homestead and see what we could get out of the land. It definitely wasn't to start a business. It was just for some extra room for the kids. And maybe chickens. We thought that we were just buying more land, but we now believe that God was providing us with something more.
Because we had huge barns (old and tired), we put in a coop and got chickens. Not a lot, just 16. Enough for us, or so we thought. 16 chickens produce a dozen eggs a day for the first year. We quickly figured out that even for a family of 8, using 7 dozen eggs a week is challenging. So we sold a few to friends, gave some to family, and still ate A LOT of eggs. Boiled eggs, fried eggs, egg casserole (I can hear Forrest Gump in my head).
We also realized that chickens are a lot of fun!
The following spring, we ordered more. We ordered a variety of breeds from the local farm store, Tractor Supply had some on sale, and let's not forget about the clearance chicks at True Value. Needless to say, our flock grew, and our kitchen counter was continually stocked with fresh eggs.
The thing we weren't ready for was how different the eggs were. The yolks were orange, not yellow. We used to buy organic / free range eggs from Costco and those are "primo" eggs. Ours blew those out of the water. People would tell us that our eggs were amazing. We started asking ourselves, "Why were our eggs different?" While most people that raise chickens leave them in a confined space or in a fenced in coop, we were just letting ours wander. We discovered that our chicken eggs were different, because our chickens were doing chicken things. They were getting lots of sunshine, scratching in the dirt for bugs, and eating whatever green materials were on the menu that day. Basically, they were thriving on exercise and nutrition and were offering us a daily dose of the goodness that they experienced.
The following year we tried out meat chickens. The kids and I built a "chicken tractor" (thanks Joel Salatin), and we threw 25 Cornish Cross in there and started moving them daily through the side yard. The kids helped with this new chore of feeding and watering chickens twice a day, and after 8 weeks, we had a solid day of butchering chickens and putting them in the freezer. The next year, we raised two batches of chickens, one in the spring and one in the fall. The kids started inviting friends from school who wanted to learn how to butcher a chicken. One of our sons actually did his school "How To" speech on butchering chickens, and explained the process to the class. We also decided mid-summer that we would try turkeys too, because they couldn’t be too much different than chickens,except for the fact that turkeys are humongous!
When we butchered in the fall, I decided to try piecing chickens apart. We don't often eat whole chicken. We eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast, leg / thigh quarters and wings. What I was so surprised with was the size. The average chicken breast would weigh in at 1 pound, which is a far cry from the stuff we were getting at the store in the freezer bag. The meat was tender and delicious. So the following year we asked a few friends if they wanted some. The last time we butchered 25 chickens, our family only got to keep 6. The rest were enjoyed by other families. Why would people pay us for chicken, even though it cost more than what it does at the grocery store? The answer came back very quickly. Our customers believe that the chicken they buy from us tastes different than what they can buy in the store. Again, the way we raise our chickens makes all the difference.
That was the year we joined a homesteading group. We didn't realize how much there was to learn about growing a garden, composting, raising pigs in pasture, rotational grazing, canning, freeze drying, and so much more. We were drinking from a well that we didn't know existed just a few short years ago. That was also the year we borrowed a friend's boar and introduced him to our female pig. Oh yeah, we also got pigs! Sometimes, people come by with a pig in a trailer, there's a small transaction that takes place, and a farm mascot is born. That fall we had piglets, learned about castration, and experienced how aggressive a sow is when you take her babies away. Maybe one of the kids will use that in the next "how to" speech at school.
Before long, we realized that something was changing in our family. We were going to the doctor less often, the brain fog seemed to be lifting, the headaches weren't as frequent, and we had more energy. What started with raising chickens for eggs had slowly evolved into a change of our family's overall health. Just like our chickens, we were feeding our bodies with better nutrition. We were making tallow with beef fat, we were raising our own chickens and then turkeys for eating. We started making our own stock with chicken carcass and leftover produce from the garden. We also began canning and freeze drying some of our home grown food. With a little hard work and practice, we were just scratching the surface of what the land was capable of providing.
Then something pivotal happened. Someone connected us to a local farmer who was quite successful with his own business pasture raising animals. We called him up and asked him for advice. He offered to stop by the house the following day. He looked at everything we were doing, asked some good questions, and then said, "What you're doing is excellent; what do you need from me?" I waited for the 'but’... It never came.
He spent several hours answering questions, offering business advice, and convincing me that what we were doing mattered. He told me if we needed anything to let him know. Then he made some phone calls to a couple of businesses to let them know that he approved of everything we were doing. I was blown away. I was trying to find a way to support a hobby, but then I began wondering if all of this had a purpose.
Now, here we are. We're raising small batches of animals for our family—and maybe for yours. We don't have everything figured out. We're still learning, still asking questions, still making mistakes, and still discovering what these eighteen acres can teach us. But we're grateful for every bit of it.
We believe God gave us this land for a purpose. We believe in growing plants and raising animals the way God designed them to live. We believe there's goodness in healthy soil, sunshine, and fresh air. And we believe that goodness is worth sharing. So when we have extra, we make it available to you. We believe that's part of our purpose. Maybe you're stuck in survival like we were. Maybe you're on a journey for better health like we were. Maybe you're looking for better nutrition. Here at Eighteen Acres, better nutrition is what we offer families who share our values. We raise enough for our family and friends as well as new customers who share our values and want to put good food in their freezers. When it's gone, it's gone. And when we have more, we'll let you know.
If you'd like to be part of what we're doing, take a look at what's available in the store. We'd love for some of the goodness that comes from these Eighteen Acres to make its way to your family's table.
We can't wait to see you at Eighteen Acres.