C&D Farming..oh what a life!

[Bruce]

I think you need to post some signs about not touching the animals and if someone gets bit or otherwise hurt you are not legally responsible!

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm going to give my 2 cents worth here, feel free to ignore it ...

If you are indeed operating a business, then you need to treat it as such, with operating hours, days you are closed etcetera.

You can put your phone on do not disturb (look in your settings) when your operating hours are closed. You can set it up so only select numbers can get through (family or whoever you decide), all others go to voice mail. That way you can still use your phone as an alarm clock, but not be disturbed by people who don't respect that some people need sleep and go to bed early, or that you are just not going to be available for their odd questions 24/7.

You seem to be worried about losing sales if you do not speak with every random person who expresses interest in your animals, and then accommodating their time frame. Yes, some people have different schedules. If getting an animal is important enough to them they will figure out a way to do it when you are open....!!!

Since you have been wildly successful at selling, and have said you don't really need the income to live on, I think it's time to stop stressing yourself out to the point of failing health. You aren't going to be any good to your family or animals if you keep that course. You have received some really good counsel from BYHers, be reasonable and take it to heart.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

@thistlebloom ...I think you have hit the nail on the head....now when my son comes...he hates me right now, due to the phone, bu5 I’ll have him help me set it to those fancy settings? That would be really great. Every one of you is absolutely right about t stress for both of us. Problem with the visitors...we don’t know how to kick them out. They come to buy a bunny..then see everything else....etc. yesterday we had the luxury of going to the out of town cheap grocery store..got to chit chat, etc..it was fun. Much needed. Cupboards were bare. I screwed up the chickens, by integrating the new ones, and decided to sell a few...so, I was breaking up the family.... I was only selling 3 new and 3 from original..shouldn’t have been a big deal? Ohhhh geez, everyone is sooo stressed..not laying, not going in the coop, etc..there’s no fighting, because we did the look no touch, but, that just set back the laying even more! Ugh..chickensdrive me cray some times, and they are by far the easiest animals!!

 

[rachels.haven]

I recommend a biosecurity lockdown. You want to keep your healthy animals (you and DH) healthy, right? You've got to limit what visitors track in on their shoes (wasting all your time and energy as well as pathogens to the farm animals and I guess covid). If you're selling an animal bring it out front in a crate or tied and work from there. No guests beyond x point. That is your space.
Good luck with boundaries. I hope they work for you.

 

[CntryBoy777]

It is obvious that ya Love your animals, and ya work extremely hard tending to them....so, your thought should be more to protecting them, than showing them off to strangers....there are many things that others can bring in on the shoes that can wipe em out....ya can be polite by just saying....I would love to spend more time showing them to ya, but I just have so much to do I just don't have the time to spend doing that....here are yours and if I want to get done today, I gotta get busy....hope ya enjoy your animals as much as I do.....and turn and go back to the gate and shut it behind ya....keep protecting your animals on your mind, and it will be much easier to send em on their way...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I recommend a biosecurity lockdown. You want to keep your healthy animals (you and DH) healthy, right? You've got to limit what visitors track in on their shoes (wasting all your time and energy as well as pathogens to the farm animals and I guess covid). If you're selling an animal bring it out front in a crate or tied and work from there. No guests beyond x point. That is your space.

Absolutely agree! I don't want people tracking their "problems" into MY pasture/pens. I put goats for sale in the stock trailer and pull it out of the pasture and up into the shade by the house. Makes it really easy!

 

[chickens really]

Hello there!
Are you slowing down any? I hope your getting rest and eating better. I would definitely sell off about 60 of the chickens and only supply yourself and a few clients with eggs.
You got all these animals to enjoy them. I definitely wouldn't be enjoying my life if I had numbers like you have. You call it a hobby farm but quickly it sounds like a production farm/petting zoo. Your a fantastic lady and if you downsize the amounts of each species you will definitely be more content. I hope you enjoyed Father's Day with your family yesterday..
I think of you often

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

It is obvious that ya Love your animals, and ya work extremely hard tending to them....so, your thought should be more to protecting them, than showing them off to strangers....there are many things that others can bring in on the shoes that can wipe em out....ya can be polite by just saying....I would love to spend more time showing them to ya, but I just have so much to do I just don't have the time to spend doing that....here are yours and if I want to get done today, I gotta get busy....hope ya enjoy your animals as much as I do.....and turn and go back to the gate and shut it behind ya....keep protecting your animals on your mind, and it will be much easier to send em on their way...

Oh I wish I had that gumption!! I’ve never been able to say the word...no.....but, I’m working on it....I’m keeping rabbit people only at rabbits....I’ve got their packets of info ready, so I don’t have to take so long to explain, transition feed, etc, a box with hay.

i sold 14 chickens, yesterday Chris shows me a post, I thought it was just for another chicken coop....so we went to look....it came with more chickens and two ducks! Ugh! It was really small....so, we made her a lowball offer...said if no one else buys it..call...but I’m hoping that she doesn’t call...neither of us had the heart to tell this poor single mom that we didn’t want to buy it.

So, we had more piglets yesterday..just 4..but they are all healthy...I had just run up to the vet, because I was getting very worried about the small size of these tiny mini pigs...they were 28 lbs before pregnant. I got oxytocin...praying we didn’t have to use it. A few hrs later..she started on her own!! Yeah! Two were breach...one didn’t have a suckle reflex..but we got that going...phew!!

Now our iss

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Hello there!
Are you slowing down any? I hope your getting rest and eating better. I would definitely sell off about 60 of the chickens and only supply yourself and a few clients with eggs.
You got all these animals to enjoy them. I definitely wouldn't be enjoying my life if I had numbers like you have. You call it a hobby farm but quickly it sounds like a production farm/petting zoo. Your a fantastic lady and if you downsize the amounts of each species you will definitely be more content. I hope you enjoyed Father's Day with your family yesterday..
I think of you often ❤

Hi Shannon...I miss you too!! You’re too good to me!! I promise, I’m eating better than I was the other day, chris cooked for me yesterday and breakfast today. He’s knowns I’m running on empty..but so is he! We celebrated father day today because Chris got his gift!!! None other than a new mini pig!! And, at the same time, I was having ther fancy pants rabbits deliver.!! It was chaos! Then a lady came to buy a bunny, then chis yeellfir me...so was have 4 More mini piglet

 

[Baymule]

I recommend a biosecurity lockdown. You want to keep your healthy animals (you and DH) healthy, right? You've got to limit what visitors track in on their shoes (wasting all your time and energy as well as pathogens to the farm animals and I guess covid). If you're selling an animal bring it out front in a crate or tied and work from there. No guests beyond x point. That is your space.
Good luck with boundaries. I hope they work for you.

X 2
This.

Absolutely agree! I don't want people tracking their "problems" into MY pasture/pens. I put goats for sale in the stock trailer and pull it out of the pasture and up into the shade by the house. Makes it really easy!

And this too!

Maybe you need a "sale" building with cages or pens for the different species. If the people want to look around, explain that you practice bio security because with all the animals that you have and sell, you certainly want to keep them all healthy. Look directly at the person and say, "After all, don't YOU want to buy a healthy animal?" and smile nicely.