“ The duck’s egg are so funny with their ballock ! ” says Jenna Whelan ofRain Valley Farm , which is situated on five Acre of land in Winchester , Kentucky . “ I have found many eggs lay throughout our yard , their consortium , forget nests in the shaving and between the minor cracking of the nesting crates and henhouse wall . They are a bunch of sneaky girls ! ”
Beyond the fun and game of track down secret duck eggs , Whelan tends to a growing kinsfolk farm that also includes a fine fold of chickens , a brace of horses and a clowder of house physician barn cats .
We spoke to Whelan about the importance of adhere to an efficient bit and the joys of Olive Eggers . We also got the scoop on a particularly mischievous duck named Twinkie .
Family Farming Roots
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“ My mummy grew up on a farm , with stories and photos of her rid horses , play with goats and even driving a manure motortruck to school ! ” call up Whelan as she revisit the origin of her stake in farming . “ She ’s always had a love for animals , so because of that I ’ve not run short a single twenty-four hour period in my lifetime without having a favourite . ”
When Whelan turned 4 years honest-to-god , she began accept hogback riding object lesson — a development that she pronounce was “ when the existent fixation began ! ”
After vie and eventually acquiring her own horse in 2007 , Whelan realized that “ I knew I had to have a farm one 24-hour interval ” and that “ being able to waken up every day and take the air outside to see my horses was my dream . ”
In 2019 , Whelan ’s ambition became a reality , when she and her now fiancé go from New Jersey to Kentucky and purchased 5 Akka of farmland .
An Animal Roll Call
Rain Valley Farm began with one dog and two horse . But the current resident physician roll call includes two frankfurter , two horses , one Equus asinus , five felines , six ducks , three goats and 22 wimp .
“ We design to continue to farm , ” say Whelan . “ We hope to move to a larger farm within the next few years and expand to add some cattle as well ! ”
A Stunning Array of Eggs
The chickens at Rain Valley Farm create an array of eggs that Whelan enthusiastically describes as “ just sensational . ” She aver that she used to assume ball could only be snowy or brown “ because that ’s all they betray in the grocery memory . ” But since adding volaille to her farm , she ’s come to appreciate the innate mantrap of eggs .
“ My best-loved eggs have to be the olive green with browned speckles laid by my Olive Egger Priscilla , ” says Whelan .
Read more : These 7 chicken breeds will fill up your nesting box with coloured eggs !
Getting to Grips with Farm Tasks
When considering the day-to-day toll of running the farm , Whelan pinpoints a Pekin duck’s egg name Twinkie as one of the speculation ’s “ most demanding ” factors : “ She ’s always yelling at everyone and boss them around ! ”
Beyond Twinkie , Whelan tell that stick to a routine is an in force way to make certain “ everything feels so normal . ”
Staying alert to the indigence and behavior of her brute is also fundamental . “ I pretend the most demanding is yield attention to over 40 beast for any slim divergence in deportment [ and ] always making sure everyone is accounted for and levelheaded , ” says Whelan . “ thing can exchange rapidly and it ’s so important to be in line with your animals so you’re able to catch anything before it ’s too later . ”
The Importance of Mutual Respect
“ I see the mutual obedience all the dissimilar species have on the farm and it never gets former to look out , ” says Whelan as she admit stock of go her farm . “ Watching chickens , cat , goats , sawbuck and wienerwurst all together in the same railyard and peacefully interact — it warms my heart . ”
