Ron checked the beehives earlier this week. Then he ordered the extractor and other equipment we'll need to harvest the honey from the hives. A couple weeks ago I ordered the bottles for the honey. So within the next few weeks we will have honey from our hives! I am so excited!
A Middle Tennessee farm dedicated to living closer to nature and becoming more self-sustaining
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Goodbye Drama - Hello Serenity!
We've had a good time selling hatching eggs and chicks I've loved the wonderful reports we've received from folks who've incubated our eggs and hatched out such cute chicks. We already have reports of chicks that have grown up and started laying eggs. It's like going full circle. It has been a great experience except . . .
Out of the dozens and dozens of people we have dealt with, all but two have been wonderful and reasonable. Twice, though, someone came along that wasn't going to be happy no matter what. I'm not a salesperson, and I shy away from conflict of any nature. I bend over backwards to please customers. I always send more eggs than people pay for. I buy ridiculous amounts of bubble wrap in order to ensure eggs arrive in good condition. I pack eggs in bubble wrap in one box - and then cushion that box with bubble wrap inside another box for an added layer of protection. It generally takes me more than 30 minutes minutes to get one box ready to ship.
One person complained last fall because I sent her "old" eggs. In the ad I placed, I listed the exact dates that the eggs were laid. Yes - an EXACT list of dates. Despite that, she raged on about "old" eggs. She threatened to leave negative feedback on the website. Her FIRST communication about the situation was quite nasty. Did she not even read the ad? I totally refunded her money - including shipping. After that experience, I eliminated that problem by no longer writing the dates on eggs! I still told everyone who bought eggs the exact dates they were laid - but I didn't write the dates on the eggs.
About six months later (this week), a person complained that she only got 4 chicks to hatch out of a bunch of eggs we shipped to them. Well YEA! I've had ZERO chicks hatched from eggs I've had shipped to me - several times. Did I complain? Of course not. It's an understood risk of buying shipped eggs. A seller guarantees fresh and fertile eggs. Beyond that - there are no guarantees because of what eggs possibly go through as they are moved through the USPS system. If you get fresh, fertile and unbroken eggs, that's the extent of the seller's responsibility. However, I want people to be happy - so I sent her more eggs free of charge - and she still complained. Really? She even talked about "word of mouth" to other buyers as an implied threat. What was she going to do? If she related the story honestly to another buyer, they'd think she was crazy. I refunded every penny of her money - even shipping. Good riddance! I don't have time or stamina for such petty drama and stress.
While I understand that two people over the course of a year of selling eggs and chicks is an insignificant amount, I don't want the hassle. I'm not making money on the eggs or chicks. The cost of maintaining them is nowhere near covered by what I charge. So why do it? After careful consideration, I decided that there's no reason to. All the negative folks can just enjoy their drama and pettiness elsewhere. I don't need or want it in my life.
Goodbye, Drama! Hello, Serenity!
Out of the dozens and dozens of people we have dealt with, all but two have been wonderful and reasonable. Twice, though, someone came along that wasn't going to be happy no matter what. I'm not a salesperson, and I shy away from conflict of any nature. I bend over backwards to please customers. I always send more eggs than people pay for. I buy ridiculous amounts of bubble wrap in order to ensure eggs arrive in good condition. I pack eggs in bubble wrap in one box - and then cushion that box with bubble wrap inside another box for an added layer of protection. It generally takes me more than 30 minutes minutes to get one box ready to ship.
One person complained last fall because I sent her "old" eggs. In the ad I placed, I listed the exact dates that the eggs were laid. Yes - an EXACT list of dates. Despite that, she raged on about "old" eggs. She threatened to leave negative feedback on the website. Her FIRST communication about the situation was quite nasty. Did she not even read the ad? I totally refunded her money - including shipping. After that experience, I eliminated that problem by no longer writing the dates on eggs! I still told everyone who bought eggs the exact dates they were laid - but I didn't write the dates on the eggs.
About six months later (this week), a person complained that she only got 4 chicks to hatch out of a bunch of eggs we shipped to them. Well YEA! I've had ZERO chicks hatched from eggs I've had shipped to me - several times. Did I complain? Of course not. It's an understood risk of buying shipped eggs. A seller guarantees fresh and fertile eggs. Beyond that - there are no guarantees because of what eggs possibly go through as they are moved through the USPS system. If you get fresh, fertile and unbroken eggs, that's the extent of the seller's responsibility. However, I want people to be happy - so I sent her more eggs free of charge - and she still complained. Really? She even talked about "word of mouth" to other buyers as an implied threat. What was she going to do? If she related the story honestly to another buyer, they'd think she was crazy. I refunded every penny of her money - even shipping. Good riddance! I don't have time or stamina for such petty drama and stress.
While I understand that two people over the course of a year of selling eggs and chicks is an insignificant amount, I don't want the hassle. I'm not making money on the eggs or chicks. The cost of maintaining them is nowhere near covered by what I charge. So why do it? After careful consideration, I decided that there's no reason to. All the negative folks can just enjoy their drama and pettiness elsewhere. I don't need or want it in my life.
Goodbye, Drama! Hello, Serenity!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Love those broody hens!
It was exciting around Dogwood Trace this past week. Our faithful broody hen, Onyx, hatched out 6 chicks on Sunday (4 Cream Legbar and 2 Swedish Flower Hens), and a black copper marans hen (we haven't named her) hatched out 3 chicks (barnyard mix) on Wednesday.
So far Onyx has kept her chicks in the coop - even though her chicks are a few days older than the others. But the marans has had her three little ones out in the yard free-ranging.
They sure are cute. This is the first time this marans has had chicks, and the maternal instinct is just amazing. Nature is amazing.
So far Onyx has kept her chicks in the coop - even though her chicks are a few days older than the others. But the marans has had her three little ones out in the yard free-ranging.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Spring has arrived!
The long winter molt is finished, and the hens are laying like crazy! Each day we're getting between 15-20 eggs, and we've added several new egg customers.
Our Cream Legbars and Swedish Flower Hens are back into full production, and so we're selling hatching eggs again. Although the past few days have been unseasonably cold, we're all excited about spring and the warmer days ahead.
We've got eggs in the incubator. I'm hoping for a flock of Lavender Araucanas. I've tried twice before with no luck. This time, though, a lot of eggs are showing growth. Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have a great hatch. I also have Cream Legbars and Swedish Flower Hen eggs in the incubator.
And speaking for myself, I'm thrilled that Daylight Savings Time is back. I love it! Here are some recent photos of our chickens:
Our Cream Legbars and Swedish Flower Hens are back into full production, and so we're selling hatching eggs again. Although the past few days have been unseasonably cold, we're all excited about spring and the warmer days ahead.
We've got eggs in the incubator. I'm hoping for a flock of Lavender Araucanas. I've tried twice before with no luck. This time, though, a lot of eggs are showing growth. Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have a great hatch. I also have Cream Legbars and Swedish Flower Hen eggs in the incubator.
And speaking for myself, I'm thrilled that Daylight Savings Time is back. I love it! Here are some recent photos of our chickens:
Friday, January 11, 2013
Slacker Chickens!
I've been calling my flock the "Slacker Chickens." Over two months into this molting business, and we are getting sometimes only 2 or 3 eggs each day. This is from over 25 hens that should be laying. I've got ten young pullets (females) growing up and they'll be laying age in mid-Spring. So by summer, we'll have way more eggs than we need for all our customers. But for now - we barely have enough for ourselves and our customer who "won" the silent auction at Franklin 4 the Cure for a dozen eggs a week for a year!
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