Kate remembers when she got her first baby chick—she was two years old, riding in a cart at a grocery store. And she has loved them ever since. She was 14 when she got her first Spanish Mustang, another passion that she has carried with her through her thirties. At the farm where she has established the “Eclectic Carton Farm & Garden” Spanish Mustangs graze in a large pasture and, farther down the winding road, Kate’s focal project emerges: the “Quack Shack” for the pair of Anacona ducks, is almost ready for winter. There is a new very large coop attached to a super long run and many other portable “chicken tractors” that move about the farm. And 50 rare birds are all around—a Lavender Wyandotte, for example, and some beautiful Silver Double-Laced Barnevelders.
Kate is a fanatic about keeping their quarters clean and giving them as much free range as possible. She cleans up chicken poop three times each day, scrubs out the water dishes each morning, moves the chicken tractors, and opens and closes alternate pens and runs so that the birds can drink from the nearby artesian well and snack on all the bugs and worms they can find. This farm is way out in the country, though, so at night, compatible groups of chickens are housed in large dog kennels inside the large coop to prevent predator casualties. Kate really loves chickens and they apparently love her back. She even paints their portraits in acrylics.
Most of the young chickens I meet on my visit were hatched right here from special-order eggs or mail-ordered at 1 day old from reputable national sources who are certified under the National Poultry Improvement Plan program. White Bresse are a French breed that matures to have white feathers, blue legs and a red comb (suitable for both French and U.S. national colors!). The Silver Double-Laced Barnevelders are a Dutch breed with dark feathers that look like they’re covered in antique lace. And every chicken here has a name—some are kind of crazy—representing whatever Kate was thinking about at the time they were hatched. That naming thing makes having meat birds hard, Kate tells me. But she names them nonetheless. On her Facebook page, Kate shares her philosophy: “Even roosters who may be bound for the table should still get to live their best life!”
Kate’s new “homegrown breed” chicks are a Barbezieux x Mosaic cross called Black Pearls and Colored Pearls. Mosaic is a breed not yet recognized, created at Gold Feather Farms in Louisiana. They are the culmination of years of selective breeding and have a distinctive rich blue skin color and iridescent turquoise earlobes. Kate has sold a few of this cross to new homes on the Iron Range this summer. In the summer of 2021, The Eclectic Carton Farm & Garden will offer rare breed White Bresse, Double Silver Laced Barnevelders, and Mosaic chicks and started birds for sale.
The chickens aren’t the only eclectic element at this farm. In addition to the Spanish Mustang horses Kate grew up riding (she was an avid 4-H member!), she collects vintage camper trailers. I see one that she has just purchased, soon to be converted to an art studio for her painting. She also makes and sells hand-stamped metal work. “Adventure Pendants” with sayings like “Glamp Tastic” and an image of a tiny camper, or “Get Out” (outside, that is) are for sale. (Glamping, I learned, is a combination of glamourous and camping, referring to camping in style…..in a vintage camper, perhaps.) I also learn that her Ancona ducks are a rare breed with very hardy feet and legs and they love snow. So their “Quack Shack” will be placed to allow them to access the white fluffy stuff this winter.
I ask Kate where she would like to be with her business in five years. She wants to not work outside her home and become self-sufficient. She has a 9-month-old son who will grow up loving chickens and the outdoor life too. Kate has a degree in marketing and public relations and has worked traditional jobs. This new “gig,”though, is anything but traditional. She loves what she’s doing. It’s fun to get to know the birds. She even has a chicken-watching chair that she bought at a rummage sale positioned at the end of one of the runs. She loves watching the rooster find a treat and call “the girls” to come get some. Or the ducks playing in the snow. She wants to teach folks how to care for backyard chickens (sorry Virginia folks, your city council nixed that one). And to barter—check her Facebook page for occasional bartering opportunities. In fact, The Eclectic Carton Farm & Garden on Facebook is a great place to learn more. Look her up! And tell her I sent you.
