I will be writing updates about the critters and goings-on at Frolic Farm, my hobby farm located in Michigan. Here is a little background on my farm, and how I got started.

How in the world did a city girl end up with a farm-full of critters in the country? Well, it just kind of happened over the years, actually. I had “horsed around” since I was 12; always boarding a horse, and riding nearly every day. With the price of board continuing to rise, and a new job in a more rural area, I started to look for a small farm of my own. I found a nice place in 1988, and moved my horse and me in, and began enjoying country life. The barn did seem kind of empty, though, with just one horse. Soon I had a few cats, and a dog, then my dad mentioned I should try chickens. (He had grown up on a farm)

Naturally I couldn’t buy just any old chickens; I found out about the exotic ones that lay colored eggs - the Easter Egg chickens (Araucaunas from South America), and then I saw really beautiful chickens at the State Fair. But where would one buy these? At a poultry place, of course. I found a poultry business near my farm that would let me order a few chicks of whatever types I wanted. They had all kinds of critters themselves, including peacocks, pheasants, geese, etc.

I started with fancy chickens, branched out into a few geese, ducks, then added peacocks, pheasants. I had a pond dug, so I needed Koi fish for the pond. Then I bought a couple sheep. I enjoyed the sheep so much, that I bought a llama, then added a mini-donkey, turkeys, and a French Angora bunny. I have over 30 critters now, and everyone gets along well. Taking care of my critters is a labor of love.

I find that funny things seem to happen a lot at Frolic Farm, and I will be sharing some of these stories in this blog.