|
|
About Our Farm
Our vision is to raise happy livestock the way God intended: with fresh grass, natural grains and minerals, and lots of sunshine. We give our animals the best so they can give us the best. On Laughing Chicken Farm, the chickens really do laugh.
We at the Laughing Chicken Farm believe we have a moral responsibility to both livestock and consumer. Our animals are raised with respect and gentleness, and we are committed to delivering the freshest product possible to our customers.
Our Story
Bill and Robin's life together started in 1985 at a small church meeting in Clearwater. Both were unaware of the setup a mutual friend had planned, but the plan turned successful when a year later they were married in that same small church. Bill worked building screen rooms for mobile homes, Robin had just finished trade school as a cabinetmaker and was now working at a cabinet shop as well as pursuing her artwork.
Sharing a love for the outdoors and the self-sufficient lifestyle, they thought about moving to a three acre parcel in Dade City, Fl that Robin's parents owned. But the practical side of life kept them in the city. Three years later they purchased their first home in St. Petersburg, Fl and started a family.
Catherine, Ben and Micah were born and Bill and Robin continued to pursue their desire for homesteading on their small plot. Grow-box gardens filled the front yard and rabbits and chickens filled the back. Soon they outgrew their 900 square foot dwelling and moved to a larger home in Clearwater, right around the corner from the little church where they had met. Animals and gardening took a backseat while the kids grew and Robin pursued more of her artwork. The City of Clearwater became a client on more than one occasion and Robin's painting was chosen for the commemorative poster for the opening of the new Memorial Causeway Bridge. The Painted Fish Gallery in Dunedin began to represent her and she and Bill began to show at local art shows.
Bill's occupation changed from building screen rooms to installing industrial equipment, then eventually to sales. In his free time, he pursued his passion for fishing and hunting. The dream of moving to the country burned in their hearts, but they set it aside for “someday.”
Suddenly, in 2008 the possibility of making the move opened up when their older children graduated high school and went off to college and their youngest became a homeschooler. Now they were portable. But 2008 was also the beginning of the housing market crash. They put the house on the market and watched the value decrease by the week. Their dreams of owning 40 acres turned to 20 acres then to 10. Still they trusted God with their dreams.
In December of 2008 they had a contract on the house and they had picked a parcel of land to purchase in Gilchrist County. A friend of a friend had a one bedroom cabin on their property just few miles from the land and they were willing to rent it out. Bill planned to start a new sales territory in Gainesville/Ocala with the industrial equipment company in Clearwater. Selling nearly everything they owned, and stuffing the rest into the small cabin and two storage units, they arrived in Trenton, Fl in February 2009.
By June plans were drawn for the home they would build, the well and septic were placed and they found a large RV to move onto the land. June was also the time Robin had planned to see Joel Salatin's farm in Virginia for an intensive training weekend. Having read Joel's books on raising poultry and farming, she was anxious to see his methods firsthand. She planned on traveling with a friend, but last minute her friend had to cancel and gave her ticket to Bill. This was the beginning of the plans for the Laughing Chicken Farm. The couple came back and immediately ordered 75 chickens and 15 turkeys and began building cages.
Excited about their new enterprise, they began selling part-time at a small farmer's market close to home, but when they began attending the larger market in Gainesville it became obvious that the chicken business could actually support them. Only 9 months after moving, Bill quit his job of over 25 years and became a full-time chicken farmer. The house building plans were put away and Robin picked out a mobile home instead so they could devote all their energies into the business.
|
We do not process our products in a permitted facility, and according to current government guidelines we must sell our products as pet food, not for human comsumption.
We currently hold a Florida Dept. of Agriculture Master Feed Distributor License (#1533).
Copyright 2014 by Laughing Chicken Farm
All rights reserved.
|
|
