Bad Attitude Farm & Forge LLC

Muscovy Business with a 13 Year Old

I just had one of the most pleasant business exchanges.  So much so, that I had to ask the person I was doing business with just how old she was.  The answer surprised me.  She is 13 years old, raises ducks, chickens, and other critters.  Of course I asked, do you milk goats?  Why would I ask such a thing?  Well, there’s more on our farm that needs tending to than just our two children.  Finding a baby sitting isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

Our business started with my placing a listing on Craigs List.  I was looking for hens for my Buff Brahma rooster, Ducks for my Mallard Drakes, and maybe some other breeds if they are priced right and aren’t too far from Waddy, Kentucky where our homestead (uh zoo)  finds its home.  I received an email in short time which in part read:

“I live in Waddy also My daughter raises muskovy ducks she is  selling…”

A phone call later and my son and I were in the minivan with a cage.  My truck doesn’t have a back seat and I don’t think it is safe to put a three-year-old in the front seat.  It was the most pleasant buying experience of my life.

There big friendly dog met us at the van with his tongue at the ready.  After a few good licks, he let us know the family were up the hill a bit.  Drew was disappointed that the dog was for sale.  But we trudged up the hill to find Cathy (mom), her daughter, and other family members tending there herd and flocks.  Through the gate and we felt like we were at home.  Not only because the animals were as friendly as those were on our farm, but also because the folk there were open, friendly, and warm.  Yes, that is something I have come to expect from Kentucky farm folk, but not so much from teen-agers.  Each was very helpful and knowledgeable.

Drew quickly lost interest in the dog when he saw the variety of other critters to play with.  He plopped himself right down on the ground with the expectations that they would all run up to him the way they do on our farm.  I think he was a bit disappointed to find that the critters didn’t know him well enough.  Still, he was amazed at their miniature goats.  Ours are full size, so I think he figured they were babies.

Before we talked price, I learned they were looking for some Indian Runners.  I’ve got 35 in the incubator, so when it came to price I told the young lady that I’ll pay what ever she thinks is reasonable but to remember that when my Indian Runners feather out I will be remembering what I paid.  When they didn’t have change I had them throw in a couple more birds to make up the difference.  I look forward to seeing them again when my Indian Runners feather out.

Many thanks to Kim and her Daughter for a great afternoon journey.  My son had a great time.

So what did I learn – This is not a complaint at all, but I get confused and figure lots of other people do as well.  When it came time to picking out the birds that would be going home, I couldn’t keep track of which ones were available for sale and which were not.  I had hoped that Drew would pick them out, but if my attention span was too short to keep track I couldn’t imagine a three year old doing much better.

Again, not a complaint at all.  We haven’t yet so much as tried to sell a bird on our farm.  So it was great to experience an onsite transaction from the customer’s point of view.  I think what I will do is make sure each run has a smaller section on the inside.  That way when I know I have someone coming out to take a look, I can move the birds that are for sale into that section for easy identification.