My name is Dona Barski. I am a 21 year old college student working towards becoming a vet. I'm moving on from my community college with an Associates in Science, and am headed to Michigan State University for Fall 2011. I'm hoping that I'll be entering MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine Fall 2012. Wish me luck!
For the past 10 years I have completely ran the animal aspect of our family farm. It all started when I begged my dad for a single pet goat. That goat is named Daisy, and she's still here on the farm wreaking her goatie havoc. I have slowly expanded the farm over the years, furthering the amount of mischief and mayhem that occurs here.
We currently raise:
ADGA french alpine dairy goats, USBGA/ABGA registered percentage Boer Goats, Miniature meat goats, Muscovy Ducks, Welsh Harlequin ducks, mutt geese, Broiler chickens, BBW Turkies, several breeds of layer/dual purpose chickens, guinas, Silver Fox rabbits, New Zealand Rabbits, and crossbred rabbits. Our goal with all of our animals is profit, production, health, and quality, in equal proportions. The ONLY animals I show are my rabbits, though in 2011 I will be on DHIR and will LA with my Dairy goats.
If you are interested in seeing more pictures of my poultry or the rest of the farm, they can be seen on my website: www.capriceacres.webs.com.
Poultry
(Silver Muscovy Duckling)
Muscovy Ducks - What started as wanting a trio for meat production several years ago, has escalated to having about 15+ breeders and a LOT of ducklings per season. I currently have chocolate, blue, lilac, blue fawn, silver, black, white, and color crested white. Patterns include pied and barred. I do have a 'tame' muscovy, and I enjoy Muscovy because their wonderful meat, their beautiful colors, their quiet calm nature, and most of all - as living yard decorations. A group of these birds is GORGEOUS out on the lawn. Their goofy antics make them amazingly endearing. I believe everyone should look past the caruncles and get some muscovies!
Important points about muscovies:
- Great temperaments
- GREAT mothers, 2+ clutches of up to 20 ducklings per hen, per year
- productive for both meat and eggs
- they are butchered at 12 weeks
- hens generally lay the spring after they hatch
- multi colored, beautiful in a flock
- do fly, but can have primary feathers trimmed or can be pinioned to keep grounded
- excellent free rangers
- great for 'natural' fly control
- don't require lots of water, do not need water to breed
- are regulated by law, and must be permanently ID'd before sale or before 6 weeks of age.
For the first hatches of 2011, I plan to try pinioning and tattooing, to see which method I will use. Ducklings will be tattooed, pinioned, or have a toe removed at time of hatch. Adults will be banded, if they weren't marked at hatch. If you want ducklings, I will ONLY sell them marked somehow - please let me know if you prefer a certain method of marking. If tattooed, they will follow the same tatto letter year as the ADGA dairy goats do, so they will be Identifiable by year.
I take deposits on nests as they arrive. I accept deposits on up to half of a clutch, to make sure that if deaths occur after/before hatching that I can still fill orders. This means I often have ducklings available after hatch, because not all are spoken for. I retain my 'keepers' before selling any from a clutch.
PRICES
Muscovy ducklings - 4.00 each
Adult/juvenile 'scovies - 10.00 - 15.00 ea, as available.
I may consider hatching eggs, though I tend to let my girls set as I don't believe 'scovies hatch as well in an incubator...
Hatching eggs - 1.50 ea (18.00 per doz)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geese - I currently have 5 unsexed geese, Embden x Tolouse crosses. This is another one of those 'just for meat' breeding things. I bet I'll have several purebred breeds of geese in a few years.
PRICES
Goslings - 8.00 each
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- We have 7 pearl guineas that I got to put in our garden and to free range about the yard. They are stupid but hilarious birds. I enjoy them, especially because loudness isn't an issue here. They definetely add character to the mix.Guineas
PRICES
Keets - 4.00 each
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- I currently only have three females and two males of this breed After having Muscovies for about 5-6 years, it's odd to have ducks that quack! They are gorgeous, however, and I cannot wait for them to start to lay eggs. Welsh Harlequin Ducks
PRICES
Ducklings - 4.00 each
Hatching eggs - 1.50 ea (18.00 per doz)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- by far my favorite 'utility' breed. They are dual purpose, but the hens are the reason I keep them. I am finally retiring and butchering hens that are 4 and 5 years old. They HAVE slowed in production but are still laying *pretty* well considering their age. At 3 and 4 years of age they were going STRONG, with HUGE HUGE HUGE brown eggs. I'm actually not sure I'll be able to butcher them, when the time comes. I love my New Hampshire girls.New Hampshire chickens
- I only use birds with pea combs/colored legs as breeding stock, I ONLY sell green/blue hatching eggs, and when sell chicks they will be from green/blue eggs ONLY. I love these birds for their wide variety of colors and the fact that they are already mutts... so I can cross in new genetics just to see what I get.
Easter Egger chickens
- These birds are nice, so far. It's my second year with them, first year with layers. I'm ambivalent about this breed so far. They are pleasant birds, good layers, good personalities.Rhode Island Red chickens
- Hatched out some supposedly 'exhibition stock' hatching eggs spring of 2010. I can't tell if mine are exhibition quality or not - but I don't mind either way. What convinced me to get them was that the owner said despite being show quality lines, they still lay like heck! I love their pure white feathers and they're lovely out free ranging. White Leghorns
- Why didn't I get some of these earlier? Goodness are they gorgeous! If they make as good layers as they do yard decorations, I'll expand into other colors. Mine were hatched spring of 2010.Silver Laced Wyandottes
- I'm really liking the look of these solid black birds. I only have 2 females that hatched, however. I'm hoping they're as good of layers as I've always heard, and I plan on hatching more spring 2011. They are quite lovely. Hatched spring of 2010.Australorps
PRICES
Chicks (any breed, purebred) - 2.50 ea
hatching eggs - 10.00 per dozen
Young pullets (2-3 months) - 7.00 ea
Point of lay pullets, young layers (3-4 month old pullets, less than 1 yr old hens) - 10.00 - 15.00 ea as available
Extra roosters - 5.00 ea (a couple free per breed with pullets if desired, if available)
Rabbits
I raise rabbits because they are excellent producers. They are easy to handle, easy to butcher, easy to raise. I chose Silver Fox as my main breed because they are amazingly calm and handleable. They are also great mothers, and dress out well.
(purebred blue silver fox doe)
- rare breed, I work work with blues and blacks. Pedigreed and Tattooed. Show, brood, and pet quality available.Silver Fox Rabbits
- New Zealands are SUPERB meat animals. I tend to shy away from white lines because they have a tendancy of being aggressive. I raise mainly blacks, and have gotten a few 75% blues that I'll be using to develop my own New Zealand Blues. I currently have a purebred buck/doe pair and a 50% New Zealand White/50% Silver Fox doe, which is who I get blues from. My buck carries REW as well as Blue. New Zealand Rabbits
- Crosses between Silver fox, New Zealand White, and New Zealand Black. These are mainly project animals but the culls make great meat animals or for sale as breeding stock to those individuals who want JUST meat breeders and aren't interested in breeds/pedigrees. Crossbred rabbits
(purebred, pedigreed NZW buck)
- My rabbit projects include developing a Blue variety of New Zealand. They exist elsewhere in the states, but they are REALLY hard for me to find, so I'll make my own. It helps that My New Zealand Black buck carries blue! Rabbit projects
PRICES
Show Quality Silver Fox - 40.00 each OR SO, depending on quality. I do offer group discounts but with no set price range for pairs/trios or more. What I tend to do is price the group that is desired, then knock of some cost as I see fit.
Crosses or unpedigreed rabbits - 10.00 - 15.00 as breeders (depends on age).
New Zealands - 20.00 OR SO, depending on qualty. I plan on crossing New Zealand Whites with Blacks, and I know this is undesireable to some raisers. I personally believe it'll increase the quality of my blacks, and by carefully breeding I shouldn't have many issues, and I will be VERY open with buyers that the pedigrees aren't exclusively one color or another.
Goats
Goats are what started my passion for homesteading and animals in general. They have kept me out of trouble through my teenage years. I have owned goats for approximately 10 years, and raised them for about 8 years now. Over the years I've compiled a ridiculous amount of knowledge about these darned critters -and still have more to learn. It's a passion of mine so I don't mind. I am very obsessed with herd health, and maintain a disease free, tested herd. The diseases I test for are CL, CAE, and Johne's. We raise miniatures and Boers for meat, and French Alpines for dairy. We've only recently gotten into boers for the first time, and re-started with the Alpines for the second time, so it'll be a few years before we have regular numbers of kids/breeding stock available, but we will have a few available in the next few years.
- These are NOT "Nigerian Dwarf x Full size Dairy breed" crosses. They are 'meat type' miniatures, which are MOSTLY pygmy origin. The plan is to breed more towards the boer goat standard, but in miniature. I'm slowly phasing these out and am only keeping 3 'older' does and a buck to breed to them. Once the does are too old to breed, I'll be done raising them. I just can't bear to sell/butcher my beloved first goats. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. MNGA registered Miniature goats
(Grace-Hill Magnolia - french alpine. Unshaved, dry yearling)
- Dairy does which supply our milk, accompanied by the Alpine's characteristic sassy attitudes that I love. I currently am getting back into dairies again, and only have two does. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. My does are bred to my French Alpine buck for March 2012 kids, and their kids will be registered as French Alpines through ADGA. Kids priced on my website. ADGA registered French Alpines
- Finally found some disease tested boer goats. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. I have 5 boer does, all of which are bred to my purebred boer buck for 2012.ABGA/USBGA registered Boer Goats
For the past 10 years I have completely ran the animal aspect of our family farm. It all started when I begged my dad for a single pet goat. That goat is named Daisy, and she's still here on the farm wreaking her goatie havoc. I have slowly expanded the farm over the years, furthering the amount of mischief and mayhem that occurs here.
We currently raise:
ADGA french alpine dairy goats, USBGA/ABGA registered percentage Boer Goats, Miniature meat goats, Muscovy Ducks, Welsh Harlequin ducks, mutt geese, Broiler chickens, BBW Turkies, several breeds of layer/dual purpose chickens, guinas, Silver Fox rabbits, New Zealand Rabbits, and crossbred rabbits. Our goal with all of our animals is profit, production, health, and quality, in equal proportions. The ONLY animals I show are my rabbits, though in 2011 I will be on DHIR and will LA with my Dairy goats.
If you are interested in seeing more pictures of my poultry or the rest of the farm, they can be seen on my website: www.capriceacres.webs.com.
Poultry
(Silver Muscovy Duckling)
Muscovy Ducks - What started as wanting a trio for meat production several years ago, has escalated to having about 15+ breeders and a LOT of ducklings per season. I currently have chocolate, blue, lilac, blue fawn, silver, black, white, and color crested white. Patterns include pied and barred. I do have a 'tame' muscovy, and I enjoy Muscovy because their wonderful meat, their beautiful colors, their quiet calm nature, and most of all - as living yard decorations. A group of these birds is GORGEOUS out on the lawn. Their goofy antics make them amazingly endearing. I believe everyone should look past the caruncles and get some muscovies!
Important points about muscovies:
- Great temperaments
- GREAT mothers, 2+ clutches of up to 20 ducklings per hen, per year
- productive for both meat and eggs
- they are butchered at 12 weeks
- hens generally lay the spring after they hatch
- multi colored, beautiful in a flock
- do fly, but can have primary feathers trimmed or can be pinioned to keep grounded
- excellent free rangers
- great for 'natural' fly control
- don't require lots of water, do not need water to breed
- are regulated by law, and must be permanently ID'd before sale or before 6 weeks of age.
For the first hatches of 2011, I plan to try pinioning and tattooing, to see which method I will use. Ducklings will be tattooed, pinioned, or have a toe removed at time of hatch. Adults will be banded, if they weren't marked at hatch. If you want ducklings, I will ONLY sell them marked somehow - please let me know if you prefer a certain method of marking. If tattooed, they will follow the same tatto letter year as the ADGA dairy goats do, so they will be Identifiable by year.
I take deposits on nests as they arrive. I accept deposits on up to half of a clutch, to make sure that if deaths occur after/before hatching that I can still fill orders. This means I often have ducklings available after hatch, because not all are spoken for. I retain my 'keepers' before selling any from a clutch.
PRICES
Muscovy ducklings - 4.00 each
Adult/juvenile 'scovies - 10.00 - 15.00 ea, as available.
I may consider hatching eggs, though I tend to let my girls set as I don't believe 'scovies hatch as well in an incubator...
Hatching eggs - 1.50 ea (18.00 per doz)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geese - I currently have 5 unsexed geese, Embden x Tolouse crosses. This is another one of those 'just for meat' breeding things. I bet I'll have several purebred breeds of geese in a few years.
PRICES
Goslings - 8.00 each
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- We have 7 pearl guineas that I got to put in our garden and to free range about the yard. They are stupid but hilarious birds. I enjoy them, especially because loudness isn't an issue here. They definetely add character to the mix.Guineas
PRICES
Keets - 4.00 each
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- I currently only have three females and two males of this breed After having Muscovies for about 5-6 years, it's odd to have ducks that quack! They are gorgeous, however, and I cannot wait for them to start to lay eggs. Welsh Harlequin Ducks
PRICES
Ducklings - 4.00 each
Hatching eggs - 1.50 ea (18.00 per doz)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- by far my favorite 'utility' breed. They are dual purpose, but the hens are the reason I keep them. I am finally retiring and butchering hens that are 4 and 5 years old. They HAVE slowed in production but are still laying *pretty* well considering their age. At 3 and 4 years of age they were going STRONG, with HUGE HUGE HUGE brown eggs. I'm actually not sure I'll be able to butcher them, when the time comes. I love my New Hampshire girls.New Hampshire chickens
- I only use birds with pea combs/colored legs as breeding stock, I ONLY sell green/blue hatching eggs, and when sell chicks they will be from green/blue eggs ONLY. I love these birds for their wide variety of colors and the fact that they are already mutts... so I can cross in new genetics just to see what I get.
Easter Egger chickens
- These birds are nice, so far. It's my second year with them, first year with layers. I'm ambivalent about this breed so far. They are pleasant birds, good layers, good personalities.Rhode Island Red chickens
- Hatched out some supposedly 'exhibition stock' hatching eggs spring of 2010. I can't tell if mine are exhibition quality or not - but I don't mind either way. What convinced me to get them was that the owner said despite being show quality lines, they still lay like heck! I love their pure white feathers and they're lovely out free ranging. White Leghorns
- Why didn't I get some of these earlier? Goodness are they gorgeous! If they make as good layers as they do yard decorations, I'll expand into other colors. Mine were hatched spring of 2010.Silver Laced Wyandottes
- I'm really liking the look of these solid black birds. I only have 2 females that hatched, however. I'm hoping they're as good of layers as I've always heard, and I plan on hatching more spring 2011. They are quite lovely. Hatched spring of 2010.Australorps
PRICES
Chicks (any breed, purebred) - 2.50 ea
hatching eggs - 10.00 per dozen
Young pullets (2-3 months) - 7.00 ea
Point of lay pullets, young layers (3-4 month old pullets, less than 1 yr old hens) - 10.00 - 15.00 ea as available
Extra roosters - 5.00 ea (a couple free per breed with pullets if desired, if available)
Rabbits
I raise rabbits because they are excellent producers. They are easy to handle, easy to butcher, easy to raise. I chose Silver Fox as my main breed because they are amazingly calm and handleable. They are also great mothers, and dress out well.
(purebred blue silver fox doe)
- rare breed, I work work with blues and blacks. Pedigreed and Tattooed. Show, brood, and pet quality available.Silver Fox Rabbits
- New Zealands are SUPERB meat animals. I tend to shy away from white lines because they have a tendancy of being aggressive. I raise mainly blacks, and have gotten a few 75% blues that I'll be using to develop my own New Zealand Blues. I currently have a purebred buck/doe pair and a 50% New Zealand White/50% Silver Fox doe, which is who I get blues from. My buck carries REW as well as Blue. New Zealand Rabbits
- Crosses between Silver fox, New Zealand White, and New Zealand Black. These are mainly project animals but the culls make great meat animals or for sale as breeding stock to those individuals who want JUST meat breeders and aren't interested in breeds/pedigrees. Crossbred rabbits
(purebred, pedigreed NZW buck)
- My rabbit projects include developing a Blue variety of New Zealand. They exist elsewhere in the states, but they are REALLY hard for me to find, so I'll make my own. It helps that My New Zealand Black buck carries blue! Rabbit projects
PRICES
Show Quality Silver Fox - 40.00 each OR SO, depending on quality. I do offer group discounts but with no set price range for pairs/trios or more. What I tend to do is price the group that is desired, then knock of some cost as I see fit.
Crosses or unpedigreed rabbits - 10.00 - 15.00 as breeders (depends on age).
New Zealands - 20.00 OR SO, depending on qualty. I plan on crossing New Zealand Whites with Blacks, and I know this is undesireable to some raisers. I personally believe it'll increase the quality of my blacks, and by carefully breeding I shouldn't have many issues, and I will be VERY open with buyers that the pedigrees aren't exclusively one color or another.
Goats
Goats are what started my passion for homesteading and animals in general. They have kept me out of trouble through my teenage years. I have owned goats for approximately 10 years, and raised them for about 8 years now. Over the years I've compiled a ridiculous amount of knowledge about these darned critters -and still have more to learn. It's a passion of mine so I don't mind. I am very obsessed with herd health, and maintain a disease free, tested herd. The diseases I test for are CL, CAE, and Johne's. We raise miniatures and Boers for meat, and French Alpines for dairy. We've only recently gotten into boers for the first time, and re-started with the Alpines for the second time, so it'll be a few years before we have regular numbers of kids/breeding stock available, but we will have a few available in the next few years.
- These are NOT "Nigerian Dwarf x Full size Dairy breed" crosses. They are 'meat type' miniatures, which are MOSTLY pygmy origin. The plan is to breed more towards the boer goat standard, but in miniature. I'm slowly phasing these out and am only keeping 3 'older' does and a buck to breed to them. Once the does are too old to breed, I'll be done raising them. I just can't bear to sell/butcher my beloved first goats. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. MNGA registered Miniature goats
(Grace-Hill Magnolia - french alpine. Unshaved, dry yearling)
- Dairy does which supply our milk, accompanied by the Alpine's characteristic sassy attitudes that I love. I currently am getting back into dairies again, and only have two does. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. My does are bred to my French Alpine buck for March 2012 kids, and their kids will be registered as French Alpines through ADGA. Kids priced on my website. ADGA registered French Alpines
- Finally found some disease tested boer goats. Disease tested for CL, CAE, and Johne's. I have 5 boer does, all of which are bred to my purebred boer buck for 2012.ABGA/USBGA registered Boer Goats