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Pips 'n Chicks Engineering. Agriculture. Excellence. Pushing the bar forward in livestock with technology, tools, and education.

10/18/2026

Thank you everyone for a wonderful barn dance - going to bed with sore feet and a full heart ❤️ could not have dreamed of a better night

Don't forget about the barn dance tonight! My general contractor (see also: Dad 🥰) has been very busy fixing doors, even...
10/17/2026

Don't forget about the barn dance tonight! My general contractor (see also: Dad 🥰) has been very busy fixing doors, evening out the floor, and the handyman jobs to get this place looking nice, while I've been moving hay, cleaning, and baking for tonight!

So excited to see you all :) there are even people traveling all the way from lower Michigan to come out!

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Anyone have song recommendations or requests?

I got a message from a fair committee member today and had to pull over on my way home from work because it made me tear...
10/15/2026

I got a message from a fair committee member today and had to pull over on my way home from work because it made me tear up a bit.

This is my dream 🫶 There is nothing better than getting kids excited to work hard and seeing that work pay off. It might be "just an animal" to some people, but really what you learn in the show, whether that's through 4H, state fair, or APA rings, it stays with you for a lifetime. The best thing we can ever do is to turn around and help the people behind us get that too.

If there's a legacy I want to leave in this industry, as a judge, breeder, or exhibitor, it's this kind of message right here. And I'm pretty dang lucky that I get to do that year after year.

Gotta come out with a bang in the big chickens (Breanna for scale) I'm pretty excited to get my jump start in the largef...
10/11/2026

Gotta come out with a bang in the big chickens (Breanna for scale)

I'm pretty excited to get my jump start in the largefowl with this stunning cockerel from Josh Flees and Jim Konkol, aptly named Tater Tot.

I always preach that you have to build the fundamentals - width down to the ground, depth through the abdominal, and thick bones throughout - and this guy does that. His color doesn't hurt much either... I'm working with my favorite nutritionist (Hi!) to beef him up for the last stretch of shows this fall, then he'll be sent to the breeding pens to cover two females, also from Flees. Their posts will come soon ;)

Overall, I think he's going to mature nice and balance out the gals for length and structure in the tail, where they will bring in the heavier beetle brow and carriage through the breast. Can't wait to see what the next shows and spring brings for him!

Breed of the week: Belgium Bearded D'Uccles :)These are a fan favorite of mine, I think because they are so full of pers...
10/10/2026

Breed of the week: Belgium Bearded D'Uccles :)

These are a fan favorite of mine, I think because they are so full of personality and typically very colorful. There's an argument in the breed on whether you pronounce them "doo-clay" or "doo-uck-le". I prefer to pay homage to the original language and call them "doo-clay". You'll sometimes also hear them called "millies", as the main variety is "mille de fleur" or " thousand flowers", but I don't care for the nickname as it's only one of the seven varieties that are recognized by the APA and several other breeds can also have the mille fleur pattern.

When judging them at fairs, I always start with type- these should have a full, bullish neck and beard with a nice sweep to the tail. I find hatchery birds tend to be a bit lankier in the neck and front end, and don't transition from the back to the tail well. It can be pretty easy to spot. Then you can get picky with color - you want the mottling on the porcelain, millie fleur, golden neck, and mottled to be even throughout the body, with a single v-tip of white on the edge of each tail feather. The base color should also be even throughout.

They can be a hard breed to show simply because their class (featherleg) is very competitive, and there usually is a lot of competition in the breed as well. I generally do recommend these for kiddos though because of their easy going personality, decent hardiness, and small size. It's just easier to start in black or self blue if you can find them, and always find the best breeder you can to get birds from!

Ever have d'uccles or know of some great breeders? Let's see them below :) I'll start with Susan Buchanan - her birds are always beautiful. Birds posted are from WISP and Northwoods this year

One of the things that is most important to me is community. I firmly believe that inviting people to have a connection ...
10/07/2026

One of the things that is most important to me is community. I firmly believe that inviting people to have a connection to their food and neighbors is the best thing that we can do as farmers. And as part of that, I am working to do community events like this on the farm as we fix it up... namely, a barn dance!

If you're in the area, bring a friend, family, partner, or just yourself. It's family friendly, we'll have snacks and lessons to teach you to line dance, modern swing dance, and polka. There is no cost and open to all ages/experience levels.

A few things to note: this will be in the hay mow. It is still actively being used to store corn stover. We'll have it corded off and cleaned, but there may still be some dust. Absolutely no smoking of any kind, inside or out. The floor is old hardwood (the best kind of dance floor) so sneakers/boots work best. Dressing up is encouraged but not needed! Anyone under 15 must have a parent or guardian with them. We will provide plenty food and (non-alcoholic) beverages, please do not bring any of your own except water. Above all, please be respectful to our farm, house, and animals.

I can't wait for this and hope it is the start to a wonderful tradition and community 🥰

Thank you to Riley Shaefer for helping plan this out and coordinate the food and decorations!

Speaking of call ducks, calling all of the youth! The wonderful Mr. Don Karasek will be doing another call duck clinic t...
10/06/2026

Speaking of call ducks, calling all of the youth! The wonderful Mr. Don Karasek will be doing another call duck clinic this year at the NCBA national meet (Badger Poultry Show), in Jefferson WI.

It was a great turnout last year, and so much good information. I learned a lot and I (not a kid) was just there to take pictures ☺️

He puts a ton of time and effort into really getting hands on and teaching the fundamentals all the way through the nitty gritty. It will be well worth the time if you (sorry, your kids) are interested in waterfowl at all.

If you'll be at the show, be sure to register and come on out for a quackin' good time! If you have specific questions or things you want to dive into, send him a message and I'm sure he would be happy to include it in his presentation or talk afterwards with you.

** I usually don't share events for other people on this page, but Mr. Karasek had asked me to put something out about it, and after watching some of it last year, I am so happy to. It truly will be a great opportunity for anyone looking to improve with their calls, or kids wanted to know more. **

I love Mr. Jeff Duguay 's idea of doing a breed of the day, and want to highlight a breed each week that I see at shows!...
10/04/2026

I love Mr. Jeff Duguay 's idea of doing a breed of the day, and want to highlight a breed each week that I see at shows! I'll start off with call ducks.

Call ducks were originally bred by hunters. They would bring ducks with them to "call in" other waterfowl in ponds, hence why they have such a loud and distinct call. They since have become very popular in the showroom because of their small size and cute demeanor. Typically white is the most competitive variety, but they have 9 recognized varieties in the APA, and many more "project" colors.

When I judge these at fairs, I am looking first for proportionate bodies, with a good breast and the proper size. Then getting a bit more picky on head shape and coloration. Ducks aren't my strong suit, so I'd love to hear from breeders about what they are breeding for, as well as see some of yours!

Pictured is champion bantam duck at WIPS 2026.

A little bit of a rant time. Very few things get me more frustrated than livestock "rescues" like this. If you want to b...
10/03/2026

A little bit of a rant time. Very few things get me more frustrated than livestock "rescues" like this.

If you want to buy sale stock and keep them as pets, that is your prerogative. If you want to have petting zoos and keep animals until they die naturally, that is 100% ok. As long as animals are properly fed and cared for, it is your money, your farm, your decisions.

But to be constantly begging for money because you can not properly care for them is not. To villianize farmers that raise and eat their animals humanely is not ok. Too often, their business model is to play with your emotions to get money from you, and it hurts farmers in the process.

This is an example of one that recently was on my FYP. And it's frustrating - the animals here do not have shelter apparently. They are running out of food. The rent is past due. The owner is thousands in debt, and trying to spin a sob story to get donations so they can continue to "save the cows". They defend it by saying they are working harder than asking the bank for a loan. In realty, one of their 32 cows sent to processing would cover that cost. A good business plan and financial planning would have prevented most of it.

If a farmer posted something like this, they would be eaten alive by animal rights activists for not selling off their cattle and rightfully so. This isn't good animal welfare. But instead it's a rescue.

Please do not support any page that tries to get your money with sob stories about saving healthy livestock. It hurts our industry so much more than people realize.

Rant over.

My pasture (and the deer) are starting to grow 😇This was a custom blend made up for me by my nutritionist and mixed by a...
10/03/2026

My pasture (and the deer) are starting to grow 😇

This was a custom blend made up for me by my nutritionist and mixed by a local seedmill, and I'm so excited for the spring!

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