Fern Hill Farm

Fern Hill Farm Fern Hill Farm and Farmstand
A backyard family homestead created from our own pursuit for better health to live fully with chronic pain issues.

Sharing our extra eggs, seedlings, and more at our small roadside self-serve farmstand in Thomaston Maine

Never had duck eggs before? We hadn't either before we had ducks, but now use them so frequently that ducks represent 1/...
05/30/2026

Never had duck eggs before? We hadn't either before we had ducks, but now use them so frequently that ducks represent 1/3 our laying flock. Hopefully this post answers some of the questions you may have about this unique option at the farmstand.

The magic of finding this token 🥹....Community was a core goal of why we wanted to have a farmstand. The self-sufficient...
05/29/2026

The magic of finding this token 🥹....

Community was a core goal of why we wanted to have a farmstand. The self-sufficient homestead is a myth, in that nobody can realistically do *everything* sustainably solo. We are meant for shared community to create the systems we need. So in recognizing this, we decided to grow that community in our lives alongside the homestead from the start with the hopes that a farmstand could serve as our connection point from our largely homebound life. To offer the extra from what we're doing here back as part of our communities local healthy food options. We knew we'd have very limited offerings as we build up our farm (and relatively will *always* be a tiny homestead), we didn't know if it would be successful, or even welcome among neighbors....but we decided to try, and.....

WOW!!!

I don't think anything better speaks to the amazing reality of this first month open than this token. We found it in our cashbox, and our happy little hearts just about burst picking it up and reading it. From an immense outpouring of support from local pages, customers who already seem to be regulars, and supportive neighbors like the magical joy-makers who left this (and another generous joy-maker we'll reveal a wonderful surprise from soon) we're just positively overwhelmed and humbled by the supportive start.

Maybe we'll grow some extra seedlings, someone might buy them.....we nearly sold out!

Maybe we'll eventually reach a point where the stand pays for the chickens/ducks 1/2 the year (through the laying months).....on track!

Maybe we'll finally meet some neighbors and make some nearby friends.....from goat visits, to shared messages, to plant trades, to gifted tokens- we've either met or connected to more of our community this month than since we moved in. Thank you to all who reached out! Thank you for welcoming us.

Maybe it will just make people happy to see and stop at, be a joy-crafted moment in someone's day....I can only say I hope so, and I think we're on track. We're putting the final touches on our seed library to add to it, and I'm plotting up little free library designs for next year.

We're very excited to be here and see what the future of the farmstand and homestead looks like.

Last Chance Alert!Our current seedlings are outgrowing their pots, and are ready to harden off and go into the ground in...
05/21/2026

Last Chance Alert!

Our current seedlings are outgrowing their pots, and are ready to harden off and go into the ground in the next few days. We will be planting what is leftover into our garden after this weekend, so be sure to stop in over this Memorial Day weekend to pick some up first!

We will NOT have more peppers or tomatoes this year once these are gone and sparse offerings of everything else listed, if any (but keep an eye out for squashes over the next couple weeks).

We have an abundance of seedlings we can't fit out on the stand all at once. Particularly a large variety of gorgeous organically grown pepper plants (hot, sweet, bell, Jalapeño). Feel free to DM us to organize a direct pickup of multiple reserved seedlings. Buy 5 get one free this weekend only through Memorial Day.

Thank you to our neighbors and community for making our first two weeks with the farmstand open a success! So much so th...
05/19/2026

Thank you to our neighbors and community for making our first two weeks with the farmstand open a success! So much so that we're even sold out of eggs today, but will be back with more tomorrow (we still have seedlings out today- full preview available in stories daily).

Our operation is very small, with our goal not being profit, but sustainability in raising the healthy food that supports our family. This years goal is just to have the stand cover at least half of the costs that go into keeping our laying flock of chickens and ducks. To be on track for that reality off-the-bat is a gift, and we hope to eventually meet all the wonderful neighbors who have come by to make that true this week with getting our seedlings and eggs. Thank you!

Seedling Availability Update! We now have our full list of available seedling varieties for 2025 and they will be out in...
05/16/2026

Seedling Availability Update!

We now have our full list of available seedling varieties for 2025 and they will be out in limited quantities every warm day going forward. We will try to have large quantities out as shown on weekends when we can get the cart down to the road.

As well as our fresh chicken eggs everyday!

05/14/2026

Check our story to see if the farmstand is open/daily offerings!
You can view our daily farmstand offerings on our FB stories. They'll be posted by 10am on days we are open. Due to the nature of chronic illness, a set schedule of days and hours is never guaranteed for us. So while we'll try to have it open consistently daily, this method is our best option so visitors can actually confidently know if we open or not a particular day before visiting.

05/14/2026

On perfect days we get all clean eggs in nesting boxes, but between rainy days, muddy feet, and temperamental chickens, not all eggs make the cut. The good part? They aren't wasted, and can go right back towards the health of the chickens.

(Note for chicken keepers- always cook and scramble any eggs fed back to avoid teaching them to recognize and eat/peck at eggs).

Love the daily mix and change of how the egg colors present- from gradients to speckled or faint pink and purple blooms ...
05/11/2026

Love the daily mix and change of how the egg colors present- from gradients to speckled or faint pink and purple blooms other days. Yesterday we had some chicks hatch that will hopefully bring back some more greens and blues to our lineup.

You can grab this dozen up today in the farmstand along with our newly added ground cherry seedlings.

Today is two years since our moving day to this property with the first starts of Fern Hill Farm. We moved with our tiny...
05/11/2026

Today is two years since our moving day to this property with the first starts of Fern Hill Farm. We moved with our tiny existing backyard homestead setup from Rockland: our goat Roxy, Bodhi the husky, and our little flock of six chickens and three ducks at that time.

It has certainly grown bigger and faster than expected since then! Between Akira the livestock guardian dog (reserved as a puppy the week a bobcat said hello during the home inspection), taking on some goats we already knew/loved and wanted to keep safe when they needed rehoming a few months later, a neighbor selling a rabbit hutch and helping move it, another local farmer helping us get their old huge chicken coop here, along with the gardens we've been working with since getting here. While we always wanted a personal homestead, our 10 year plan essentially got to turn into a 1 year plan and became a central part of life quickly. And it's been so fun and rewarding. We ended up giving our homestead an official name and sending out our first Fern Hill Farm Holiday Card that same year.
It is all still very much in-construction/ a W.I.P, but we have a strong vision to work towards of what we eventually want this little space to be for ourselves, our animals, friends and community.

02/06/2026

Maine-Frostbite is not a death sentence!

In many parts of the country, chicken keepers are experiencing cold and extreme temperatures that they, or their animals, are not used too dealing with so if you have a friend in a warmer place experiencing these issues.. share this post with them!

Fear not.. although not great, frostbite on combs and wattles is not a death sentence!

The pic demonstrates what may happen if your chickens comb gets frostbite. The area will discolor eventually turn black. Once black there is no turning back, that tissue is dead. Dont attemp to cut or trim that tissue.. let it fall off on its own!
What your bird will be left with is a chicken version of a non spiked Mohawk! They might not look the way they once did but they will be just fine!

A few things to help reduce frostbite in your area:

-A properly vented coop help reduce the chances of frostbite. Vents up high, no draft down low.
-Water containers raised up so the angle the rooster has to dip will help with C+W issues.
- Discoloration of the comb are the first signs of frostbite.
- Any product you put on the area should be done gently as the area is extremely sensitive. More pat than rub.
- Any product you use should not have any water in the ingredients. It will make it worse!
- We use Mushers secret.
- Birds that have experienced frostbite will be less prone to frostbite the following year!

Hope this helps!

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Thomaston, ME
04861

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