Barnyard Shenanigans At Forest Haven Homestead

Barnyard Shenanigans At Forest Haven Homestead NPIP Certified
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Welcome to Barnyard Shenanigans
Where the chickens gossip, the ducks talk back, the rabbits multiply overnight, the hogs act like they own the place, and the goats… well, the goats are definitely up to something.

I sat here giggling my butt off about nonvegan fish oil and then realized I desperately need glasses. 💀💀💀
05/21/2026

I sat here giggling my butt off about nonvegan fish oil and then realized I desperately need glasses. 💀💀💀

Update. We recently recertified our flock and are one of only 6 Illinois backyard breeders certified AI clean. We are pa...
05/21/2026

Update. We recently recertified our flock and are one of only 6 Illinois backyard breeders certified AI clean. We are pausing hatching season until fall, out of stock of started pullets and point of lay pullets but still have around 100 juvenile pullets off heat.

Reminder: You can find us on Wed. mornings at the Marion Farmers Market but all farm visits are by appointment only.

05/13/2026

Idk how you feel about vaccines, but the CDT vaccine is one of the most commonly used vaccines in goats and sheep for a reason. Some people out here acting like basic livestock medicine is government mind control while their animals are one grain bucket away from meeting Jesus.

CDT stands for:
• Clostridium perfringens Type C
• D = Clostridium perfringens Type D
• T = Tetanus

The “C” and “D” parts help protect against enterotoxemia, also called “overeating disease.” This can happen when animals overload on grain/corn or go through sudden diet changes that let harmful gut bacteria explode and release toxins. Symptoms can include diarrhea, bloat, neurological problems, sudden crashing, and death — sometimes fast enough to make your stomach drop when you walk out to the barn.

The “T” protects against tetanus from wounds, injuries, castration, disbudding, kidding/lambing complications, rusty wire, or the random dumb stuff livestock manage to do to themselves daily.

Vaccines are not magic. You still need:
• Proper feeding practices
• Slow feed transitions
• Decent sanitation
• Mineral balance
• Actual husbandry instead of Facebook comment section medicine

But CDT exists because generations of farmers and veterinarians learned these lessons the hard way.

Good Morning, you can catch us this morning at the Marion Farmers Market in Marion IL until 11 am.
05/13/2026

Good Morning, you can catch us this morning at the Marion Farmers Market in Marion IL until 11 am.

Good night everyone, its going to be an early morning. Tomorrow will be our first farmers market at the Marion Farmers ...
05/13/2026

Good night everyone, its going to be an early morning. Tomorrow will be our first farmers market at the Marion Farmers Market

About a month left in this springs hatching season. 🐓🌞🌿
05/13/2026

About a month left in this springs hatching season. 🐓🌞🌿

Good morning, what's your project of the day? Mine is making goat's milk yogurt. 🌞🧋🎉👍
05/12/2026

Good morning, what's your project of the day? Mine is making goat's milk yogurt. 🌞🧋🎉👍

05/12/2026

These kids are so adorable. 🐐🌾🏠💛

🎉 Facebook recognized me as a top rising creator this week!
05/11/2026

🎉 Facebook recognized me as a top rising creator this week!

I see posts complaining about homesteading just being a money pit or too expensive to start out. 🌾🏠💰 Homesteading is a l...
05/11/2026

I see posts complaining about homesteading just being a money pit or too expensive to start out. 🌾🏠💰 Homesteading is a lifestyle focused on using the land you live on for self-sufficiency and sustainability, characterized by producing one's own food, preserving resources, and reducing reliance on modern, centralized systems. 🌱🔄 I think part of the disconnect is people thinking self-sufficiency means it won’t cost money, or looking at it as a hobby instead of treating it more like our ancestors did—building toward production and, in many cases, a farm mindset. 🤔💡 That shift in approach changes things and reduces the “money trap” feeling. 💸 One of the biggest complaints is that homesteading is a “money pit,” but that usually comes from building systems without any plan for output or return. 📊📈 Homesteading does require investment, but it also needs production if it’s going to sustain itself in any meaningful way. 🚀 Money also doesn’t have to be spent all at once. 🕒 You don’t need to build everything upfront. 📦 You can start with lower-cost, faster-turnover systems like short-season crops, small plant production, and other quick return setups that begin generating output early. 🚀🌱 Livestock can be built the same way. 🐓🐑🐖 Raising chicks and selling pullets, starting with small livestock like sheep, goats, or hogs, before leaping into the cattle market while its at its highest. Then scale as each stage begins to fund the next. 📈💰 Each step builds on the last instead of requiring constant out-of-pocket expansion. 🔄 The key is that one part of the system should be feeding the next. 🍴 Eggs can pay for feed. 🥚 Livestock sales can build fencing or breeding stock of the next species. 🐴🐓 Crops can fund infrastructure over time. 🌾🏡 That’s how you move from constant expense to a functioning system. 🔄 My rabbits and chickens have paid for a lot, we expanded to goats, hogs and bees. We went from 1/2 acre lot with our 5 rabbits to owning a 10 acre farm hitting the chicken craze at the right time and now its fading we have cash flow with repeat customers. 🐓💸🌟🌟🌟

Address

Thompsonville, IL
62890

Telephone

(618)5005918

Website

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