Beckard Family Farm-J.B. Black Label Silkies

06/15/2026

There’s no reward for doing it the hard way 

Is what I’ve told myself at least 30 times as I laid landscape cloth over the vast majority of my garden

I cut this garden from sod 3 years ago. The first 2 years I lasagna gardened with loads of compost from our dump pile. I don’t have a tractor and I’d dig it all up by hand. I’d then push it with the wheelbarrow to the garden.

Last year I just couldn’t do it fast enough before the weeds started taking over. My garden became a mess minus the front 1/3 where I had gotten it done

It took me 2 burns and 2 days worth of tilling to even get it plantable this year and I just had to do something different.

This season of life has been busy with 2 kids in multiple sports and fully in 4-H. This doesn’t feel like me but I keep reminding myself. There’s no reward for doing it the hard way

And I’d rather have a garden over weeds

06/13/2026

Hey guys!

I field this question a few times a year during the summer so I will put my policy out there:

I will not sell your kid a full grown bird right before county fair

No matter the circumstance you tell me

That is not fair to the kids who got chicks, grew them out, and made their choices for the show cage and it is also not following most counties rules about how the project should be done and possession rules

32 years ago I showed up to my first county fair with hatchery birds and received mainly white and pink ribbons (not good)

I/we (my parents) learned what we needed to differently and I never made that mistake again

That’s all part of the project

If you are interested in silkies please contact me early fall with your exact order and quantity

They need to be about 9 months old to look really competitive for fair

Thanks
Jameson

Pic for tax of my 9 year old mutt named Henny badger

06/06/2026

Kids had a good day showing sheep ❤️

Gabe was class winner on his Dorset advantage yearling and commercial ram

Second with his Southdown and cross bred

Red was third with his piebald chi chi 💃

The ram took reserve supreme overall ram

Breeder credit on ram: Hild Brothers

05/18/2026

The only paint chick I kept myself this year so far 💅🏻

05/06/2026

Matt Says...

We still have chicks for sale TODAY! Swing by now for the best selection.

05/06/2026

Chick days at Jack and dicks in Janesville wi

05/06/2026

Come on down to Jack & Dicks Feed & Garden in Janesville,WI

Straight run Multi generational olive eggers and f1OE/black copper marans crosses can lay a variety of shades from pink, grey, coffee brown, greens, olives

Only brought 25-20 left right now
1 splash, 4 blues, and the rest are black

Sunnyside hatchery sexed pullets

Speckled Sussex
Blacks
Greens

05/05/2026

I will be bringing a limited (25-ish) amount of multi gen olive eggers and F1OE/black copper marans to Jack & Dicks Feed & Garden in Janesville,WI for our LAST chick days tomorrow

Expect any of the shades below from these chicks and darker lots of cafe 😉 colored eggs possible

Matt will have sexed pullets from Sunnyside: green, blacks, speckled Sussex

I will be there around 9am tomorrow morning

This is my LAST hatch for colored egg layers this year. The will be focusing on hatching silkies.

Come on down and see me. Feel free to pick my brain on any poultry knowledge as well

05/02/2026

I could be sad that between freak things and a predator-I have zero black copper marans pullets/hens

I culled hard and I was so pumped for this season

I got a few really good eggs but either sold them
Or ate them unfortunately

I was so excited when a customer showed me what her little chicken tenders son’s birds were laying from the chicks he got from me last year

I’m grateful he let me have some eggs to rebuild my maran flock

05/01/2026

Come see me next Wednesday for my lady offering of my multi gen olive eggers and olive BCM crosses for the season at Jack and Dicks.

Potentially silkies there is quite a line to shop the hatch but I will see what I can do

Next Wednesday, May 6 is our FINAL chick day for spring 2026! We will feature Green, Black Nick and Sussex pullets as well as some unique additions from Beckard Family Farm-J.B. Black Label Silkies. Stop in early for best selection!