by Melinda
Pillsbury-Foster
Wayne
Newton hired Jamie Phillips, after her equine apprenticeship program,
to run his Arabian Horse Farms. Jamie says Wayne is a nice, generous
man. She still sends him pictures of her kids at Christmas time.
Wayne's
made his wedding gift to her Ali Design, an Arab horse. Ali, like
most Arabs, is friendly and would love to come in the house and sleep
at the end of their bed. Bedouins raise their horses to live inside
their tents.
That was
fifteen years ago now, before her two children and the 'girls'
arrived in her life.
Jamie and
her husband bought a farm in Rock Creek so Ali would have room to
run. It is located at 3948 State Route 45.
The 'girls'
entered Jamie's life as an alternative to a day job.
Even early
a few chickens were running around the yard. Folks would stop and ask
if they could buy eggs. From this grew Phillips Egg Company.
The Girls
are Golden Comets, and each can lay 360 brown eggs a year. Jamie's
chickens, who she calls, 'her girls,' go out a lot when the garden is
not yielding. If it is, they have to stay in their yard, as the
garden is a real magnet for them. So you could say the 'girls' are a
combination of 'pasture raised,' and 'free range.' They are always
'cage-free.'
The girls
chase and catch frogs and whatever they can find. In the summer they
peck at the toes of visitors, too, being especially attracted to
painted toe-nails, especially red ones.
Raising
chickens and eggs commercially was easy to do, Jamie says. The
inspection to be certified was free. The food inspector man came out,
looked around and signed off. Jamie rigorously follows the rules,
labeling instructions on the cartons of eggs, typed and printed out
on recycled cartons. The only other requirement is having a
thermometer in her refrigerator.
Jamie has
also had Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Barred Rocks but prefers the
Comets. The flock is not as pretty but their personalities are
friendly and they are very, very brave. When she goes out to clean
the coop as many as four chickens will try to ride on her because she
appears to be roost-able.
The
business is growing. They are branching out with their garden, cut
flowers, and meat chickens. And every day has its little adventures
with the 'girls.'
No comments:
Post a Comment