General Property

Let's be frank... something you are probably wondering.... "but does it stink?" Most of us have only experienced farm animals at petting zoos or driving past commercial farms. In those situations, the animals are packed into spaces much smaller than they need. Our animals have so much room to roam that it isn't an issue. 95% of the time, I don't smell anything except standing inside the barn or chicken coop. If it is very humid or very rainy, there might be a slight smell outside, but it doesn't reach the house. So, don't worry, you won't feel like it is a stinky petting zoo! 

We are fans of all natural in-home fragrances, though. If you are sensitive to essential oils, please let us know prior to your arrival and we will remove them from active duty.

You may also be wondering.... but is it loud? Will the roosters wake me up at dawn? If you are a light sleeper, yes, this is likely. Honestly the mockingbirds and other wild birds make just as much noise. But we have multiple roosters and all our chickens free range, so they could be near the windows. The dogs go outside around 6:30am, and while they are usually quiet, sometimes they see something to bark at. The donkeys will yell for food around 7am if I don't feed them in time. The goats also make a lot of noise at feeding times. In short, this is a working farm and we have the sound background to go with it. If that isn't charming to you, we may not be the best choice for your visit. 

The dogs and cats are mostly indoor animals, but they do not go into the guest room. We also have 2 parrots inside. They are all very friendly and won't hesitate to interact with you. Please let us know in advance if you have concerns about any of the animals and we can do our best to reduce your exposure to them. That being said, if you are severely allergic or have a strong phobia of any animals, we may not be the best choice.

You might also be wondering, how clean is it? Am I going to be exposed to COVID or other germs from previous guests? We take cleanliness very seriously. We designed our Birds & Bees Suite with cleanliness in mind. We put covers on everything that can't be sprayed effectively with a disinfectant so we can wash them with our laundry sanitizer instead. Then we wash those things- the chair covers, the duvet, the blankets, the pillow covers, the towels, the sheets- in between every guest visit. And we currently only have the one guest suite so you don't have to worry about running into a bunch of strangers in the hallway or at breakfast. We also wash and sanitize all the other surfaces between guests. We run all the dishes through our dishwasher on the "sanitize" cycle. We care about you and want your getaway to be worry-free so you can relax and rejuvenate.

You might also be wondering, "but is your food safely handled, especially the eggs?"  Firstly, we observe proper animal husbandry. We quarantine any new animals. Chickens can't catch diseases like Avian flu or salmonella unless they are exposed to another bird that has it. We protect their food and water from wild birds as well.  We handle our eggs the European way. If you have ever gone to a market overseas, you will see all the eggs are kept at room temperature. This is very safe, safer than the way we do it here in the USA. When an egg is laid, it has a coating called "bloom". The bloom seals the egg from bacteria and other germs. We thoroughly wash our eggs immediately before use, but not before. This lets nature protect the eggs the way they were meant to be. If you wash an egg, then you have to constantly refrigerate it to protect it from germs. The eggs lose some of their firmness and flavor when they are refrigerated. We are not new to chickens and egg care... we had backyard chickens for many years in Illinois before moving here to this farm. You can trust us to take good care of you.

We are a Bed & Breakfast. This means you are staying in a bedroom in our home. We do live here, so staying with us is like staying with friends. We appreciate you to be cordial when we run into you as you come and go. Beyond that, you can interact with us as little or as much as you like. We can sit down to breakfast with you on the weekends if you want. Or you can have room service if you aren't feeling social.

Our house is very solidly built and sound is very well dampened. You can't hear anything from the Birds & Bees Suite when you are in our own bedroom and vice versa, so you shouldn't hear any noises once everyone has gone to bed. However, you can hear things going on in the kitchen from the guest room, so it isn't 100% silent. 

We also installed a latch on the guest suite door, so you can set it if you want to be extra sure of your privacy.

You will receive a code for the front door a couple of days before your reservation. You will be able to come and go as you please, and are welcome to use the common areas of the house and property. For your safety, we ask that you do not cross any fences or gates without one of us present, as that is where the animals are. All of our animals are friendly, but they have preferences that we can help you with for your best experience.

Unfortunately, we only have the one suite at this time and it is up a flight of stairs with no elevator. We are just a farmhouse at the end of the day, not a commercial building.  We have plans to expand and will have multiple units in the future that are easily accessible by all.