Cove Creek Acres

On one of the hottest days of the summer, a group of about 20 people drove two hours from Little Rock to Clarksville to see Cove Creek Acres - or, better known as Herman's farm.  He gave a hayride to us city folk about a half mile down the lane, since the poultry is not near his home.


However, hogs are near his house.  They're called "the best garbage disposals money can buy."  Believe it or not, they didn't stink.  It's because they are not confined to a small area.  

The kids were super excited.

The Donly family was decked for the occasion.  Love the hats, girls.

Isn't the property beautiful?

The white structure in the field (below) is where chickens lay eggs.

But before seeing the "layers" we were introduce to the broilers.  That's a fancy word for "chickens grown for meat."

In these hoop houses they have access to fresh air, bugs and grass.  The picture below shows how Herman moves the chickens to fresh grass twice daily.  Notice how the birds were already moving to the front to feast on the fresh foliage.  If you're paying $0.99/lb for chicken, I'm quite certain those birds don't see the light of day.

After chatting with the broilers we moved down field to see the layers.  They were bewildered by such a group of visitors!  Herman encouraged the children to participate in a real egg hunt.  The children loved it.  Chickens ... not so much.

The door to this chicken coop is left open during the day, so the birds can explore the field for more bugs and grass. It was so hot when we got there they were all inside, under the shade.  If you purchase farm fresh eggs, they should have orange-er yolks and harder shells than their cheap grocery store counter parts.  Herman's eggs have orange yolks and hard shells - evidence of eating bugs (not just grain) and being exposed to sunlight.  

My son LOVED the field trip, my daughter...not so much.  Mabel, who is Herman's wife, let us borrow the umbrella.  It provided much needed shade; I was very thankful for it.

Julie