BABIES
Born March 3, 2024
Available for reservations April 3
Ebony’s kits - Steel Gray
Ms. Pearl’s kits - BEW
Sandra’s kits - Sandy
You can contact us to plan a visit at our farm
​
🐇🐇🐇🐰🐥🐇🐥🐰🐇🐇🐇

---------- ​2024 ----------
​We will be getting
​(on April 4th), 🐥🐥🐥
2 dozen Black Australorp straight run chicks to raise for eggs and roosters for breeding or sale or dinner.
I ordered 5 hatchery choice rare breed chicks for my own pets so that will be a fun surprise to see.
Stay well & enjoy life everyone!
====2023 to 2024====
2023 disappeared in a flash. We have 6 older laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Flemish Giants, Mini Lops, older Netherland Dwarfs, and 1 Lionhead buck “Tiger Hamilton”.
The breeding attempts in 2023 were poor so we changed feed and did okay this February.
We took a break from raising sheep due to our health limits and miss them a lot

******* 2022 *******
Time flew by....here it is the end of July
We are down to 2 ewes and 2 ewe lambs and a ram lamb.
We've been downsizing and trying to reduce the work around here.
Turkeys have moved to other farms. 3 Lambs are living on other farms. Our East Indian ducks are off to a small farm.

We have eight laying hens doing well. Our green egg layer gives us double yolkers and once gave us a triple yolker! Oh my!
The bunnies are doing well. Their condos have two fans each and white roof covering to fight the heat. Ice in their bowls helps also.
Garden by Mike is a zucchini and tomato paradise. Peppers are doing well also.
CHA CHA the long hair chihuahua loves the critters but they all think she's a fox!
Varmints are crazy this year. Chipmunks, squirrelly squirrels, raccoons, voles, foxes, bobcat, coyotes, 1 mountain lion(seen) and a wandering bear one time. Sasquatch possibly.......
​Hope everyone is doing well. And thank you all for supporting our little farm!

****** 2021 Sheep ********
April 27 & April 29 - Twins and Triplets
​ Bunny - 3 ewe lambs(mom & all moved to new home). Dottie - 2 ewe lambs, Koro moved to Jim & Rene's, Dusty staying here.. May 17 - Ise-Cream - one ram lamb - going to Julie's to trade for new ram lamb & (one ewe lamb moved to new home)
Our Ram Sprinkles moved to a new farm out east.

-- FARM NEWS 2021 --
Waiting for Spring lambs any day now....
​Baby bunnies are moving to their new families at the end of March - early April
We'll be breeding again soon, life got in the way
Our 3 Ewes should be birthing around the end of April. YAY! TWINS AND TRIPLETS from our older ewes. Waiting for our third ewe.
Have a fox, bobcat and mountain lion problem lately.
The fox took on our Muscovey drake and luckily he was saved. Some days just so our animals can free roam, we sit out there waiting to protect the critters.
Our RAM LAMB is SOLD born March 28th 2020
Just got a loose turkey egg on 3/11, another in nest 3/13, 9 total 3/25
3 HATCHED sold
Amelia & Cecelia have been sitting on about a dozen eggs. We shall see!
My 14 laying hens are amazing. Laying XL eggs now.
So many eggs I am giving some away every week or so.
Muscovey ducks doing their thing...
​Begin the raised beds and gardens check, working on deck plant pots.
Lettuce out on deck so far.
Soon the gardenia plants, avocado tree and lemon tree will move back outside to be happy.
For me to be happy.....the inflatable hot tub gets set up next week. Yeehaa!! Done!

--------------------------
FARM NEWS 2020

One new bunny condo was 90% finished, just before winter set in. Now there is the demolition to clean up and move. Just starting to be warm enough March 18th. Started my veggie seedlings inside for the first time. In the past I have purchased plants and put them in containers to grow. It was okay but now, with all of this BUNNY GOLD, I now have some raised beds out back and hopefully a pumpkin patch down front. I am dreaming of making my own greenhouse this year or next.
GEESE - SOLD
Suzy The Goose has found a husband, Sam Gander. Last year she sat on eggs 3 times so maybe we will see some babies this spring.
SHEEP - none available
Leaf 4-5 years and her daughter, Cream a yearling SOLD
April 22nd Leaf had a black ewe & ram lamb SOLD April 23 Cream had a ram lamb LUKKY SUN bottle baby SOLD April 24th Dottie had a black ewe lamb SOLD and a white sprinkle on black ram lamb STAYING HERE
May 1st Bunny had one ewe lamb Ise-Cream black with white spot on her side, STAYING HERE
CHICKENS - Free range and on organic feed
Got 2 silkies & 1 Red from trade. May 16th. Got 20 baby chicks from online order at Tractor Supply. May 26th One died- got squished by feed tray.
Major loss, a fox or bobcat came snd killed 3 chickens & 4 ducks on May 9th
The 4 older hens looked pretty moulty last fall, stopped laying but I gave them another chance and they are laying again and looking good.
There are 6 new hens that give 4-6 eggs daily and one sad looking hen called "Bait" who transformed into a fat happy loner hen who lays about 5-6 eggs per week. Her name is now "Millie"
DUCKS 2 Rouens - SOLD
My remaining Pekin(now dead) who survived the fox now has a Mallard couple living with her and they roam around the farm as a trio. I holler at them in the back yard to "go home!" and they actually do! Muscovey mom had 7 ducklings June 12th. So cute taking their tour of the yard.
TURKEYS
I am sad to report that Charlie (Heritage Narragansett} was attacked mid day near the house by a bobcat. earlier this year. He had no external injuries but the shock was too much for him.
Amelia, her daughter Amy, and Charlie Jr. are doing well. 4 Eggs are in the nest so far. May 13, no eggs in nest. JUNE 6th 16 eggs

2019 News
Leaf had beautiful QUADRUPLETS! (3 EWES 1 RAM LAMB)
1 wether ram cream color "Latte"
2 ewes: a chocolate color "Bunny" and a black color w/ white poof on top of head "Dottie" and a cream color "Cream"
These 4 are 65% Shetland/ 15% Southdown/ 20% Icelandic cross
100% Shetland - Sugar Buns had twins
1 ram lamb has moved to Julie's Farm
Sugar Buns moved to a small farm to be a pet lawn mower.
I traded her for a spring ewe and ram brother and sister
He is our new breeding ram. Latte and Little sis moved to 2 different farms.
__________________________________
Ducks and turkeys started laying fertile eggs but
I had been collecting them to eat until the weather was better.
My 3 NH Red hens are STILL laying after 4 years and are doing great!
"Were" doing great, 2 died.
They went into molt for the first time last fall and if I had processed them to eat they were SO bald I wouldn't have had to pluck 'em. Now I have 3 others.
Getting some Red hens from Greenfield
My goose, Suzy, is a great layer & setter but needs a husband. He is coming in a week or so.
My turkey Amelia has been egg sitting for a while now. Off nest - eggs gone.
​The eggs were hers and her duck pals No babies this time.
Second time around she had 5 baby turkeys!!! Yay! 7/24/19. 3 sold we are keeping 2.
Ducks are all nesting, 3 diferent locations, we shall see!
________________________________________
New plans for rabbit huts are designed.
I cannot wait til they are built! Demolition has begun....ugh.
I have cut down on my inventory to 31 at this time.
I am no longer breeding Californians, they are common around here.
Hopefully my two Netherland does will do well this spring. They did!
---------------------------------
2018 News
We have an actor in the family!

BUN TALES August 11, 2018
Got a great picture of one of our Flemish Giants that went to live with a family in Deerfield.
​His name is Fred.
This is his owner Iona. I do not know what she is feeding him but I am going to find out!
He's HUGE! What great job she is doing, He is a sweetheart.
Iona volunteered to give me a hand with the bunnies here while I am healing.
​Many thanks to this lovely young lady and her sister Anwen and brother Klaus.

Mr. Cornelius (the Flemish Giant) was hired to play the role of "Silky Wilkins" in a pilot episode of a new show out of the Boston area. This is him "acting"
He was a good boy and apparently did not mind the trip out and back.
I want to thank the crew for sending pictures and taking good care of him.

NEWS 2017 - 2018
Cornelius (Flemish Giant) and Possum (Lionhead) with her babies appeared at the Pine Cobble School, Williamstown, MA on October 28th 2017 for the 5th Annual Family Food Day, farmer's market & farm animals exhibit.
​They were a hit with all!
​---------------------------------

​ This is CHILI's girl "PEPPA" at 11 months old.
 She appeared at the Boarshead Festival in January of 2017
Peppa looks really big in this photo with a lady in the show.  
​  Yes she is a FLEMISH GIANT.
​ This is how we grow them here at Hoppinhill!

Our sheep for THE 2018 year:
Honey Bun, (passed away 4/2/18)
her daughter - Sugar Buns,
Ivy's daughter - Leaf,
and our ram Sugar Daddie are left. One ram lamb by Leaf, 1 ewe lamb by Sugar buns are in new homes.
​After 2017 spring's surprise of 12 babies.....we had to cut down our flock. We would have had more than that but Sugar Buns was too young.

This is Charles Lindbird, he is the friendliest turkey in the world!
​He will never become dinner here!
He likes to greet everyone who visits and enjoys being petted.
His wife Amelia raised 5 babies who moved to a farm in New Hampshire and we are hoping they have more poults this spring. Charlie actually sits on the eggs with her. He is a wonder! 2018 they had 2 sets of babies all in new homes.

SHEEP NEWS 2017​ 
We had quadruplet baby lambs! by LEAF and Sugar Daddy. 4/10/17
Honey Bun birthed twin girls 4/14/17 both black TAKEN
Ivy had triplets on April 17th
​Darla had triplets on 4/20/17

Ivy, my ewe moved to my friend Julie's farm this fall where her daughter, Dottie lives.
After all the births this spring we realized we had no room!
​Darla moved to NY state to be part of a breeding program.
Many went to young farms across the state and to New Hampshire. Some live at the Black Sheep Farm in Westport Harbor, MA

------------------------------------ 
Easter Egg Hunt and Festivities 
  We had a lot of fun at the Whately Library on  April 8th 2017
        The bunnies were a big hit!
----------------------------------------------

 Our new bunny families now include; the Portland Maine area, Schenectady,  Albany NY,
​the Boston area, New Jersey, Vermont, Cape Cod, the Berkshires, Connecticut
and Keene, Concord & Nashua in New Hampshire.
  Thanks to all for taking the trip here.
     Check out the "Bun Tales" Page with pictures & bunny tales.
  I try to update this website weekly but life at the farm gets in my way......sometimes

--------------------
PLEASE CONTACT US

THANKS FOR VISITING OUR WEBSITE!!!
Google Maps - Search for Hoppinhill Farm Gill MA
We are located close to I-91 and one mile from RT 2 in Western MA

            Rabbits are to be picked up at the farm ... Sorry - we do not ship       
    $10 DISCOUNT with Boyscout or 4H Membership card
for Flemish Giants and sheep only
       All bunnies sold will go home with food, hay & instructions for care. 
​I am always available to all my families to discuss how life with "bunny" is going

I have been raising rabbits for over 20 years. I truly enjoy it and the people I meet!
                I am a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association