Homesteading: Sonoma’s back-to-the-land zeitgeist

Everybody seems to want fresh eggs, honey and produce these days, and since the shelter-in-place orders were instituted, demand has never been higher for chicks and water troughs. Who needs the market when you can do it yourself at home?

Brocco’s Old Barn, the feed and pet supply store on Arnold Drive, places its order for chicks months in advance, so the current weekly deliveries of chicks were placed back in December, well before COVID-19 made its way to Sonoma. Manager Brian Jaymot, who has been the manager since 2005 and worked at Brocco’s since 1988, says, “In normal times, our weekly delivery of chicks would last the whole week. These days, they don’t last two hours, and oftentimes on Saturday mornings there’s a line of cars down Arnold Drive waiting to see if they’ll be lucky enough to get some.” They’ve limited four chicks per household since the demand has been so high.

Chicks come in on Friday at Brocco’s after being born on Wednesday. They’ve been alive for two days without food and water, so the manager likes to keep them for at least one day to make sure they get food, water and warmth before going off to new homes on Saturday. Asked who the customers are for these chicks (and the water troughs), he says, “it’s a broad spectrum of customers…anybody and everybody.”

A lot of people who are buying chicks for the very first time, don’t understand that they won’t lay eggs for five to six months, so there is also a lot of education taking place. (The same people who are asking about chicks are also asking about goats… although Brocco’s doesn’t sell those.)

The water troughs are also going like hotcakes; Jaymot says he can’t keep them in stock. They’re often used as planters for growing vegetables and fruit. Chicken hutches are also on back-order as most of them are made in China so Brocco’s only had what they ordered before the pandemic began. Other items that seem to be selling well are birdseed and dog food, as people are stocking up and buying double what they would in pre-pandemic times.

Other changes that have taken effect since this all started are shorter hours, although Brocco’s is doing the same volume in business (and sometimes more) as they were during normal hours before COVID-19. Jaymot says, “in a recession or a pandemic, animals still need to eat.” Business has been good; he and owner Pina Brocco were initially concerned about what would happen but have been pleasantly surprised.

Brocco’s customer Sarah Leffert and her husband Matt moved to Sonoma from San Francisco with their two daughters in 2018, and now have two horses, four chicks (purchased recently from Brocco’s), four laying chickens, two bunnies, two dogs, one feral cat and recently two new beehives. Matt started the hives as soon as the pandemic began.

They have settled into ranch life and, in addition to the hives, have also started a vegetable garden that they’re tending with help from their daughters. They have learned a lot in two years about caring for all the animals, especially the chicks, through much trial and error and hope that other new chick owners understand the care these chickens need long term. They now enjoy giving eggs away to friends from the city who long for this lifestyle.

Newlyweds Audrey and John Krafft live in Kenwood and have been embracing the homesteading lifestyle on their farm. In total they have more than 60 animals on their property including Scottish Highland cows, goats (one gave birth just this past week; you can see a video of her on their Instagram page @Krafftyfarms), livestock guardian dogs, pigs, 33 chickens, two cats, a family dog, and bees. Currently they’ve got nine laying hens, some of which came from Swede’s Feeds last year (Swede’s isn’t selling chicks currently). The other chickens are “teenagers” and won’t be laying eggs for another three to four months.

These 23 teenage chicks were mail ordered and delivered in March right when the shelter-in-place order began. Says Audrey, “We were really grateful to be in this lifestyle when the pandemic all went down.” They are rebuilding their home following the 2017 fires, and currently their chickens are laying eggs in funny places like their greenhouse where the Kraffts are storing the refinished hardwood for future use as floorboards in their home. They have plans to expand the farm to include a garden as well as a farm stand and have the goal of being completely sustainable and organic, living entirely off what they grow and farm on their own property. Currently they barter eggs for produce with their neighbors and just got licensed to sell eggs.

Perhaps the trend will slow a bit once shelter in place orders are lifted, but for the Lefferts and the Kraffts at least, they’re in it for the long haul.