Hope, Hatching, and Hard Realities

Another weekend of damp and dreary spring weather is leaving me feeling reflective again. As I move through the spring and summer of 2026, I’m feeling both excited and stretched to reach some of the goals I set for myself this year. There

has been real progress: I’ve earned NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Program) qualification, and I've set up a dedicated hatching space from which this weekend we just welcomed 8 turkeys, 11 quail, and 2 ducks. In many ways, it does feel like momentum, but I’m also in the middle of figuring out what is truly manageable in the long run.

Like many friends and family around me, I’m working through the reality of economic uncertainty, rising fuel and feed costs, and the constant stream of household expenses - from home repairs and vehicle issues to childcare and eldercare. Add in the added complication of managing animals, including a few geriatric individuals who are now facing their end-of-life and I am forced to take a harder look at what efforts are realistic.

It feels a little ironic that my current college course focuses on finances and accounting - it’s pushing me to take an honest look at both our household budget and the long-term outlook for these projects. My plans to expand our flock and egg production by investing in new equipment, brooders, and a dedicated hatching space was a business decision that carried real risk, and I’m feeling the repercussions of that now. Predicted sales of eggs and baby chicks are running much lower than I had hoped, creating a significant gap between feed costs and sales income. Because of that, I may need to make some difficult choices, including reducing the overall size of our poultry flocks to a more managable number. I may also need to step away from some of the higher-cost certification programs once my current designations expire.

Even so, it’s not all discouraging. Despite a signficant reduction in outreach program availability CROC is still attending a few programs this summer - including returning to the Vermont Wildlife Festival for the first time in several years. While events like that are not enough to fully offset many of our general costs, they do help support the work I’m doing by allowing me to stay active in animal welfare and education while continuing to share these animals with the public in a meaningful way. I’m particularly excited for opportunities where Mia can join me in a more formal capacity, and we’re looking forward to sharing some of our new ambassador animals with audience participants.

With all this in mind, I’m still hopeful. My goal is to continue caring for the animals already with me, find a healthier financial balance, and keep maintaining a version of CROC that reflects the high standards of animal welfare that matter so much to me. At the same time, I know there will be some difficult choices along the way, and I can already see some of the changes on the horizon.