“I was raised on a hobby farm,” says Dennita Miskimen, who owns The Red Barn Farm in Dinwiddie, Virginia along with her husband, Michael Miskimen. “Before it was ever trendy, my dad processed our own meat and fish and chickens and rabbits actually. So I guess it started there as a child, just watching my father and learning from him.”
Miskimen’s early experiences with a farming lifestyle have blossomed into running The Red Barn Farm as part of the county’s agritourism industry. Along with providing educational visits and summer camps, The Red Barn Farm also produces a vivid array of rainbow eggs that constantly catch the eye of visitors.
We spoke to Miskimen about running an agriculture venture and the appeal of lavender eggs. We also got the scoop and a white peacock named Fred.
Teaching as a Blessing
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Spotlighting the role that The Red Barn Farm plays in the community, Miskimen says that she embraces the way she gets to teach children who visit the farm.
“It’s such a blessing to be able to share the farm with children who might otherwise never be able to see Fred the peacock or our 11-week-old miniature Zebu cow Buttercup or get to see eggs hatching before their eyes,” she explains. “These are the experiences that children really take with them when they leave.”
Read more: These 5 miniature cattle breeds are great for small farms.
Meeting Fred the Peacock
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One of the stars of The Red Barn Farm is Fred the peacock. (He was named after a character from the sitcom I Love Lucy.) “Fred’s a very interesting peacock and he’s very sweet,” says Miskimen.
With Fred turning 2 years old in July, Miskimen says she’s hopeful that he’ll be able to come out of his enclosure soon.
“By then he and Ricky [one of the farm’s other peacocks] can create a beautiful display of their mating dances. Peacocks are absolutely beautiful, the most stunning animals you’ll ever see!”
The Importance of Chickens
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“Chickens do so much for our farm,” says Miskimen when asked about the role that poultry play at The Red Barn Farm. “We get eggs from them and they fertilize our farm as well.”
Miskimen adds that after she was diagnosed with a thyroid issue, she decided to “get back to basics and eat a clean lifestyle and also eat eggs like nobody’s business. They’re high in vitamins and anti-oxidants and one of the best proteins for our bodies.”
Miskimen says that she happily consumes around six to eight eggs a day—a dietary regime “that’s changed my life.”
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Marvel at Lavender Eggs!
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Lavender eggs rank as some of the most popular eggs produced by The Red Barn Farm’s resident brood.
“Those are from the French Black Copper Marans,” says Miskimen. “Everybody who comes to the farm loves to look at rainbow eggs. They’re so spectacular that people often ask me if they taste any different to a normal chicken egg. I’ve had people ask me before if it tastes like chocolate or whether the blue ones have actual blue yolks!”
Providing Open Spaces
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Despite the tumult of the pandemic, Miskimen looks back on last year as a banner time for The Red Barn Farm.
“We had over 7,000 visitors come to the farm because people were looking for something to do with their children out in the open,” she explains. “That’s what we provided.”
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