About

Questions?  Comments?  Email us at liz@thecapecoop.com

(please note I do not accept guest blogger/writer requests)

Welcome!  For years I had daydreamed about owning my own farm – growing a huge garden, caring for animals, enjoying a simpler life.  I used to think that I could not enjoy those things unless I won the lottery, quit my job, and moved to the country.  While that still sounds like a pretty solid plan, I am not going to wait around for that dream to come true.  I am going to fit that dream life around my real life, and into my backyard.  I hope this site will inspire you to follow your dreams no matter where you call home!

Our name, The Cape Coop, is a nod to our home on beautiful Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  I am a 12th generation New Englander (my ancestors came on the Mayflower and didn’t go far!).  I feel truly blessed to have grown up on Cape & to be able to raise my kids in the same community.  A string of quaint seaside villages, picturesque beaches,  and a fudge or ice cream shop around every corner – what’s not to love? The Cape takes pride in inviting people to slow down, unplug and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.  We aren’t a flashy, thrill a minute destination and that’s just fine with us.  We are barefoot in the sand, we are come as you are.  I share my life with my husband, our four children, a grandson, and our ever expanding herd of furry & feathered friends.

Our backyard “farm” adventure I suppose began innocently enough in 1998 when we bought our first house.  I knew we would have a garden; my mom always had a wonderful kitchen garden, and I had so many fond memories of harvesting ripe, warm strawberries and plucking sweet peas off vines that towered over my head.  So that first summer I had a tiny plot of dirt where pretty much everything I planted died.  Over the years my garden has grown and grown and I’d like to think I have learned quite a bit over the years.

But right around New Year’s in 2012 is when I feel like my farming dreams really kicked into gear. I was browsing through Pinterest, dreaming up a garden plan for the spring, when I came across the cutest little chicken coop.  I stared at that coop for a long time.  I thought to myself “I wish I could have chickens”.  Staring at that photo, I realized the only thing standing in the way of my dreams was me (isn’t that the case so many times?).  I knew my town allowed chickens because the couple down the street had them.  We called them “the chicken people”.  Could I be a “chicken person” too?  So for days I read all I could on keeping chickens before I told my husband & kids – they were all on board and within a month we had our first fuzzy baby chicks!

I had zero experience with chickens and farming but we have learned a lot along the way.  2015 was a big year for us, we expanded our backyard farm with the addition of rabbits; and The Cape Coop was born with the start of this blog & deciding to turn my hobby of soap making into a business! In 2016 ducks became a fun new addition on the farm.

In 2020 we were so blessed to find a little farm right in our home town.  So we packed up our house & home of 22 years,  all our animals (that was an adventure!), and took a leap of faith by purchasing an 1850s farmhouse complete with huge horse barn & 1 acre lot. The home & barn are in need of some work and I admit I’m a little bummed about leaving my gardens & fruit trees behind, but I am excited to make this old homestead shine again.

While the huge barn was a major reason for buying the house, we were not sure what we were going to put in it!  We finally decided on alpacas and have been so happy with them.  They don’t require a ton of care and provide us with lots of fiber for making socks, hats, gloves, and more.  In 2022 we added geese to the every growing poultry flock, they are so hilarious and personable!  I definitely feel like a “real” farmer now and love this crazy, busy life we have built!

 

I am a pretty big family history buff, so you can imagine how excited I was when shortly after we decided to raise chickens I discovered these photos of my grandfather when he was a young boy.  I didn’t know it, but he had grown up on a farm in Connecticut with his parents, sisters & grandparents where they raised chickens!  It was such a treat to discover this special connection.  I guess being a “chicken person” has been in my blood all along!

Legal Stuff

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Liz Martin.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at liz@thecapecoop.com.  The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified independently.

I am not a veterinarian, just an animal owner & lover sharing my opinions and experiences.  Any advice on caring for animals or diagnosing & treating medical conditions for animals should be evaluated by a trained veterinarian.

The intent of this blog is to educate & inspire people currently or hoping to live a more sustainable life.  To compensate for my time I do accept paid compensation such as advertising and affiliate sales.  When content/products are paid or sponsored it will be clearly identified.  I will always give my honest opinion or experience on sponsored posts or products regardless of compensation and I won’t promote products that are completely off topic, any product or sponsor will be for something that is useful to homesteaders trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Affiliate Disclosure – Amazon:
“The Cape Coop” is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.  This means if you click on a sponsored Amazon link and make a qualifying purchase I may receive a small commission.  This program does not cost you any additional money.

Privacy Policy:

The Cape Coop will not, under any conditions, share your personal information with any third parties. This means we do not share the information we collect with any marketing firms, telecommunication agencies or third party services for any reason.

The Cape Coop does not collect personally identifiable information about individuals except when an individual specifically provides information on a voluntary basis. For example, information (name & email address) will be gathered if you register for our newsletter or email updates.  Personally identifiable information on individual users will not be sold or otherwise transferred to any third parties for any reason.

The Cape Coop cannot be held responsible for the privacy practices of our advertisers.   If you buy a product or service based upon a link you find on this blog you must take issue with the supplying company to resolve any issues.

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