Ligonier Township couple raise exotic poultry in rustic setting

Nestled in a Ligonier Township hollow, a rustic cabin sits among the trees with a stream running along either side.

Ducks dabble in a stone-lined pond, while chickens strut around the grounds.

The idyllic scene is home to Dave and Rosslyn Kemerer, a young couple who are living out their homesteading dream at the spot they call Our Nook of the Woods.

Part of the dream involves operating as a small-scale farm for exotic poultry, hence all the quacking and clucking. They sell eggs both for hatching and eating.

Neither of the Kemerers has a background in farming or animal husbandry — they just shared a vision of a simple lifestyle.

Growing up in the Irwin area, they were Penn-Trafford High School sweethearts. At Seton Hill University, Rosslyn studied graphic design, while Dave studied social work. He later obtained a master’s degree in counseling and has a private practice in Greensburg.

“I worked for seven years for a small firm,” said Rosslyn Kemerer, who does the bulk of the poultry farming. “I liked it, but it was soul-sucking after a while, just being in front of a computer all day. I think that’s what drove me toward this kind of lifestyle.”

Before buying the 8-acre property in December 2018, they rented an Airbnb space for about a year at a farm in Somerset County and began educating themselves in earnest. They moved to the Nook in May 2019.

“We started with just a couple of chickens because they’re easy,” Kemerer said. “There’s kind of a phrase in the farming world called ‘chicken math’ that people joke about – you start by saying you want four or five and (the number) just grows exponentially.

“Ducks were originally an impulse buy for us, so we started with just a couple of ducks,” she said.

The place was not exactly habitable — for either birds or humans — when the couple moved in.

Ten Guys Lodge

The cabin was built in 1937 by a group of Jewish businessmen and professionals from Duquesne who first gathered as a bridge club. They used it as a weekend and hunting retreat that they dubbed the Ten Guys Lodge.

“The members had either moved or passed on, and it had been vacant for about 20 years,” Kemerer said. “Nature took over. I don’t think it would have made it through another winter.”

The roof was caving in and a stream ran down the surrounding hillside into the crawl space. There was evidence of squatters — both human and animal — and a fire had charred part of the cabin’s interior at some point.

“It was absolutely not livable when we moved in,” Kemerer said.

The couple did a lot of the renovation work, with help from her father, Bruce Light of Jeannette. Contractors did the structural work they couldn’t handle.

“My dad is a really talented carpenter, and he did a lot. We absolutely could not have done it without him,” Kemerer said. “It was a lot of fun, but it was one of those things I would never do again.”

The first winter in the cabin was challenging before they installed a new wood stove set on a platform of rocks gathered from the nearby stream.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold. I’d dump antifreeze in the toilet, and it would still freeze,” Kemerer said.

The renovated cabin retains original touches such as plank flooring and a large stone fireplace. The original windows were reglazed and fitted with new hardware. Furnishings are a mix of antique, vintage and modern — including a new refrigerator with a rounded, retro profile.

Making the poultry comfortable involved damming a small stream trickling down the hillside to create a pond and building a sturdy chicken run impervious to predators.

“The biggest learning curve we had was probably with predators. We didn’t realize we had predators until we got birds,” Kemerer said.

The area is traversed by raccoons, foxes and even the occasional bear, while hawks circle overhead.

“Apparently, this area used to be called Bear Alley,” Kemerer said, noting they had seen a black bear cross a footbridge spanning the stream between the cabin and an outbuilding.

As for hawks, Kemerer only lets her smaller birds out while she is outside watching them. The adults are too large for a hawk to carry — although they’ve tried, Kemerer said.

Keeping it small

The couple focuses on rare breeds because of the high demand for them. They intend to keep their operation small, not just for space restrictions but also for the birds’ benefit.

“We recently downsized from some of the other breeds we had, mostly because it’s hard to give them all a great life if you’re constantly separating them to breed,” Kemerer said. “We aren’t culling for breeding purposes, but we aren’t an animal sanctuary. We will harvest for meat; we use everything.”

Their chicken breeds include Rhode Island Red, Lavender Orpington, Lavender Ameraucana and Blue Ameraucana. Ducks include Ancona, Cayuga and Silver Appleyard.

Hatching eggs, which they ship all over the country, are typically $35 for 6, or $60 per dozen, plus shipping. Chicken eggs for eating are $5 per dozen, while the duck eggs are $10 per dozen.

Depending on availability, they also sell hatchlings and adult birds.

“What’s great about duck eggs, which a lot of people don’t know, is that they are a different protein than chicken eggs. So often, if people are allergic to chicken eggs, they can still eat duck eggs,” Kemerer said. “They’re alkaline instead of acidic. They’re really creamy, too, so a lot of people love to bake with them.”

Future plans involve building a roadside egg stand, starting an apiary, growing grains for feed and renovating an outbuilding as a studio where Kemerer can offer yoga classes.

The Kemerers offer tours to individuals and hands-on learning sessions for homeschooling groups. They also are happy to share their knowledge with others interested in small-scale, exotic poultry breeding.

“We might not know exactly what we’re doing, but we love it,” the Kemerers say on their website.

For more information, call 724-575-2235 or visit ournookofthewoods.com.