Ivy & Chris
Hi there! Our names are Ivy and Chris, we are experienced caretakers (over 4 years) looking to live and work on another ranch, farm or estate.
Currently, we manage a 300 acre off grid ranch with a large walnut orchard. Along with maintaining the property in general, we take care of hundreds of livestock – 40 goats, 50 sheep, 2 horses, 4 alpacas, 2 emus, peacocks, a slew of chickens, ducks, guineas and turkeys, and 5 pigs.
Chris is an expert welder with 13 years of experience, mostly self employed. He's able to fix and create almost anything, ensuring that what he's worked on is properly durable when he's done with it. Chris also has an artist's eye for his work, creating ornamental iron that is beautiful and functional. He is creative, resourceful, and frugally minded, finding excellent strategies that last for a great variety of projects. His passion for metalwork bleeds into every task he handles; he approaches new situations with an active mind and a disciplined attitude. Most people describe him as a very hard worker. Besides his excellent practical skills, he is also great with animals. Chris has a knack for understanding the mentality of livestock, which makes handling them a breeze. He understands their predators just as well – and has a fantastic track record of getting up in middle of the night to save lives that would otherwise be taken by skunks, coyotes, boars and even bears. His situational awareness and ability to act is top notch, making him excellent security for a property.
Ivy is the primary caretaker of animals, since her experience extends back to her childhood. She is attentive and diligent with her schedule and care, providing more than food and water but also the kind of attention that allows an animal to not just live, but thrive. She is very knowledgeable about many different species and constantly learning to adapt their care. She is particularly talented in handling and training camelids, but every animal is paid special attention to in breeding, rearing, feeding and training. Along with a keen mind for animal husbandry, Ivy is an avid permaculturist, knitter, spinner, painter, and cook. She also has experience housekeeping in one of the best rated boutique hotels in a highly desired and historic area. Whatever the task may be, Ivy can be relied on to be organized, intuitive, and proactive.
Together, our extensive array of skills offer ample benefit to any ranch. Our years of living off grid have also primed us for handling unusual situations with grace and strength. We hope to find an arrangement that gets us closer to our goal of having our own homestead one day, while helping others along the way.
We would be a great fit improving efficiency and providing impactful support for any thoughtful operation. It's not enough to come up with ideas; we are meticulous about ironing out all of the necessary steps we need to take to accomplish our goals, and we work best with others who operate the same way.
Neither of us smoke, drink, or do drugs of any sort. We are the type of people to put our phones down for most of the day and work with our hands.
We currently reside in California, but we are very eager to leave. It's important for us to be around people who align with our more old-fashioned values.
Chris owns an impressive array of tools for welding, fence work, auto repair etc. It would be preferable to have storage space for them, and they can help support his work on the property.
We have one indoor/outdoor sweet orange cat. He's fixed, friendly with other animals, and very clean. He's uniquely well tempered, never having a single accident, has never destroyed furniture, and has never harmed even a single chick.
Please contact us if you think we'd be a good fit. Our resumes are ready, and if you're interested, we also have portfolios we can share with you.
Thank you very much for reading,
Ivy & Chris.
(Willing to Relocate – AZ, ID, NV, MT, OR, UT, CO, KY, TN, WV, TX, ME, NH, VT, or for a great fit we would consider any state.)
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