Hometown: Kirbyville, Mo.
Family: Partner, Sue Cannon
In Town: Roy Doerrer is the president of the Roark Valley Modular Railroad Club, which leases a display at Branson, Mo., at The World’s Largest Toy Museum, where he mans the organization’s display.
“I am there for five days a week promoting model railroading and the history of the railroad industry,” Roy said. “The rest of the museum time is filled by other members for half days or full days according to their schedules.”
In the Country: In 2014, Roy retired from being a general manager of an RV business in Sacramento, Calif. He and his partner, Sue Cannon, I couldn’t afford land in that area so they moved to Missouri where they purchased 5 acres.
“We started with 45 Guinea hens because they’re so good at eating tics and chiggers and keeping snakes away. However, as soon as they could, those silly guineas escaped from the coop, roosted in the trees and were much happier. They’re crazy as lunatics and run as fast as they can to get someplace but then forget why they went there in the first place,” Roy said. Their antics and the antics of the kids from our Boer goats always make us laugh. Our neighbor gave us a big white rooster appropriately named Foghorn Leghorn. We thought it was only right, so we bought him some hens. He got so excited he killed himself. We bought another rooster and now have 60 Plymouth Barred Rock free-range laying hens. They mostly eat bugs though we do give them crack corn and a layer crumble. Unlike the guineas, they love to roost in the coop which is where we collect eggs. They produce a tremendous number of eggs which go to people at the museum and friends of ours in exchange for their help with our animals. We’ve always believed animals are better than people.”
