Belarusian teenager runs a TikTok about life on a farmstead and gathered almost 400 thousand subscribers
A few years ago, a large family moved from the city to a farmstead near Ashmyany: they restored a half-ruined house, started a large farm. When the eldest son, 17-year-old Zhenya, started the blog "PRO Farmstead," they supported him and helped with content in everything. Times.by found out how those very TikTok videos are created and in what conditions the animals — the main heroes of the videos — live.
Zhenya started shooting videos when he was 10 years old. At first, they were simple videos without a particular idea, but over time he began to learn editing and working with content.
«I shoot for the soul; it brings me pleasure. I am very particular about my channel and try to provide people with quality content that they can watch,» the blogger says.
A Big Family and an Unusual Farm
Zhenya's parents had the idea of starting a farm a long time ago. When the opportunity arose, they immediately bought a house in a secluded place. As the blogger himself recalls, there used to be a village here, but over time most residents left, and the houses were demolished. As a result, only two houses remained — which their family bought out.
In addition to common chickens, ducks, rabbits, and cows, the unusual farmstead is home to a sheep, a raccoon, a porcupine, and peacocks.
Many comments in the blog are gathered by the donkey named Gray, and it's understandable: his big, expressive eyes just beg to be on camera. However, there's no reason for sadness – all necessary conditions have been created for him. In the future, they plan to give children rides on the donkey, Zhenya said. True, he still needs to be trained, and he can only carry up to 40 kilograms.
The incredibly beautiful pheasants, peacocks, and even chickens on the farmstead are purebred. Zhenya gives a tour and explains the principle by which they are housed in the poultry house. For example, in the enclosure with peacocks, white doves live on a higher level – such proximity allows the birds to feel safe and not interfere with each other. Peacocks and pheasants cannot share territory, so the family built separate enclosures for them.
«Practically all the birds are not afraid of the camera, as we have been with them since birth. But with peacocks, which we took in as adults, it's much harder to establish contact,» the blogger notes.
Dimon, the Blue Cow Ilvi, and Curious Bellis
Zhenya showed the pigpens. We also visited the rabbits. The family has long been looking for a purebred Viennese Blue rabbit – they only found a female.
«Finding them in Belarus is a real quest! And bringing them from abroad is difficult: a lot of paperwork,» the blogger notes.
We also sat in the tractor Dimon, familiar to subscribers. It was named after a family friend. The tractor was chosen carefully, the main criterion being the size of the cabin.
«My height is 198 cm, my dad's is 205 cm, and we wouldn't fit into a Chinese one,» Zhenya laughs.
The choice fell on a "Belarus" tractor – it handles tasks on the farmstead perfectly.
Zhenya showed the cowshed they built themselves. From behind the fence, the curious sheep Bellis watched the guests – a family favorite and a frequent heroine of the TikTok blog.
«Our cows know us and communicate with us,» Zhenya notes. Their characters are all different: the blue cow Ilvi, for example, loves to cuddle. But the red one, Belka, will never do that.
Exotic Pets: A Porcupine on the Farm
Here's who we didn't expect to meet – a porcupine! Even such an exotic animal found its cozy and clean place. Keeping it is quite difficult. The porcupine gnawed through the net that closed the enclosure gate. So, a metal sheet had to be attached above it. The quills the porcupine released upon seeing guests were soft and elastic.
«But underneath them, he has hard quills, which he uses to defend himself. He can only be dangerous to careless guests, but the animal accepts its owners,» the blogger says.
The guests stopped by the enclosure of the raccoon named Nota. Raccoons are naturally tame and affectionate, but they need time to get used to new acquaintances. Within a few minutes, Nota was sitting on the owner's lap.
Despite its cute appearance, it's a wild animal with sharp teeth. Zhenya warns: you need to film Nota carefully – raccoons love to grab everything, so a microphone or phone can quickly end up in their paws.
By the way, everyone together followed the fate of the illegal raccoon Senya (Yaseniya) from America. They even went to visit him – thinking of taking him to the farmstead. However, registering and quarantining such an animal is not a quick process. And later it turned out that Senya was actually a girl.
«And a male would be more suitable for Nota's company,» Zhenya says.
With such a number of animals, there's enough work on the farmstead for everyone. The family tries to distribute responsibilities to make animal care more convenient, but there's no strict division. If someone is busy, they can always be replaced.
Family Project
The "PRO Farmstead" channel has almost 400 thousand subscribers, and many follow with interest what happens on the farm: subscribers know the animals by name.
Although Zhenya runs the blog, it is in some sense a family project. He himself handles the editing of his videos – he does it simply on his phone. And his mother most often helps with filming, acting as the camera operator.
«I believe everything worked out because many factors aligned. First and foremost – family support. And also – strong self-confidence,» says the young blogger.
Each video is not just footage from life, but a well-thought-out story. Often, ideas are conceived by the whole family: at the common table, everyone offers their options, after which the best one is chosen.
At the same time, the blog is not a source of income: Zhenya consciously does not seek monetization, although sometimes people online offer help themselves – financial or in the form of gifts.
Zhenya notes that it would be great to have people among his subscribers who are knowledgeable in animal husbandry:
«It's always nice when someone who knows the business can give good advice. Sharing experience is useful!»
Meanwhile, the internet comes to the rescue. When a new pet appears, Zhenya says, it's sometimes completely unclear how to care for it. The blogger reviews all available information.
«Each animal has its own living conditions, there are many nuances. And this applies both to the construction of enclosures and to their maintenance.»
The young blogger is not afraid of competition:
«There are many blogs about agriculture, but many focus on quantity, not quality. That's not bad – they just like it that way. They have one style, and I have another.»
Studies and Future Plans
Zhenya is studying to be an accountant at Ashmyany College. He made the decision about his profession in a few days, but he doesn't regret his choice.
«Initially, I didn't know where to go. And in the ninth grade, this question was torment for me. Eventually, I realized that I needed to approach it more simply. I studied what our college could offer and chose accounting. I also like paperwork, and it will be useful on the farm later,» the blogger is confident.
Not a Dream, but a Goal
Zhenya would like to create a real agrotourism estate here. One where anyone interested could come and personally see all the inhabitants of the farmstead.
There is no road to the house yet – one has to get there directly across the field. But the location itself is excellent – a quiet piece of nature among forests and fields. And, as if to confirm these words, at the moment of filming, flocks of migratory birds fly directly over the farmstead.
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