Yesterday evening I went down to the laying hens to help Harry bring up the eggs he gathered. As I was putting the cases of eggs into the truck, I heard this sharp snap, snap, snap behind me. I turned to find a group of hens in a feeding frenzy on a patch of bare […]
One thing we appreciate about turkeys is their suitability for herding. Just judging by their body shape, we might expect them simply to act like bigger versions of chickens. Turkeys and chickens are only distant relations in the larger pheasant family, so it isn’t surprising that they express their flocking instincts quite differently. Even though
At lunchtime I went out to give the farm a checkup, and as I passed the small pond I saw a crow partially submerged in the water. It seemed in distress, flailing its wings but not making progress toward the shore. It wasn’t squawking, just opening its beak periodically without vocalizing. I made a decision
The Crow and the Turtle Read More »
Pardon the name dropping, but the first group of turkeys went out to pasture today, under the intent gaze of Harrison Ford who is volunteering his services with us this summer. How did we manage to get him to help? Read on, but first let me drag this out with farmy details. Allie has been
Turkeys and Our Celebrity Summer Intern Read More »
Fence posts are going in! It seems utterly prosaic to you, I know, but for the last seven years most of our farm has been fenced in polywire temporary fence, torn down and reset each time we rotate the cattle. So this is a big deal for us. Permanent perimeter fencing doesn’t cost that much
Just wanted to post something to the website to prove that we’re still here. The crush of spring activities has a way of focusing us on the tasks immediately at hand. There’s a lot to tell of and plenty to show, but that will all have to wait. Here’s the crabapple tree blooming near the
This place is starting to look like a “real” farm, now that we have our first grain bin. I bought this bin from a nearby farm, and since I had to move it I was scratching the growing bald spot on my head a bit before arriving at a solution. I was in the middle
Bringing Home the Bin Read More »
Today was Photosynthesis Day, the first day that green creeps into the grass. Previously we could find a few shoots of green here and there, but today they developed a noticeable green background. We continue to freeze every night, but with the warming days the pastures are set to go off. We enjoyed spending the
Photosynthesis Day Read More »
Our first batch of chicks arrived on the farm last week. The arrival of the chicks marks the beginning of spring for us, whether the weather agrees or not. Tonight is the first night in a while with the forecast to be above freezing, so it seems winter is reluctantly releasing its grasp a degree
Chicken Brooder Changes Read More »
Mice, rats, moles, voles, rabbits. Nibbling, gnawing destroyers. This winter was a good one for them. When the snow piles up, they are able to reach places they otherwise can’t. All winter long they assiduously work, and now as the snow melts it reveals the scope of their accomplishments. Two pear trees and all our
A Good Winter for Rodents and Rabbits Read More »
