I bought a new pair of work boots, but I always have a hangup with changing to a new pair. My everyday farm boots are cracked and half separated from the sole. They protect my feet, except in the places where they don’t… You might say they have a patina, but I’m suspicious of anyone who […]
Broken In, Busted Out Read More »
2021 Update: This article shows our first phase of developing larger pasture coops for our chickens. We still use this shelter, but we’ve continued to refine the design. For a look at the newer, more refined shelters check out this blog post. We, like most pasture farmers, got our start with meat chickens using Joel
Building a Better Pasture Chicken Coop Read More »
I’ve been too busy fixing broken vehicles and running around for the start of our busy market season to write a proper post. But I’ve learned from watching blog statistics that cute pictures of baby animals are far more popular than my most tortuous analytical posts. So here’s to instant gratification!
AJ spotted this goofy warning as we unloaded boxes today: “Be Against Trampled.” I should think so. Sounds like either a public safety campaign or an edgy name for a band. We’ll throw the box in with the pigs and see what they make of it. I don’t think they’ll have any compunctions about trampling it.
Just for Fun: Be Against Trampled Read More »
The cattle started their intensive grazing early this morning. We’ve had green grass for more than a month (greenup was early this year), but it took a long time for the forage to accumulate much volume. We have been moving the cattle through very large fields, allowing them to cherry pick the early spring grass. But
“It has, I believe, been often remarked, that a hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg. Every creature must be allowed to “run” its own development in its own way; the egg’s way may seem a very roundabout manner of doing things; but it IS its way, and it is one of
A Small Egg Problem With Small Eggs Read More »
After a protracted wet period, the dry weather of the previous days unleashed bottled up activity on the farm. We tilled the garden and started planting, got a load of pigs to the butcher, pounded fence posts, moved the cattle to a new pasture with temporary fencing, rounded up the cattle after they broke out
Planting Rape for the Pigs Read More »
Bones, especially beef bones, have become spectacularly popular lately, often resulting in our selling out long before we’ve sold the rest of the meat that also belonged to the steer or cow. For the cow I brought to the butcher this week I requested that they return every single bone they could get me, sawing up even
AJ is caring for our this season’s first batch of two hundred Cornish Cross chicks. The first few days are pure joy, since fluffy, cheeping chicks are undeniably cute. As they get older, caring for them becomes more of a chore, as they eat more, drink more, and make a lot more mess. By the end
We have been looking for a new feed blend for our soy free layer ration this year. Including soy really simplifies the task of fortifying protein levels, but there’s enough uncertainty about the health implications of high soy diets to convince us to look for alternatives. Like a lot of food debates, I’ve found suspect claims in both
Soy Free Egg Challenges Read More »
