The farm is coming alive with signs of spring.
In the pasture, the cattle have drastically decreased their hay consumption. This means that they are eating more fresh grass so the hay will not be necessary much longer.
The laying hens are also finding plenty of green grass and bugs on the pasture. They are ranging out of the house more in the warmer weather. Springtime signals to them, Its time to start laying more eggs. Egg production is up and the quality of the rich orange yolks is fantastic. (also, egg price just decreased to $6/dozen)
The brooder is getting full. One of my favorite things about spring is starting lots of baby chickens and turkeys. The first batch of turkeys have been in the cozy confines of the brooder for a couple of weeks. They are a little more fragile at a young age than chickens, so we keep them in the brooder for an extra couple of weeks. They are scheduled to go out to pasture after 5 weeks in the heat of the brooder. By that time they will be fully feathered and able to handle cool nights.
Baby meat chickens should be arriving soon. We put off their arrival by a few weeks because of the unusually wet weather. However, we did use that time to build a new brooding facility that we affectionately refer to as the "Chick-Inn". It is almost finished. This new brooder will double our brooding capability. Primarily we need this new space so that we wouldn't have to juggle the brooding of chickens and turkeys. We can now have them both simultaneously in their own brooder, allowing a more consistent supply of pastured poultry.
With Spring comes a whole lot of work, but we wouldn't want it any other way. Thank you for choosing to put a priority on your family's health. Your commitment through the years to our grass-fed, Pasture-based farm is what allows us to go out each day and care for these animals in the best way we know how. Enjoy your spring, and enjoy our weekly harvest!
