In a reverse sequence of what we do in the spring, we've spent the last couple weeks moving the laying hens from their mobile coop on pasture back to their winter quarters in our high tunnel greenhouse. This is a multi-step process, as the habits of a stubborn laying hen are very hard to break. … Continue reading Like perched gargoyles
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Weekends are the busiest part of the week in the summer. So anything unexpected that comes up between Friday and Sunday really throws a stick in the spokes. A couple Saturdays ago, after a long day at the Hopkins Farmers Market, I got home late afternoon and began feeding and moving animals around like every … Continue reading ’til The Cows Come Home
In the age of factory farms and food scientists, the color of an egg yolk doesn't tell you as much as it used to... See if you can guess the answer: What does farmed salmon and many brands of "pasture-raised" eggs in the grocery store have in common? I'll give you a hint: I'm dying … Continue reading A darker shade of pale
I think of winter as an anti-fever. A sustained sub-normal temperature, and when spring arrives, it means that the anti-fever has finally broken. Fevers aren't all bad. Of course they can be dangerous and must be closely monitored, but they serve a function - to help the body fight off infection. The anti-fever of winter … Continue reading When the anti-fever breaks
It was an early morning in the first half of October last fall when I was out feeding chickens and saw something baffling. The sun was just above the trees to the east, and the rays were cascading westward across our pastures in the cold, crisp morning air. I stopped dead in my tracks holding … Continue reading Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
As I was exiting the local hardware store the other day, the owner called out my name from across the store and flagged me down. I re-closed the door and stepped back inside, curious to see was important enough to beckon me from an entire store-length away. The store owner had a grin on his … Continue reading The Singing Shepherd
With the Dog Days of Summer behind us, we're approaching the "Cow Days of Fall" here on the farm. We've been lucky so far this fall. We've gotten some relief from the drought with a handful of decent rains this September, and there's still plenty of warmth around to keep the grasses growing as much … Continue reading The Cow Days of Fall
May is an extraordinarily busy month on the farm. It's the month where grass starts to green up, and when the ground is fully-thawed and ready for us to start moving animals around. Nearly every day over the past few weeks has been spent moving animals or otherwise situating them on pasture to enjoy the … Continue reading 12 days of Chicken
At 12:01am on Friday, March 5, our little gravel road went into restricted travel season. Road restrictions, however inconvenient, are absolutely necessary. Every spring our gravel road quickly begins to resemble horrifically melted Hershey bars, out of a dystopian game of Candyland. The gravel turns to mud, deep ruts appear, and drivers have to be … Continue reading The High Road to the Hen House
The ground is thawing and where lush sod once existed is now scorched with muddy tire grooves from a necessary but ill-advised drive with the truck. Spring is taking hold and the nights are commonly above 30 degrees. Grass growth is a few weeks away and that means the first batch of chicks is in … Continue reading Emerging from the Cocoon