While there are still freezing nights (mostly) and chilly-to-warm days, we frost seeded clover on our pastures. We’re excited to see the improvement this summer! When we first arrived at this farm a little over two years ago the pastures … Continue reading
We sometimes receive wide-eyes or raised eyebrows when we answer the question “how much are your eggs?” Our pasture-raised, free-range, organic-fed hen eggs, we reply, are five dollars per dozen. Since supermarket eggs can sometimes dip below $2 per dozen, … Continue reading
I briefly explained that we have “kennel chickens” in the barn, right across from the cows. This time of year everyone is snug inside somewhere to some extent. For the most part, they wisely roost on the relatively warm wooden … Continue reading
So there is something Good in grazing. Which animals to graze? Cattle, sheep, and goats each have their merits, in terms of feed efficiency (yield of meat and milk in relation to amount of feed consumed), choice of forage (grasses, … Continue reading
I used to say we have everything but goats and horses …. now we have everything but horses (crossing my fingers on that one but not holding my breath ). So who are all these animals and what are they … Continue reading
In the last weeks before our move from Northern Vermont to “The North Country” in New York we noticed a buff orpington hen was broody. During every egg collection she really wanted to stay on “her” nest of eggs. Other … Continue reading
What is a “pastured egg”? It’s an egg from a chicken raised outdoors on green pastures, able to forage for bugs, worms, grass, legumes, and any other greens and seeds it can find. There’s a world of difference between … Continue reading
Through our first year of officially farming we were committed to humanely raising our animals, but not committed to organic feed that was priced at twice the rate as conventional feed (that opinion has evolved). This meant that when we … Continue reading
We chose to switch to organic grain despite it’s drastic price increase (it’s about twice the price of conventional feed) even though we aren’t certified organic after our first season of farming. While all of our animals are pastured, chickens … Continue reading
“What do you do with your chickens when they’ve stopped laying?” a well dressed woman asked us one week at the farmers market. I knew what she didn’t want to know, so I cowardly answered: “We don’t know yet, this … Continue reading