And this is where our eggs are laid.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
EGGS!!
Since we have the egg-mobile up and running, and more of our chickens are starting to lay, we can offer eggs regularly now. We have a weekly pickup at our house so contact us to begin getting delicious, beautiful pastured (not pasteurized) fresh eggs. Here is our favorite article: Why is eating pastured eggs so good for you?
And this is where our eggs are laid.
And this is where our eggs are laid.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Trials & Travails of farming
Hmmmm….where do I start? We decided yesterday that we probably need to do a post on the travails of farming. Lest you think it’s all free sailing, let us share some of the setbacks we’ve had this year. We’re not looking for sympathy here (but if you want to send us a sympathy card, we would display it on the fridge), but since you are our community and our friends, and you are the reason we farm, why not share it all?
First, there was a lot of thought that went into deciding whether or not to even farm this year. A few things fell into place at the right time which allowed us to do it, and here we are. We value hard work and have definitely grown closer as a couple and family as we work together. One of our favorite things is chicken pick-up days, when we get to see you all. Since we haven’t had one of those for awhile, we are very much looking forward to seeing you all at the next one (mid-August).
Anyhow, my fingers are rambling now. So…there was the project of moving up to Wanship. The egg-mobile took 2 days to pull up there, with one flat tire and 2 borrowed trucks and lots of family help – all of which made us a day late to Danny’s family reunion (but not a dollar short). We had to wake up at about 3 am to go catch the birdies in the dark (trust me, it’s much easier this way) for the big trip. We had to borrow Shawnee’s uncle’s big trailer and her dad’s big truck (good thing they work in the construction business) to haul the shelters up there and thankfully they all made it with little damage.
Saffron has had her own share. She was scratched by a rooster (not one of ours) a couple months ago :(
Then, we’ve had some processing wrinkles to iron out and are now waiting to hear that a stand-alone processing plant has been built and inspected, ready to use for our next batch!
Yesterday, we found out that a pipe had burst in the Wanship field resulting in a flood that took 100 chickens out on the pasture. Thankfully it wasn’t more, but it was a setback nonetheless. We helped ourselves feel better by driving up Millcreek canyon and going on a beautiful hike in the pouring rain. If you haven’t been up the canyon yet this season, you must…it looks like we live in a bright green rainforest!
So why do we keep doing this you ask? Well…we value raising our own meat, love seeing the birds out on pasture really doing what birds do and eating what birds eat, and connecting with our local community as farmers. We realize that certain risks come with this type of farming, but so many benefits come as well – including seeing the sun rise most mornings, satisfaction of raising and eating our own locally produced food, building relationships with individuals and local businesses within the community, and being able to say “chicken sheeeit” on a very regular basis with a long drawl. Thanks for reading – hopefully some of you are reading this and getting some information and enjoyment out of it. If not, it’s kind of fun typing it anyway!
First, there was a lot of thought that went into deciding whether or not to even farm this year. A few things fell into place at the right time which allowed us to do it, and here we are. We value hard work and have definitely grown closer as a couple and family as we work together. One of our favorite things is chicken pick-up days, when we get to see you all. Since we haven’t had one of those for awhile, we are very much looking forward to seeing you all at the next one (mid-August).
Anyhow, my fingers are rambling now. So…there was the project of moving up to Wanship. The egg-mobile took 2 days to pull up there, with one flat tire and 2 borrowed trucks and lots of family help – all of which made us a day late to Danny’s family reunion (but not a dollar short). We had to wake up at about 3 am to go catch the birdies in the dark (trust me, it’s much easier this way) for the big trip. We had to borrow Shawnee’s uncle’s big trailer and her dad’s big truck (good thing they work in the construction business) to haul the shelters up there and thankfully they all made it with little damage.
Saffron has had her own share. She was scratched by a rooster (not one of ours) a couple months ago :(
Then, we’ve had some processing wrinkles to iron out and are now waiting to hear that a stand-alone processing plant has been built and inspected, ready to use for our next batch!
Yesterday, we found out that a pipe had burst in the Wanship field resulting in a flood that took 100 chickens out on the pasture. Thankfully it wasn’t more, but it was a setback nonetheless. We helped ourselves feel better by driving up Millcreek canyon and going on a beautiful hike in the pouring rain. If you haven’t been up the canyon yet this season, you must…it looks like we live in a bright green rainforest!
So why do we keep doing this you ask? Well…we value raising our own meat, love seeing the birds out on pasture really doing what birds do and eating what birds eat, and connecting with our local community as farmers. We realize that certain risks come with this type of farming, but so many benefits come as well – including seeing the sun rise most mornings, satisfaction of raising and eating our own locally produced food, building relationships with individuals and local businesses within the community, and being able to say “chicken sheeeit” on a very regular basis with a long drawl. Thanks for reading – hopefully some of you are reading this and getting some information and enjoyment out of it. If not, it’s kind of fun typing it anyway!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
We've mooooooved to Wanship
It’s high time for another update…and this one is a big one. Big for us anyway. We moved everything from Draper to Wanship. Everything. Brooders and equipment, chickens, turkeys, shelters, watering and feeding equipment, fences, solar chargers and the eggmobile (that requires a whole post itself, so look for that later). Danny has been working like crazy and luckily we’ve had family to help watch Saffron on those long farm days. We are so thankful to have been able to use the land in Draper (thanks to Bell Organics) to get our start. It worked great while we needed it, and we are also very excited to be in Wanship now. Here are some things we love about Wanship.
1. Same distance from our house as Draper.
2. Beautiful, scenic drive to and from our home.
3. Surrounded by farm land – horses, cows, sheep, and manure.
4. Running (irrigation) water!
5. Cooler temperatures on those hot days.
6. Lots more space.
7. Long term availability.
With the help of a few saintly volunteers and some kind family, we are officially moved. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And now for the best part…pictures!
1. Same distance from our house as Draper.
2. Beautiful, scenic drive to and from our home.
3. Surrounded by farm land – horses, cows, sheep, and manure.
4. Running (irrigation) water!
5. Cooler temperatures on those hot days.
6. Lots more space.
7. Long term availability.
With the help of a few saintly volunteers and some kind family, we are officially moved. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And now for the best part…pictures!
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