What's been happening on the farm

Hi friends,

As always thank you for being here and following along this wild and often unpredictable farming journey. It's been a nice steady start to the summer on the farm with a mix of pride, progress, and tough lessons. Here's whats been happening lately: 

Hot Days, Resilient Grass & Hardworking Hens

Despite the dry, hot weather we've had, I've been very happy with how the pasture is holding up. In fact where the laying hens have been this year is looking lush. They've done a brilliant job fertilising as they go, and it's great to see the real time impact of working regeneratively. Moving the hens regularly isn't just good for their welfare - it's giving the land what it needs to thrive

More Chicks, New Brooder, Big Milestone

The new brooder is finished. It's a far cry from my very first one (a humble 2x1m box suitable for 20 chicks at a time). This new setup is a major upgrade, after struggling to upscale with temporary solutions the last few years this should do the job for years to come. Built with predator protection at thE forefront: solid walls, timber roof, a fixed hardware cloth roof that allows light to come through and air to circulate while keeping threats out, and enough height for all 5ft 10' of me to actually stand and move around round in some areas while working

I've put a lot of time and thought into the brooder and while I think I've got it right, it's still a nail biting time having the first chicks in there. Fingers crossed this is the start of a safer, more comfortable journey for each new batch of chicks.

A Difficult Loss: Fox Attack on the Flock

About 6 weeks ago, I had one of those gut punching moments: a fox got into the laying flock overnight. I've been raising and keeping chickens for five years now, and this was only the second ever fox attack - but still two too many.

This one hit hard. I'm still not sure exactly what happened - I suspect a fencing fault - the result was loosing 43 hens. That's not just a huge emotional blow; it was a financial one too. These are the hens I'd raised from March, taken through a molt and had just recently got laying beautifully again.

The whole flock was rattled in the days following - and honestly, so was I. I believe in sharing both the highs and the lows of small human scale farming, even when it takes me a little while to find the words. Thank you for being a part of a community that is open to understanding the reality behind food production.

Stock Update

Unsurprisingly, losing 43 laying hens has had a knock on effect on egg numbers. Over the past few weeks, the remaining girls have just about managed to keep up with regular orders - but I'm not confident we'll be able to meet demand in the coming weeks.

An additional laying flock is planned but not until Autumn and not before I build another egg mobile to house them. I've decided against introducing new hens to the current flock to bolster numbers, as they've now settles into a pecking order and for both health and welfare reasons, it's not best practice to mix flocks.

Meat is also in short supply - with literally a couple of chickens remaining. That's because I took a break from rearing this season to focus on the essential improvements around the farm. Apologies to all the regulars who rely on my chicken, but it will be worth it. These changes are all about protecting the welfare of the animals and ensuring the long term health of the business.

With chicks on the ground, you can expect chicken back in stock around the end of October and I can't wait to get back to filling your freezers with the good stuff.