What's Been Happening on the Farm

Hens & Pre Season Preparations

Spring is definitely in the air and that means one thing, we'd best be ready. I've been making the most of the glorious weather we've been having by getting stuck into some pre season preparations.

The big news is🐓100 laying hens  🐓 are arriving tomorrow so I've been building a temporary coop until the main egg mobile arrives back on the farm next week. Yes you heard me right!! more laying hens are finally coming to the farm. Which means one thing... more eggs!!

So many of you have been wanting to purchase my pasture raised eggs or add more eggs to your weekly orders and the wait is nearly over. If you've already told me you want more eggs or asked to be put on the waiting list you will be the first to know when they are back in stock and available to order. If you haven't put your name on the waiting list and would like to just pop me a message with roughly how many you would like and how often.

Although 100 new hens means supplies will double, because there is a waiting list I'm anticipating that by the time everyone is getting the numbers they actually want there won't be too many to spare that will be sold ad hoc. So why only 100 hens you say?! Well it's not just as simple as getting more hens, they each need somewhere to live and enough grass to be reared on and a space indoors for winter should the weather get too bad or avain flu comes our way. I have in fact already started the process of building egg mobile number 2 by purchasing my second, second hand caravan trailer. All being well I can get it finished for autumn and egg numbers can increase again. But for now there are some other spring jobs that are more pressing...

Jobs For April

🐓 Building A New Brooder - Once the hens arrive and I've made the necessary repairs to the egg mobile the next job on the list is building another brooder. I say another because I'be build a new brooder pretty much every year I've been rearing chickens for meat. Out of my whole operation the brooder is the one place the chickens are most at threat from predators and it is single handedly the place where I have lost the most chicks.

I build a new one every year, always a better design with more fortification and this year is no different. My main goal in April will be brooder construction. I already have a reinforced concrete paved floor and the plan is to build a walk in cage on top of it. Not so much to keep the chicks in but more the rats and stoats out!

💧Installing A Ram Pump – I'm currently building a ram pump, that is a water pump that requires no electricity to run. I'm quite excited to show it you and keeping my fingers crossed it will actually work. I just need a few more bits to finish putting it together. Once installed a water pump will mean I wont have to walk down to the stream everyday for water and can store more of it so in summer when water is more limited I have more stored

🌱 Expanding the Farm – Lucy and I have big plans to open up another field (or two) this year. For those who haven’t visited, when I first took on the farm, the land had been untouched for 20 years. So far, we’ve naturally grazed about 2 of 9 acres, but there’s still a lot of work ahead to open up more grazing space. We haven't started yet but as things are starting to grow now is the time! See pictures below, on the left how it used to look covered in brambles, on the right a picture from last week, winter time and the grass just starting to grow for spring.