Our first batch of chickens is in the freezer! We've seriously considered sending our chickens out to be butchered, but after lots of thought and discussion, we decided to keep doing them ourselves. We really like that we're the only ones that have handled each bird from start to finish. We're able to treat each … Continue reading Thoughts on the First Chicken Processing of the Summer
Starting a Cut Flower Garden
This year, we're starting a new venture-cut flowers! When we were in the hospital after having Anne, we received a vase of fresh flowers as a congratulations. I've never really been into growing flowers, but seeing how much it brightened up the hospital room and later our house, I thought about how nice it would … Continue reading Starting a Cut Flower Garden
A New Addition to the Farm
As we grow our farm, we're really making sure to do things as deliberately as possible while keeping things manageable. Last year, we focused on our chicken production which went from 25 chickens for ourselves in the summer of 2016 to raising and processing 300 chickens in the summer of 2017. We only raised 4 … Continue reading A New Addition to the Farm
The Pigs Are Here!
We picked up our pigs last week! This year, we got 5 red wattle crosses. When we first get them, we keep them near the pig shed so they have shelter while they're little. After they acclimate to their new home, we'll move them out to the pasture, so they can start really grazing. In … Continue reading The Pigs Are Here!
Bringing Home Bees
Last year was our first year with bees. There's a pretty steep learning curve with the first beehive. Ryan does most of the bee work, so he installs the bees and inspects the hive. Last year went really well. Our hive split on the 4th of July, and we weren't able to recover the swarm, … Continue reading Bringing Home Bees
Around the Ranch-May 6, 2018
I think it's safe to say spring is here to stay. Finally! Here's what we've been up to! Ryan was able to get the chickens moved to the farm after the snow finally melted. Crusher (the rooster) is busy keeping an eye on all of his hens who are enjoying the shade of their coop, the … Continue reading Around the Ranch-May 6, 2018
Around the Ranch-April 26, 2018
*I wrote this a few weeks ago and am just getting to posting it. I hope you enjoy! A more recent post will be coming soon! SPRING IS HERE! For now at least. And that means that we're finally able to get outside and start getting ready for the year. Here's what we've been up … Continue reading Around the Ranch-April 26, 2018
