This place has been dormant; I have felt like Sleeping Beauty – the vines were growing up around the castle! Last summer Loyal returned for a visit after many years, and we decided to work something out so he can take over here. I have no children. Loyal knew Ken and worked with him and understands the magic of the place. Loyal got some pullets and has them in the mobile coop. He has also …
Last fall Ken moved the chickens, geese and turkeys into the garden. They clean up weed seeds and insects. Chores are easier in winter if the birds are nearer the house. And manure for the compost is already in the garden. It means they get moved in spring to other, more remote locations Ken had planned using the mobile high tunnel for the spring greens. Good thing as geese wanted to sit on …
After the last harvest on November 16th we saw that cold weather was coming. One of Ken’s late fall tasks is to move the hens into the garden for the winter. This year he has two groups of hens, and they seem happier in their respective coops, so he moved both portable coops to the garden. He also moved a portable structure I call teh hog hilton into the garden for the …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions or leeks, garlic, salad and braising greens, sweet potatoes, squash, and herbs. Field notes. This unusually warm weather has enabled Ken to catch up on some outdoor tasks – chimney cleaning, opening up spots in the field for green manures, etc. We took a morning off – together ! – to pick up some grain for the animals. It was …
Ken made a large coop on wheels for our laying hens. Since chickens like to scratch, a stationary coop usually means the area all around the coop gets scratched to bare ground and there is too much concentration of manure. A portable coop allows the farmer to provide birds with fresh pasture and the safety of an enclosed predator proof coop at night. Ken’s “egg mobile has worked so well he could use …
Ken provides sequential pasture for animals here. That means he moves hens and pigs as needed so they get fresh areas to scratch (chickens) or root up ( pigs) Here is the new location for the “egg mobile” that has hens and turkeys in it
Well actually two. Thursday after midday meal Ken was ready to move the pigs, so we did! They had dug up their area and gladly moved to the next. Ken chose a woodsy location so they can stay cool in the summer heat. The geese range through the former pig area – they are gleaning any stray grain along with the wild birds The next morning before letting the …
