Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
The beautiful wild violets are popping up with enthusiasm around here. Shy and diminutive, they really merit inspection and – better yet – collection and use. Aside from their delicate beauty, they (flowers and leaves) are very nutritious and high in vitamins A and C. I was particularly interested in making beverages with them, in the hopes of extracting some of that lovely purple hue.
How time flies…our first goslings were hatched a month ago from our goose’s eggs. There were only 2 eggs (of her first 5) that made it to lockdown, so we kept our fingers crossed that both would hatch…and they did! We now think we have a little goose and gander, based on differences in their behavior and physical characteristics. Continue reading “Chinese Geese: Growing Goslings”
Our white Chinese goose, Daisy, began laying her first eggs about a month and a half ago. It was especially exciting because they’re the first goose eggs laid here at the farm! Since we have plenty of chicken and duck eggs for eating (and goose eggs are huge), I figured it was time to try my hand at artificially incubating some.
My hands need help: they’re dry, red, and crying out for help. I recently figured out that the “natural” dishwashing soap I was using in the kitchen contained SLS, which was breaking down the skin on my hands; once I stopped using that soap, my hands began to heal. Unfortunately, the cold weather and low humidity has exacerbated the dry skin situation, as has frequent hand-washing (dirty hands are a fact of life on the farm). So what to do? Make an ultra-rich healing salve, of course!
So the fun part of incubation is over: the chicks have hatched, and you’re looking at an incubator full of empty shells and hatching gunk. What now? Clean it, thoroughly. Keeping your incubator clean will help ensure that you have successful hatches and that your hatchlings will be healthy. Continue reading “After The Hatch: Cleaning Your Incubator”
The first hatch of the year was an unusual one: the bulk of the batch was shipped Cream Legbar eggs – and shipped hatching eggs typically have a low hatch rate (for a number of reasons). We also put in a couple of our own Black Copper Marans eggs – early in the season, for them – and hoped for the best. Continue reading “First Hatch 2018: Final Count And Recap”