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.
Integrations can be an exciting, but difficult, time: this is when young (or newly-added) animals join the resident group. For poultry, this can be a dangerous time, and it needs to be managed carefully. After weeks in tractors that were moved twice a day to fresh pasture, the goslings were finally ready to join the adult geese.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: The Great Gosling Integration”
The two groups of goslings have been doing a great job of cropping down the pasture. Using secure low tractors to contain them allows us to manage their grazing (and get our daily workout). And they are voracious grazers!
Continue reading “On Pasture: Grass-fed Gosling Mowers”
As we were moving tractors this morning, I noticed some unusual tan objects clinging to the shadecloth. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were the molted skins of cicadas – Brood X had arrived!
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Brood X Is Here”
Over the years, I’ve artificially incubated eggs from chickens, guinea fowl, ducks, and geese. When the excitement of the hatch is over, an unpleasant – but important – task awaits: cleaning out the befouled hatcher. And procrastination is not your friend.
Continue reading “Hatch Aftermath: A Very Dirty Incubator”
With warm weather, the Pilgrim goslings have been able to go outside. It’s a win/win situation because the goslings can crop the grass down and their poop fertilizes the pasture!
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Goslings Getting Outdoors”
Sometimes, the quiet in an incubator with eggs in lockdown is deafening. What’s going on in there? Are the air cells large enough? Are the goslings still alive?? And then, out of the blue, a pip appears!
Continue reading “Incubation Update: The Goslings Are Hatching! (Long Read)”