Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[Kris5902]

Kris, I don't know if they do it in Canada, but here it's quite common to rent pasture to run meat birds on. It improves the overall quality of the pasture and the soil so it's a win win. I know folks who move to a different pasture every year on the same farmer's land. One year chickens, the next hay.

That is exactly what I’m trying to bring to the farm so they don’t have to spend thousands on chemical fertilizers to try and get a decent hay crop. It’s going to be hard to do with so much land and less than 100 meat birds at a time to run. 37 birds basically sold out in two weeks... it’s going to be a challenge hatching and growing them out with a monthly or bi-weekly schedule for processing.

Hopefully when the insurance agent comes and inspects (there’s apparently more than just my poultry holding things up, like broken and missing railings on stairways and the like) we can get a better idea of what the idiot in laws are trying to insure my chickens for... I’m not even looking for coverage on them, predator losses and such come with the business IMO.
Thing is they already own most of the pasture on the island...

 

[Ribh]

Yesterday was good at the market $350 gross, and we had some new 100% local products... which was nice. I had a setback when dropping off the cash for the Farm’s portion of the sales though, and spent about an hour sitting with the yearlings and hugging my not so little anymore cows until I felt a bit better. Apparently due to “difficulties with the farms insurance” I can’t have more than 150 chickens! I think they need to find an insurance company that understands that “farming” includes “chickens”... so much for going forward (I think they are just spiteful that I am being successful with the project)
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I have a plan b... we will see how it goes. I might arrange fostering of some of my chickens with neighbors for growing out, maybe a joint venture of sorts? 600 acres and only allowed 150 chickens? I can’t have a well paced out meat production when it takes 10-12 weeks for grow out and I need to maintain enough breeders and egg layers as well.

I’m going to do another hatch in a few weeks, for Wayne. He is building a better coop and ditching his current trailer set up, but is now down to less than 15 birds due to Raccoons and mink. A mink also took out his neighbors two geese in one night (the farmer I went in on the meat birds with). We need to get more traps out in that area of the island!

My roll away nest box design didn’t quite work so I added another section of wood to extend the protected “egg landing” area... turns out the chickens didn’t mind sticking their head under the fringe curtain and pecking and eating their eggs under it anyway! So no sellable eggs yesterday, but we did salvage three cracked ones for breakfast this morning.

Here is Sammy and his ladies “helping” with my rendering and cleaning out the truck on Friday, pretty soon these gals will be driving!
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Also from Friday... my “roadwork” buckets. I fill these with gravel and hand fill the potholes in our road... it isn’t efficient, but it sort of works, An all-terrain cow, and the grass is always greener under the tarp, according to Fudgeeo!
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And here is the second largest Dogwood tree in the country, surrounded by goats and deer. They are really “appreciating” my FIL’s alfalfa planting . There were 5 deer and about 50-60 goats, some are hiding in his taller grass that hadn’t been mowed yet, and a bunch more are out of frame!
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Oh wow. Just wow. You are being successful in your venture & that is great! Well done on the markets.

 

[rjohns39]

Morning Jeannie

 

[Ribh]

Hey, Bob! And everyone else.

 

[drumstick diva]

Kris, 'that 'really bites !

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Kris, I don't know if they do it in Canada, but here it's quite common to rent pasture to run meat birds on. It improves the overall quality of the pasture and the soil so it's a win win. I know folks who move to a different pasture every year on the same farmer's land. One year chickens, the next hay.

I seem to remember something about running chooks on the pasture a few days after the cows have been moved out and they eat the grain and insects in the cowpats while breaking them up and spreading them around. Might have been on BYC .

Anyway, I hope the in-laws have a sudden epiphany and become enthusiastic and helpful

Oh wow. Just wow. You are being successful in your venture & that is great! Well done on the markets.

x2!

 

[rjohns39]

I seem to remember something about running chooks on the pasture a few days after the cows have been moved out and they eat the grain and insects in the cowpats while breaking them up and spreading them around. Might have been on BYC .

Anyway, I hope the in-laws have a sudden epiphany and become enthusiastic and helpful




x2!

A Lot of the permaculture models have layers following the cattle but 3 days behind. The layers will spread the manure and eat the fly larvae, as well as scratch up the ground and grass. All makes for a healthier pasture.

 

[rjohns39]

Morning Kris

 

[Ribh]

A Lot of the permaculture models have layers following the cattle but 3 days behind. The layers will spread the manure and eat the fly larvae, as well as scratch up the ground and grass. All makes for a healthier pasture.

That just seems really smart to me. I'm always amazed by mono-culture approaches to farming but even a lot of farmers are quite short sighted in their approach. I know English farmers happily tore up hedgerows to make bigger fields for the tractors & now they are attempting to replant them because they were the best pest control out. It takes 300 years to grow a hedgerow so good luck with that!

 

[rjohns39]

I'm a huge Joel Salatin fan. I've been to his farm several times and pretty much read everything he's written.