Livestock and poultry
Abundance
Last night the 48 chicks in our incubator started hatching. By morning we had about 30, and by early afternoon 40 had hatched! I am very pleased. As you can see, the diversity of chicks from our hens is strong, and they are very healthy and content. While I was tending the chicks this morning,…
Read MoreHog heaven
We have been letting our animals out to graze this week as the Earth warms and the rains slow. When the soil gets a chance to dry a bit it lowers the risk of compaction to the soil or damage to the grasses. We are as eager as the hogs and cattle. It brings such…
Read MoreMuch is incubating these days
This has been a busy time of incubation at Wild Edge Farm. In addition to the 48 chicks we are hatching in our incubator, the fertile soil in the market garden has been building tilth and microbes all winter, and is now ready to generate a season worth of healthy plants. With many winter hours…
Read MoreA farmer’s bread and butter
Or, In PRAISE of Poop. Call me crazy, but in my second half century of life I find I need to transform the way I look at a lot of things. A good case in point would be waste. One of Jim’s favorite things to do on a farm tour is to grab up a…
Read MoreRebecca Jeans Morel
Rebecca comes from a litter of 14 piglets. Unfortunately, the first 10 of Rebecca’s siblings were stillborn because of a uterine torsion prior to birthing. Consequently, the sow’s milk production, which had been readying itself for a large litter, virtually shut down, and the mother pig forgot that she had piglets to care for. Within…
Read MorePork choice and choice pork
Pastured, regeneratively raised Tamworth hogs. These pigs are grazers first, rooters after. When we send them out to graze for an hour or so, they get right after the grasses and clover. Then, when it’s time these “Pastored” Tamworth hogs return to their winter pen in the hoop house.
Read MorePutting up hay for winter
Adolphsen’s Farm had some good hay and straw bales available this summer. Combine that with Jim getting the conveyor belt working in the barn, and we were able to put away an ample supply for winter — a chore that required plenty of teamwork.
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