POWER OF POULTRY: OUR NEW LAYING HENS Black Austrolarps
posted on
June 12, 2014
POWER OF POULTRY
OUR NEW LAYING HENS
Black Austrolarps
These young ladies just arrived to bring new dimension to our farm and the food we offer you. While we complete their egg-mobile, they find comfort and security in this magnificent old corn-crib.
We employed this wagon last weekend to ferry visitors around the farm. It is now onto a new destiny of ferrying hens. Bob and son, Don, are hard at work creating the new ark.
In the meantime, the pullets (young laying hens) have started to express themselves, and have presented their first four fresh eggs! The eggs are about half the size of those from mature hens, and quite delicate in shape.
So a new journey begins, as we learn to manage laying hens and deliver their eggs to you.
So we don't become complacent, we are also venturing into pastured broilers for delivery to your table. We are enrolling the help of the neighboring Zimmerman family. Pheryl grew up on a poultry farm in Maryland, and is interested in learning to raise pastured poultry. So, he and his sons are breaking new ground on their farm for us and you.
This cage is moved daily. You will notice the amount of grass eaten by the broilers, leaving behind rich application of manure. They are fed a non-gmo grain ration, while gleaning much from pasture, giving the meat the rich, deep flavor we have come to expect from grassfed foods. These broilers should be ready to harvest in the first week of July.
Notice how much grass these chickens are ingesting - a diet not available to conventionally raised broilers who live indoors. It is the consumption of grass and critters in the soil that make this product exceptional.
Speaking of new ventures, we are sending out flyers this week to the Hyde Park neighborhood, explaining who we are and that we are ready to deliver our products to the neighborhood and to houses directly. The target is potential customers who do not attend farmers markets, but still care about good food that is raised locally.
Both humbled and inspired by the journey.