Brroder Space

Farm Update for April 16th, 2020

by Getting Started with the FarmUncategorized
Brooder construction
CJ staples in the 1/4″ hardware cloth to keep out even the smallest of predators

It has been a very exciting few weeks here at Skyline Pastures. We have constructed a predator-proof (we hope) brooder in the barn out of ¼” hardware cloth. We took extra care to plug every hole and ensure the sheets of hardware cloth overlap so no rats, raccoons, or anything else that can eat our chicks can get through. We are three weeks out for their arrival, and everything is ready. We even have a small generator with sufficient power to handle the heat lamps should the power go out. Then next thing to research is some sort of alarm to notify us if the power should go out in the middle of the night. It would be terrible to wake up and discover that the chicks died from a lack of heat simply because of a power outage. We are working on the e-Commerce portion of the website so that customers are able to place a deposit on their chicks. Our intent is to only sell 60 of the first batch of 100 to allow more than enough wiggle room for any losses due to the learning curve of raising chicks. Once it is up and functional, we will be sure to let everyone know so you can log in and reserve your chickens!

 

We have also added a miniature donkey named Jasper to our Farm Family. He came from a goat farm but once their goats had babies, he got jealous and needed to be separated. He is doing well on our pasture, although we wish he would eat more grass because he is not keeping up with the pasture’s growth. We will be getting him some friends (likely sheep) in the near future to both keep him company and add to our pasture maintenance plan.

With all of the grocery stores running low on items, including chicken, we see this as a prime opportunity to encourage people to stock their freezers with some of the best chicken possible. Who knows what lies down the road and having good food for our families stocked at home gives us one less thing to worry about! We look forward to keeping everyone posted on the chicks’ progress as we raise the up in the brooder and move them out to our pasture. Hopefully Jasper approves of his pasture-mates!

Donkey on Pasture
Jasper will help keep the pasture mowed while spreading fertility
Hens in the Chicken Tractor

Chicken Tractor Build

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With the help of my father, the first chicken tractor has been constructed and put to use. Frankly, my Dad is to thank for the majority of the construction; he built the major components in a modular fashion and then hauled them to my farm for assembly. A friend from our old neighborhood had 6 hens that had begun to eat eggs, so she gave them to us and there you have it.

Chicken Tractor Build
CJ and his Dad building a chicken tractor

Not counting the hours spent at my Dad’s house, assembling the walls and door, bending the conduit for the rafters, and tacking the hardware cloth to the framing, it took 4 hours to put together in my driveway. We are using a modified version of the Suscovich style chicken tractor. Ours has some additional structural support that does not add too much weight, as well as hardware cloth covering the entire structure. After 6 days being moved daily throughout my garden space, we have lost none to predators although the predators are certainly out there as proven by my game camera.

Chicken Tractor Build
CJ and his Dad building a Chicken Tractor

Picking up the chickens was an ordeal since, against my better judgement and Tanya’s advice, I sold my pickup truck and bought a Corolla. I was spending too much in gas (90-mile one-way commute) plus the truck was beginning to show its age mechanically. That being said, I really need to get another truck. We picked up the hens in Tanya’s van using a large dog crate (the wire frame style with a plastic tray for a floor). I expected this to be sufficient for the 1-hour ride back to the farm without damaging the carpet in the van, but I was incorrect. Fortunately for us, our friend loaned us a tarp to place under the dog crate and boy was it needed. Within five minutes of pulling out of their driveway the chickens had pooped all over the crate and the smell was horrendous. We had both sunroofs open, all of the windows down, and were mouth-breathing but it wasn’t enough. The tarp protected the carpet so at least once we got to the farm cleanup was easy, but we let the van air out for a few hours anyway.

The test chickens are all hens and are actively laying eggs, which was not the original intent for these chicken tractors so I had to add in some nest boxes with the hope that they would lay the eggs in the boxes for easy collection. The chickens have other plans though. They use the nesting boxes as roosts and lay their eggs on the ground. Not a big deal I guess but I will have to build them a proper roost to see if that will fix the issue. So far, they have not eaten any of their eggs.

Completed Chicken Tractor
The Chicken Tractor is ready for its new residents
Flowers in Snow

The Time is Near!

by Getting Started with the Farm

We are getting closer and closer to the chicks arriving on May 4th. The chicken tractors have been built and are on the property waiting to be set up! They were built in sections for easy delivery. We still have some time to put them together as the chicks will be in the brooder in the barn when they first arrive. We should start preparing the barn soon and setting up the brooder as well. 

Red Clock on Grass
The time is near

We did check out the Oley Valley Feed Mill on chicken feed pricing and the gentleman there was very helpful and took the time to explain different feeds and what would be the best feed for our broiler chickens. I must admit… I did not expect there to be much to chicken feed! There were so many types and variables to consider: protein amounts, pellets or crumbles, types for specific breeds, organic/non-GMO or no, how early to buy the feed. It was much more informative than I though it would be. I am glad that I tagged along and was able to learn more about the feed. The gentleman helped us find the info we needed and offered to follow up with us the following Monday. I am sure we will be ordering from that specific store. The customer service was outstanding. 

On a different note, I believe I have been replaced as the official main chicken farmer here at Skyline Pastures… BEFORE I even began! That’s not going to look good on my resume! It seems the founder of Skyline Pastures (Charles Lafferty) has went behind my back and found a much younger able-bodied applicant and offered the position to this young whipper snapper! This young man goes by Little CJ! My own son has stolen my job! HA!

I found this out as I was talking to Lil CJ about the chicken tractors. I told him that they are quite heavy to pick up and move. I advised that If this becomes a problem for me (I have multiple herniated disks in my neck and the strain of repetitive lifting could potentially cause issues) that I may need him to help me. Lil CJ got very offended suddenly and exclaimed that Dad had offered him the job of taking care of the chickens and paying him to do so.  Well, well, the plot has thickened! 

All jest aside, I am so glad that Lil CJ has taken an interest in helping on the farm! I will happily give him the job! This is exactly what we had hoped for, for our children to be a hands-on part of this journey. The deal is that he will get up each day, move the tractors to fresh pasture, feed, and water them. He will be paid for his time with the exception that he has to put half of his earnings into a savings account. I will of course be there with him each morning to supervise and provide help if needed. 

This does dampen my hopes of becoming super buff, from lifting chicken tractors (providing my neck, didn’t try to kill me first).  I will just have to find other ways around the farm to become super buff that does not threaten to make my spinal cord explode. 

There are concerns from others that Lil CJ will not want to get up or do the job properly. He is only 13 after all. Teenagers are not exactly known for their willingness to get up early or work ethic. However, CJ has never minded getting up early. He often asks to be woken well before he needs to be up, to allow him more free time. He has done this since he was in elementary school. He knows that there are things that must be done in the morning and if he wants more time, then he must get up earlier. I do not think he will have an issue with getting up early and I will be there to supervise that he is doing the job properly. 

This should not interfere with school at all as he does cyber school at home and classes do not start until 8:30am. He will have plenty of time to take care of the chickens before classes. He does not have to worry about getting ready or catching a bus. It works out quite well for him. He will only have to take care of chickens and school for a month as classes end for summer on June 5th. We do not plan on having chickens during the fall when school begins again. 

I think this is going to work out well, and again, I am thrilled that he has the desire to help! Instead of being replaced, I will think of it as being promoted from Farm Laborer to Farm Manager. Does that mean I get a raise??? Not likely! I guess I will just have to be happy that death via chickens is not imminent. (I do not have to worry about Lil CJ dying via chicken… he is much younger, has no fear, and can run faster. HA!). 

Broiler Chick

What is Pastured Poultry?

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Over the past several years we have developed a dream/idea in my head and have finally taken steps to make that dream into a reality.  That dream is to raise animals (initially poultry) on pasture so that the animals can enjoy being animals for the time they have before we harvest them.  Watching documentaries such as Food INC., combined with our own observations such as the smell and texture of traditional store-bought chicken were the driving forces behind this idea.  Since we are very excited about starting a farm and growing animals for meat, our plans come up frequently in my conversations with friends and family, but often they have no idea what we plan to do, why its necessary, or why it should matter to them.  We will attempt to clearly answer those questions here.

First, how is what we plan to do any different than the large chicken houses you occasionally see driving down the highway which produce most of the chicken you see on grocery store shelves?  Without delving into all the negatives we believe exist in that massive production side of the poultry business, we will focus on the positives that will exist with our chicken-raising method.  Our poultry will arrive on our farm as one-day-old chicks.  They will be placed in a brooder (a clean dry enclosure that provides feed, water, and most importantly heat) that is meant to simulate what a baby bird would experience tucked safely away under its mother.  They will live in the brooder for approximately 21 days as they grow from little yellow puffballs to young chickens that have grown true feathers.  After 3 weeks in the brooder, they will be moved out onto pasture in a mobile coop commonly known as a chicken tractor.

 

A chicken tractor derives it name since it is moved daily over the pasture, and wherever it passes, it improves the soil fertility and the pasture itself, much like mechanical tractors are used accomplish.  The structure will weigh just over 100 lbs. (it has no floor, so the birds just walk along with it) and it will be pulled by hand to fresh grass each day via 2 wheels in the rear.  This method allows the chickens fresh clean forage each day consisting of grass, weeds, seeds, and bugs while allowing them to get exercise and enjoy the fresh air and sunlight.  After approximately 5 weeks on pasture they will graduate to the dinner table as tasty tender broiler chickens.  The difference in these birds due to our careful and attentive management will shine through in the smell, taste, texture, and appearance of the final product.

We feel that if we can improve the welfare of our animals, while practicing ethical and regenerative farming methods, then we are obligated to do so.  Who wouldn’t want to raise and eat the best food possible if it were in their means to do so?  Our products will help families eat amazing food while refreshing skills like cooking a whole chicken and using all of the bird so that it provides multiple meals.  We are very excited to get this farm going and are happy for anyone interested in learning from our efforts!  Thank you for reading and we will certainly keep you posted as all of the preparations are made for the arrival of our first chickens.

Raw Dogfood

Raw Dog Food

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Raw Dogfood

Anyone that knows me, knows I am an animal lover to the highest degree. My animals are my children, my babies. I want the absolute best for them. One of the main reasons we wanted to start a farm was to be able to provide healthy food for not only our family but others as well. Why would I not want the same option for my animals? They are a part of this family as well, and I would like to be able to feed them a healthy diet too.

*I do not in any way claim to be a raw feeding expert. I admit fully that I am still in the learning phase myself.

I began researching a raw dog food diet shortly after getting our boy, Tank. He had some issues with kibble in the beginning and I had tried every high end, fancy, expensive food out there (only wanting the best for my boy). He ended up doing just fine on what my vet claimed was “plain old kibble”, as my vet suggested that sometimes the higher end food was just too rich for his stomach.

I began to wonder why that was. Why would a higher quality food NOT be good for him? What was in these dog foods that just wasn’t agreeing with him? It wasn’t an allergy issue; it was more of a “going potty” issue. At some point I realized that I was feeding him a 100% processed food diet. While he was doing good on the kibble we had settled on, it was still a processed food diet.

This would not be an acceptable diet for our human family, why is it ok for my dog? This can’t be good for him. So, the research began on the raw food diet. I scoured the internet for reliable sources, joined various raw feeding Facebook groups and tried to learn everything I could about this diet. I spent months researching before I felt I knew enough to give this a try.

I could go on for hours about the benefits of raw feeding, but I will just say that it made sense to me to feed him as healthy of a diet as I could. A raw dog food diet was a natural, species-appropriate diet for my boy. The ingredients are full of nutrients, it is not processed, and has no additives. This is what I wanted for him.

Now, Tank is a big boy. He is 165 lbs. This meant that to feed him completely raw, he would consume quite a bit. Much more than I could afford at that time (or the present as well). I realized this was going to be an expensive endeavor. While I want the best for him, I also cannot put my family into financial distress to feed him an expensive diet while he was doing good on the kibble we had settled on.

However, I was determined to make this work in some way. I do not give up easily. I decided if I cannot feed him a 100% raw diet, I could feed him a portion of a raw diet. I could supplement his kibble with some raw and I felt this would still benefit him greatly until the time comes that I can go full raw. (As you can see… I still have not given up.)

So, it began that Tank receives a breakfast meal of 100% raw food and then free-feeds kibble for the rest of the day. Hopefully in the future I will be able to make the transition over to full raw, but for now at least I can offer him a nutritional balance between raw and kibble.

Making Raw Dogfood

This is still quite a bit of extra expense as even his breakfast meal is quite large! It is quite an experience in the stores when I go food shopping for his raw food! I get peppered with questions by various other shoppers as to why I am buying so much bulk meat and odd items such as sardines and liver! For example, a normal shopping trip goes something like this:

Random Shopper #1: “Well someone like sardines…. 15 cans?”

Me: “It’s actually for my dog.”

Random Shopper #1: “How big is your dog?”

Me: “165lbs, yes he is a big boy.”

 

Random Shopper #2: “That is a lot of beef, what are you making?”

Me: “It’s for my dog, I make his food.”

Random Shopper #2: “Oh, you cook it?”

Me: “No, I raw feed.”

Random Shopper #2: walks away like I am crazy

 

Random Shopper #3: “40lbs of chicken, that’s the way to buy it right there!”

Me: “It’s not for me, it’s for my dog.”

Random Shopper #3: “Do you give it to him all at once?”

Me: “No, I make batches for him.”

 

Cashier: “Wow…”

Me: “Yes I know, it’s actually all for my dog, he is 165lbs, I make his own food, yes raw, yes in batches, the sardines are good for him, yes he is a spoiled dog.”

It is quite an adventure food shopping for Tank! I thought that if that many people had questions about it, maybe you would too! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I will be happy to answer or direct you to more information!

I am continuing to learn all that I can about the raw dog food diet and have even entertained the idea of taking courses on animal nutrition. I do not want to bite off more than I can chew though with a family, and new farm, so I will continue to think on it. We will see what the future holds in that area!

Farmhouse

The Farm House

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Farmhouse

There is a lot of work to be done on the inside of the farmhouse. Nothing that has to be done right away, but instead improvements we would like to complete to make it our own. This too will have to be completed one day at a time, as I have grand plans. Much grander than my husband would like.

When we were looking at houses, we found what we like to call the “barn house”. It was an 1800’s log cabin that someone had flipped, like they do on TV. It was absolutely amazing! A wonderful combination of an old-fashioned structure with contemporary design inside. The land was not what we were looking for, so it did not work out for us, much to my dismay. However, I do recall vividly, my husband stating that we would transform our current farmhouse into my barn house. This may have been a mistake on his part. I do not think he was prepared for what that statement meant to me.

While I do not want to replicate the barn house, or for that matter, invest the amount of money it would take to replicate it, I do want to personalize this home. There are some areas that we would really like to change. For instance, the washing machine is on the 1st floor in the mud room and the dryer is in the basement. This does not work for me (the primary laundry manager) at all and must be fixed. The kitchen needs new flooring and updated counter tops, as well as a new faucet and sink (possibly moving the bar and extending the kitchen). Eventually we would like to remove the carpet in the house and replace with hardwood flooring.  We need to replace the loft railing as well.

Boy do I have ideas for these! There are other things I have ideas for, but these are the items that need to be focused on first. I have begun to draw out my visions for my husband to see. This is painstaking for me, as I am certainly no artist. However, I am a very visual person and need to see how it will look before I decide to roll with it. I also feel my husband needs to see it as well to be absolutely sure he knows what I want. This also helps to find flaws that may not work. I try to think of everything in my designs (such as, you cant place the washing machine on an outside wall or the pipes might freeze, or you can’t wall over that pipe because we need access to it) but I am not a builder or designer for that matter. My husband can look at my design and point out things that need to be changed for it to work. This has caused me to have to completely redo one of my completed designs. While that is disappointing, it is better than having my heart set on something that is not possible.

So far, the only thing that has been approved to begin is the laundry area. I do want to get started on this as soon as we are able, as this family produces quite a bit of laundry. As the Primary Laundry Manager, I need adequate space and tools to do my job properly.

While I am sure my husband wishes that I could just be simple in my designs, this is just not possible for me. Simple is just not going to work. I want creativity, I want different, I want to complete an area and take pride in the fact that WE did that – we designed it and created it.

I will add that in all of my designs, I am trying to incorporate things that we can do ourselves or at least with the guidance of our master builder (my father in law).  I am not looking to buy brand new materials and have them professionally installed. Want a barn door? – build it. Want new counter tops? – build them.  New loft railing? – build it.

I do acknowledge that this means more work for us, well mostly my husband, as I know nothing of building things. I am willing to learn and help though! It will save money, however, and my husband is all about saving money. I scour over Pinterest for ideas and various marketplaces for cheap wood or re-purposed items. Again, I am very determined, and I will make my visions come to life, with as minimal expense as possible.

Just watch and see!!!

Kids with Wheelbarrow

Getting Ready

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Things are happening!

Kids with Wheelbarrow

We ordered the chickens and they will arrive May 1st! So exciting! I am a little nervous as well, seeing as how I ran from a duck in the past. (He was a very aggressive duck.) How am I going to control all these chickens? Are they going to attack me? Does it hurt when a chicken pecks you? I should google that one!

We will be doing the chicken tractor method, so wile they will be free to roam inside, they will be contained at least. I do have a plan…. I will make them all love me from the moment they arrive. I will be Chicken Mama! Chickens don’t attack their mama, right?

My husband is probably concerned about a great deal of things, while I am here googling “how NOT to die from chickens”. HA! We all have our priorities, and NOT getting attacked by chickens is my highest one.

My husband’s father is building the chicken tractors and that is well underway. He will deliver them, and we will set them up here on the farm once they are complete. The Idea is that the tractors will be moved to a new patch of grass every day, so that the animals are always exposed to fresh pasture. I am a little concerned about this as well since I will be the one moving these structures daily. I am a small petite girl. I don’t expect the tractors to be small and petite. My husband assures me that I will have no problem moving the tractors. I hope his faith in me is well placed! One thing about me though, is that I am very determined! Where there is a will, there is a way! I will get it done, even if I have to train my chickens to help me! Heave chickens, HEAVE!!!

Here on the farm we have been getting things done as well. Mostly splitting and stacking firewood, lots and lots of firewood. The gentleman who owned this farm prior to us, left a large amount of wood that needs to be split and stacked. Huge piles of it, lying around various parts of the property. A gracious friend let us borrow his wood splitter and it has been a blessing! I will say that it is hard work. Everyone is tired of stacking wood. Well, everyone except my husband… he seems to enjoy it. The kids are tired, I am tired. We do love the wood stove, however, so the kids and I try to remember that as we are stacking the millionth piece of wood. We turned the last stacking event into a game. Dad hauls the split wood from one location to the kids and I to stack. We try to hurry up and stack it all before he returns with the next batch. If we are successful, we sit down and act bored, as if we have been waiting for ever, asking dad what took so long when he arrives. Which in turn makes dad try to load faster to see if he can beat us. This makes for a very effective day and the job gets done quite quickly with minimal complaining from the children… and myself. My husband never complains, no matter how hard the work is, no matter how visibly tired he is, he just keeps on going till the job is done. He is amazing!

 

Here is to getting things done one day at a time! Soon the farm will be up and running!

Fire Wood

Farming, It’s more than Chicken

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It certainly comes as no surprise to me that there would be significant time spent doing other things growing chickens on a chicken farm.  Last night I spent several hours researching feed costs, working on this website, and building a spreadsheet that performs calculations to ensure I am profitable (because without profit, there is no farm).  Then today my friend Joel came over and we spent all day splitting wood out of trees that were fallen when we purchased this property.  To date I estimate we have split 5 cord of wood (a cord is a tightly stacked block of wood measuring 4x4x8 feet for those who don’t know).  At about $150 a cord if I were to buy it split, that is not a bad return on my time for wood that was already laying on the ground.  That couple days spent in the warmer part of the winter should save me $1,000 or more next winter in unburned oil. 

I like rigorous work outside, and I especially like the work when it betters my position by both saving us money and by improving our farm.  Now that the trees are split and stacked, the ground is opened for pigs or veggies, or whatever we decide to grow there.  At a minimum, the ground is opened for more trees to grow.  From our approximately 6 wooded acres we should be able to draw a lifetime of firewood with proper management.

The firewood chore also provides quality exercise for the whole family.  We have all spent several hours working as a team to split the wood, transport it to the woodshed via wheelbarrow, and then stack it.  There is some whining at first from the kids, but they get into a rhythm and then the next thing you know we are all having fun stacking wood.  At one point it even became a game to see if I could get back to them with a load of wood before they had stacked what was laying on the ground from the previous drop off.  All in all, I am glad that we have chores that can involve the whole family, getting us all outside and working together.  Once the animals get here I’m sure there will be many more such chores to keep us occupied!

 
broiler chicks in brooder

The Ball is Rolling

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Things were set in motion today!  To give our farm the best possible chance at success I have resolved to do something every day to make it a bit better than the day before.   Even with no animals, the list of potential improvements is enormous.  Today I purchased the first batch of chicks from Moyer’s Hatchery in Quakertown, PA.  We pick them up on May the 4th (cue Star Wars chicken music) but the money is spent, so there is no backing out now.  I will spend the next month or so researching brooder designs and watching every video I can to learn from others’ mistakes so that I hopefully avoid high mortality numbers.  Many of the farmers I follow note that their highest losses occur in the brooder stage.  The chicks are fragile (must be Italian) when they are young and need the perfect temperature, the perfect access to food and water, and a complete absence of predators.  Not to mention that their bedding needs to be dry, fluffy, and constantly maintained.  These guys are going to keep us very busy.

The current plan is to use one of the horse stalls in the barn to build the brooder.  I will be sure to photograph and film as much of the build as possible so that anyone trying to do a similar setup can see what we did.  There is power run to the barn that should be sufficient to power the heat lamps.  Additionally, there is already a water spigot in the barn, and by May the freezing risk should be long-gone, so we don’t have to worry about busting pipes and making a mess.  We are very excited to get the animals onto the farm and start raising the happiest and best tasting birds possible.  I will work over the next few days to set up the store page of the site and then please go in and put a deposit on a couple chickens!  Without friends and family buying our chicken in the beginning stages of the farm the road will be much more difficult.  Thanks in advance!

Farm House

our new home

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Our New Home

We closed on the deal on the new house on Nov 20th, 2019. The same day as our 15-year wedding anniversary! It was meant to be! So exciting!!!

I think CJ was a little in shock once we signed the deal. We had made the decision NOT to sell our previous home, but instead, to keep it and rent it out. This means we did not have the money from the sale of that home to help us with the new one. He kept taking deep breaths and saying things like “there is a lot of work to be done” (over and over again). I had to remind him that everything would be ok. We paid off the mortgage to the old home due to his good financial planning and we were not actually paying out any extra than we were previously. We can do this.

I myself was a little intimidated by the things we will need and need to do for the new property. We will need a tractor with a plow, otherwise we will not be able to mow the pastures in the spring or plow the driveway when it snows. He will need a truck as the previous owner advised he would never make it out of our driveway in the snow with his Toyota Corolla. We also will need to make the improvements to the inside of the house that we had planned on. It is quite a lot to take on. We will just have to take it one day at a time and focus on the priorities.

We were concerned about our daughter. She had indeed, returned to her public-school district (at the old house) and was quite happy at that school. She was doing well. We each talked with her about the move and what she wanted to do. Thankfully, we had always included our children in our plans/ideas, so this was not a surprise to her. We gave her the option of returning to cyber school for the remainder of the year and she could start fresh next year. She chose to transfer to the new school and “get it done”. I have to say, I admire this girl’s strength and courage! She amazes me!  She did transfer and seems to be doing well. She is still adjusting and getting used to the new school/people but that is expected.

Our son did not have the same issues with school, as he was still in cyber school, but I did worry about him leaving his friend. Over time a lot of his friends had moved away, leaving just one in the neighborhood. In our talks he did not seem overly concerned by this and as I expected, took comfort that he could still play/talk with him daily on the X-box.

The move went well, and we began the process of unpacking, which was slightly stressful as the holidays were approaching quickly. We managed to get it all done and celebrate Christmas in our new home.

We have had some adventures mixed in there as well. At least I have anyway. Maybe that will be another post… Tanya’s Farm Adventures!