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!
Yay!! Can’t wait to watch your little farm continue to grow 🙂
Thanks! You guys will have to come up and visit. It really is beautiful out here.
Thank you! I hope that you guys can visit soon as well! Would love to have you up and show you around!
I am so excited for you guys! I can not wait to see how good you guys do with your animals 😊. I also can’t wait to make another trip up there to see it all! I wish you all the luck with the chickens. Love you guys! 💜
We look forward to your next visit. If it is after May 4th you will absolutely have a chance to see the animals. Who knows? We might even have a buddy for Tank by then!
I’m so excited to watch this adventure unfold. Thanks for blogging!
Absolutely. It is an exciting new venture. If you are ever in the area, absolutely stop by and check it out!