The farm is all buttoned up and ready for winter now.
The chickens are up near the front of the farm in their high tunnel (unheated greenhouse). The plastic covering, which you can see from the Farm Store, isn’t exactly the prettiest thing in the world.
But it’s ideal for the birds as it allows the solar energy released by mother nature during the daytime to keep the organic egg headquarters cozy and warm.
The warmth does more than keep the chickens’ spirits high, too. It keeps their egg production steady and prevents the eggs themselves from freezing when the temperatures dip.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention here that the high tunnels are just as beneficial to us as they are to the animals as they prevent the water tanks/lines from freezing, which means we only need to haul water in buckets (saving our backs!) on very rare occasions.
The pigs are now near the front of the farm in their high tunnel, too. Greg and Amanda worked together last week and moved the entire herd – 47 pigs and counting – in under 4 hours.
I’m convinced this must be some sort of record as I remember this task taking days and days for us to accomplish in years past. It was Amanda’s first time driving the tractor with the trailer full of pigs hitched to the back – tricky business – and she did great.
All this is to say, though, that at this very moment, every animal on the farm is up toward the barn so we can keep a closer eye on them. They’re sheltered from the cold and have systems in place for flowing water.
There’s an enormous sense of peace settling in around here from knowing that we’re officially ready for winter. What more could we ask for as we head into the holidays?
Oh, maybe your collective good wishes that we never experience a storm like Buffalo just endured over the Thanksgiving holiday. Can you imagine 7 feet of snow dropping on a livestock farm like ours!? 😱
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – We have both smoked and fresh (unsmoked) holiday hams available or pre-order in the online store for pickup on Christmas Eve. Reserve your holiday roast before we run out.