Baby It's Cold Outside

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posted on

February 1, 2018

Product Update –

1) Chicken - Our last batch of chicken for 2017 has been delivered. Next batch will be available early May 2018.

2) Beef - We have plenty of recently processed beef cuts in our freezer waiting for your order. Do you need larger quantities - then consider our best family value Half Beef-Custom Processed! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed

If you plan to buy a Custom Beef our upcoming harvest dates are:

January 2nd

February 11th

March 11th

April 15th

Then, will be the Fall of 2018

To reserve, simply place your order, confirm with the deposit, and let me know which date best fits your needs.

Farm Update –

Baby It's Cold Outside! What a way to start the first week of 2018. Most farm infastructure is not built to handle this many days of hard freezes in a row.

Let me take a minute of your time to let you know how our farm & animals have handled the cold.

First, the cow herd. They did very good. I once read where a cows comfort zone is from 7 degrees to 70 degrees. So this cold was not a problem. My responsibility was to make sure they had plenty to eat - a full belly prevents a lot of problems.

Pigs - our older batch did just fine. Last Friday we took delivery of our next batch of weaned piglets. So, I placed a bale of hay in their area to block the north & west wind, cut the strings, and formed a bed for them. Little pigs sleep piled on top of each other. They also did very good.

Hens - last weekend I placed the plastic back over the shade cloth end panels to block the wind. The key for hens is to stay dry and out of the wind. Cold is not the first concern as evidenced by my friends at Seven Sons in IN. We kept the sides down and the North door closed. Monday when it was the coldest the inside temp was 45 degrees at egg gathering time. An indicator of how well they did is their lay rate increased from 80 to 85 percent this week! The above picture was taken Tuesday afternoon - very Happy Hens. Be Sure To Add Eggs To Your Order.....

Water Systems- the biggest concern here was how to water 700+ hens. So, in preparation, I prepared a 55 gallon barrel inside the hoop structure and hooked it into the water system. We soon discovered that we also had to bring portable water containers for early morning until the hoop structure warmed up and the water system thawed. Fortunately only a minor break in pipe and today we are back on the well.

Cool Season pastures - the cold pretty much killed the brassicas! I am sure it also put the grasses and legumes into dormancy until it warms up again - which it is suppose to do starting tomorrow. By Wednesday the forecast is for 70 degrees.

Winter-time Favorites

Freezer Stockers (best deals)

Half-Beef Custom Processed

As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm.