Into the World
April 28th, 2014 · No Comments · Posted in farming
Things were getting a little crowded with 50 chicks in our basement brooder so half were moved outside to the “tractor” a week ahead of schedule.
Chicks need their feathers to ward off cold and it’s been unseasonably chilly around these parts, with temperatures last night dipping almost to freezing. We put a tarp over the tractor to keep the cold wind out. When they aren’t feeding, the chicks bunch together to keep warm.
We decided to increase production of our Freedom Ranger broilers this year and that means I’ve got a gun to my head where the other half of this brood in concerned. I’ve got to finish building a second tractor for them. Friday’s my deadline, because I’m scheduled to pick up another 50 birds–this time laying hens–and they’ll need that space in the brooder.
Besides the broilers, we’ll be raising more Rhode Island Reds to replace the layers that recently fell victim to a predator attack out in the orchard. In addition, my wife and daughter was to start raising a separate flock of “Easter egg” chickens. Those would be the varieties that lay eggs in shades of blue and green. It’s a girl thing, I guess, ’cause egg color doesn’t do that much for me.
Meanwhile, we are racing around, up and down the stairs to he basement trying to keep up with food and water for those chicks. As if we weren’t busy enough, we discovered that the finely ground broiler feed floats around the basement on air currents, leaving a layer of dust on everything we keep down there. Quick, I had to make a run to hardware store for heavy plastic so we could isolate the brooder and contain all that dust.
Days on the farm are like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates: You just never know what you’re going to get.
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