Our Hens…
Hi there!
I don’t know about you, but I swear that I can smell Spring. As I write to you I’m gazing at blue sky, sunshine, melting snow, growing mud puddles, thawing earth and chickens that are loving life scratching in the mud for delicious treats.
Longer days have our chickens excited, and they are treating us with an abundance of delicious, rich orangey yolked, medium sized, brown and light speckle shelled eggs.
I thought today might be as good a day as any to share with you how we raise our chickens!
We started with day old fluffs last Spring. They arrived and we tended to them as the tiny newborns they were. We gave them fresh water, fed them organic feed, clipped fresh grass and greens from our property to give them practice “foraging” and kept their home clean and dry to keep them fluffy and healthy.
Then, in a blink, they had real feathers and graduated into their coop. Their coop is really more a sprawling luxury condo. We had a shed on our property that we decided to give to the project of chicken raising. It gives them lots of space, good air on days they need to stay in (which are a very rare, and highly protested occasion), and a nice shelter from the elements and predators.
Now that winter is in its final act (we are all hopeful!), the chickens are eager to be combing the freshly revealed earth. Our chickens are offered soy-free, organic, layer feed inside their coop, but they prefer to be out roaming and foraging their own food. Ever heard someone talk about watching chickens peck the ground? We have found all new fascination with watching our hens sort through species of greens on our property, deeming some delectable and other worthy of staying put. They delight in rummaging the forest floor to prior years composted leaves and finding the insect treats. When the grasshoppers move in full force across the hayfield and up the hill to the coop - the chickens create a drag line and chase each other to get the grasshopper treat from another. They are happy and free and quite self sufficient. They talk to us from down the hill when we our out with the dogs in the morning. They rush to see us when we’re out playing with the kids. They greet visitors to make sure all is good, and then head back to the tree line to continue their day.
We are very grateful for our chickens. They teach us a lot about life. We also have unmatched gratitude for the food on our breakfast table when we walk in the coop to collect eggs. We grow our chickens with a nutrient dense diet of variety, and a labor of love, and they gift us delicious eggs that we are excited to share with you!
Our flock is still small, but as we need more eggs, we will be adding hens. Right now, we are excited to be able to offer a few dozen eggs to customers each week. If you know you would like to be a weekly regular, reach out and let me know [kate.onpointfarm@gmail.com] and we’ll make sure you have what you need for the week before we put any extra in our store!
until next time!
kate
