Hello friends!
I can't believe it has been over a month since I have posted anything here! Time is flying so much faster than I can run trying to keep up! It has been a really busy month on the farm...
In late February John and I attended a conference in Bowling Green focusing on Alfalfa...the queen forage! We have tried to grow this grass twice with no success but I am not giving up. However, I am going to work on getting my soil amended to the proper PH level before I make another attempt. Simply put, alfalfa has a very high protein level and is so good for all animals. Also, since it is a legume, it actually adds nitrogen to the soil naturally so the additional of chemical fertilizers is not needed as much. We will get there!
Also in late February I participated in a two day workshop that was here in Corbin to start the planning process for the Whitley County Farmers' Market to become a year round market! Planning for this is continuing and it will be a slow process but needless to say it is an awesome goal for our community!
As March happened, the pace has quickened and I turned my focus to chickens!!!! First of all, my existing chicken coop is in bad need of repair, albeit not big enough to house the number of laying hens that I would like to have. I decided to purchase a prefab barn structure to add to the chicken community and increase the size of their outdoor fenced run. Since I did not want to relocate the chicken kingdom, all modifications are being done around the old structures so the girls can remain secure during renovations! Progress is happening! The new coop is in place and hopefully after today, the expanded outdoor run will be secure. The girls will remain roosting and laying in the old coop for now until I can get the new indoor furniture (i.e. roosts and laying boxes) built. In the meantime, I have the first new babies of the season on order!
Now here is the big chicken news.....
I HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO ADD MEAT CHICKENS TO MY OFFERINGS!!!!!! 200 Heritage White chicks are due to ship to me on April 15th!!!! These chicks will be raised on pasture completely separate from my layers. I will tell you more about this process later!!!!!
John is working on getting some fescue seed planted in two of our fields that will hopefully provide some good winter forage for the cows next December and January! We are down to 2 bales of hay so the grass needs to really come on! Looking like we really planned things right this year LOL!
Til later and I promise I will add some pictures so you can actually see some of the things I am telling you about!
Happy Spring!
Anne
