We created a space for the little pullets and roos in the coop by partitioning off one end of it with 3-foot chicken wire. Moved them out on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning Madeline went out to check on them and came back to report that she saw one of the cats running off with one in its mouth. Little stinkers were flying up and over that chicken wire. We haven’t been able to get an accurate count to see if more than one is missing. They move too fast. We do know that it was either a Columbian Wyandotte or Lakenvelder that perished. So last night we put up another 2 feet of chicken wire above the other.
The broilers are doing great out in the pasture, but their fence is giving us problems. This afternoon a couple of the calves somehow got over the fence and into the broiler pen. When I went out a while later I noticed one chick that looked like death on 2 scrawny legs. Perhaps he got stepped on when the calves broke in. Not much we can do but wait and see. I propped him up to the feeder and he ate, but he kept falling asleep standing up.
The last piece of our business plan, the financial section, is due to our instructor in the coming week – ack! Newsletters, order forms, and the newly designed brochure are going out tomorrow. Scale inspector said he’d come this week. Need to send in our request for a Food Warehouse License this week, and get the freezer set up and labels made for that. Need to do more planting and transplanting, if the weather will let us. I think there’s rain in the forecast every day this week. And I need to get our website designed so that it’s more than just this blog. And somewhere in there I need to fold the 10 loads of laundry I did last week, do 10 more, pay bills, clean, cook – blech! I hate when real life gets in the way of my plans!
I’m interested in the “business plan”….what a great thing that farmers are able to take classes that will guide them into making successful business decisions. Are you going to be marketing your chickens yourself?
The course is excellent, I highly recommend it. You can get more information at http://www.nxlevel.org. It’s really helped us focus and not try to do everything all at once. It’s also greatly improved our analytical skills.This is our 3rd year direct marketing our beef, 2nd year for chickens, and 1st for pork. I’m going to try and sell a few veggies this year, too. Thinking about berries and asparagus, if we can get more land someday.
There’s a farm near here that markets their hormone free Black Angus beef, free range chicken and cornish hens. They seem to be really successful…have limited production and advertise in the local newspaper and have a website. There are alot of yuppies, or whatever they’re calling them nowdays, that buy their beef. Take a peek at their operation:www.farmdirectblackangus.com/
Thanks Suzanne! They have a nice site. I like seeing what others do and how they market themselves. Soon I need to expand this website to more than just this blog.200 cows a year – wow – Matt would be in heaven 🙂 We’re marketing 6 this year.