Dust, Dams, & Dreams
Dust, Dams, & Dreams

October 2024 vol. 1 We’re very excited about the forthcoming fall weather. The little taste we’ve had so far is quite refreshing. However, the cool winds are stirring up a significant amount of dust, serving as a stark reminder of the prolonged dry spell we’ve been enduring. It’s been several months since the last rainfall,

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Eggstraordinary Eggs
Eggstraordinary Eggs

September 2024 vol. 3 Now that we’ve undertaken a few markets closer to Austin, we’ve been selling a lot more eggs.  We get a lot of questions around how we raise our hens, and notably about the color of the yolk, and whether we wash them.  I’ve previously written a newsletter addressing these things, but

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Turkey Troubles
Turkey Troubles

August 2024 vol. 2 For the past several years, we’ve happily raised Thanksgiving turkeys. Turkeys are precocious little critters and though they’re less than cute, they’re a welcome addition to our menagerie. As we sell our turkeys FRESH, it’s very important that we get our production just right – ensuring they reach market weight a

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Farrowing Frustrations
Farrowing Frustrations

August 2024 vol. 1 Farming is learning. Regardless of age, I can’t imagine anyone claiming to be an expert. It’s an ongoing process of learning and adapting, drawing on past experience, and tweaking for today’s reality. But in order to make adjustments, it’s necessary to understand the variables and their effect on the outcome. Unlike

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Our Stance on Avian Influenza
Our Stance on Avian Influenza

July 2024 vol. 2 A few of you have taken the time to forward me articles and news clippings, or ask directly, about the looming crisis in the egg and poultry industry. So when I read a recent article from Dr Mercola I was reminded that I should provide a written response with respect to

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Chicken Business
Chicken Business

Last week we started a batch of 100 Cornish Cross broiler (meat) chickens with the intent to raise on pasture and sell at the farmer’s market. We are prototyping the system with 100 birds, but hope to get up to batches of 300, as chicken is a high volume – low margin game. A chicken

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Lessons from Winter Calving

Heading toward Christmas I could see the bellies swelling and the udders filling.  I knew we were going to have some winter calves.  I pulled two heifers out of the heard (#12 & #21) and put them in a paddock with hay so I could assist with the birth in the event I needed to. 

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