Spring 2018

Last spring brought with it some exciting events. The hops sprouted up really well, indicating that they made it through the cold winter. We built a large tortoise pen so that Elton could have some room to roam, and we got new cohort of chicks.

This year we bought production birds - Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks - from our local TSC, which sources them from a local hatchery. This year, we requested a later delivery date (June) so we could keep them outside, even as day olds. We set up a lamp in the barn and cleared out a stall for a cage. It worked really well, and will probably go this route again in the future. The new birds didn't start laying until November, but they haven't stopped since - even through the dead of winter - we are now getting between 1 and 2 dozen large brown eggs a day.

The new tortoise pen utilized some left over 4x4's from a project and 3 panels my recycled from my grandpa's place. They were part of his old corn crib, but work great as a tortoise enclosure! I think Elton was happy to stretch his legs. We even planted a patch of prickly pear for him.

The hops looked really good this spring. Each clump had several shoots emerge. I pruned each plant to only a few vines as they approached 2 feet, excited to see how they would do this year.