Monday, April 8, 2013

To everything there is a season....

Spring is slow arriving this year. We are monitoring the hay supply somewhat nervously and hoping the grass will green up for our target date of May 9.  I did see a few ads for hay for sale in the local paper this week so there are probably farmers who sold stock earlier in the winter and now have a bit extra on hand.

Today is barn cleaning day. We borrowed Zack's four wheel drive tractor (Rainbow Heritage Garden will be using our organic manure on their gardens this spring) and Tom is ducking his head between ceiling beams as he hauls out the winters layer of shit and shavings which has been composting all winter.

In order to get the tractor into the barn, we had to move the hens back to their outdoor coop early this morning. One has to have darkness to catch chickens and as I worked late last night, we were up at five before sunrise to stash over forty hens in the cages, carry them out to the chicken run and release them into the fresh air. Tom moved Solomon last night and he was crowing away at sunrise, having spent a lonely night by himself.  The hens seemed indifferent when they were reunited as they probably had a lovely girls night; sort of like when the men go off to the hunt camp!