spring farm planning: what we prepare before the season changes

the season’s changing for most people just means better weather for activities. while we can appreciate the low grade warmer weather, it means planning season. spring is the time to decide what animals are staying, if we’re gonna garden and how we are gonna set up for the miserable heat that is awaiting us.

this spring, we’ve got a lot planned, but less than previous years. we’re gonna break it down into animals, garden and the business side of things.

let’s start with the animals, we know that’s the most anticipated one. why wouldn’t they be?! they are the cutest.

DUCKS

i’m highly eager for spring with the ducks. i plan on adding welsh harlequins, silver appleyards and more runners. (specifically blue, possibly black and maybe silver)

ducks are still be running with rosemary & panini, our chickens. the girls have adapted and think they are ducks.

i’m toying with the idea of separating our flock by breeds, or just separating the ones i’d want to sell as pure hatching eggs. i’m still highly undecided on this.

i will still be hatching out mixed breed ducklings monthly & you can find all that info on the duckling blog.

CHICKENS

the only way we are getting more chickens is from my girl at two cedar station. (click her business name to see her facebook page) she is my go to for all things chickens and is where we got panini. two cedar station is known for her beautiful chicken eggs, sebastopol geese and more. she owns the breakfast club of animals and we had to pay homage to that for panini, who also acts like houdini.

GOATS

let’s go over who is staying: piper, freddie, orion, winston ellie & milo.

the undecided bunch is: sully, oreo & her babies

we’re adding: one doeling

let’s move on to the garden.

GARDEN

the garden is still very much in the air. we want to do a few veggies and fruits but haven’t determined how we are going to plant. our garden that was thriving last year got destroyed by a negligent pest company who never took responsibility. lost an immense amount of money and time. our garden beds were tore up by termites while stored, so we have to start all over again for those. the only thing still going strong through the storms, freeze and move is my sage. {not too crazy to imagine by me being a witch} i hope to have more decided about the garden by mid march. i know, that’s so soon.

SHELTER

we created new hoop coops for the animals and it is taking them a little time to get used to them. i think we will end up extending them and adding another hoop towards mid summer. it is determined on how the animals like them. i do need to figure out new shade storage for my feed bins because that metal attracts so much heat. i’d like to avoid third degree burns every time i feed. this 80º weather already has me throwing the lids.

FEED

we’ve been using cluck and co organics for a few months & i think we’re finally going back to the homemade feed. i am VERY excited for this. no more crushed powder and so much more nutritional in my opinion. i am very intentional creating their feed and i know they miss it. with the seasons changing, that also means they get less feed. morning feeds will only consist of 1/4 of their daily feed and evening feedings will be 3/4 of their daily consumption. our girls are marvelous foragers. it’s insanely wild. my favorite thing to do in spring is watch the runners sprint after grasshoppers flying and eat them. all of the birds are such good foragers, hence the reason we feed less in the morning. feeding less feed in the morning encourages our girls to forage throughout the day instead of already being full off of feed.

now, here’s the boring but core part.

BUSINESS SIDE

i’m revamping products, still setting up shop in main st. mercantile and doing markets. with the weather heating up that means i cannot ship all my products. (ex: balms, sugar scrubs, herbal baths, etc.) you can find these in main st. mercantile and for local pickup. i will still be bringing to markets with cooler weather! sugar scrubs are leaving the site permanently as well. i am also looking to get in a few more shops, so if you know any, let me know! whether it be selling my loose leaf tea to a local coffee shop. if you are interested in working together or having me in your space, feel free to contact me too! i am doing a lot of back end work. this will allow me to have more time creating and interacting with everyone! we have some new products in the work and i’ll be sharing more as i go.

if you saw my post on facebook or instagram last week, then you know i am also opening the doors for farm life editorial or commercial storytelling. i truly miss doing creative collaborations and allowing my lifestyle to be apart of that is something i can’t wait to do. therefore, if you are a brand or photographer wanting to collaborate, feel free to reach out!

i’m stoked for this season. i hope y’all are too. it’s gonna be a good one. as always, thank you for supporting me.