And so it begins - February 2016
/Don't believe those romantics who say farmers have winters off! February kicked of with a mad dash to prepare for the 200+ day old chicks that arrived on the 12th. Along with the {adorable!} day old chicks came the coldest weather we had experienced all Winter! I mean bone chilling cold... temperatures below zero with gusty winds that dropped it down to -20 degrees! I know what you're thinking... no biggie right? I mean it's not like we were outside...
Trick is day old chicks need to be warm. 100 degrees kind of warm. No easy feat in an unheated 100 year old barn. Somehow we did it. There was a LOT of teamwork, solid planning and more than a bit of luck involved. Vin built us a beautiful and bomb proof enclosure. The Hemmingways assembled the hover which took the place of a real mama hen keeping the chicks toasty warm despite the arctic cold. Charlie and Corey were everything from welcome-wagon when the chicks arrived to butt wipers when the inevitable "pasting" began to cheerleaders and comrades in chaos right alongside us that first weekend. James supplied us with enormous sheets of cardboard which were perfect for insulating. Elizabeth, Vince, Emmett, Susan, Tony and Amelia answered our 10 million questions over and over again with smiles, sound advice and so much encouragement that we believed we knew what we were doing! We are forever grateful for the boundless love and support of our amazing friends and family. You are our greatest asset and we love you to bits!
February also saw the first seeds in soil! Sarah built a fab 4' x 8' heat table that handles lots and lots of seed trays and keeps the soil warm enough for germination. She added some hoops, row cover and some greenhouse plastic to cover and we are seeing green!
Despite being the coldest month of the year, our lives have become all about warmth. For the chicks, for the seedlings and especially the warmth of friendship. The chickens are growing like crazy. They are seriously adorable and more fun to watch than anything you've seen! We wrapped up the month planning our next mad dash... finishing the big coop cleanup so we can move these little monsters in before they out-grow the brooder!
CSA Signups are rolling in so be sure to get in now before we fill up!
Thank you all for your support!
Sarah, Kate and Massimo
Farmers | Co-Founders
Cluck & Trowel
508.542.0434