This should prove to be an educational year!
I’ve been on the “new” Misc. Farm for almost a year now and have had a chance to settle in again. With my current flock of chickens aging I’ve lost a few hens here and there and their production has understandably dropped. I knew if I wanted to continue with poultry I’d need to add to the flock and having raised chickens for eggs and meat for four years with my former spouse I feel pretty confident with them. I decided to take a bit of a leap of faith this year. I’ve been interested in raising ducks, as well as chickens, considering the meat and eggs are both more prized than that of chickens. So I ordered a “homesteaders delight” package from the hatchery for later this spring which includes 10 new laying hens, two ducks, two geese, and two turkeys! I also ordered 10 laying ducks. That should bring my layers up to about 30 total with the extra ducks, geese, and turkeys destined for slaughter. This will be the first slaughter where I’m in charge from start to finish. As with all things, either I’ll overcome my trepidation and succeed or I will have to reconsider my relationship with some foods. I’m thrilled and terrified at the same time. I’m not slaughtering for on farm sales this year. These are purely for my own education and freezer but I suspect it will be a bit more of a community affair. I’m pretty sure I’ll need help with the turkeys just based on their size alone. If you think you might be interested in participating for your own education, or sheer horror, please sign up for the Farm Newsletter or drop me an email at: farmer@miscfarm.com.
I’ll update the Egg Announcement newsletter when the new ducks and chickens start laying. With the day old chicks and ducklings arriving in late spring that won’t likely be until early fall.
