This Friday the Blackwood flock of chickens, above, will leave our farm and make their home on another organic farm a couple of hours away.
I'm guessing that apart from the drive, the Blackwoods wont notice much of a difference between their old and their new homes at all. They'll travel along as usual dust bathing, eating, drinking, scratching for bugs, laying eggs, hanging out with their hen buddies and when dark comes, they'll even go to roost in the same houses they have since they came to live with us a year ago when they were one day old.
Our lives on the other hand will be very different indeed.
The Blackwoods are the last flock to leave our farm and for the first time in years we will be down from 2,000 chooks to just 200. From 10 Maremma dogs to two. From two wonderful farmer boys to none.
This Friday marks the next stage in our organic farming adventure.
We're excited (and a little bit scared), we're happy (and a little bit sad), but we're really ready.
Hopefully our extra time will be spent trying to find a bit more of a self sufficient balance. Making, growing and doing more, and buying less. Hopefully scaling down the business will mean we'll have more time for other plans. And hopefully someday soon, the places we deliver to will stop calling us the egg man and lady.
So it is with much happiness for them and for ourselves that we farewell the Blackwoods.
Stay tuned for the next adventures.
xx
PS We have a pallet load of poultry netting, as seen above, arriving from England any day now. Available for sale mid October. Please watch this space for details if you are interested.
1 comment:
There is nothing better than seeing chooks free-ranging: picking for bugs and seeds and dust bathing as they please.
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