Beatiful Weather

Spring is now in full swing! Just as quickly as the animals can graze a pasture, it grows right back up behind them with even more variety than before. We are receiving the perfect combination of rain and sunshine to keep the fields lush and fertile.

            The chickens are out on the grass as well, with their guardians Sierra and Bo, our two Great Pyrenees guard dogs. The abundance of eggs makes it hard to believe that two months ago, the hens weren't laying hardly anything.

            We now have two new pets as well. Muffins is a cat who hopped into the truck once and rode with us to the farm one morning, and Bella, a dog who was supposed to guard our ducks, but decided she liked home life better.

            This week, Dad and Mom went on a cruise to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary, and Harrison and Sheridan went off to visit our married sister. So Elliott, Oliver, and Sullivan were left to take care of the farm. Fortunately, the week passed without any major difficulties.

             We're making plans for this summer.  Hopefully we don't have another drought this year!

           

           

Spring Grazing

The winter-spring transition is finally complete! The cows are now grazing the new spring grass, and the new young laying hens are prepared to follow them. Even the calves are enjoying the season on a field of their own.

We are taking advantage of the abundant grass and are fattening a few beef cows with the extra food. Several of our heifer calves from a couple years ago are about to give birth to calves of their own. All around the farm, new things are popping up; new plants, new animals, and new ventures.

We've been getting rain at just the perfect amount, rarely enough so that the ground doesn't get too muddy, but often enough to keep the grass growing. As the cows knock out the first wave of spring grass, the next wave is steadily growing behind them. Milk production and egg production are moving at a nice rate, and we hope that all of this is an indicator of an excellent summer to come.

Spring

            We can now add some more animals to our list! This time it's Chili and Reléno, two cows who have been added to the herd and are adjusting to their new life splendidly. We are also now starting to milk Ophelia, the daughter of one of our earliest cows. Hopefully, these three will enjoy healthy and productive lives here at Avery's Branch Farms.

            The local veterinarian visited our herd, so we had to make sure everyone was in a good place where he could check on them. For some animals, that was quite an ordeal! Others, however, who have had years of experience with this kind of thing, were perfectly fine and obedient throughout the visit. Due to our holistic practices we don't spend much on vet bills. 

            The grass is now so tall that if the cows don't graze it quick enough, it'll end up going to waste! Now it's full speed ahead getting animals out to pasture. We are doing this amidst other tasks to prepare us for spring, such as the winter-summer switch inside the house and pasture construction outside. Hopefully, the winter-to-spring transition moves swiftly and without problems this year.