Foxhollow Poultry Farm

We are up and rushing towards our production schedule for 2010. Looking at the schedule on paper at the beginning of the year is always daunting. Three pages of graph paper showing the growth of birds of various ages and stages of development from hatching egg to processing. We will be about three times busier than last year. I do have some help this year.  My intern from ISU has been a big help last year and is continuing with her help this year.  I cannot describe how thankful I am for her presence on our farm.  Her personality always buoys us up no matter what the circumstances are. 

I am also conducting research and fact gathering for a book about our poultry system for raising birds.  The book is supposed to be about 350+ pages and will discuss suitable breeds of poultry, hoop housing and how to raise birds outdoors year round.  It is a long involved project and should be completed within the 18 month time frame given to me. This project, our poultry with increased schedule (x3), taking care of aging parents and grandchildren have all taken up almost every minute of every day. I keep promising my poor neglected husband that we will take a couple days away from the farm.  It hasn't happened yet in the last 2 years.  It will within the month.  Recharge, renew, and redo.

Here is one of our television segments for Living the Country Life about various types of eggs we raise and sell at our local farmer's market.  

http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/lcl/file.jsp?item=/videos/index&temp=yes&bcpid=1156002551&bclid=1336697566&bctid=53212064001

Just about over our last push to get our poultry schedule wound up for the year and then a break.........oh, no that's right we have to start planning for an increased schedule for next year.  We are adding another 20 acres for birds next year. This season has proven even better than I thought it might with the addition of  more restaurants to our customer base and our regular customers ordering more frequently. Heck of a good year.

The turkeys are going to market next Sunday and that will be our final meat birds for the season. We have made 2 trips to the processors already.  Can't wait for this to be over as it is a LOT of work moving the turkeys until they reach their final destination. Each turkey gets moved about 6 to 7 times from the field to the grocers shelf or customer's arms. I think I have lifted at least 7 tons this year already.That's a lot of turkey.

We are now Animal Welfare Certified for our meat chickens as well as our turkeys!! It always makes me feel good to achieve that certification as it indicates that we are doing a good, humane and sustainable job of raising our birds.

Follow us on facebook (foxhollow farm) and twitter (foxhollows) as well. The posts are much more frequent on those social networking sites.

Will post more after Thanksgiving if our arms don't fall off first.