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Winter has set in and we have a solid covering of snow. Looks like we'll be covered until the maple sap is running in March! It snowed earlier than usual and has been colder than usual. Such a combination has resulted in a nice white blanket throughout the state.
Neither the cold nor the snow seem to bother plant and animal life here in Scotland, CT, however.
The geese are still strolling around as if they own the place...That is, until the turkeys emerge from the wooded wetlands and take over.
The turkeys still "free-range" all winter, but there is little for them to eat so we offer them some grain each day. This helps to keep them from "running away," as well. In the summer and fall they eat entirely what they find in the woods and the fields, but the pickings are a little bit slimmer this time of year.
Even in the middle of a cold winter, the poultry prefer to remain outside. The turkeys can enter the barn and roost within, but unless it is snowing outside, they still would rather sleep in the trees and atop the barn and sugar-shed.
These heritage toms and hens will be our breeding stock and hopefully provide us with all the poults that we'll need for this year's Thanksgiving. We'll see how their production is in the late winter and then determine if we need to supplement our needs. We're once again planning to expand our turkey operation and raise more birds. We've been selling out faster and faster each season!
Here's Bertrude:
Here's Hiram:
Even though it's frigid and the water for the animals needs to be changed and dethawed several times per day, it is NOT too cold for a RED SOX cap!
And speaking of the cold: check out what Erica and Liev dug out of the snow in the garden. The kale is STILL growing, even in 20 degree weather! This stuff sure is hardy! It's now officially a year-round crop for us. Hooray!
I can't believe that this stuff can still make it through this weather. AND it's tasty!
