As we continue our journey into the wild world of 1st gen farming, we always planned to share not just our triumphs, but also our epic fails. Transparency is key when it comes to farming, and we’re here to reveal the nitty-gritty of the “do’s and dont’s.” Buckle up, friends, because this tale is one of those brutal lessons where nothing went according to plan! We call this our “Cluckageddon.”
Over the past several years, our farm has faced some shocking and feathery fatalities. Some chickens were lost to heat, while others fell prey to crafty predators. Each year, we’ve fortified, adjusted, and tried new techniques to protect our feathered friends. Just when we thought we had it all figured out, nature struck back with a vengeance!
Fresh eggs have been one of the main drivers of our farm, and to meet demand, we need to maintain at least 60 laying hens. We were doing fantastic until a couple of weeks ago when catastrophe hit. Apparently, a gang of raccoons decided our farm was the perfect place for a heist. Everything was operating smoothly until that fateful night. The chickens were happily free-ranging during the day and had a cozy roost to settle into at night. The family was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, thinking it would be just another beautiful day.
The next morning, we woke up, grabbed our coffee, donned our muck boots, and headed out for our daily chores. To our horror, it looked like the grass had turned into a carpet of brown feathers overnight. Destruction was everywhere, and our once-thriving chicken community had been reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory. We had lost 20 chickens, nearly 1/3 of our flock, in one devastating night! And if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough, our beloved turkey, Debbie, was among the casualties.
We collected all the chickens, put them in back in the mobile tractor. However, the gang of raccoons were back again in full vengeance and this time reached through the slotted floors and got close to another 20 chickens! 2/3 of our flock gone in two nights! Now, we’re back to square one, re-growing our layer population and brainstorming new ways to keep our flock safe while sticking to our permaculture principles.
I rolled up my sleeves and started construction on our new John Suscovich tractors! These beauties are a lot like the Joel Salatin ones we built for our Cornish Cross meat birds, but with a few nifty upgrades. The biggest change? A pitched roof and a door, so we can easily walk in without doing the limbo! On the backside of these tractors, wheels to help roll the tractor across the pasture, and I added a roost and nesting area for clean egg collection and to give our chickens a cozy place to perch at night.
From our past attempts, we’ve discovered that setting up a protective net around the meat birds significantly reduced our mortality rate. We’re excited to apply this same strategy to our egg layers. This way, we can keep our farming principles at the heart of our operation while keeping our feathery friends safe from the night-time vermin that lurk around our property.
It’s all part of our ongoing mission to find that sweet spot between good farming practices and keeping our clucking comrades safe and sound. Here’s to fewer casualties and more happy hens!
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