Fall Harvest at Fail Better Farms

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We’re so excited to offer our first produce packages ready for sale! We’ve worked hard to grow tasty, nutritious veggies, and it feels good to know we’re feeding other folks wholesome food.

How We Do

All of our produce is raised organically with permaculture principles. Here’s what that looks like:

Instead of spraying our crops, we keep them covered with insect netting so cabbage loopers and other creepy crawlies can’t attack them. Also, we eliminate weeds between rows by laying down repurposed conveyor belts.

Once the produce gets to be a healthy size, we remove the insect netting in order to let our plants stretch out (and so we can take a closer look at our beauties!).

Regenerative Agriculture

After we harvest this produce, we’ll plant cover crop, which includes peas, vetch, daikon radish, and other cool stuff, which will pull nitrogen into the soil and make the land even more nutrient-dense for our planting next Spring. We believe it’s not enough to be sustainable. Our pursuit of regenerative agriculture means that we continually strive to leave the land healthier than we found it. Future generations depend on our success.

Why We Have a Love/Hate Relationship with Failing

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If you’ve gotten this far with us, you know we legitimately have no business farming. (Despite our best efforts, though, we are actually getting better!) We’re committed to researching a lot and trying really hard. This fail better philosophy is both humbling and empowering. It repeatedly puts us in our place and reminds us we don’t have it all figured out. It also allows room for error; if you expect that failure is a likely outcome, it’s not so surprising when you come up against it.

Let’s be real, though. We don’t like failing. It’s uncomfortable and frustrating. It feels like the end of the world pretty much every time, but we try to lean into it because we know it’s good for us. It teaches us and makes us stronger. It prepares us for the next hurdle ahead of us that we may not see coming. We realize when we’re knocked down that it’s easier to see the trees rather than the forest. Indeed, we can usually only see the forest retrospectively.

Exhibit A

I posted a blog literally a week ago (Is a Great Pyrenees Right for You?) about how we were so proud of our dog Samson for his growth as a guardian of our free-range chickens. Can you guess what we woke up to this morning? A dead chicken. And there is absolutely no doubt our boy Samson is responsible.

Our Reaction

How do we respond to this setback? We initially feel deflated. We dabble in impostor syndrome, wondering why we think we have any business raising a livestock guardian dog.

Then we try to learn from the failure by asking questions. Is this our boy’s way of showing us he needs more supervised interaction with the birds? Is this a sign that we shouldn’t add to our flock? Should we put the electric fences back up that divide the chickens from the dog?

Disappointing set backs like this happen every day around here. If there’s not a wonky fence post needing to be replaced, then a couple dozen eggs got cracked when somebody tripped, or the carrot seeds aren’t germinating as expected. Aaron and I take turns reassuring each other that we’re following our dream and that hiccups are a part of growth and learning.

And sometimes we don’t have a crystal clear path to fixing the problem. We just keep trying different things and hoping for the best. It’s exhausting and disappointing and rewarding. It’s freaking life.

The Overwhelm

Little fails have a way of adding up to a death of a thousand cuts, right? They make life feel overwhelming. You wonder if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Moving forward feels as sensible as tidying up the Titanic. What’s the point?

When you’ve invested so much of yourself into your dream, it’s really disappointing to stomach road blocks. I know you know, reader, because everybody living on planet Earth in 2020 knows. Today it’s a dead chicken, but who knows what tomorrow holds? And there are only so many dead chickens a person can take. (I apologize if a dead chicken metaphor offends any of you.)

Attempting to Reset Mindset

We are repeatedly reminding ourselves that we’re grateful for our problems. That we get to deal with them together as a team. That they are problems that are completely within our power to overcome. That we learn and grow so much through dealing with them.

But a fail still feels like a sucker punch sometimes.

Is a Great Pyrenees Right for You?

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It always sounds like a good idea to get a dog, doesn’t it? Before you have one, you envision all the idealized, feel-good benefits of dog ownership: effective training sessions where you always know just how to work with your pup, long Saturday runs with your loyal companion keeping pace by your side, and excited greetings after a long day at work.

The reality of dog ownership is obviously more work than it is in my imagination. Maybe you’re at the dreaming stage, though, and you’re considering which breed of dog is right for you. As for us, we went with the Great Pyrenees. If you’re considering bringing one of these dogs into your world, you’re going to want to temper your expectations for the first two years of puppyhood.

The Ugly

Samson, our Great Pyrenees dog, was born on Christmas Day of 2018, and he came into our lives when he was about four months old. He was always sweet and cuddly with his humans, but he did not show his bird friends the same kindness. He “played” two our chickens to death in his first year on our farm. It was awful, but it didn’t appear to be intentional. He wasn’t trying to eat them or anything. He just wanted friends…or chew toys. Anyway, we didn’t have hope for him for a while there. We thought maybe we picked up a dud Great Pyrenees. Maybe our dog would never grow into a true livestock guardian dog like all of those websites had promised. Maybe we’d have to forever protect our birds from the dog we brought home to protect our birds.

The Bad

The blasted dog is intent on exploring outside of his boundaries. To be clear, he has access to literally acres of land, and he gets a ton of attention from his well-trained humans. Yet, he still gets out whenever he can find an open gate or a weak spot in the fence. There’s a development across the street from our farm, and he bolts toward it any time he breaks free, which means Aaron, Olivia, and/or I can frequently be seen running through backyards to try to catch him. Our kindly neighbors are accommodating, but we imagine it must give them a scare to see a polar bear lumbering toward them.

The Good

When he was about one and a half years old, Samson turned a corner. He stopped chasing after the chickens and instead started calmly living beside them. He began investing his energy in barking ferociously at hawks (and other non-threatening birds) and scaring potential four-legged predators away from the property. He seemed to be falling into his roll as protector of his flock.

I love that Samson is mid-lick in this photo.

When we were confident he wouldn’t hurt the girls, we took down the fencing that separated Samson from our birds, and now chickens and Great Pyrenees live together in harmony. (Scroll to the bottom of this post to see video evidence!) In fact, the girls regularly hang out with Samson in his stall. They feel safe around him, and he no longer murders them accidentally. Talk about progress!

As for the issue of Samson escaping to the development, Aaron installed electric wiring to the perimeter of Samson’s territory. Samson’s common method of escape was digging underneath any loose spots in the fence, so the wire at the bottom of the fence posts is an effective deterrent.

The Takeaway

Raising a Great Pyrenees puppy (or any baby mammal for that matter) is never easy. We’ve invested hours in training and chasing and fence-securing. Having a dog can be an absolute headache, and our efforts seemed to take way too long before we saw results. When it’s all said and done, though, the services he provides and the place in our hearts he fills makes up for Samson’s antics.

We’ve Attracted Monarchs!

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Aaron’s father, who is also our neighbor, remembers when monarch butterflies in our area used to be everywhere. These days…not so much. On the brink of endangerment, monarchs need our help. One of our goals here at Fail Better Farms is to become a certified monarch waystation, so we’ve been cultivating diverse, native plants for a couple of years. We’ve enjoyed watching the wildlife population thrive, and we’ve kept our eyes open especially for any signs of monarchs. Well, they’re here, and we couldn’t be prouder!

Interesting Stuff You May or May Not Know

Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. The momma monarch (momnarch?) lays her eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves, one egg per leaf. Then the eggs grow into adorably fat, striped caterpillars that eat the milkweed leaves before snuggling up into chrysalis mode and popping out as beautiful butterflies, dancing with top hats and canes.

Even though the caterpillars love milkweed, adult monarch butterflies can’t eat milkweed for energy. So we encourage other plants like Mexican sunflower (That’s Tithonia diversifolia for all of our fellow nerds.) as a food source for the grown butterflies before they embark on the next leg of their epic journey. (Start at about minute 4:50 of the TED Talk below to learn about this journey. It’s nuts.)

Anyway, after years of working to create a pollinator utopia, we finally had a respectable patch of showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa. You’re welcome.) growing in one of the back fields. Lo and behold, those puppies are lousy with monarch caterpillars! In the short video below you can see several of our monarch caterpillar friends. Please forgive the blurry videography; I had a really hard time getting my camera to focus on the caterpillars themselves.

The Milkweed Dilemma

As I’m sure you’re aware, the monarch population has been in a steep decline for the past couple of decades, and that decline has in large part been tied to the scarcity of milkweed. So what’s going on with the milkweed? Two things:

• Pesticides and herbicides. Here’s the thing about genetically modified organisms (GMOs): they aren’t necessarily evil in and of themselves. The problem lies in what they’ve been modified to do, which is withstand a barrage of glyphosate. This means a few things for the land where modern farming practices are being used: 1) native plants that are minding their own business are poisoned by an inundation of poison, and 2) a lot of the food we eat is laced with glyphosate. To read more about the connection between milkweed decline and glyphosate, click here.

• Climate change. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the environment is thought to screw around with the level of cardenolides present in the plant. The cardenolides (a word I’m typing here but can by no means pronounce) are the proteins in milkweed that are harmless to the monarch caterpillar but poisonous to parasites that attack the monarch. Cool, right? (Learn more about this at minute 6:50 in the TED Talk below.) If milkweed contains too many of these proteins, the plant will be too poisonous for monarch caterpillars to consume; if it contains too few of these proteins, the plant will not provide monarchs with protection from parasites. It’s a delicate balance. You can read more about this here.

What You Can Do

• Plant native species of milkweed along with native pollinator-friendly plants. You’ll feel good, your outdoor space will look amazing, and you’ll have scads of bees and butterflies keeping you company.

• Create your own monarch waystation.

• Avoid buying and consuming GMOs. If consumers refuse to buy foods that have been doused with glyphosate, big farms will have to modify their practices.

Learn More About Butterflies

If you don’t have time for the full video, start at 4:50. If you’re reeeeally short on time, start at 6:50.

The Legend of One-Leg

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The Situation

A month ago one of our guinea fowl survived a car accident. This is new for us. Typically cars that hit our guinea fowl are driving too fast (at least 50 miles per hour) for the birds to survive. Aaron and I weren’t sure how best to handle our maimed bird, so we did what any self-respecting bird owners would do: we scoured the internet.

Our Options

Following the advice we found, we caught our hurt bird and identified where the break was. Sadly, we realized there was nothing we could do because the break was up too high on her leg for us to help her with a splint. We were faced with the ugly decision of putting our bird out of her misery or giving her a chance to push through her pain and fend for herself. We agreed to give the latter a shot. If she had the fight left in her, who were we to tell her otherwise?

A Word About Guinea Fowl

It’s not practical to take a guinea fowl to the vet when injured because the likelihood that s/he will run out into the road and get hit is nearly 100%. I’m not exaggerating. We lose nearly all of our birds this way. Though they have acres of safe land to run around on, they insist on crossing the highway daily. Interestingly, although they are very capable of flight, they choose to walk across the road. Slowly. They are not the brightest bulbs in the box, but we love them for their tick-decimating aptitude.

So How Did One-Leg Fare?

Our busted-up guinea fowl kept on hopping around on one leg, hence her nickname. She could no longer accompany her bird friends on their daily excursions across the highway, but that actually kept her safer than she would have been otherwise. She was grounded and couldn’t move very far from the coop, with its supply of fresh water and roost for protection from predators. If I can anthropomorphize my dear bird friend for a moment, it seemed she had found her happiness in appreciating the reality she was living rather than dwelling on what she had lost. Isn’t that a lesson we can all apply?

Getting to the Other Side

After a few weeks of sticking around the farm by herself while her flock went on their daily outings, she eventually decided she was ready to go with them. Staying in community with her bird crew on their adventures across the highway was, in One-Leg’s estimation, worth the risk of life and wing. I regret to inform you that One-Leg is no longer with us here at Fail Better Farms. While we aren’t sure exactly what happened to One-Leg, we like to think she eloped with a bird lover and settled down to start a family. Maybe she’s watching over us now, roosting up high in the copse of trees across the street. All we know for sure is she crossed the road and was never heard from again. That, dear reader, is the Legend of One-Leg.

Adventures in Dietary Changes (Plus a Bonus Peach Cake Recipe!)

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Raising a kid with food allergies is tough. You pretty much have to develop a manual for your kid that you can drop off to babysitters along with the backpack full of inhalers, epipens, over the counter antihistamines, creams for rashes, and safe snacks. My husband Aaron and I went through years of treating the symptoms of our son’s allergies. We never got ahead of them; it was always a game of catch up.

Then we made a change. We were lamenting our plight to friends of ours, who happened to have an answer. They said, “You have to take your son to this nutritionist who helped a bunch of people in our family.” We agreed, “We absolutely do.” So we did.

The Cut-Everything Diet

The nutritionist said we first have to cut out all sugar, all wheat, and most caffeine from our son Collins’s diet, and she recommended we then feed Coll a no mold/low histamine diet. While I was in her office, I mentioned I’ve suffered from bad environmental allergies for the entirety of my existence. She said if Coll and I both go on this diet and take it seriously, my son can wean himself off his inhaler and I can wean myself off my daily prescription antihistamine.

Some of the foods and drinks we were challenged to cut on this new diet included cheese, chocolate, corn, white potatoes, nightshades, and all food additives. All fermented things were also discouraged, which is interesting because we were previously told by multiple medical professionals that yogurt and kombucha would be beneficial for my son.

In an attempt to simplify how many meals we’d be cooking and avoid teasing Collins with foods he can’t consume, Aaron and I decided we would all stick to this diet.

Results

Collins’s skin has cleared up for the first time in his life! And his dad, mom, and sister are feeling pretty great as a result of our cleaner eating.

Holy Crow! It’s Expensive.

The highly recommended nutritionist we visited didn’t accept insurance. After paying for the office visit, DNA test kits, and supplements, we spent over $750. I realize that’s a lot, and I wouldn’t expect most people to be willing to drop that amount. Desperate for results, we were willing to make an investment, and this particular nutritionist was highly recommended.

The cost of groceries has also increased. It’s just more expensive to buy rice pasta in place of semolina. And all of those flour and sugar substitutes are way more expensive than the sinfully delicious originals.

It’s Time Consuming

Gone are the days of grabbing ready-made meals and snacks off the grocery store shelves. As far as I can tell, nearly all prepared foods contain additives, some form of sugar, corn, wheat, or white potato. That means I spend far more time in the kitchen concocting meals.

In order to save myself time in the long run, I’ve been batch cooking. For example, if I’m baking sweet potatoes for dinner, I’ll bake 2-3 times as many potatoes as our family will eat in one sitting. I do the same thing with steel cut oats, quinoa, jasmine rice, and other grains that become the basis of future meals. Although some information online says leftovers should be avoided by folks on a no mold diet, there’s no way this diet is sustainable for us if I don’t batch cook.

Figuring Out Substitutions

It’s been really hard to find recipes that account for the dietary needs in our home. (Along with the list of foods we’ve recently cut, my son is allergic to nuts and eggs.) I have no choice but to play jazz with existing recipes and just see if they work out. Last night I created the original recipe below, which turned out okay. I’m not going to lie: replacing sugar, eggs, and white flour with other foods will not please all crowds. You can totally tell the difference. But if you’re avoiding processed foods like us, this might hit the spot for you.

Semblance of a Peach Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 cups local honey

1 cup olive oil

1 cup cassava flour

1 cup quinoa flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups peeled, pitted, chopped peaches

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F while you grease two 8” x 4” pans.

2. Combine all above ingredients by hand in a big bowl.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans, and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Salem's Food Desert

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The Need

Our farm is located about 25 minutes from Salem City, NJ, where the median household income is $25,171, and 46.2% of the population is living below the poverty line. Salem became a food desert in 2017 when its only grocery store closed its doors. A food desert is an urban area with limited access to healthy, fresh food. When the grocery store closed, the residents of Salem without transportation were forced to buy their groceries from the local dollar stores. The need in this community is urgent.

They Call the Pastor “The Queen”

Sonita Johnson, pastor of St. John’s Pentecostal Outreach Church, has applied her love of people and her indomitable perseverance to the task of helping folks in need. Johnson ensures that her church lives up to its name by offering a variety of supports and services to a community of residents in need. Every interaction I’ve had with Sonita “The Queen” Johnson has left me with a feeling of hope. She applies her tireless optimism to the work of finding solutions and improving the conditions around her.

What’s Being Done

Now with the pandemic facing our country, St. John’s still provides food and hope to so many people in need. While practicing social distancing, the pantry expanded the days and hours of their services. On Wednesdays and Fridays the pantry at St. John’s opens at 1:00; on Mondays the food pantry takes place at Gateway Family Success Center. Emergency food can be picked up at St. John’s from Monday through Friday from 8-10am.

St. John’s has received donations from friends and families, and they’ve collaborated with new partners. Through their new partnership with EMS Cafe owners Luke and Bethanne Patrick, they now host a food truck in the church’s parking lot on Thursday evenings between 4:00-5:30, which means Salem city residents can now get a delicious take-out meal, at no charge, through a grant from PSE&G. Together with the EMS Cafe, St. John’s served over 400 meals on Saturday, April 4th. The food truck will continue providing meals on Thursday evenings until August 13th. 

Gateway Family Success Centers in Salem and Bridgeton have provided St. John’s with not only volunteers, but also a weekly supply of fresh fruits and vegetables from their hydroponic gardens. Now they have a special giveaway in the St. John’s parking lot every Monday at 1pm.

Catholic Charities enable St. John’s to have monthly pantry meetings where they share best practices so they are able to provide healthier options to the community through the coalition.

The administrators of St. John’s Outreach, volunteer staff, the local police force, Catholic Charities, Bushels of Blessings, local farmers, Wawa’s Harvest of Hope, Volunteers of America, EMS Cafe, Gateway, Stand up for Salem, Mannington Mills, Performance Food Group, Sunday Breakfast Mission, United Way of Delaware, Salem Does More, and local churches are just a few organizations that have come together to make a difference in South Jersey.  

The Food Bank of South Jersey also connects St. John’s with so many vital food vendors, distributors, customers, and shopping markets, that it would be difficult for St. John’s to do their outreach without the Food Bank’s support. 

In addition to providing nutrition, St. John’s also offers a daycare center that provides full-time or part-time care for low income families with children between 2.5-13 years of age. The daycare is a member of Grow NJ Kids, and it is the only daycare center in Salem City that just reopened.

What Salem Residents Have to Say

“I would not have any food to eat this weekend if it were not for your pantry.”

“You all are such a blessing to us.”

“Before today, I was not eating so my kids could eat, someone told me about your pantry.”

“We love Mr. Frank.” (Veteran who comes every morning to give out emergency food)

What Can You Do?

If you feel called to help and you have the means, you might consider doing one of the following:

• If you’re farming or gardening and you find yourself with a surplus, it feels really good to know your hard work will turn into nutrition for folks who need it. Please call St. John’s directly at (856) 935-1445.

• Donate gently used toys, games, puzzles, or books you have lying around your house. St. John’s uses these items in their giveaways.

• Donate empty egg cartons and/or plastic grocery bags to the church. The bags are used to distribute the produce, and the egg cartons are used by a local woman who donates her chicken’s eggs.

• Volunteer your time at the church.

• Donate financially to the church by sending a check to St. John’s Pentecostal Outreach Church, PO Box 753/22 New Market St, Salem, NJ 08079 Attn: Food Pantry or Daycare. (The daycare is currently in need of a new roof, a problem exascerbated by today’s storm.)

• Volunteer at Fail Better Farms so that you can help us increase our impact. The more hands we have, the more food we can produce. Interested parties should email mary.failbetterfarms@gmail.com.

• Check out St. John’s outreach on Facebook to see the good work they’re doing.

• Support the EMS Cafe. 

• Check out the USDA’s Food Access Atlas and find a need near where you live.

How We Created the Best Nest for Our Hens

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What’s a Best Nest Box?

Aaron and I had debated whether or not to get a Best Nest Box for about a year. A Best Nest Box provides chickens a place to lay their eggs, which then get immediately whisked away. The reason the “immediate whisking” is imperative is because chickens poop on their eggs, folks. That’s the gross underbelly of raising egg layers. Dirty eggs equate to more time spent cleaning eggs before we package them up for customers, and time is a limited resource.

What was the hold up?

Just like everything else, it came down to finances. We knew we’d be spending over $200 to purchase the box, and we’ve been strictly budgeting around here lately. After much discussion, we decided if we were going to eventually pay for it, we might as well start reaping its benefits immediately.

Problems

We were experiencing three problems with the Best Nest Box: (1) at least one of our hens was pecking the laid eggs from beneath the mesh of the box, (2) depending on the angle of the chickshaw, some of the laid eggs were getting cracked in their descent, and (3) some of the eggs developed lines on them from rolling down the wiry mesh.

Solution

I used jewelry wire to secure a long piece of fleece to the mesh. (Check out my video below.) This softened the eggs’ descent (No cracked eggs!), provided the eggs a soft surface to rest on (No lines on our eggs!), and created a barrier so that the hens couldn’t see the eggs (No pecked eggs!). A win-win-win!

The Exciting World of Kids with Allergies

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The Long Version

So I’m out in the field, right? Checking on the pigs and chickens, refilling their water and food, talking to them about the facts of life and such. Meanwhile, Liv and Coll are running around in the field with Samson, our gentle Great Pyrenees puppy.

As I’m topping off the chicken waterer, Roosty starts attacking me, neck feathers raised like he stands a chance with a grown adult human. (This behavior used to scare me. I would scream and run away when he charged. Now I stand my ground and engage in battle with an eight-pound bird. As you can imagine, winning doesn’t feel great, but it’s not like I’m picking the fight with him.) Anyway, I kick the rooster off me for the fourth or fifth time (He’s relentless some days.) when I hear Coll screaming. I of course rush over to him. He’s upright and intact, but he’s rubbing his eyes. I pick him up, assuming the overly friendly dog got all up in his personal space, and Coll just needs a break from him.

The chores aren’t done yet, so Liv, Coll, and I walk over the the other chicken coop, where the pullets are, so we can check on them, and Coll is still carrying on about his eyes. This is when I realize Samson did more than annoy my boy. His eyelids are starting to swell.

The three of us go inside the house, Coll rubbing his eyes and crying the whole time. I wash his face and hands, give him a dose of Zyrtec, lay him down to flush his eyes out with eye drops, and put a cold compress on his eyes. His eyelids are growing more swollen by the minute, and I have the good sense to take a picture for comparison’s sake.

I breathe. The boy wants goldfishies, so Liv gives him goldfishies. He wants kombucha, so I give him some kombucha. We sit and watch his eyes. The skin around his eyes is getting puffier and turning a shade of lavender. I’m trying to pretend I’m not freaking out, but at this point I am. How swollen can a toddler’s eyelids get before they burst? What are the rules for this? I call the pediatrician. They tell me if he’s breathing normally, then there’s no need to administer his epipen, but they still want to see us. I make the appointment.

I scramble to figure out what to do with Olivia while I take Coll to the doctor’s office. Aaron was busy at work, which is 45 minutes away from our house, and none of the nearby grandparents are available. (For posterity’s sake, I should mention we’re in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions, so bringing extra people to a doctor’s office is frowned upon.) I call and explain my predicament to the pediatrician’s receptionist, who says it’s cool if I bring a spare kid as long as everybody’s wearing masks. I say a confident,“Okay,” but I’m thinking, “Have you ever tried to keep face masks on children?”

Long story longer, the doctor meets with us and tells me Coll’s lungs are clear. (Win!) She tells me to keep an eye on his breathing, to prop him up when he sleeps, and to check in with his allergist. Oh, and I gave him the wrong meds. (Fail…)

Six hours later, his puffy eyes make him unrecognizable, but he’s giggling and running around in the yard (away from the blasted dog) with his sister. All is well.

The Short Version

It turns out Collins is allergic to dogs, which I discovered when our dog licked him in the face. He’s fine now.

The Win

1. The kids both kept their face masks on their faces while in a public space! This is a first for us.

2. Olivia was perfectly behaved at the pediatrician’s office. (I accept no credit for this, just as I accepted no blame when on previous visits she’s acted like a wild jungle cat.)

3. Collins is fine. His eyes are still puffy, but I’m just pretending he’s a prize fighter following his dreams of glory.

4. I remained calm (at least externally) the whole time.

5. We determined another allergen my boy needs to avoid.

The Fail

1. According to the doc, I should’ve given Coll Benedryl instead of Zyrtec because it works faster in cases of emergency. The more you know, right?

2. I bribed Liv with food. It was an “If-you-act-like-I-know-you-know-how-to-act-you-can-have-a-doughnut” kind of day. We’re trying to cut junk out of our diets, but a momma’s gotta do what she’s gotta do, so I’m trying to extend myself some grace.

The Life of an Egg-Layer at Fail Better Farms

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We’ve been raising egg-laying chickens for several years now, so we’ve made enough mistakes and learned enough lessons to feel confident to share our process.

Different Stages of Birds

1. BABIES! We receive a new batch of chicks every year between January - March. In this early stage of life, our sweet chicks need be kept warm and protected, so we raise them in a barn stall with heat lamps and a lot of attention. Starting the birds early in the year is key because they grow up before snakes come out of hibernation. (We learned that the hard way.)

2. TWEENS! When our girls are about 3 or 4 months old, it’s warmer outside, and they’re smarter and more resilient, so we introduce them to a chicken coop that’s half walled and half chicken wire. This acclimates them to the idea of being outside without letting them roam free.

3. TEENS! When our pullets are able to fly up to roost, they need their wings clipped. After clipping their wings, we open an exterior door on their chicken coop to give them access to lush pasture when they want it. (See “Clipping Pullets’ Wings” video below.)

4. ADULTS! Once our girls start laying eggs (around 5 months), we introduce them to the flock of egg-layers that are rotationally grazing on pasture with 24 hour access to a chickshaw. Drama ensues as a literal pecking order is established. The rooster is thrilled at his growing harem. Eggs are collected at least daily so there is no chance of incubation.

What is Rotational Grazing?

Rotational grazing is a natural pattern where all parties involved benefit from controlled periods of intense distubance followed by a year long period of rest after the disturbance has passed. A Zimbabwean ecologist/livestock farmer named Allan Savory (see TED Talk below) made a crucial observation while watching the herds of herbivores on the plains of Africa. He noticed the landscape sprang back to life following the intense disturbance of grazing herbivores eating and pooping on a single piece of land. Just when the landscape looked like it was getting degraded, the predators push the herd forward, leaving the land the rest of the year to rejuvenate. Other animals followed the herd, making easy meals of maggots in poop and scattering the fertilizer as they gleaned. Allan applied this observation to his livestock operation and found that the process was transferable.

Why We Rotationally Raise on Pasture

Rotationally raising chickens on pasture serves many purposes. Everybody on the farm is benefiting from everybody else. Our chickens follow in the wake of the rotationally-raised pigs. It works like this: pigs get fresh ground to eat grubs and roots and grass, spreading fertilizer (poop) the whole time. As soon as the ground has been significantly disturbed by the pigs, they are moved to a new fresh piece of pasture to repeat. The chickens move onto the land the pigs just vacated, where the birds truly free-range to eat a balanced diet of protein (bugs) and greens (grass, weeds, seeds, etc.). All the while our customers are benefiting from the heightened nutritive value of the eggs being produced.

How we Clip Pullets’ Wings

Watch the video below to see how we prepare our birds to live on pasture.

Check Out Allan Savory’s TED Talk

Watch minutes 8:30-12:45 if you don’t have time to watch the whole video.