We got our bees just over a week ago. I gave them a little time to settle in before disturbing them with a hive check, but yesterday it was due. I got my smoker going and suited up. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm enough for the bees to be comfortable and for … Continue reading My First Hive Check
Author: phillipsfarmbatavia
Busy Season Begins
It’s a difficult choice between spring and summer but if I had to choose, I think I’d say this time of the year is the busiest season here on the farm. We have so much going on right now: baby birds of all sorts, fattening meat birds, plant starts inside and out, weeds everywhere, mulch … Continue reading Busy Season Begins
Waiting for Goslings
Our guardian geese started laying eggs not long after they settled in here at the farm. I uncovered several eggs on accident one day while raking up some straw in the run. One of the geese had simply pulled apart a bale stored there and made it into a huge ground nest. The eggs were … Continue reading Waiting for Goslings
Less Can Be More
This plate is a summary of so many things. It’s homemade Buckwheat Milk Bread that I baked yesterday cooked in eggs I collected from our chickens, birds that I tended with care. It’s maple syrup that I boiled down from sap that I collected from trees that grow on this property that we call “ours.” … Continue reading Less Can Be More
Rabbit Love
Love can take many shapes and sizes. My newest love is a Holland Lop buck I've taken to calling Stormy. He is the softest, most chill and snuggly boy. He's only five months old, but nearly full grown. We got him from a rabbitry about an hour and a half from our home, in Kentucky. … Continue reading Rabbit Love
Cheep Cheep
We welcomed 30 Cornish Cross (meat bird) chicks, 6 Americana (green egg layers) chicks, 6 Noir Maran (dark brown egg layers) chicks and 6 French Guinea keets to the farm several weeks ago. As with all the birds in our flock, we picked these babes up as day-old chicks from our local hatchery - Mount … Continue reading Cheep Cheep
Learning with Quail
Last winter we hatched quail in my classroom and had surprising success. They grew quickly and began laying eggs in about 2 months. Every step with the quail was a learning experience for me. They are ground nesting so their housing and egg laying is different than chickens. They don’t roost together and have almost … Continue reading Learning with Quail
New Furry Friends at the Farm
My 14-year old son Oliver was offered two female Holland Lop rabbits by a friend of his that no longer wanted them. He asked if we could take them so he could try out a little rabbit business. I’ve also been thinking about raising rabbits as a meat source so I was game to try … Continue reading New Furry Friends at the Farm
(Seed) Starting Again
Every January, when the busy-ness of the holidays passes, I start to feel the pull to put my hands in the dirt. This January and February, with its warmer temperatures and sunny days, I've been feeling the desire to grow even more deeply. On top of that, I've started a new job at a local … Continue reading (Seed) Starting Again
Introducing Louis and his Ladies
Goose family enjoying a morning swim We have official names for the goose family, thanks to our egg customer Jeanne. Meet, Louis and his ladies: Nicolle, Tilda and Bianca. Jeanne sent me French inspired names because of the French background of Toulouse geese and even looked up their meanings! That’s dedication. Louis - famous warrior … Continue reading Introducing Louis and his Ladies
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