Chicken Thistle Farm CoopCast
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 900 ratingsSharing our small farm stories and skills along our farming, gardening and homesteading journey.
Visit the farm for an informative and sometimes irreverent tour through our garden, livestock pastures, chicken coop, beehive and greenhouse as we live - pasture to plate.
Farming topics free range around pastured heritage pigs, broiler chickens and pastured eggs, heritage breed turkeys, an heirloom vegetable CSA and garden, high tunnel / hoop house / green houses, organic and traditional gardening, farm infrastructure, tractors, sustainable energy, being self sufficient, permaculture, food preservation, bees, beekeeping and even fence mending.
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Episodes
065 Benefits of a mobile chicken coop, seedlings in the greenhouse, a case study on sick pigs
April 10, 2013 23:46 - 49 minutes - 42.3 MBOur farming updates this week suggest that maybe just a little Spring is on the way here at Chicken Thistle Farm. We took some time to clean out the chick wagon. We have also spent some time cleaning up the asparagus patch and getting the greenhouse ready for some seedlings. Then there's an update on the pigs and their gestation progress. We then move to the Veggie Patch and talk a little vegetable gardening as the seasons slowly turn. We talk seedlings, seed starting and soil blocks. Getting...
064 Puppy on the farm, April Fools Farming, Pastured Chicken Pricing and the Monsanto Protection Act
April 03, 2013 23:29 - 50 minutes - 44.3 MBOur farming updates this week include several things. Like the new animal on the farm, our new Border Terrier puppy Cricket. The Brother to Watson. (get it?). Kelli shares her adventures from last week while Andy was away on business and the "while traveling" farm emergency she had to manage. We complain about the fact it's early April and there's still snow on the ground. We also have a discussion around pricing your products (pastured meats and other naturally farmed goods) and making ...
063 Running a farm while on vacation, taking care of new chicks, Ractopamine in pork
March 27, 2013 22:20 - 54 minutes - 47.5 MBThis week our farming podcast talks about how we (the farmers) manage to get away on a vaction while entrusting the farm to capable hands. Who says farming needs to be all work and no play. There's a set of steps we undergo to ensure the farm is ready to be watched and we share a bunch of those. We share our story about a farmers market we visited while on vacation in sunny Florida. It was interesting for us to deal with how the farmer becomes the consumer. There's a new segment this week c...
062 Washing farmstead eggs, managing pigs in the mud and new farm questions
March 21, 2013 19:51 - 49 minutes - 43.4 MBThis weeks farming updates include our final decision on how we are managing our turkey order of midget white and Bourbon reds in the coming farming season. We talk about moving a pig feeder to get it out of the swampy mud the spring has brought and finally we are starting some seeds for the vegetable garden.In the CoopCast Community we answer a question about washing eggs. We also followup on the geothermal system and how it's been working through the first real winter it's been online. Fi...
061 Mud season on the farm, Farming and being sick and some listener based rants
March 12, 2013 22:17 - 48 minutes - 43.2 MBThis week's farm update were kind of all over the place since we missed an episode last week with #farmerandy being down for the count with a nasty lung bug. We talk about sickness on the farm when it's NOT an animial but a farmer, living through mud season on the farm and dealing with mud and pigs. We hase how the chickens onf the farm are doing with the Spring thaw and chickens and the challenges with their coop and netting and muddy eggs. In the Coopcast community this week we spend some...
060 Farm finances (income and expenses), a listener helps pigs farrow, chickens have been ordered
February 28, 2013 01:06 - 58 minutes - 49.3 MBFarming updates this week: Our Facebook page hit 1000+ fans - thanks so much! Chicken orders done for the 2013 farming season Turkey decision still pending In the CoopCast Community: Mark sent us some seeds! Josh helps a neighbor pig rescue in his farming adventures Suggestions posted on FB - for pasture pen plans Kelli's visit to CSA fair Ruminations continue about farm finances: Farm finances continued as we discuss some of the specifics of expenses and income on the small farm Using Q...
059 Farming updates for the week, Starting your own CSA, Small Farm Finances
February 20, 2013 13:16 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBFarming updates for the week include: Updates AI - no more updates needed, Due dates on calendar Chick Wagon Hay/straw delivery CSA full A new segment called "From the ground up" where we discuss the basics for any given project or enterprise on the farm and what we would do to do it again. THis week we talk about how we would go about starting a CSA Pictures posted of the shares Surveys Reviews How to get people to invest that much Make it a community with recipes, posts each week Host...
058 Farming in a big snow storm, farm finances, small farm tractors
February 14, 2013 00:01 - 49 minutes - 45 MBUpdates from around the farm: AI update - no heat for Katniss Checking Herm this week Snow storm - closed off extended pasture; ran extra line Round bales - more $ and hard to get Farm census Taxes and a financial look back at past year- upcoming discussions A simple soil block question This week we have a Farm U discussion around TRACTORS! How much horsepower for diffrnt jobs What is the right type of transmission Confusion Solution for hydraulics
057 Farm updates, vegetable garden seed planning, evaluating our role in the sustainable food movement
February 05, 2013 19:45 - 53 minutes - 47.6 MBFarm updates this week include: More AI talk- gator sound needed Katniss heat check this week Day 12 Cold weather continues Super Bowl = good food from the farm Chicken sitting-new chick wagon & lil eggs Veggie patch, our vegetable gardening segment we talk: New varieties we're trying this year Seed organization CSA email out to old members- did raise price Farmers choice segment talks abous our value (or lack there of) in the natural food movement: Our role/value in the food movement No...
056 Swine Artificial Insemination, Garden seed orders, farm fence questions
January 29, 2013 15:17 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBFarm updates this week include: Hermione AI Seed order in CSA - email to current customers Chicken trailer update Bogs boots update In the "Extended" CoopCast Community" Song used last episode The Facebook discussion of the picture of Hermione w/ Andy and Katniss in back Questions about fencing Feeding pigs "bad" milk Patti and others - how to know if AI worked Heather and Danielle - couples listening
055 Artificial Insemination of Pastured Pigs and Farming Infrastructure in 2013
January 21, 2013 13:10 - 58 minutes - 54.7 MBThis week's coopcast has a weather update about a big windstom that caused some damage but spends most of it's time talking about the artifical insemination process we followed with our gilt Katiniss and what worked / dindn't as well as what we learned about doing AI on the farm. Part 3 of the Farm Meeting discusses the general palns around infrastructure this year and why we made some decisions we did about growtih or processes in 2013.
054 - Egg prices, the farm plan for turkeys and building a mobile chicken coop
January 17, 2013 13:02 - 47 minutes - 40.3 MBThe updates in farming this week include: A Big thaw Planning for artificial insemination with the pigs Finally raised egg prices to $4 / dozen Kelli shares a listener requested update on her Bogs Boots Freezer inventory fun This is part 2 of the Annual Farm Meeting: A pending plan for turkeys The chicken succession plan Purchase and project in support of the Chicken Plan Breeds that we will be replacing the flock with and why
053 Pig on the lamb, snow and portable farming, annual farm meeting (part 1)
January 09, 2013 13:03 - 49 minutes - 44.4 MBUpdates around the snowy and cold farm: Snow and drifting on the farm and the implications to portable fencing Pigs on the loose Electric netting - upright again Chickens in the wind Greenhouse - salad for new years eve, peas, Swiss chard and a warm refuge The Annual Farm Meeting Farm Meeting for 2013 - Part 1 We discussed if we will be doing a CSA this year and the size, The Pig plan and AI, Laying chickens (more on this one next week) The plan for broiler chickens this summer General "fa...
052 Christmas on the farm, farming in the northern winters, choosing a CSA
December 29, 2012 20:37 - 48 minutes - 43.8 MBOur Post-Christmas, pre New Year 52nd, one year celebration episode. This week's updates include: Christmas on the farm - yum Let it snow, we say, with over 2 feet and counting... Preparing for the snow - round bales to the rescue Dealing with the fence lines in snow Placement of winter paddock fencing - room for improvement Chickens and snow In the Coopcast Community: Listener Bill shares his bad experience with CSA's and trying again One of our first listener Jeph talks about getting to ...
051 Farming with #elfonafarm, The 2nd Amendment on a farm, feed storage
December 19, 2012 15:02 - 47 minutes - 36 MBUpdates this week include: #elfonafarm - visit our to follow the adventures of one of Santa's Helpers on a farm. Weather - is this December? Haven't moved pigs to want area yet - fencing ready to go Rats in barn And a listener update from Adam about those VT college oxen This week in the news we share some thoughts about the horrific tragedy in CT and try to provide some facts about the gun control debate Guns - banning guns and they types of firearms Gun control in New York State Guns on...
050 Winter and farm fresh eggs, listeners favorite farming things, hybrid or heritage laying chicken
December 12, 2012 13:25 - 42 minutes - 33.5 MBUpdates from around the farm: Chickens - they love the round bales in their area for winter Lower egg production - no heat lamp Pigs- not in winter paddock yet- no real snowfall Cat in a hoop house Snow fence is up- why do we hate doing that so much? In the CoopCast Community Gaertagang Farm- Bogs boots Maple View Farm- Overalls Nicole- favorite podcasts and online tools Homemade gift idea- seeds or help starting a garden This week's Farmers Choice is a discussion on different egg layer b...
049 Farming favorite things (A Christmas list for farmers)
December 05, 2012 14:46 - 54 minutes - 39.8 MBIn this episode we share several of our favorite things from our farm. From pasture to plate we talk about big and small farming items that we like and that make farming easier for us to manage things. This episode is a departure from the typical farm updates and other discussions and we hope you enjoy it!
048 Heritage turkey from pasture to plate, vegetable gardens best tomatoes, worming pigs
November 28, 2012 12:39 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBThis "longer than usual" CoopCast includes... Updates from around the farm: Heritage Turkey for Thanksgiving - yum!!!! Losing a chicken and a farmers "instincts" Prepping for winter by moving chicken fencing (poultry netting) and pig fencing A trip to the cold Veggie Patch to discuss some HOT tomato choices: Review of our top 2012 tomato varieties A brief lesson on determinate and indeterminate tomato plants as well as heirloom and hybrid. In the CoopCast Community Josie asked about worm...
047 Ordering pastured turkeys, Thanksgiving on the farm, eating healthy tastes bad
November 20, 2012 01:01 - 34 minutes - 29.7 MBThis coopcast is a bit of Thanksgiving fun with the theme of "plate" (from pasture to plate) running through the segments. So pull up a chair, have a seat on the farm and join us for a Thanksgiving discussion! Farm updates: Customer looking for pastured turkeys the week before Thanksgiving, Pig fencing takes a hit from deer, General farm updates CoopCast Community: We just talk more about food... and answer a question from Josh about our breakfasts. Farmers Choice: We discuss food... I...
046 Prepping the farm for winter, poultry netting recommendations, the difference in processing turkeys
November 13, 2012 20:35 - 54 minutes - 47.7 MBUpdates this week on the farm include: Winter prep continues - fencing for winter paddock and the trouble with fencing in the fall, Tomatoes out of greenhouse after a really hard freeze, Moved pig feeder out of the mud In the CoopCast Community Prop 37 - didn't pass - is it all about business! Mackaenzie shares a tip to make your Facebook faned pages visible Question on our recipes, Robert asked about our recommendations on poultry netting. Farm U Was inspired by a question from Stuart: ...
045 Farm prepping for a hurricane, a GMO documentary, eating nutrient dense foods
November 06, 2012 13:06 - 47 minutes - 42.5 MBFarming Updates in what seems like a farming soap opera: We were away from our farm when hurricane Sandy came through Being prepared for disasters Lessons from this event Here's the In the CoopCast Community Response to a blog post about the cost of raising pigs GMO discussion feedback Ernest shared a link to a documentary on GMOs Melanie shared her dream product - In this weeks Farmers Choice : People always talk about wanting to "eat healthy" but what does that really mean? How...
044 Planting Fall garlic and Proposition 37 and GMO's
October 29, 2012 12:00 - 36 minutes - 32.4 MBJust a few Farmining Updates this week: Garlic planting and our technique, A root cellar full of goodies, Our youngest gilt is in heat - Ollie traits! In the news we discuss Proposition 37 and GMO's: Opinions on Prop 37 and GMOs in general Labeling requirement? What is a GMO? For or against GMOs? Natural selection and pesticide use
043 Putting the vegetable garden to bed, late season farming, how to cook a heritage turkey
October 23, 2012 11:52 - 43 minutes - 39.3 MBUpdates from around the farmstead: #farmerandy shares his Big Buck story of dispair, We put the veggie patch to bed with compost and the rototiller, Pigs moved to a new section of pasture, Pig pasture maintenance and seeding on the old pasture, From the pasture to the plate we talk about canning chicken in the pressure cooker, Final sales of year and the risk to cash flow In the CoopCast community: We talk about cooking a heritage turkey (http://www.localharvest.org/features/heritage-turke...
042 Fall farming updates from livestock to vegetable gardens and a discussion about farmer and consumer commitment
October 16, 2012 11:27 - 57 minutes - 46.7 MBUpdates around the farm include: We were featured on Libsyn's Rockin New Podcasts! - The growing season is officially over with a hard freeze last week, We finished turkeys by processing the last of the Midget White Turkeys, We got our municipal water bill from over the drought months (WOW), Winter preparations are ongoing including cleaning out the chicken coop and starting to put the vegetable garden to bed, Farm stand review for the year. This week we are having 2 related farmers choice...
041 Turkey vs Fox, rendering lard on the homestead, farming in the news
October 09, 2012 11:47 - 51 minutes - 45.3 MBThis weeks farm updates: Special announcement is we are going to be a featured podcast on Libsyn's blog of up-and-comers on October 15th! Pork pickup - happy customers and farmers - yummy pork too! Hermione and Katniss are getting along just smashingly Turkey vs Fox story (a win for the good guys) We eat good - soup - add greens - yum! In the CoopCast Community: Business info posting on Facebook - http://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer/?Page=webinars%2Fwebinar_recordings.php&SM=webinars%2Fsub-menu....
040 Taking respected animals from the farm to the processor, early Autumn vegetable gardens, winter and farming
October 02, 2012 12:37 - 54 minutes - 47.1 MBEven though it's early Autumn we have still been busy farming this week! Updates from around the farm this week include: Taking the last of the pastured pigs to processor and deciding who was going to stay with us! We touch again on the difficulty of sending respected animals to the processor, Getting ready for pork pickup with customers as the meat comes back from the processor, Dealing with turkeys - everywhere. We take a muddy stroll through the veggie patch: CSA is done but still harve...
039 Farm updates as we head into fall, taking some pastured pigs to the USDA processor, poultry processing workshop
September 24, 2012 23:48 - 59 minutes - 51 MBUpdates from around the farm: We got some of our pigs to processor and share our feelings on that. Turkey processing of the first batch Frost Warning! In the Coopcast Community Vivianne shares her experiences raising cornish cross and shares that on her blog. Adalyn Farms shared with us as well and has Kelli wanting a dwarf goat. Paul asked some specific business questions about a farm corporation, LLC, insurance etc and we discuss why we don't answer those questions very well. John was a...
038 Farming updates, garden raised potatoes (above ground), chicken and poultry processing
September 17, 2012 00:11 - 48 minutes - 42 MBThis weeks farm updates include: A discussion about pork cut sheets and pig preparations Turkey processing starting next weekend Egg layers- who's laying? Dealing with older chickens and refreshing our flock Last week of CSA Greenhouse - looking good In the Veggie Patch: Our potato results! Do it yourself- note pesticide levels in store bought potatoes Farm U: Chicken Processing This is the first part in a series of Farm U's talking about chicken processing. Equipment and set up, what d...
037 Happy pastured pigs on the farm, vegetable garden tomato blights, pay farming forward (pasture care and seeding for feeding)
September 09, 2012 11:49 - 51 minutes - 46.4 MBWe try out a new intro on this weeks show based on a listener iTunes review... Farming Updates this week include: Pigs on new pasture was an easy move, Making a swale for their wallow, New hog feeder feeder in use, Update on O2's limp, Selecting a gilt to keep - what is good conformation? Pork cut sheet designed, Turkey processing dates picked, Turkey ordering form sent out, CSA is ending in 2 weeks. In the Veggie Patch: We talk tomatoes and blight. What is it, how do you identify it and...
036 Farming with regulations, food safety and honey, BPA in plastics and avoiding it while preserving food from the garden
September 05, 2012 01:51 - 31 minutes - 25.9 MBThis Labor Day week we have a shorter version full of fun filled farming listener feedback! In the CoopCast Community: A comment from a listener Susan P about her struggling small farm and challenges with regulations, Lucinda asked many questions about chickens, Laurie askes about food saftey and honey. Then on the In the News Segement: We discuss a recent scientific study about BPA
035 Farm equipment finds on craigslist, fall vegetable garden succession planting, the business of farming full time
August 26, 2012 23:49 - 52 minutes - 44.5 MBUpdates around the farm this week: Our Daycation here in NY, A new to us hog feeder, O2 and his bum leg, Turkey ordering, prepping greenhouse for fall. In the Veggie Patch: Fall Succession planting update in the garden and in the greenhouse, CSA spotlight - Edamame. In the CoopCast Community:We get mentioned on some blogs ( and ) where they say we are a good farming podcast - COOL! And we bundle a bunch of reviews and questions together from the community to have a conversation... We rum...
034 Greenhouse gardening and soil fertility, growing livestock feed on your farm, preventing Botulism when canning vegetables
August 20, 2012 00:31 - 50 minutes - 42.9 MBA update light week on the farm with: No poultry pens to move, Normal weather for a change on the farm, Turkeys and layers doing well, Pigs have their first weigh in. In the Veggie Patch we talk: Greenhouse soil fertility and design, Low tunnel greenhouses you can build, End of garden season discounts. In the Coopcast Community: On a listeners suggestion Andy is trying Oral Ivy. Sheree asked about growing grain for chickens and supplementing them with veggies/greens from the garden. Bric...
033 A great farm animal becomes sausage, growing potatoes in the vegetable garden, getting attached to livestock when farming
August 13, 2012 11:57 - 51 minutes - 45.9 MBUpdates this week on the farm: We learned that Ollie is no more on the farm we took him to, Hay and livestock trailer, The seasons final chicken processing, 5 gallon bucket waterer gauge, And a question - what makes you happy when farming? In the Veggie Patch: Tomatoes and canning, Succession planting, We discuss the results of the above ground potato growing method (from coopcast 014) Questions, Conversations and Ruminations: We get asked all the time "Don't you get attached to your ani...
032 Successfully moving our sow to pasture, storm damage on the farm, antibiotics in livestock and their meat
August 05, 2012 23:26 - 45 minutes - 39.8 MBThis weeks updates include: Hermione's move to the pasture reuniting her with her piglets, Club station cool (what is it)... a shade cloth shelter for pigs when there is no other shade around, We are sold out of pork and share some lessons on ordering / selling pork halves, Chicken processing coming up next weekend, Weather has been hot and dry and the rain has come with a price, Shattered window and shredded turkey shelter. A new segment called The Veggie Patch focuses on the vegetable gar...
031 Moving pigs to pasture, inspiring a homestead, farming choices and antibiotics
July 31, 2012 16:12 - 49 minutes - 42.5 MBIt finally rained some, Turkeys enjoying life on the lawn / pasture, A successful pig move Building a holding paddock / corral in pasture, using the livestock trailer correctly, ready with food to distract and lure, singing the praises of homemade sorting boards! In the CoopCast Community: Dive_wombat - emailed a very interesting article along from down under about chicken prices as a result of the US drought Email and package from Steve in VA with a nifty system to monitor water bucket l...
030 Dual duty pastured turkeys, marketing your farm, building a root cellar
July 24, 2012 13:30 - 47 minutes - 39.6 MBFertilizing the lawn with pastured turkeys, We have the barn back and are busy drying garlic, 9 weeks and less than .25" of rain, TOTAL, Nugget, Snowflake and nameless are growing up, Hermione is in heat again and piglets are ready for a move, We eat good: Bruschetta recipe 1 loaf fresh baguette or Italian bread 2-3 different fresh picked tomatoes 2-3 T good olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic (mashed) 3-4 springs each of fresh oregano, basil and parsley all chopped fine Fresh cracked black pepper a...
029 Pastured poultry processing day and the challenges of vegetable gardening in endless heat and no rain
July 17, 2012 12:20 - 45 minutes - 40.9 MBThis weeks Farm Updates: Endless heat and no rain at all, What's the impact of this weather on our gardens, our animals and the nations food supply. Pigs and turkeys, Kelli loves the greenhouse (and all the garden spiders) We had one of our big chicken processing days Questions, Conversations and Ruminations Although it's one of the days of hardest work on the farm we find chicken processing days very rewarding. In this segment we share some of our thoughts as we reflect back on the fir...
028 Sow in heat, predator attack on pastured chickens, Agribon hoops / low tunnels in hot weather
July 09, 2012 12:38 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBAround the farm and gardens: Hermione's standing heat and hormones, Piglets are bigger than piglets now, Predator attack on the Cornish X birds in the pasture, Lost 3 birds and now the defense plan Preparing for 1st chicken processing event next weekend Coopcast Community / Farm U: Susan I. asked: why wean piglets and not just let mama do it? Holly wanted to know what we feed our pigs? Scout wants to know about the low tunnels we use in the garden: Which type of Agribon do you use? Are y...
027 Weaning pastured pigs (mistakes and success), a dry farm is looking for rain, questions about chickens, hens and a rooster
July 01, 2012 13:33 - 48 minutes - 45.4 MBA very Happy 4th of July to all our listeners (or Canada Day), folks listening in the UK... sorry :) Around the farm: Not normal weather for sure. Very hot but the gardens are surviving Rabbits under hoop the hoop Chickens on pasture get processed in 2 weeks Chicks and turkeys in the brooders are doing well Pigs - a very special weaning story What we did that was wrong in terms of setup, planning and moving large animals What we did that was right and that we would do again when weaning...
026 Growing cold weather crops in summer heat on the farm, predators in chicken pasture, common sense and research in farming
June 24, 2012 22:50 - 46 minutes - 42.1 MBUpdates around the farm and gardens: How to keep cool weather crops happy when it's always over 90F, Keeping broilers cool in the pasture with box fans, Predators and pastured poultry, Still weaning the pigs, Thinking about moving the turkeys out sooner. This weeks DOUBLE FEATURE Farmers Choice: Conventional farming isn't all bad so don't treat it that way, The difference between researching and just confirming your opinion.
025 Moving broiler chickens to the pasture, bolting vegetables in the gardens (gardening in the heat), stress of farming
June 19, 2012 12:22 - 49 minutes - 42.9 MBThis week’s updates around the farm and gardens: First batch of broiler chickens moved out to pasture, Pig updates, Turkey updates, The new garden shed, Summer heat in spring and its impact on the gardens and the CSA. This weeks Rumination: Stress of the "uncontrolled" world of farming, How to manage the unexpected and being overwhelmed. This week on Farm U: Moving broilers to the pasture, Getting the chicks comfortable in their new environment, Tips and tricks to making the move to past...
024 Picking local farm grown strawberries and preserving, ice for chicken processing, vegetable CSA has begun!
June 10, 2012 18:33 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBThis week’s updates around the farm and gardens: CSA started and the veggies look great, More unexpected hot weather, Chicken-scaping the front pasture, Preparing to move the Cornish Cross (Cornish X) out to pasture this year, Weaning piglets, Enjoying strawberries pasture to plate. In the Coopcast Community: A listener with guinea keets, Zach processed his first birds and Chad offers a tip on ice for processing, Someone listened to us and bought a geothermal system! Eddie is looking for t...
023 Planting the vegetable gardens, injured chicks, humane treatment of animals / livestock, building a chicken brooder
June 03, 2012 11:15 - 48 minutes - 40.9 MBThis week’s updates around the farm and gardens: Piglets getting porked up; getting names and getting weaned, New layer chickens now in coop with the rest of the flock, Cornish X chicks in the brooder had some pecking issues, Managing hurt chickens and turkeys, New brooder for turkeys, Veggies planted, seeds planted, mulching has begun - the gardens are in, CSA starting this week! In the News: Factory farm and its treatment of animals - Baby chicks made 300 people sick over 8 years - ohh ...
022 Unexpected loss of a piglet, planting the gardens, broilers have arrived
May 27, 2012 11:21 - 50 minutes - 41.5 MBHappy Memorial Day. A special thanks goes out to all out troops both serving and retired. We appreciate your sacrifices in protecting our freedoms and liberties. This episode and the Pledge of Allegiance is dedicated to you. This week’s updates around the farm and gardens: The loss of Snow the piglet and what we did, Snowflake the chick hatches, Ollie moves to another farm, Turkeys are growing in the brooder, Broiler chicks arrived, Planting the gardens now that's it's frost free time and 95...
021 Heritage turkeys on the farm, sustainable farm energy, planting gardens and vegetables under row covers
May 19, 2012 16:02 - 49 minutes - 42.4 MBThis week’s updates on: "Limpy" the piglet is getting better, Ollie or AI discussions continue, Turkeys have arrived!, Gardens going in under row covers, Roadside stand seems to be a success! In the Farmers Choice: “What are your thoughts on alternative energy / sustainable farm solutions?”: Why we selected geothermal over solar or wind, Rain water collection systems, Making sustainable decisions for your farm - slowly. In the CoopCast Community: Shelby from TX asked about pigs a...
020 Piglet castration (is it natural), morning sickness and a HOT greenhouse / hoophouse
May 14, 2012 23:44 - 53 minutes - 47.4 MBThis week’s updates on: The 10 piglet cohort is doing great, Hermione gets sick, or, not, You only get one mistake and that's one too many on the farm, The farmstand is up and running. In the Farmers Choice: "How do you eat cute animals?" Can you eat pork that grows from a cute piglet? Do you want to look your meat in the eye? In this weeks Farm U: Piglet castration - what's involved and why do you do it, Boar taint - what is it and how do you deal with it, Unexpected events in the ...
019 Vegetable garden and CSA planting begins and we share sow farrowing on pasture
May 05, 2012 15:30 - 47 minutes - 39.3 MBThis week's brief updates on: New sign for the farm, Chickens and chicks, Planting for the CSA has begun (love those soil blocks). Instead of doing the CoopCast Community this week we are asking our listeners to post something about us on THEIR sites and social haunts. Post a review on your web site or blog of the coopcast, link back to our Facebook page, share anything to help us grow the CoopCast Community! In the Farmers Choice: We retell the story of how the week unfolded including ...
018 Spring snows and gardening, pastured chicken (broiler) pen wheels, seed starting and planting for a vegetable CSA
April 28, 2012 16:12 - 46 minutes - 39.4 MBThis week: Chickens and chicks (chooks) are all doing fine, Pigs ready to farrow, Late spring snow storm, The hoophouse is filling up with seedlings. In the The Coopcast Community: Global reviews on iTunes - how cool!, The Urban Farmer for a Green Sustainable Living Community, Guineas, guns and Doug from the Michigan DNR. On Farm U: Planning the sequence and timings of starting seeds for production, Planning the frequency and quantity of CSA harvests, Tips, tricks and tools for ...
017 Harrier Hawk vs Hen, homegrown pineapples (and other vegetable garden updates) and a farming lesson in livestock chutes
April 22, 2012 18:35 - 48 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week: An aerial assault by a Harrier Hawk on the chickens, Moving pigs to new pasture, Gardening update in the greenhouse, A system for planting the right seeds, Observations about what engages people with regards to farming. In the The Coopcast Community: Preventing foxes and other predators from getting into a chicken pasture pen, Growing your own pineapple, Listener recommendations for great movies to watch about the food movement, When it comes to food, "Does voting with m...
016 Pastured pork meat candy, heritage pig breeds and the FDA on farming and antibiotics
April 15, 2012 17:18 - 55 minutes - 47.7 MBThis week: Locally acquired chickens (support a local business), Around the farm updates, Preparations for pig farrowing, Limping Andy and animals on concrete, Pasture to Plate simple dishes. In the The Coopcast Community: Chicks in a brooder - Use a red bulb in your brooder, What is the best breed of pig? A gift book and visit, A listener "uses" his broody hen. This Week, In The News: The FDA decided to "recommend" that no on farm antibiotics be used without a vets prescription...