Chicken Thistle Farm CoopCast

Latest Episodes:

025 Moving broiler chickens to the pasture, bolting vegetables in the gardens (gardening in the heat), stress of farming Jun 19, 2012

Show notes

This 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 pasture easier and less stressful on the chickens.

024 Picking local farm grown strawberries and preserving, ice for chicken processing, vegetable CSA has begun! Jun 10, 2012

Show notes

This 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 tips on getting started. This week on Farm U: The magic in preserving strawberries, General food preservation discussions (Kelli's favorite website for preserving food : )

023 Planting the vegetable gardens, injured chicks, humane treatment of animals / livestock, building a chicken brooder Jun 03, 2012

Show notes

This 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 the horror - CDC Report on foodborne Salmonella numbers - This week on Farm U: Building a chicken brooder, What makes a good brooder, Differences between broiler chicken / egg laying chicken and turkey brooder design, Some tips for managing your brooder to make life easier for you.

022 Unexpected loss of a piglet, planting the gardens, broilers have arrived May 27, 2012

Show notes

Happy 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 degrees and dry! In the CoopCast Community: Over 100 iTunes reviews - thanks "pickle kicker", Toni asked about maintaining asparagus beds and controlling slugs with salt, What are some general insect control methods we use, Mendy asks "How do you introduce or change the pecking order of a chicken flock when you add / remove birds".

021 Heritage turkeys on the farm, sustainable farm energy, planting gardens and vegetables under row covers May 19, 2012

Show notes

This 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 and what they do to a pasture, Amber asked about controlling worms in a flock of chickens, We discuss some of the fun reviews and other feedback, Melanie wanted to know if when we go out to eat, are we difficult?, And Mike was inspired by Nugget and used his own broody hen to hatch out his own clutch of 7 chicks!

020 Piglet castration (is it natural), morning sickness and a HOT greenhouse / hoophouse May 14, 2012

Show notes

This 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 best planning.

019 Vegetable garden and CSA planting begins and we share sow farrowing on pasture May 05, 2012

Show notes

This 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 the signs and steps of farrowing. Share some of the magical moments that make being part of raising food so powerful. The most unexpected event of the entire farrowing process!

018 Spring snows and gardening, pastured chicken (broiler) pen wheels, seed starting and planting for a vegetable CSA Apr 28, 2012

Show notes

This 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 starting seeds and know when to harvest the plants.

017 Harrier Hawk vs Hen, homegrown pineapples (and other vegetable garden updates) and a farming lesson in livestock chutes Apr 22, 2012

Show notes

This 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 my wallet work?". On Farm U: Moving livestock and chute design, What NOT to do, Types of chutes and materials for construction.

016 Pastured pork meat candy, heritage pig breeds and the FDA on farming and antibiotics Apr 15, 2012

Show notes

This 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. While this sounds like a great thing, with less than 10000 large animal vets in the country, what's the real impact to small farms? ( discusses antibiotic resistance in the Farm U segment)

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