We have been so blessed by customer response that we had to use all of the skills listed above (plus some tarps because of the weather thing) to set up our mill.  We had to find the grain and deal with the delivery (see previous post about the fence).  We had to locate a good mill and mixer and get them here (thank you Scott and Kathleen).  Cleaning out a place for storing the grain and setting up the equipment took several days.  We had to run new circuits for the equipment and take out a small wall in the shop.  There was the back and forth with the animal nutritionist about the premix and sourcing the fish meal.  We had to purchase a winch and build a ramp to get the mixer in place.  We still are waiting for the hopper attachment for the augers which means we are lifting all of the grain into the mill and mixer by hand for the first few batches.  And this does not seem to come close to describing what we went through.

The part of all of this that makes me most proud is not any of the dealing or building or planning.  We made a leap of faith in taking on this project.  At different times I wondered if all the snags we encountered were signs to stop and go a different direction.  My family was, however,  resolute.  They would remind me that we knew it would not be easy and that the right thing seldom is.  They would say we will just appreciate it more when we are done.  I am proud of this family.  They have trusted me and reminded me what all of this work is for.  The mill is now open.  It opened on the first day after Easter.  It is another new beginning for our family.

After the events of today,  I have been reminded that a good laugh is great medicine.  So before I tell you about what happened to the fence I want to show you what put me back into a good mood.

My youngest son went to feed the chicks in the brooder.  Being about the age to move into a larger building, the chicks can sometimes jump out if you are not paying attention (this seems to happen to my son a lot).  When the chick got out it ran under the brooder.  My loyal and fearless son went in after it.  He missed.  And that made me laugh.  I know my son is actually smarter that a 4 week old chick, but today the chick won.  Ryan even needed help getting unstuck from the brooder.  I went to get the camera first because without a picture who would believe that a chick could pull off such an elaborate escape.

So now that we are all laughing, here  is what happened to the fence.  We had a large load of grain delivered a couple days ago.  The driver stopped at the top of the drive and walked down to survey the area.  He  decided he could turn around at the bottom or if not he could just back out.  He could not do either.  Instead he backed into one fence post at a time.  Pulling forward after each one then backing into the next.  It took him three hours to knock over 13 fence posts. Then he called for help and someone came, took the keys from him, and backed out in less that five minutes.

some times you just gotta laugh

That was his first reaction to me raising chickens.  But he said I could if I wanted to.  As he saw the plan come together however,  he was,  I think, surprised that when raised on pasture the smell does not get bad.  He liked that for most of the birds’ time with us they were outside, and therefore did not need to be cleaned up after.  He likes how they taste.  He likes that a lot.

As the word got out about our farm we needed to grow both to keep up with orders and to become more profitable (if your local farmer can’t make a living then you don’t have local farmers).  That meant we needed to build bigger and more efficient pens and brooders.  My dad (that is what I call him)  can build just about anything.  I used cattle panels to make a brood building.  He took my ugly and hard to use “buildings” apart and made these….

then he took the concept I was using for a brooder and designed this………….

It has a thermostat that keeps the temperature at the right level and reduces energy costs.  It also has a fan that turns the air over inside the brooder many times every day which keeps the bedding dry.  The front comes off so the dry but used bedding can be swept into a tub and taken to the compost pile easily.  No fuss and no mess and NO smell.  Chores are not so bad around here because he is on the job.  We use less electricity, less bedding, have a healthier environment for the chicks, and can clean and set up a brooder for the next batch in just a few minutes.

He has built feeders, waterers, fences, field pens, and had his hand in just about everything we do here.  I could not do it without him.  While I think I captured how he felt about some of his chores growing up on a farm,  He was given a good start on that farm by a caring family.  It taught him how to laugh and enjoy life and family as well as work hard even on the dirty jobs.  I pray I can do as well for my boys.   He is a wonderful story teller and has written many poems and short stories that we hope to see published soon.  He won’t have his picture taken, so please use these “1,000 words” about him to see a glimpse of the man behind the curtain.

thanks dad, we all love you

farmer paul

Hello, and welcome to my first post!  There were many people that thought that I was a little off my rocker when I suggested we (my wife and three boys) sell a successful business in Texas and move to sunny WA St to start a chicken farm.  But it is the people who know me best that are even more surprised to hear I am now on the “Internets”  and writing a blog.

After much help from Kimberlee (a friend who helps with all things web related) and my lovely wife Shawndra, I am taking the plunge.   The more I think about it, there are quite a few stories to tell.  A business man from the big city can learn farming, but it is a bumpy path with many laughs and tears along the way.

This season has had a wonderful start, and there are a lot of people to thank for that.   So to Grandma and Poppa who have been blessings in our lives, to the support of a wife that puts up with my crazy ideas, to my three boys who help with all the chores while only complaining part of the time I want to start the season by thanking all of you for the support and love that makes all the work worthwhile. 

The gift I have for all of them to start the new season is this….a new fence to keep the pigs out of the backyard(and the front yard, the side yard, the garden, the shop, the chicken pens…..you get the idea) .  oh, and thanks to Poppa and the boys for helping build said fence!

farmer paul