A Winter Recap

It has been a long winter, and it seems that spring is taking its sweet time in arriving this year.  That makes it a great time to share with you what we've been up to this winter at Morning Star Family Farm.

This winter has been a productive one for completing projects.  First on the list was finishing up the barn pens.  The boys built a total of thirteen pens in our 100+ year-old bank barn.  

First, the boys frame out
combination stock panels with 2 x 4s.

Then they attach the framed panels
to 2 x 4 uprights.

The final result: modular pens that can be
altered as needed for different uses.  This one
is sized for a newborn calf or young pig.

While we'd much prefer our animals living outdoors year round, our Wisconsin climate just doesn't work well with that plan.  Instead, we try to bring our animals the best of both worlds during the winter months--24 hour access to the barnyard for fresh air and sunshine, and a cozy, bedded retreat inside the barn for a place to get out of more severe weather.

The steers make a great thermometer.  If it
is over 25 degrees, you will find them outside.

Stella goes outside for some sunshine.

The growing hogs enjoy the fresh air, too.

The chickens, on the other hand, are not
thrilled to be out in the snow.  They hang out
near the coop door until one of the boys
shovels a path for them.

Now that we have survived the 2012 drought, and have seen a lot of precipitation throughout the winter, we are thinking that our pasture will be ready for animal traffic this year.  As a result, we will need pasture housing for both laying hens and hogs.  The pasture layer house was Raphael's project.

The inside of the pasture layer house, with
roosts on the left and nest boxes on the right.

Built on skids, the house can be pulled with
our tractor to a different area of the pasture.

A view of the back of the layer house,
showing the access door to the nest boxes.

The completed layer house,
ready for a coat of paint.

Meanwhile, Dad offered to build the hog pasture housing.  We knew the house needed to be large enough for a litter or two of growing-out hogs, and it needed to be easily divided so we could separate a farrowing sow from the rest of the herd.  The resulting 8 x 16 foot structure meets these criteria and then some.

Doubled 2 x 6s provide strong skids for the new hog shelter.  Dad built the house to be held together with strong bolts as well.  As a result, he can build the shelter in our upper barn, then disassemble it for transport to the field.  We will use the skids for transport within the pasture as needed.

Skids on, side walls up, and the beginnings of
overhead supports for the hog shelter roof.

The heavy steel roof must go up in two 
sections to be practical.  Here is the framing 
for the first section.

The first roof support section, in place
on the hog shelter.

So, despite the snow and cold, it has been a productive winter for us here at Morning Star Family Farm.  Stay tuned as we complete these projects and, once the grass gets growing, move the animals out onto pasture where they can benefit from not only the fresh air and sunshine, but green grass as well.

In the meantime, check out our website for our current offerings: cuts of Grass-Fed Beef, Organic-Fed Stewing Hens, and Organic-Fed Eggs.  We are also taking orders for upcoming organic-fed, pasture-raised products: Broiler Chickens in summer 2013 and Pork, Lamb, and Turkey in fall 2013.  Send us an email or give us a call to reserve yours today.