One brave soul

As the first snow fell to the ground a few days ago here in central Illinois it was still in the night. I proceeded to fill the chicken's breakfast trays early in the morning and then opened the door to let them out of their home. Normally it's a steady stream of hungry chicken flowing immediately out the door, but to my supprise, the house went silent and every one of our birds stood with wide eyes at the first sight of snow in their lives. I'm sure it is much like a child experiencing it's first snow so it took me back for a second. Our chickens have personality, that's why our eggs are so good... Only one chicken of our whole colony was brave enough to explore; a true outlier.

Winterizing the chicken house

we woke up the other morning and the watering unit in the chicken house was frozen solid. We looked around the farm for supplies that are laying around not in use and came up with a solution. We placed insulation in between each 2x4 and then sealed it with the peach colored panel. I think the peach color adds a little softer tone and brightens up the room a little.
Then the last thing we did was build three walls that surround the mobile. the front is still exposed and the roof has a little hole in it too. I have been monitoring the temp outside and seeing what days the water freezes. So far if it is about 10-15 degrees the water freezes. Thats a huge improvement on temperature. Every two days we take the panels off and spread mulch on the manure. This takes care of the smell and is starting a compost. once the compost heats up then the chickens will be alright for the rest of the winter.

The Canvas

The plate to a Chef is like the canvas to a painter.

We eat with our eyes before we even taste a bite.

Plating a Pork Belly Dish with Sous Vide Turnips, Roasted Red Onions and Carrots.