New Products & Ways to Buy for Summer!

 

There have been lots of new projects, animals, ideas of projects, and even products this year from Happy Hen Farms! Fortunately, there are a few new products (and ways to buy) that are coming soon! 

First, let's start with the new products! 

One product that was the theme in last week's newsletter was Thanksgiving Turkeys! Order openings for those will start in July; the turkeys will be available around mid September, early October, for pickup. Turkeys, unlike chickens (meat chickens, that is) take twice as much time to grow out. However, the benefit to turkeys is that they produce anywhere from 3-5 times more meat than a chicken can. The price per pound is not tentatively set yet, but if the cost of production can stay relatively low, they should be about $4/lb, for roughly a 12-15 lb turkey. 

These turkeys will be free-ranged/grass-fed, meaning that they will be allowed to roam around just like the chickens, but may have to take off-days to allow the grass to regrow due to increased grazing pressure. During those off-days, the turkeys will be given either fresh cut grass, or fermented grass (silage). By feeding the turkey's silage (same goes for the chickens), it will beneficially impact their digestive system and health; silage has the same effect on animals as what kimchi or sauerkraut has on human digestive systems. Another benefit to silage is that during the fermentation process, the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals become easier for the bird's digestive system to access and use. When it comes to feeding silage to the chickens, I have noticed an increase in egg size, and some increase in production. Long story short, silage has so far proven to be a beneficial ingredient to feed poultry! 

The second new product coming this summer (and fall) will be potatoes! We will have different kinds of white potatoes, as well as some purple skinned potatoes (no Russets or Yukon Golds this year). If you're interested in where the seed potatoes came from, you can check out Grand Teton Organics. The varieties planted this year are Cal-White, and Purple Viking. Pricing (although subject to some change) should be about $2/lb. Potatoes are a relatively new-ish crop for me (on a larger scale), and this year, all potatoes have been put into no-till ground, so I'm hoping that the benefits of no-till really shine through with the potatoes this year! 

The last update for this newsletter is about a new location to buy products this year! While nothing is set in stone as of yet, the plan is to be joining the Nampa Farmer's Market starting in June! More details regarding the market will be coming later! 

One last thing....

Happy Hen Farms is now on Instagram and Facebook! Check us out and follow.....

Instagram: @happyhenfarmsidaho

Facebook: @happyhenfarmsidaho