Getting Ready for Spring

It’s March, which means I’m getting antsy for spring. We have a lot of good things awaiting us. But we also have a lot to do.

Projects we need to work on for the chickens include:

• Fixing the brooder for new chickens coming from the hatchery
• Set up incubator for hatching eggs
• Right the coop that fell over
• Start holding eggs back to hatch
• Consider making or buying a nursery coop

One thing to know when you have goats is that they will climb on everything, and aren’t gentle. So our old nursery coop (between brooder life and being integrated into the main flock) is in pieces in the pasture. So I’m thinking we need a new one.

Next we have the bees. We are ordering 2 new hives. We realized this week that we have all of our deep brooders and deep frames in use. What do we need to do still?

• Send our check for the packages of bees
• Buy frames
• Build brooder boxes
• Clean up the bee area
• Once we are pretty sure that winter is done, take down the windscreen
• Inventory our equipment
• Find a storage solution for equipment

Next up are the goats. We’ve got the goat shed mostly done, but we still have some work to do.

• Finish sides of goat shed
• Add door
• Build out inside (right now it is a low table and a desk)
• Paint the shed
• Move the nesting boxes from the garage to the goat shed (ultimately we will build a coop with the same plans as the goat shed, but we don’t have the money right now)

Next up is the garden. I’ve started some seedlings indoors, but we need to get our plot in order.

• Pull weeds/grasses
• Pull up irrigation
• Till and level soil
• Start March seeds
• Transplant February seedlings to bigger pots.
• Finalize garden plans
• Build raised beds

Finally, we have general cleanup. We are getting our house painted this spring (thanks Dad and Mom!). We are staying with the white body, but the trim is going to be this green.

Right now the trim is black. This will give it a little more character. What else do we need to do?

• Clean off porch
• Pick up around the property
• warm up enough for the painters to start