Shoshin Farm with Herb and Lisa-Marie Roberts

08/03/2025

When Dad finds your favorite toy after two years. Long live Pinky!

02/03/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! Sadly, it has been too long since I've walked outside, but today, I went for a walk with my brilliant and gorgeous boss. Herb and the dogs waited patiently while we climbed the tower at Cox Arboretum. We had a lovely time and I'm so invigorated!

25/02/2025

Good afternoon Shoshin Farm Fam! It's been a minute since our last post. After 12 years of limping along with an underpowered riding mower, we bought a used, low hour Kubota mini tractor. It sports a 60" cutting deck, 22hp engine, and a 16hp PTO hitch. Herb is a happy man!

16/02/2025

Ummm...you can stop now...

01/02/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! It's so lovely to look out and not see snow. We thought it'd be a little warmer than it currently is, so we opened the run door, but I don't think The Ladies are interested in wandering outside. Still, it's letting in fresh air. Today, we'll be working on plans for next year's crops.

25/01/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! Temps should rise to above 40°F today, so we've opened up Henmore Estate. I'm very happy to see The Ladies getting direct sunlight and foraging about. They would really like it if that weird white stuff was gone, though.

24/01/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! Hopefully, the temps will start to rise after today. Nonetheless, Henmore Estate has been serving The Ladies well.

18/01/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! The Ladies are liberated today.

12/01/2025

Team sleeping

11/01/2025

All cooped up and no place to go!

10/01/2025

Snowopolis... again 😑

10/01/2025

When momma puts your bed next to the heater...

09/01/2025

Good morning Shoshin Farm Fam! We've gotten many questions about the chickens and the cold weather, so let's dive in. We specifically looked for breeds that were cold hardy. They have a good feather cover that they fluff out to trap warm air against their bodies and can cover their feet when they roost and tuck their faces in. Chickens' body temp is around 105°F, so when they're in a properly insulated, draft-free coop, they can actually help warm the coop. Shown is our temperature gauge. There are sensors in the coop, the run, and the outside. This morning, it was about 4°F outside, 11°F in the run, and 21°F in the coop. Yes, that's nippy, but if you had a down coat on, you'd be toasty.
Today, it should be sunny and we expect that to warm up the run A LOT due to the plastic covering. We also know The Ladies aren't distressed because they're still laying eggs regularly.
They've been locked in the run since Sunday morning and it'll be a bit before we open the run to the outside. There's still 10" of snow on the ground and we're expecting more tomorrow. None of our chickens have ever been interested in walking around in the snow.

05/01/2025

05/01/2025

Good snowy morning Shoshin Farm Fam! After 71 days and JUST as the first flakes of Winter Storm Blair started to fall, we buttoned up the coop/run adventure. Sure, there are always little doodads to add, but Henmore Estate is operational and fully booked. The Ladies are locked into the run with two multi-gallon, heated drinkers and three feeders with about 15lbs of feed. There's polycarbonate sheeting to keep out wind and snow and thick straw on the floor. We know from the temperature sensors in the coop and run that they're keeping the coop about 10°F warmer than the outside air. On a sunny day, the clear plastic can make the run as much as 20-25°F warmer than the outside. Excuse us as we spend the rest of the day sleeping and eating!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year, Shoshin Farm Fam! We were hoping to have the run completely closed in ahead of the weather, but it's pretty cozy. We're short one roof panel, but we got the corrugated plastic panels up on the run walls and around the base of the coop. This will give The Ladies 144sqft of space that's dry and wind free.

28/12/2024

Good afternoon Shoshin Farm Fam! The prior run is gone, the new foundation is laid, and two walls are up! We are so chuffed! Shout out to our neighbor, Tim, for helping bring the walls into the fenced area with us.

27/12/2024

Good afternoon Shoshin Farm Fam! No more chicken run, version 1. Tomorrow, we start assembling the new run!