The earth completes one revolution in its orbit around the sun in one year or 365 days. Sunlight changes as the earth moves in its orbit, and thus we have four seasons. Our work at MacFarlane Pheasants changes with the weather. Winter is one of our most productive times of year on the farm.
We are still taking care of mature birds on the farm, until mid-winter, but we are also spending time getting our pens and equipment prepared for the spring months.
Once pens are empty, we vacuum out the feed that remains in the feeders and reallocate the feed to pens that still have birds. Then, we remove all of the feeders and huts from the pens and take them to the wash bay, where they are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The last procedure is to place rat baits in the pens to exterminate any rats that may have been searching for the left-over feed!
Pen repair is also one of our essential winter jobs. We go through each pen and replace broken or damaged prop poles, fix any wires that have come loose, and patch all holes in the top net. We have mentioned the importance of flight pens many times in the MacFarlane blog articles. We even provide a free flight pen construction manual. Regular checks on the fencing, posts, and netting are critical to protect our birds and keep predators out. After completing that work, we mow the cover in the pens, so it is ready to till in the spring.
We also work on equipment repair over the winter. We examine feeders and restore them to perfect working order. Sometimes the gap will be either too big or too small where the feed comes out, and we must adjust it. We also make sure waterers are repaired or adjusted, so by the time spring is here, they are ready for the pens. When everything is cleaned and repaired it gets staged next to the pens. We return the equipment to the pens once the grounds are tilled in the spring.
That’s how we get ready for the excitement of spring! We’re so happy to see longer days and more sunshine. The seasons really do make our life exciting at MacFarlane Pheasants.
