Winter is the season where small farm math becomes very honest.
Feed costs increase. Egg production slows. And the daily rhythm of care continues regardless of the numbers.
In my latest YouTube video I walk through what it actually costs to feed and care for our nine ducks through a Canadian winter.
We use duck and waterfowl pellets, compressed straw in the duck house, and offer free-choice oyster shell. These are simple inputs — but when egg production drops to one or two eggs a day, the economics shift.
The two older girls are happily retired now. The young Cayugas are currently our steady layers. And the math looks very different in February than it does in June.
Small farm life is rarely linear. It’s seasonal. Cyclical. Adjusting.
If you’ve ever wondered whether backyard ducks pay for themselves, this video walks through the numbers calmly and honestly — and reflects on why we continue regardless.
You can watch it here:
On this small piece of land, everything influences everything else.
Great video, Brin – as you note, animals are so much more than the numbers – thanks for sharing your critters with us….Marsha