HILLTOPS FREE range eggs

Size and age

12/2/2021

That rare, precious, cherished, irreversible moment when they dog is smaller than the chicken !

We have used these weeks to socialise the Maremma puppies with chickens, as this is a gradual process and the bond takes time and patience to built. Naturally, dogs are carnivores and predators and chickens are quite low in the food chain.
#maremma #eggs #pastured #pasturedeggs #puppies #training #preciousmomentsedit.

If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain

11/19/2021

This past week we had plenty of rain, we couldn’t even get to some paddocks for days. Glad to enjoy some silver lining in the shape of a rainbow 🌈 #rainbow #rainydays #eggs #farmingintherain

Snow in November?

11/11/2021

This week certainly feels like November in the Northern hemisphere, so snow wouldn’t be surprising. It’s actually the acacia tree, sluggishly undressing its beautiful spring blossoms. The chickens love to peck them so we think you might get sweet-flavoured eggs this week. #snow #november #freerange #pastured #eggs #sweeteggs #acacia #springisending #blossoms #petals #snowinnovember

Say 'Cheese'

10/21/2021

The annual Maremma teeth inspection: ✔
#dogsmile #dogselfie #Maremma #freerange #pasturedeggs

Impressionism masterpiece by Nature

10/15/2021

Impressionism masterpiece by nature: with a lot of rain, and a bit of wind, our landscape looks like impressionist painting: “relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes”, usually with an open composition, and depicting everyday, ordinary scenes. #impressionism #farmlife #art #artisforever #chickens #grass #brushstrokes #wind #view #myoffice (Definition of Impressionism from Wikipedia)

The Farmer's office

10/7/2021

The farmer's office: Laptop: ✔, Table: ✔, Chicken on the table: ✔, Grand view: ✔, Blue skies ✔, Spring blossoms ✔

Really, what more could one want from life?
#farmersoffice #myoffice #chickens #chickenseverywhere #pastured #farmwork #farmlife #laptopandchickens #eggs #blossoms #spring

Proposing a new measure for grass height

9/30/2021

Proposing a new measure for grass growth: 1 CHICKEN LENGTH.

There is 1 horse power. Watt, the Scotish inventor, measured it by measuring how much weight a horse can lift while pulling a rope running through a pulley to a weight on the ground — one foot high in one second. 550 pounds of weight a foot high in one second.

So we propose: 1 Chicken length of grass: the amount of grass grown in a good season in one month. #grass #growing #pasture

There is always the crops and the sun

9/23/2021

"When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy", there is always the crops and the sun. #sunset #workday #pasture #mixedfarming #cropping #freerange

-- loosely referring to Minnie Aumonier, the 19th century poet, painter, and costume designer.

Green Eggs and Ham

9/17/2021

Green eggs and ham… ugh… we mean green grass and eggs… we do so love // green grass and eggs … #drseuss #greeneggs #eggs #pastured #pasturedeggs #grass #spring.
--Photography by Tom

If I were a queen

9/9/2021

I would stand on the forklift to make sure I'm taller than everyone else, including that king-like white creature.

Virtual schooling result

9/2/2021

Not sure who is happier about virtual schooling: the dogs or the kids?

#virtual #schooling #farmschool #farmlife #maremma #free #happy #play #eggs #pastured

Cold and dreary

8/26/2021

"My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
...Be still, sad heart! And cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary..."

In each life some rain must fall, metaphorical or real, but there is still the sun behind all the dark clouds.
-- From the poem 'The Rainy Day' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The perfect COVID egg

8/19/2021

Found the perfect COVID egg: a little bit jaded, all folded and crinkled on the outside, worn-down and not the pick of the litter. But full of good nutrition on the inside, and a little bit funny, to bring a smile to your faces.
Keep smiling, always :)
#folded #egg #pasturedeggs #funnyegg #covidegg #jaded #covid #smile #bringasmile

Odysseus on his way to Troy

8/5/2021

Got the front wheel out, back wheel went into the same hole 😂 … doing anything at the farm these days is a heroic adventure. Odysseus had an easy ride when he sailed for Troy. Considering getting one of those DUCK cars (the US Army DUKW) that can go straight in and out of water. Anyone have one we could borrow? #stuck #bogged #needatank #dukw #pastured #adventures #farmlife

Extreme driving fun

7/29/2021

Driving through the gates full speed, because otherwise we would sink :) - a wonderfully wet winter season.

Three sleeping musketeers

7/23/2021

Looking for a coach big enough to fit 3 coach potatoes 🥔 🥔 🥔. These three puppies sleep all day if they can. This is deceptive though, Maremma sheepdogs, like all guardians, are nocturnal in. Foxes are active at night and so the Maremmas go around every night to let predators know they are on duty. They can sleep all day. We know they work hard at night. #maremma #puppies #sleeping #nightshift #pastured #eggs #duty #guardians

Dinosaur egg found on chicken farm

7/16/2021

The question is: will a dinosaur 🦕 hatch out of an egg that weighs 180g?
This is the biggest egg ever found, said Tabea.
If we put a dozen such eggs together, they will weight 2.16 kilos!
Evolutionary proof that indeed, chickens and dinosaurs are related.

Photography by Tabea.

#dinosaur #egg #giantegg #enormous #record #brokenrecord #breakingrecords #pasturedeggs #giants

Freedom and Delight

7/8/2021

"Delight Is As the Flight", Emily Dickinson wrote.

The freedom to flap and fly wherever you want to, whenever you want to. The freedom to go anywhere, anytime.

Freedom is delight.
#freedom is #pasture-raised #pastured #eggs #fly #delight #poetry #motion #motionphotography #ibelieveicanfly

Optical illusion

6/24/2021

It was our red tractor that pushed the clouds away today, so that it is going to be sunny tomorrow ☀️😜🚜 #opticalillusion #illusion #clouds #rainyday #redtractor #calm #pasturedeggs #pastured #eggs #maremma

Down the rabbit hole

6/17/2021

Down, down the rabbit hole, next to the hedge, could you spot the two eggs, just laid? #hidden #eggs #pastured #pasturedegg #hay

Hilux 0: The Bush 1

6/10/2021

The only ones having fun were all the chickens, enjoying a new toy to explore and peck at.
The guys at the workshop said they had never seen a broken Hilux before… oh well. #broken #hilux #thebush #pastured #eggs #farmlife #offroad

The 'egg tube' innovation:

6/6/2021

We were amazed by the talented students Laura, Andrew, Luke, Ben, Nick, Jackson and Samuel who came up with the exciting invention.
Can't wait to see more from the bright young minds for an innovative approach to farming.
#innovation
#invention
#thankyou
#eggs
#researchanddevelopment
#futureoffarming

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