June 28, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We have now begun splitting and stacking the wood for next year so it has plenty of time to dry; we just finished our 3rd rick this weekend and hope to finish up to 9 soon.  After we begin deliveries, we will free up space for another 9 for next year. 

Many people have been placing orders for wood and we have a limited quantity, so place your order soon!

We are concerned about hay for this year because of the large amount of rain. There needs to be 3-5 days of dry weather to be able to produce high-quality hay, and that has yet to happen. 

Fun Fact: Both Cleveland and Akron-Canton have seen their top ten wettest June on record. With more rain in the forecast before the end of the month, Cleveland may end up seeing the wettest June on record. June in 1902 is the wettest June on record in Cleveland with a total of 9.77."
 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

June 14, 2015

Dear Customers, 

A friend of ours, Alex Immel, started a car detailing business, the Wandering Washers. They offer three different levels of cleaning and actually come to you! This is a great deal and if you would like more information on pricing, an image is attached, as well as their contact is info listed below:
Website: http://www.wanderingwashers.com

Email: wanderingwashers@gmail.com
Phone: (216) 630-0694

Fun Fact: The Cavaliers won 53 games during the regular season, finishing strong (34-9) after a 19-20 start. But to go on to win a title after winning only 53 regular season games is rare. Twenty-eight of the last 40 NBA titles have been won by a team with the best or second-best record during the regular season. The Cavs had the seventh-best record for the entire season in 2014-15. Only twice during the last 40 years has the champion ranked lower in the regular season standings, the last such team being the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

June 7, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Hope you enjoyed another wonderful weekend and had an opportunity to spend time outside.

This year, unfortunately we heard we cannot show chickens at the Geauga County Fair because of the Avian flu.  As of Monday, almost 26 million chickens and turkeys have either died, or been killed to keep the flu from spreading. Three states—Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin—have declared states of emergency. Our chickens, however, have yet to be infected and most likely will not because they are well isolated on our farm and the flu has still not spread to Ohio. 

Because we will not be able to sell our chickens at the fair, we may be selling them from our farm.  It is still to be determined if they will be providing us with peeps. 

All of our lambs are doing well, especially the 3 that we sold to fellow 4-H members. These lambs will be auctioned at the Geauga County Fair. More details will come later. 

Fun Fact: There are around 2.2 million farms in the United States.
 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

May 31, 2015

Dear Customers,

This morning we sheared the sheep for the coming summer months!  They are now free of their heavy winter coats.

We are also excited to announce that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra will perform with Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash this Friday, June 5th at 8pm in Severance Hall.  Lauren is thrilled to be apart of this concert as an alum!

Ticket info: http://www.cyorchestra.org/#nashcyo

Fun Fact: Graham Nash wrote the song "Our House" while he and Joni Mitchell were dating.  

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

May 25, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend with friends and family!

We planted around 400 cutting flowers that we hope to sell once they are in full bloom!  The cats liked watching us work, especially Melody who perched on the trellis. See picture attached

Fun Fact: Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified by Roman Catholic officials on Saturday. Romero spoke on behalf of the poor and oppressed during the civil war in El Salvador, a conflict that killed around 80,000 people and caused around 12,000 disappearances. Because of his unpopular efforts against the government, Romero was assassinated while giving mass. (Harry and I have both visited this church and his house).  This beatification ceremony is a step towards sainthood and is very exciting and important news for our friends in Chiltiupán.

Thanks,

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

May 10, 2015

Dear Customers, 

It is great being home for summer break and of course participating in 4-H again!  Yesterday we sold 3 lambs to a family in our 4-H club and we will be showing a total of 15 lambs at the fair this year. 

Harry and I also attended the Quality Assurance meeting in Portage County so we are eligible to sell chickens at the fair.  

Fun Fact: In the vast majority of the world's languages, the word for "mother" begins with the letter M.

Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

April 26, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We know that for the last few months we were running short on eggs, and that many of you left our garage empty-handed and are now a little deterred, however, things have changed! We now have over 14 dozen, and are consistently getting more and more eggs.

We still sell our frequent buyer cards, and now is the perfect time to get one, as you will probably be buying plenty of eggs soon. 

The ewes are really enjoying their time outside, after being separated from their weaned lambs last weekend. 

Fun Fact: You may have thought that the late snowfall this last week was a rarity but in fact over the last 60 years, the National Weather Service has reported 29 snow days in May in Cleveland, Ohio.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawke

April 20, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Now that the weather is improving, the chickens are going outside more and more, so the taste of the eggs will continue to become bolder and more flavorful. 

We still have an abundance of eggs, if you are interested, just stop by and take as many as you would like for only 3 dollars a dozen. 

We just completed weaning the lambs and based on their endless baaing, they did not seem to be enjoying it.  They were reunited, however, with their mothers for one final feeding before the ewes went outside.

Fun Fact: For a larger farm the cost of raising a lamb to maturity could be as little as $100, while for an american family the cost of raising a child to maturity is approximiately $245,000. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 30, 2015

Dear Customers, 

The chickens continue to lay more eggs than ever and we are getting up to two dozen a day now. A picture is attached.

We are continuing to support Arianne's class in Tulsa, Oklahoma from last year!  Harper Collins and McMillan book publishers delivered a hundred books to her classroom this week, along with a donation of supplies.  Many of the books are developed around characters who experience similar lives to those of Arianne's students.  This is very important for her students because they are able to connect with and learn from the stories.  They also get to take computer quizzes while reading these books to earn points!

Attached are two pictures from her students.

Fun Fact: Recently, we received an egg without a yolk and another without a shell. These are both common oddities in eggs as the hen’s system is trying to learn how to produce them properly. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

Sunday Newsletter: Our Grandma, Janet Henry

Dear Customers,  

We are sorry to say our grandmother, Janet Henry, passed away yesterday at the age of 86.  

Nye Nye was raised in Robinson, Illinois as the daughter of a banker during the Great Depression.  Growing up, she developed a passion for collecting animals, including snakes, frogs and salamanders. She raised our dad to have the same appreciation for the outdoors and animals, which is why we have Hill House Farm today.   

Our grandmother had many degrees, having attended the University of Colorado, Denison University and Kent State. Interestingly, her mother and all of her aunts graduated from college, a very impressive feat during their time. Her family believed in the importance of an education and she instilled a passion for learning in all of us. Nye Nye received a degree in deaf education and learned to sign in her late forties. She was an avid reader, enjoyed stimulating conversations about world affairs, and shared her love of music by playing the piano with us.

We miss her very much, but know she is at peace and hope that she is reunited with her three deceased husbands. 

Calling hours will be Saturday, March 21st, from 3 to 5pm at the Brown Forward Funeral Home at 17022 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio.  Memorial services will be held on Sunday March 22nd at 2:30 pm at the Federated Church chapel, 76 Bell St., Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022, with a reception to follow.  

Attached are photos of our grandmother supporting us at the fair and some stories our family would like to share.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 16, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We hope you enjoyed the warm weather today.  Quite a change from the past month.

We recently had a problem where lots of lambs were escaping out of the stall, through where we feed them. We would frequently go down and find numerous lambs running around the barn, and had to catch them all, thankfully the problem is now fixed due to some handy carpentry.

With all the snow melting, plants will finally begin to grow again, and the sheep are looking forward to the fresh pastures. The grass will begin growing at around 55-65 degrees fahrenheit.

Fun Fact: The first day of spring this year is on March 20th! Only 4 days away. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 8, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Egg production is picking up with the longer days and warmer weather.  Our maximum number of eggs in 1 day this week was 13. There seems to be more everyday so we can now begin taking orders. If you would like a dozen, please email us and we will let you know when they are ready and put your name on the carton.

Rocky continues to do well in the garage, and she has now been accompanied by her brother to ensure that they both receive enough nutrition.  They enjoy serenading us most of the day. 

Recently our ducks have taken it upon themselves to move into the sheep shelter, as the pond froze over. As a result, they have chosen to make their own pond in the sheep’s water. 

Fun Fact:  All birds that summer in northern latitudes must migrate if food becomes unavailable, and that includes waterfowl like the mallard. If the water is iced over, they have to migrate, however, our ducks simply chose to migrate 50 yards into the barn. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 1, 2015

Dear Customers, 

One of our lambs, born two weeks ago suffered severe hypothermia the night it dipped to -23 degrees in the barn.  After finding her at 4am, we brought her back to the house where we did everything we could to warm her up.  After a few hours in a “hot box” she thawed and survived and was  able to begin her recovery. Although things weren’t looking bright for Rocky, by bringing her up to the house and tube feeding her, we were able to make drastic improvements in her health. She is now happily living in the garage, playing with the cats and always willing to remind us how loud she can baaaaaa. She will be going back down to the barn after next week when the weather begins to warm up again. 

The egg production is increasing and we expect to be selling eggs by the end of next week. 

Fun Fact: One year’s growth of fleece is about 8 pounds of wool.  The average price of ungraded wool is 40⍧.  

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

February 22, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Because of an increase in the number of members of our 4-H club, we will now hopefully be able to show all of our lambs at the fair. This means that we may show some market lambs, in which case you would be able to purchase them. 

All of the lambs have now been born, and we currently have 15. Hopefully they will all be able to make it through these next few harsh days, though they have already made it through the worst. 

Our egg production peaked today with a whopping 5 eggs. The number is on a steady incline and hopefully we will be able to get up to over 20 eggs a day relatively soon. 

Attached is a photo of some of the lambs trying to have a good time despite the cold weather. 

Fun Fact: 2015 is the Year of the Sheep according to Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Sheep starts from Feb. 19, 2015 (the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival of China) and lasts to Feb. 7, 2016.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

February 16, 2015

Dear Customers, 

For the egg laying competition, we had a tie between Linda Grossman and Kristen Saada, both guessing within 3 days of February 11th, the day the first egg was laid.  Today we had 3 but two were frozen solid.  Soon we hope to give them their prize dozen eggs.

We now have 12 lambs, 2 of which were born last night. They seem to be doing well despite the frigid temperature of -12 when they were born.  Please see the attached pictures. 

Our 4-H club was expanded this year, and now more of our sheep may potentially be shown at the fair. 

Fun Fact: Presidents' Day/Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday in the United States. Even though George's birthday was February 22nd, the day is officially celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes 

February 9, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We are still amazed that there are no eggs. We are suspicious that one of you is taking them every morning in order to win the competition. So if you have, fess up now. 

We were surprised to hear a rooster in the morning. When we ordered the chickens, we intended to buy all pullets, which are young female chickens, however, a cockerel, a young male chicken, must have slipped in. 

We had another set of twins born. They are healthy, doing well, and have identified with their mother. 

Fun Fact: The typical margin of error for sexing chickens is between 0 and 1% depending on the company. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

February 2, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We still don’t have eggs and this seems strange to us, as they should be laying by now. Maybe the cold weather and early nights are causing the process to be slowed. 

We had a lamb born last Thursday and we expect to have many more over the next couple weeks.  As she is a single, she is quite large and was over 16 pounds at birth.

Like many of you, we received an immense amount of snow. A picture of the property and its new covering is attached. 

Fun Fact : To go to the Super Bowl, a vacation would be skipped by 23% of those surveyed, an important work responsibility by 21%, the wedding of a close friend or family member by 20%, the funeral of a loved one by 19%, and the birth of a child by 15%.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 25, 2015

Dear Customers, 

For the egg laying competition, we would like to let you know that based on our calculations we are expecting the first egg to be laid between 1/21 and 2/4.  That is 16 to 18 weeks after they were hatched, on October 1st.  

Similarly, based on the gestation period of 152.2 days for sheep, the first day that the lambs should’ve been born was yesterday, however, none have arrived yet. Many of the ewes look ready to give birth though, and we have made our preparations for the new additions to the farm. 

Fun Fact: Within minutes of being born, a lamb is able to walk and support its own body weight. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 18, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Over 10 of you sent in your entries for our egg laying competition and it should be interesting as there is a very wide range of predictions. 

With Lauren having gone off to college, the progress on the wood for 2016 has slowed, however, she helped us get all of the wood for 2015 up and stacked allowing for it to age very well in this particularly cold weather. 

We are finalizing lambing preparation and should have our first lamb later this week, with many to follow throughout February.  

Fun Fact: Although it may have seemed like we were the coldest state over the last month, Ohio is only ranked as the 26th. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 11, 2015

Dear Customers,

On Tuesday I will fly back to school after a relaxing and enjoyable winter break. It was comforting to know that I was still needed to help with the firewood and animals, and hopefully I will be back for President's Day Weekend to help with lambing season!

The animals fared well this week despite the frigid temperatures. We provided extra straw in the stalls for bedding to keep them warm and we shut all doors in the barn to protect the sheep from the cold winds.

Exciting news! Hill House Farm is holding a contest. If you answer the following question correctly you will receive a free dozen eggs and one jar of peppers.  

What day do you believe our chickens will lay their first egg?

Your only clue is that our chickens hatched on 10/1/14. You can use past emails and other resources to estimate an answer.

Fun Fact: A freshly laid egg is around 105 °F.

Thanks, 

Lauren and Harry Hawkes