Cirosta Farm & Stables

03/07/2026

Any eggs not sold or eaten in 7 days get hard-boiled and fed back to the chickens. They are good on the counter for weeks longer but it's too much to keep track of what was laid when & losing the counter space sucks.
So during this morning's treat I took some pics of the birds.

02/11/2026

YOUR PORCH LIGHT KILLED MORE ANIMALS LAST NIGHT THAN YOUR CAR DID ALL YEAR.

One standard white LED porch light attracts and kills an average of 150 insects per night. That's not a guess — it's a 2021 study published in *Biological Conservation* tracking insect mortality around residential lighting.

150 insects × 365 nights = 54,750 dead insects per year. Per light.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY DYING:

These aren't just "bugs." These are the moths that pollinate your night-blooming flowers. The beetles that decompose your leaf litter into soil. The mayflies and caddisflies that feed every bat, swallow, and screech-owl in your neighborhood. The fireflies that cannot find mates because their bioluminescent signals are drowned out by your 5000K white LED.

Every insect that circles your porch light until it dies of exhaustion is an insect that didn't pollinate, didn't decompose, didn't become food for something with feathers.

WHY WHITE LIGHT IS THE PROBLEM:

White LEDs and fluorescent bulbs emit wavelengths between 400-500nm (blue-white spectrum). Insects navigate by moonlight — which is 570-590nm (amber). Your white porch light mimics a false moon. They fly toward it, orbit it, and die.

THE $4 FIX:

Switch to a warm amber LED bulb — 2200K color temperature or lower. One bulb. Takes 15 seconds to install.

→ Amber light (590nm+) is nearly invisible to most insects
→ 90% reduction in insect attraction (University of Bristol, 2023)
→ Fireflies return — they can see each other again
→ Bats start hunting your yard instead of avoiding it
→ Your electric bill drops (amber LEDs use 7-9 watts vs 12-15)

UPGRADE OPTIONS:
$4 — Amber LED bulb (warm, swap it now)
$12 — Motion sensor adapter (light only when YOU need it)
$20 — Amber motion-sensor flood light (best of both)

Every porch, garage, barn, and shed light in your neighborhood is a death trap running from dusk to dawn, 365 nights a year.

Yours can stop tonight for four dollars.

02/11/2026

You may see a pile of sticks in your yard and think it's neglected, but it's a bustling habitat! 🌿
In February, this brush pile is fully booked:
🏠 THE PENTHOUSE: Song Sparrows and Carolina Wrens shelter from ice storms in the top layer.
🌿 THE MEZZANINE: A cottontail rabbit finds refuge here, creating a "form" for safety.
🐛 THE STANDARD ROOMS: Hibernating queen bumblebees and Mourning cloak butterflies live in the deeper layers, while ground beetles and spiders control pests.
🌧️ THE BASEMENT: Redback salamanders thrive in the moist environment at the bottom, essential for their survival.
🍄 THE INFRASTRUCTURE: Fungi break down wood and enrich your soil with nutrients.
One brush pile (6x3 feet) supports over 1,000 organisms across 100+ species throughout winter. A “clean” yard is a biological desert!
Your brush pile isn’t messy; it’s full!

02/08/2026

It that time of year again. Let me know if you have an special requests for this year's season

02/08/2026

02/07/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BsCY2HQVX/

The Dark Jug Trick: Free Warm Water for Outdoor Animals, No Electricity Needed. 🖤💧

Heated water bowls cost $40-80. Extension cords in snow are a fire risk. Here's what farm vets have used for decades that costs nothing:

🛑 THE PROBLEM: "The Freeze Cycle"

You put water out at 7am. By 9am, it's frozen solid. You break the ice. By 11am, it's frozen again. The animals that need it — barn cats, outdoor dogs, chickens, wild birds — go hours without drinking. Dehydration in winter kills more animals than cold does.

✅ THE SOLUTION: The Black Jug Solar Heater

Take a black plastic gallon jug (or paint any jug with flat black spray paint). Fill it with water. Set it in the water bowl or bucket.

HERE'S WHY IT WORKS:

- Black absorbs up to 95% of solar radiation — even on overcast February days
- The jug acts as a thermal battery, absorbing heat during daylight hours
- A single black jug can keep the water temperature 10-15°F above ambient
- That difference is often enough to keep water liquid down to 20°F
- As the water in the jug warms, it radiates heat into the surrounding bowl water

FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT:

METHOD 1 — The Single Jug:
- Place a black gallon jug directly in a wide, dark-colored water bowl
- Position where it gets the most afternoon sun (south-facing)

METHOD 2 — The Float System:
- Seal a half-full black jug (it will float)
- The floating jug moves with wind — same principle as the ping pong ball — preventing ice sheets while also radiating heat

METHOD 3 — The Submersible:
- Fill a black jug completely (it sinks)
- Place at the bottom of a deep bucket
- Heat radiates upward, keeping the surface liquid longest

🔋 TIMING: Set this up by noon today. The jug needs 2-3 hours of daylight to charge. By evening, it will be working.

💡 Pro Tip: Rubber livestock water bowls (black, $8 at farm stores) work even better — the entire container is a solar collector. Stomp on the ice to break it and the rubber flexes without cracking.

11/18/2025

10/23/2025

Today's harvest

10/01/2025

This is the page I created just for selling peppers.

06/06/2025

First garden update of 2025.