The week before Thanksgiving

We had a very busy day today cleaning up the yard, moving the turkey pen, tucking in the garden for a long winters nap....  Cleaning up the turkey pen and moving the flight cage was the hardest.  I really enjoyed raising those boys, they were a pleasure.  I've had more than a few people comment about what we do here, raising and slaughtering our own meats.  Many people don't understand that we do this to ensure that we are raising the animals kindly, with care and respect.  We slaughter them quickly and as efficiently as we can.  Tad even played soothing classical music during the day.  We care about these animals and we thank them for feeding us, for fertilizing our lawns, for composting our left-overs.  I cried the morning of the slaughter because even though I know we are doing the best thing we can, it is hard and it will always be a sad day.  We make the decision to raise our own meats or buy from small farms to ensure we are supporting what we feel is right.  That was me on a soap box.  Be well.

Turkey day

This morning was the last for the turkeys.  I cared for them as best I could and tried to give them what they needed with comfort and plenty of food.  I cried while setting up for the day and then left before the processing started.  I feel bad about this but I just wasn't ready to help, I loved those turkeys.  Luckily, I have a lot of great friends and family who processed 10 turkeys - the smallest weighing 34 pounds fully dressed.  I honestly don't know how we are going to fit the big ones in the oven (the biggest was 43 pounds). 

Their size alone demonstrates my need to learn more about what I am doing in raising these birds.  I obviously fed them too much.  They seemed happy, though, and that was my main objective - to raise happy healthy birds.  I guess I just raised them a little too happy on the food!

This afternoon I went to another farm to spruce up my decorative flock for the spring.  I got 2 white silkies and 2 cochins - 1 black, 1 blue.  The silkies might be carrying fertilized eggs of colored silkies and that is what I am hoping for, too.  The cochins are only 3 months old.  The silkies are 6 months old.  Right now everyone is happy about the additions except Harriet who is feeling a little cramped in her very large and nice housing.  My mother always said, "you can't please everyone all of the time!"

I am hoping to post nice pictures of the additions tomorrow.  Be well!

Lots of work on a rainy day!

When it rains for more than one day in a row, there is a lot of extra work to do.  The rabbits don't get thier normal exercise outside, the turkeys get wet and muddy, the goats won't leave the pen, and the dogs don't go out.  This morning was a lot of mucking out the turkey area and providing new straw (We stopped moving the turkey flight cage 2 weeks ago and gave the turkeys access to a 40x40 garden we have fenced in.  This cut down on the fighting and pecking dramatically.)  I then cleaned out the goat pen completely and filled that will cedar chips and gave them extra hay for the long day of chewing cud while looking out at the rain.

Unfortunately, I noticed this morning that one of the turkeys I've been watching for signs of trouble is struggling today and refusing food or water.  He was well enough to come in out of the rain and lay in some fresh straw but that was it.  I fear he won't make it through the day.  I've sent out messages to friends who know more than me about raising turkeys, but I now know from sad experiences that there really isn't anything to do but keep him comfortable.  This always makes me so sad, even though I know that by next month they will no longer be with us, I feel as if I've failed him in some way.

I will post later about my new additions to the farm and let you know how it went.  They are called naked neck silkies or showgirls.  The 2 I am getting are heterogeneous showgirls so they have a naked nack with a bow tie.  Even the boys are called showgirls and I will be getting a boy and a girl, both white, both heterogeneous.  Next spring they will live in a chicken tractor in the gardens helping me with bugs, this winter I will have to establish a home for them in a more protected environment.  For now they will have a tractor I am borrowing and a small living space out of the elements - particularly this never-ending rain.  Better than a drought, but I am kind of getting weary of it.

I will check in later!  Be Well!

Fun Turkey Film

Enjoy!
Turkeys destroying treats!

Pictures from the storm!

Well, we all survived the storm!  It was very windy for a very long time and the river did get wider, but never crossed the tracks.  John boxed all the birds in with trailors and we filled the inside of the cages with hay to keep them dry.  I've learned since that the guineas should not get wet and should still be on a heatlamp, but we can't bring them inside and we lost electricity for almost a week.  They survived anyway so we were lucky!  They are getting big and losing the feathers on their necks now, they are starting to get the guinea look I love!  Here are some pics of the storm and the bird set up and us trying to coax the goats outside when it was safe.  Be well!

The turkey flight cage and the guinea tractor were wedged together between a few trailors and the party boat.  The plan worked well and all were safe.  I stood in the flight cage during the worst parts of the storm and barely felt any wind.  Luckily the guineas were not scared of the turkeys and actually tried to stay near them cage to cage.  We are seperating them slowly every 2 days now so they don't get too upset.

You can't see the river yet, only the puddles forming around the gardens.  The river got very wide but not enough to be threatening.

Turkeys will stand right in the rain.  Here they are hoping I brought them cucumber slices - which I did.

The guineas on their inside pirch during the hieght of the storm.  Interestingly, most of them were outside laying in the hay watching the rain and wind tear through the yard!

Buttercup and Cupcake watching Cricket run around outside and getting first dibs on all the leaves that fell.

Buttercup wasn't really interested in coming outside, but eventually she did.

I cannot get this picture to go upright, but I love it, so here it is anyway - tilt your head to the left :)

Back at the farm....

We have been busy increasing the size of the goat pen, building a movable flight cage for the growing turkeys, shaving the rabbits, and creating more space for the bees to produce!  Here are a few pictures of our happy farm:

The new movable flight cage made out of a half broken cover-it cost let than $80!

I think this one is getting sick of getting his picture taken!

Always curious Cricket!

Cricket pretending she's behaving when she never is.

I love this picture of Buttercup with her freckled lips and her long beard!

Turkey Tractor

John converted old shelving into a Turkey tractor for the 'boys' to enjoy the great outdoors and still be protected from the coyotes!

The bees are back!!!!!!

I installed 2 new bee colonies tonight (thanks, Stuart!). Everything went well although on my own I didn't get any video or pics. They were pretty tame after the 45 minute ride home and didn't get too fussy.  The weather helped because it is cold and wet and they prefered to stay in their new homes rather than hang out to sting me.

The turkeys are doing well and growing feathers fast.  They are the funniest animals to watch.  Last night we took half of thier space back because we caught them huddling in the wrong corner - they will die without the heat lamp.  Tonight they were happy and full of fight as I changed their newspaper and checked thier food and water.

John picked some new goat soap up at Oak Leaf Dairy after closing the store - it makes the house smell like a slice of heaven. What a way to start your morning; with awesome smelling soaps that love your skin as much as you do!

Be well!

May 15, 2011

Its been a long time since I posted here and I'm sorry about that!  We've been very busy with the store and the hobby farm and, well, keeping up with life.  Our latest additions to the farm are the 'dirty dozen' - 12 new Turkeys hatched this week.  With all of our animals - the goats, the bunnies, the bees, the dogs and cat I still didn't feel like we were running a 'farm' and then came the boys - 12 large white breasted turkeys!  Now when I kick off my boots are 9pm just finishing my chores for the evening, I truly feel like a hobby farmer :)  Check out our new turkeys by clicking here!

The stores been really busy with everyone cleaning up their yards, starting new gardens, hanging out their flowers :)  We have another greenhouse we are working with and several new artists on board.  We are talking about adding space to hold more wonderful locally produced items and expanding our year further into the winter.  There is so much we can do, not enough hours in the day!

Yesterday I asked my parents to bring me binoculars so I could watch the cows grazing in the neighbor's field in the morning with my coffee.  They thought it was very funny that I was going to watch cows while others might watch the news or read the paper.  That is DEFINITELY not for me, I prefer to watch the cows saunter around the field, snacking on the grass, visiting each other.  My parents came to the house and we all went to the deck to watch.  I think they can see why I'd rather watch the cows now.

Be well!