Summer Rituals

Regardless of the kind of summer one is having, there are just certain things that have to get done.  One of them is taking the best of the poultry to be tested for pullorem, prior to the county fair.  As those who free-range their birds like we do can attest, there's no fun like trying to catch and cage a dozen or more chickens who have no interest in going anywhere except back to their business of running the yard...I'll save you the details, just picture hot, dirty, sweaty, scratched, covered in feathers and a good deal of chicken poo (all before 8 a.m.)

Here we are, everyone loaded in the back of the Baja:

And then Barty decided to check everyone out...probably throwing in more than a few cracks about being locked up while he gets to stay home, etc. etc. (I'm guessing - I don't speak turkey):

All back home by 10 ish with bling...silver ankle bands...very stylish.

Next it was off to pick Blueberries at a local farm.  My "assistants" probably spent more time running through the rows or throwing drops at each other, but we still managed almost 20 pounds...and now time for jam!

Not a bad time, really.  But a little crazy considering we still have this staring us in the face at home:

But I just can't resist a PYO...

How to buy a (call) duck

My daughter has been lobbying for a call duck for almost a year now.  For the uninitiated, a call duck is like a bantam chicken. Once Olivia and Elliot arrived, my general arguments against ducks melted away, and so we marked our calendars for the Spring Poultry Swap.

Today we got up at the crack of dawn, drove through the country fog to the Schaghticoke (sca-ti-coke) Fairgrounds and attended the swap.  What started as a tailgate sale for poultry enthusiasts years ago has become a sort of farmer's flea market with animals of all sorts and a lotta other junk thrown in.

We saw beautiful and rare pigeons:

 We saw beautiful and rare pheasants:

We saw utility ducks:

( who defied logic and stayed in the little box)

And we saw plenty of sub-standard chickens (who didn't warrant a picture).  Which is kind of sad, really.  Not to be a chicken snob or anything, but the majority of the public do not know much about poultry standards, and I really hate it when breeders pass off sub-standard stock to unsuspecting customers just to make a buck.  If we want to encourage more people to raise chickens, and want to interest some in showing, we should be promoting heritage breeds, good stock, and educating the public as we go.  Instead, there are a lot of people out there selling crap.  (OK, off the soapbox now...)

We finally saw these call ducks:

Which happened to be kinda large for call ducks and too brown and mottled to be good quality for this particular variety (see above rant).  That didn't stop their owners from asking $30 for each of them...

So, we looked at all the neat poultry supplies, including these nice cages:

And we wandered amongst the goats, donkeys, turkeys, puppies, tomato plants, Adirondack chairs, saddles and tack, piglets, guinea pigs, walking sticks, parakeets....

....till we finally found what we came for:

...a happy teenager.  (What??!? You were expecting a call duck?)

Apparently, a cute Mini Rex is awfully close to a Call duck.  Who knew?

There's fading...and then...

...there is an abrupt change of plans.

Somewhere, oh, around Christmas, my little grey lamb decided to be white.  Look what we found when we took off the coat and sheared today!

His mother (obviously) carries the fading gene.  So we knew our little black lamb was actually grey...but this was more than we expected!  Hee-hee!

Looks can be deceiving, no?

More to scare you...

Real Estate anywhere outside the state of Michigan should be seeing a boost....You'll understand what I mean if you go here, and do a little reading of the recent posts.

Make no mistakes - the government, at the behest of processed food manufacturers and retailers - is after your right to choose what you eat and how it is grown.

Imagine... being served, raided, and forced to slaughter your family livestock. Forced to brutally kill animals you have helped to breed, feed, understand, respect, and even love. Because some moronic politician passed an idiotic law. It's happening right now in Michigan.

Today it's hogs...tomorrow.....???

They're taking the fresh salad right out of your mouths, and shoving the Twinkie and McNugget as far down as it will go....

Yak!

So, at my new job there are some strange things we do...all in the name of collectible dolls. (That's what we make..)

Like today. I spent several hours ironing the doll wigs made from yak hair. Really. We make wigs with yak hair. And the best part is the sewer has all kinds of "leftover/unusable" yak hair when she is finished. The more wiry stuff is actually better for wigs, so this "leftover" hair is the softer, fluffier part of the yak.

And I get to keep it! So, spinners....any suggestions? Ever spun yak before? It has no crimp/memory like wool so it needs to be blended. Blend it first on the carder? I'm full of questions...

In the end, my beginning spinner skills (or lack of) may put this fiber on the shelf, but we shall see...

Just in case you haven't heard...

I'd like to think that all of us here are like-minded. In most respects, that is....And when it comes to corporate bullying and doing what is right, we all recognize a travesty when we see one.

The (VERY) short version of this story is this:

Local (as in Vermont) farmers asked a friend to make them T-shirts with this logo. He complied, and their message of eating well and local caught on. More people ordered T-shirts. It became a nice little trend. The trend grew (as good things do) and now it's a local, grass-roots, healthy trend.

In steps the corporate bully (cue sinister music) Chik-fil-A. They have an ad campaign to push their vile processed food that goes something like this: Eat More Chikn. It is supposedly more compelling when spoken by cows...I don't get it, but there it is.

Somehow, these guys now feel they have the exclusive right to the phrase, "Eat More ...." The legal beagles that Chik-fil-A hired insist that the average American would be terribly confused if the two phrases ever juxtaposed, and they imagine thousands, if not millions of junk food dollars evaporating when starving folks turn to the garden in stead of the drive-thru.

So they filed a lawsuit to stop the one-at-a time production of the Eat More Kale shirts. They are attempting to crush the entrepreneurship and industry of one small Vermont artist. They claim local (and national) foodies and farmers have no right to their free expression and professed love of dark, leafy greens.

The case went to court once. The judge saw the insanity of the situation and ruled against the corporate goons. But it was a temporary victory. The corporation is deciding to throw more dollars into legal harassment and is continuing to pursue the rights of the corporation over the individual.

If you want to help fight back, go here and order your self a shirt. Or a sticker. Or just check out the site.

And finally, plant some kale.

Lamb #1

The marking harness did the trick - 147 days after the big blob coloring job...we had a lamb!

Secret x Leonidas = a nice, big ram lamb....grey in color with a beautiful splash on the head and frosted ears. Sure, I would have preferred a ewe, would have LOVED two rather than one, but hey- no vets, and I didn't have to pull this one myself.

Secret is a very protective mother...actually bordering on psycho aggressive. So photo opportunities come few and far between...

But we'll keep practicing....

Duck, Duck, Goose

Okay, we'll start with the weird photo today...in honor of Easter Egg hunts everywhere.....do you see it?

It's actually the very beginning of today's subject....

Candy is determined to hatch an egg. Regardless of the fact that there has been no male goose about. So we've quietly replaced a goose egg with two potential duck eggs. So far....so good. Check back in 28 days or so...we may have results!

Something like this:

Can you resist the cuteness of these little feet? They come with their own pedicure!

HAPPY EASTER!

Elliot and Olivia

More new stuff on the farm, because ADDING chores is exactly what one should do when returning to full time work....let me introduce Elliot and Olivia - the Ancona Ducks.
DD is holding Olivia...and yes, she is wearing pajamas. (Doesn't everyone when they farm?)

We want to expand our egg offerings at the Farmer's Market this season - chicken, quail, and duck. (Duck eggs are particularly nice for baking and making noodles/pasta)

And how about another pic to peruse:

Well?

Making adjustments

That has become the new motto around here, because things just aren't what they used to be - I've gone back to work. Not that being a farmer, mother, housewife and loon weren't already a full time job, but I actually got one that pays me to be there. Not altogether much, but hey - pay is pay.

So, to keep up with 10 1/2 hour workdays (Fridays off!), we've had to make some changes - some good, some not so good. So you may see stuff around here that looks absolutely familiar...and some not so familiar...

Like this:

Can you recognize it? It's a harbinger of Spring...

Silly me...

I thought he wanted to come in for a little visit, perhaps...

...turns out the turkey in the window just called him a bad name.

Mama's Little Boy is all Grown Up!

Give Us This Day...

Been there, done that...

Bunny #2 caught (rescued) from CrazyNeighborGuy's obnoxious animal mis-management. All those bunnies that were loosed in the Fall to "free-range" have been making a valiant effort to survive so far...

We thought we'd give another a fighting chance. So we set the trap with fall apples....and viola! Meet Chestnut. So named by her new owner. ( a local 4-H friend)

A face too sweet for foxes or frostbite, don't you agree?

Winter colors

You were expecting white??

Hah! The Weather Service predicts a warmer than usual winter for Upstate NY. Which translates to pretty ugly, drab landscapes. (see example below)

So we search out our own color palette, where ever it may be hiding.

Check out that Maran egg...back to nice, dark brown specimens after a short winter hiatus of two months or so. The darkest brown egg layers always produce their darkest at the start of a laying cycle or the younger the hen.

I found this lovely little fungus in the woods; a spot of blazing color in an otherwise very brown and grey view. I don't recall ever seeing anything like it before. Any fungus fans care to name it or lay some knowledge on us?

And nothing says "Fun in the Sun" like neon farm pails. (Don't you just want to hunker down in some warm sand and make castles?) Really, I couldn't resist...I found these at Tractor Supply.

In my defense, we do have a color-coded animal system around here: Yellow is for Chickens, Orange for Turkeys/Quail/Ducks, Red for Sheep, Blue for Goats, and Green for Garden. Feed scoops, containers, hanging feeders, pails etc. are all kept/colored/labeled separately for the newbie/visiting farmer, farm sitter, or DH (who is very reluctant to admit there is a system, or that it has value...)

The neon pink pail and the lilac purple one (in use at at the time of the photo) don't have an assigned use, but who can resist PURPLE farm pails? After all, there is just plain, old hauling of water...

Because really, all this color is better than:

Porcine Dispose-all

When we were growing up, I remember when we moved into our "new" house it sported a "dispose-all" device in the sink. I was both fascinated and leery - it could grind up just about anything (making after-dinner chores much tidier) and that included fingers (or so I feared). But the reality was a little more nasty and safe - it frequently got clogged with all kinds of unrecognizable goo, and since the "on" switch was a contortionist's nightmare, there was little chance my fingers would be anywhere near when the thing was running...

I thought again about that device as we brought home our summer farm guest - the piglet. I envisioned all the scraps now going into a slop bucket and the efficiency of our little farm just humming along ever better...

The raising of the pig gave us a lot to process (literally and figuratively!) and it's time to take a look back with the dawning of the new year...

We learned:

a) pigs are smart and sociable. Ours was in LOVE with the sheep, and never missed an opportunity to visit (they wanted NOTHING to do with him, BTW) and loved to be scratched. He would even roll over like a dog to have you scratch his tummy.

b) pigs are strong. Electric fencing actually works best, because they learn very quickly about the shock, and are reluctant to test it. They can knock over, push apart, and dig under just about anything else you attempt to construct.

c) pigs are efficient farm animals. We did very well supplementing organic pig feed with fell apples, acorns, food scraps, whey and garden culls. We now have a freezer full of organic pork at around $3 a pound (excluding labor expenses).

d) pigs are delicious. I've been a vegetarian for more than 25 years, and never missed meat at all, but this return to omnivorous eating has been a real treat. I feel good knowing exactly what went into this animal and how it was housed and handled. The "energy" (labor) of production was ours, and the variety of meat products we got from this one animal is impressive. We will go almost 2 years with this one animal. (There is only 3 of us, and we don't eat meat every day...)

So, would we do it again? Absolutely. In fact, we may be in negotiation to raise one for a friend next year if we can arrange a suitable barter.

We would definitely:

a) raise the same breed. Ours was a Tamworth, and it was a perfect match in size, temperament, and ease of raising. Six months to butcher weight (235 lbs.) and very good food-to-product ratio. Able to forage, and will eat a variety of pasture, garden culls, and fruit.

b) build a pen/area somewhere we need clearing. They dig up every inch, and love to nibble on branches, grasses, and leaves.

c) work with them every day. Because they are social, they learn and become quite manageable. That's a good thing when they get loose (they will) or when you need to move them (at least once, probably) and when you have to get them into a trailer (for you-know-where).

Things to consider:

a) butchering. There is a critical shortage of good, FDA inspected meat processors around here. We had to make our slaughter date as soon as we got the piglet, since they schedule 6 months or more in advance.

b) feed. We used organic pig feed as the basis, but we could cut costs even further if we had a good storage area (for a one-time delivery of multiple bags of feed) and if we sought out more fruit drops, whey/milk, and were super-diligent about food scraps. (it took a while to train the fam - but they are trainable!)

c) trailer. This time I was lucky to have a good friend and neighbor who volunteered her trailer and drove to the butcher. It would not be a bad thing for us to invest in one for a few things - only we have to either get one low to the ground or with a strong, stable ramp for loading.

Now to figure out what exactly the labor part might look like and be worth - for the potential barter....and a future post!

New Year, New Look, New Resolve

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Please let 2012 be a better year for everyone I know!

I resolve to:

a) Post more

b) Spend less time in front of a screen

c) Get more things done (as in: completed all the way, and the tools put back where they belong)

How I will achieve a) while doing b) remains to be seen. If I do b) I expect I will accomplish c) which in turn, gives me more for a).

I imagine that since we have 7 MINUTES MORE DAYLIGHT!!!! anything is possible....

Here's to Spring.

Holiday Tension

Just sayin'...

Did I tell you the one about the bunny?

No?

Well, it seems nobody is immune from downsizing these days, and that even extends to bunnies. One day a month or more ago, the DH mentioned "a rabbit was ranging with the chickens today", and I (of course) assumed he meant a wild rabbit.

So, imagine my surprise when I glanced out the door to see a brown bunny (definitely NOT the wild bunny shade of brown) hopping around with the chickens. Yeah. That's what every farmer needs (in addition to the cats, dogs and chickens that get dropped off...) - a bunny.

So I scooted it into the garage, added a Have-a-heart trap loaded with apple, and shut the door. Two hours later - viola! Bunny-in-a-box.

This was where my bunny smarts ended. I have NO idea about bunnies, so we called out to the 4-H contingent. (Thank goodness we got an answer!)

My daughter's friend came over and showed us all how to handle the bunny, sex the bunny (a girl), put the bunny in show position, and generally confirmed that the bunny was a very tame, gentle, pet bunny.

Meet Simba. Who now resides in a very bunny-friendly home. (Unlike her former home where the human idiots decided it was humane to let a tame bunny "go wild" at our place.)

And apparently, when you show a 4-H rabbit, this is exactly what you do to convince the judge you know your way around a bunny and are deserving of a ribbon. (Who knew?)

Simba did.

Coloring outside the lines

So it appears my Leonidas is more of a Jackson Pollock, than a Michelangelo...
But, ...count the days with me...that's right! Easter lambs!

(There must be an app for that already...)