Amps, Watts, Volts and Cold

How do we while away the winter evenings? We're heading into another cold spell so tonight we multi-tasked. Jeff fired up the woodburning stove and we boiled water to make tea and relax with the dog and cat in the basement. Well, the cat wasn't really relaxed and the dog was just pretending to be relaxed in between harassing the cat so he could get that dog treat in my hand. Then we discussed how many water heating elements, heaters and heat lights could be run in various combinations without overworking the single fuse all are on while still keeping everybody (every chicken-body and heifer-body) content.

We've got one hen with a hurt foot healing up so she's alone on one side of the hen house and we've had to take Rosie out of solitary. Rosie is the single homegrown hen we kept from the batch that were hatched from our birds on the farm last year. For the past few weeks she's been broody, hogging a nest, sitting on a wooden egg all day, and thinking now is a good time of year to have a little batch of chicks. You can see how this would be a problem. So we isolated her in the old tiny hut alone this weekend while the weather was warm. That's one of the possible "cures" for broodiness... to separate the hen and leave her with food, water, but no nest. Since it's going to be so cold we let her back in with the group tonight. She's obviously not yet "cured" as she showed us by promptly hopping up into one of the nest boxes and growling (I don't know a better word to describe it) at us when we reach in to remove her. I guess she and I will be having more discussions this week about what weather is good for raising chicken kids.

Stay warm everybody!
Toby

Think a heritage bird just won't do the trick?

Need a large bird for a family or gathering? Put two heritage birds in your roasting pan! Works great, takes just a little longer to cook than one small bird and has the added benefit of more drumsticks to go around for kids!

Didn't have time to think of what's for supper but still want something healthy? The smaller heritage birds (particularly 3 1/2 lbs. and under) can go straight from freezer to roasting in the oven, no need to thaw. This can limit the options for preparation - no yummy herbs under the skin - but it's nice in a pinch and doesn't detract from the flavor.

Why else are the Dark Cornish, specifically, so great? We find their flavor just can't be beat. I will prepare other birds for us since we have them, and we have it on good authority that the Wyandottes make great stock and do fantastic on the grill, but I'm always sad when I search the freezer and find no more Dark Cornish. There's a great deal of information available on heritage birds now. Most people remark that their flavor far surpasses the Cornish Rock crosses, in part do to the slower growth. I'll be working on providing more links to information on the heritage birds but we know that, ultimately, it's your taste that will have to make the final choice.

Just a thought

We are passionate about what we do here on the farm. For us sustainability isn't just a marketing phrase. Our farm is our work, our home, our vacation, our life. In order to have balance, health, happiness and dreams we have to make decisions about our involvement with the nature around us in an intelligent and feeling way.

Sustainability is a goal. It isn't something we can claim at this time but life is about moving, evolving and growing with purpose. Sustainability is a path. For every action we take we can ask ourselves, "will this help the land and animals we are responsible for become independently and interdependently perpetual while lessening human intervention?" And lastly, sustainability is a measure. For every day, month and year that goes by we can ask ourselves, "have we brought the land and animals we are responsible for closer to thriving without our assistance?"

There are limitations and our farm isn't a wild place. We have cheated nature a bit to have the privilege of participating more in her processes. That tinkering with nature comes with a great deal of responsibility. We aren't just responsible for feeding and watering these animals we've chosen to keep domestic. We are responsible for our part in the larger picture. Like any other area in life, we have to have ethics and understand the far-reaching effects of our actions when altering nature - from breeds of chickens to plant genetics. I'm certain I will never understand all that goes on around me on our farm - bacteria, plants, soil, animals (wild, domestic, physical, mental, social aspects). My hope is to understand as much as possible to limit negative outcomes that are the result of my a actions.

Snow!

Every year we do more, plan more, know more, but then mother nature hands us the next course, in this case snow, and it feels like the first time. We run around the day before and right into the day of the first "real" snow trying to finish up things we forgot will become important when everything is frozen and buried in white. Yesterday while it began flurrying we put some finishing touches on Jeff's "Bridge to Nowhere", a.k.a. the electrical running overhead to the big day house/lounge for the chickens. The whole apparatus is a little questionable but let's just say we didn't exceed budget on it.

First thing this morning I shoveled a path, door to door, from the hen house to the chickens' day house, figuring they'd want to head inside until the wind died down. Leave it to a bunch of chickens to stray from the straight, cleared path, freak out at the sight of snow, flap and fly and land in a drifted area, squawk about it and have to be ushered back onto the cleared path. Last in line were the two roosters. I "escorted" our second stringer down the path where he quickly hopped into the lit house to be with the hens. Then I turned to see our giant number one rooster, Chief, standing in the entry of the hen house, clearly shocked by the snow and wind. He was about to turn and go back inside (not an option, the girls have eggs to lay and they can't have male riff raff hanging around the hen house during the day). So the big guy got a ride today. He made a bit of a fuss when I stuck my hand under his chest, but he grudgingly accepted the ride. I crouched and set him on my leg so he could hop off and enter the day house on his own. Not so much as a thank you from him for saving his tender little clod hoppers from the cold cold walk. Ahhhhh, a heat lamp, unfrozen water and no snow whipping at their faces... what more could a chicken want?

p.s. - Herbie's "Wubba" toy appears to be lost for good... or for the winter. We've asked Herbie repeatedly after that first light snow to "find your Wubba" and he's looked, nose in the snow, but to no avail. Such a sad thing for a puppy to lose his favorite toy. But worry not - for dogs, frisbee season knows no end!

Second String Rooster

Whew! I think that about says it all. The sun is bright today in our part of the world, which does wonders for everyone's spirits. The dog (well, still a puppy) is getting lots of exercise these past few days. Jeff took a few days off of work to do something other than build chicken houses, mow hay and process chickens - his normal "vacations" from his job off the farm. Still, he has a list that never seems to end. There are lots of heavy objects that don't get lifted when I'm alone on the farm during the week. And a lot of electrical work and parking of tractors and implements in small spaces... as I said his list is long. The dog is happy to help, though, if you can call it that!

The hens are laying eggs like mad. Actually, the snow just covered up all of their outside nests so they are forced to comply with the rules and lay their eggs in the nest boxes that we collect from. Production magically increased by nearly 100% overnight!

We kept two roosters this year and so far there hasn't been much squabbling. Our second string rooster is peculiar, though. He has a particular affinity for one of the Wyandotte hens and spends most of his day "talking" to her, trying to coax her to follow him away from the group. This was humorous except when he started finding tight spots (like behind wood piles) to nestle down in and cluck to her in that manner that says "here's a good spot to lay an egg." Honestly, that's what he was doing. But, not being a hen, his choices were a little poor in my opinion. For instance, one spot he persistently chose was immediately outside the basement door. I could hear him throughout the day, digging a little hollow in the gravel, clucking and cooing, and kicking the metal door and frame repeatedly in the process. He wasn't deterred by people coming in and out of the house, or even me opening the door specifically to ask him what the corn he thought he was doing. With the snow he's given that up and the crew of birds hangs pretty close together now. That, of course, has made the wooing of his particular hen more challenging. So now, when he spots her coming out of the hen house or day house alone, he puffs up like a Tom turkey on display, wings extended by his sides, and waddles up to her (or is there a word that means "waddles fast"?). It's hilarious beyond words. Our number one rooster, who pretty much rules the roost, as they say, is not amused. But he's showing restraint, so far. We'll let you all know if the day comes when number one (or "Chief" as he's called around here) blows his top. For those of you who know us, you know our rooster last summer became a little... temperamental. We'll make sure to warn folks if we have a little ankle kicker at large this year!

Life is good, Thanksgiving is tomorrow, we have our precious housecat back from a long stay at the vet and he's doing great, and the dog actually found an egg outside in a brush pile, so maybe there's hope that there's a good dog in there yet.

As always, Happy Eating!!

Toby