But, perhaps, I got to thinking that I had painted all turkeys with the same brush and it just wasn't fair. Maybe they were not all crazy like those Beltsville Small Whites that were here before. So, I found a tom and two hens, adults fully grown, who are fairly quiet and unobtrusive and they can fly, but are said to stay away from the house. Let's hope this is the case and they can raise their own broods and supply turkey for the farm. The less I have to intervene the better it will be. Welcome turkeys! May you live long and prosper.
The turkeys have arrived! Two beautiful heritage turkeys, a tom and a hen, Bronze is the name of the breed, have arrived to live on the Fat Ewe Farm. After my last year's disaster with turkeys, I swore never again would turkeys dwell on this farm. Those turkeys were raised from babies and they thought I was their mother. They stalked me, followed me everywhere, flew on my roof and perched on the windows pecking at them. The worst thing though, was they flew on the guest's vehicles. OOOOPS! Turkeys do have sharp claws, so turkey scratches were not a good idea. Those turkeys all went into the freezer and I must say, they are fine tasting.
But, perhaps, I got to thinking that I had painted all turkeys with the same brush and it just wasn't fair. Maybe they were not all crazy like those Beltsville Small Whites that were here before. So, I found a tom and two hens, adults fully grown, who are fairly quiet and unobtrusive and they can fly, but are said to stay away from the house. Let's hope this is the case and they can raise their own broods and supply turkey for the farm. The less I have to intervene the better it will be. Welcome turkeys! May you live long and prosper.
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The Fat Ewe Farm is not an egg farm. As a matter of fact, while it is wonderful that we do have these gifts of most precious food from the hens, ducks, geese and guineas, they are secondary to the purpose of the birds on the farm. The primary purpose is that they are excellent foragers and eat bugs, flies, mosquitos and ants, and they do an admirable job of that. But in keeping the birds, they must be housed and fed. The birds have three coops, only one with a heat lamp for the dead of winter when it is cold and dark too many hours a day. The breeds are chosen for their hardiness in winter, as well as their ability to forage and feed themselves. All sorts of breeds have been tried so far, and a few more are on oder to test this summer. The ones that are the absolute hands down best are the Ameraucanas, plus they lay beautiful blue green eggs, though did not lay through winter. The Partridge Chanteclers laid all winter though, just enough to have fresh eggs at the table when desired. Now that the days are longer, but not any much warmer with minus 22 the past two nights and the day time not seeing a rise over minus 15, the rest of the chickens, ducks, geese and guineas have begun to lay in earnest. In a week the night temperatures are supposed to rise to just below zero with warm days in the teens above, so the geese will be able to keep their eggs and begin to hatch them. The ducks likely will not go broody except the Muscovy girls, so the Khaki Campbell and Rouen eggs will be hatched by the Muscovy mammas. The bantam hens all hatched nests last year and kept their babies, so hopefully, they will again this year, with the possibility of an extra Ameraucana or Chantecler egg slipped in. So, there is the housing, the purchase of the birds, both as chicks and adults and raising them to the point of lay, plus barren nests all winter for the majority and the the heat lamp cost all to configure in their upkeep. They get no commercial feeds which contain soy, corn and pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. The eggs and the chickens are about as clean as possible. They do eat the meat from the dog bones most day and there is no guarantee how the cows were raised, but that would be the only real source, even secondary, of non organic food. The cost of organic grain is one to two times more than regular feed. They also get greens when they are available and sometimes, their own eggs as a protein source, but the eggs are cooked and well mashed with the shells. Cooking makes the egg protein more readily digestible and smashing the shells to tiny bits hopefully does not encourage egg eating, or it has not so far. During the summer, the bird coops are moved daily providing fresh clean ground for them. The birds are free ranged and pasture themselves in the barnyard and the surrounding fields. There are many livestock guardian dogs to watch over them and protect them. So far, none have been lost to predators, touch wood. Some have been lost because of disreputable breeders selling inferior or sick birds, which die shortly after they are here. Some have had mites, worms, leg mites or pneumonia and have been put down. A few froze in the bitterly cold winter from roosting on the ground and had to be put down as well. So there are losses to cover there. The cost of organic eggs in the store here ranges from $6.50 to nearly $7 here, yet people expect farm eggs all to be organic and be sold at $2 to $2.50 per dozen. They will pay more in the store for caged, force fed battery hen eggs than to the farmer direct. For some reason, because it is from the farm, the folks think it should be cheaper. They will not pay $5 dollars for a dozen of clean, and I mean no chemical inputs or gmo feeds, or wheat feeds, eggs. Well, since the Fat Ewe Farm is not an egg farm, the eggs will remain at $5 a dozen for chicken eggs and $10 a dozen for duck eggs and the extras will be given to friends who need them, at our discretion, or fed back to the animals, or frozen for the winter, but they will NOT be sold for the ridiculous price people are unwittingly willing to pay here. In time, hopefully, folks will better understand what clean food is and they will cry out to try to find it. Until then, thank you to my birds for the foraging you do, for the delicious meals you provide and for the bounty of amazing eggs you give to us. Bless your little bodies! Intrinsically, from deep within my soul, I have always known about the Earth. Pesticides and herbicides were the rage when I was growing up and promised to make our lives easier and our gardens more productive, but, somehow, it made no sense that they could selectively kill some bugs and not others, while doing nothing to us. So, I chose to never use them. Then Round Up came on the scene, a chemical that was inert, so it was said, killing the weeds, but not the plants we wanted to grow. Again, this did not make sense to me and I banned all chemical interventions from my garden and my life. I cleaned with borax and washing soda, baking soda and vinegar for the most part, and sewed many of my own clothes and all of the clothes my children wore for many years. Baby food did not come from jars, rather, it was real food that I prepared lovingly, much of it home grown, and mashed and pureed for the children. They had home made bread and baking and learned a little about gardening too, though none seemed to take an interest in growing things as I did. For some reason, being in the garden, enveloped my soul and revitalized my energy. I do not remember life without a dog or a garden, actually. All things were naturally grown and raised and loved with thanks given for the bounty as we partook of the delicious foods. Canning was also part of harvesting the garden, though in the busy years, when I had older children, was a single parent and worked full time at three jobs, it was on the back burner. Now, retired and farming, my life is once again full of the joy of working in harmony with nature, the Earth and its bounty and the pleasure of my animals, of which, if you count the birds, are over a hundred. Sadly, I suffer from arthritic scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that is debilitating and painful. Yesterday my back went into spasm and rendered me unable to move. Yet, my son is home from camp, and offered to do the chores for me. Thankful for his presence and that he is willing, I gladly accepted and retired to the house to recuperate, which will take a few days of being still. I made some garlic, ginger, turmeric and honey tea and will continue to drink this concoction for days to combat the inflammation. In the meantime, my heart and soul remain outside, where they sing with the breeze and sway with the trees, play with the dogs and fly with the chickens (yes, my chickens can fly). And despite the terrible pain, this day, I am filled with gratitude just to be alive and breathing. Really, I am. Thank you Creator for this life, a most perfect one, thank you. Walte is a large purebred registered Cotswold ram. Cotswold sheeo were once the sheep of choice, bred for their fine wool that is lustrous and curled, and their large sweet carcass. Walter's first year here was problematic though. He was used to being fed grain, and a fair bit of it. Converting him to strictly hay meant that he lost weight, so much so, he was a skinny skinny ram. I supplemented with alfalfa sprinkled on the hay to encourage him to eat more hay. Then when he was sheared, it became evident that he had sores all over his body. The veterinarian identified them as a rampant staph infection, and he required treatment. The antibiotic caused the coccidia bacteria that all sheep have to get out of control and he needed amprolium to fix that. I cannot say that he had the greatest track record. However; since that terrible first year, he has improved immensely. He sired most of the babies the first and second year except the Icelandics and Jacobs. Next year, he will sire all the ewes except the Icelandics. His babies are big and strong and robust with lovely fleece. There is one purebred Cotswold ewe, not related, and two purebred Cotswold ewe lambs that are his. Walter is double the size of the other rams on the Fat Ewe Farm and he is halter trained. He was quite expensive as rams go, but he has proven his worth over and again. Plus, he is a really cool dude! Smokey the cat was supposed to have been a male, but recently he went into heat, so he is a she. I have decided to keep her for now, because she is a good cat for the farm and great mouse catcher, but mostly because she gets along with the dogs. The other two cats avoid the dogs at all costs, running and hiding when they are about, but Smokey will eat with the dogs, except Harley, who prefers to dine alone. Jade and Smokey are friends. As Jade matures, she is becoming more motherly and she likes Smokey more. She will still chase her though, from time to time, but today, the two of them had a romp then snuggled together. Jade put her paw over Smokey and was cuddled right up, but when she saw me, she spread out though did not take her paw away. So cute! It is true that the males of the poultry world are not fussy when it comes to birds. The gander has two wives, but he tries to mate with the ducks on a pretty regular basis. One of the bantam roosters has taken a fancy to Suzy, a pretty Muscovy duck and he regularly mates her. The drakes mate frequently with any and every duck, except the Muscovies, who tend to prefer their husband and no other will do. The main gander will knock off any other bird who tries to breed what he considers his ladies and a fight often ensues, but not a very dangerous one. Last year, he was the runt and was badly beaten up by the Embden geese, both the females and males, so he learned to keep his distance. Now with those geese gone, he is top man around here. He is a gentle goose though, but has chased the dogs. Robbie and Jade both have pursued him in return and bitten a few of his tail feathers, though he does not bother me. The Rouen drake and the two Khaki Campbell drakes,one being a white Campbell, take care of the ducks, about thirteen of them between the two drakes. The Saxony and the Ancona drakes died in the terribly cold winter and hopefully, replacements will be found. There are some bantam Appleyard ducklings ordered and a pair of the beautiful Sebastopol geese, plus a trio of adult Merriam turkeys and a gander and 5 cross geese. The geese are easy to raise and feed themselves during the summer, plus hatch their little ones and raise them on their own. A goose in the freezer is worth $50 if some buyer is so inclined and that is the best for the money of all the critters here. In the meantime, those males are sure busy! Jade and Jenna came to the Fat Ewe Farm in Novenmber of 2013. They were supposed to have been 8 weeks old, but when they went in to get spayed, the vet said they were at least a month or even two older than I thought. The pups were the last of a litter from Saskatchewan. The man did not want them and did not care for them. He gave the pups food which the sheep rapidly ate leaving them to starve, so they ate the grain fed to the sheep and their wool to survive. Suspected abuse of the pups showed up as well when Jade limped a lot. She was likely kicked as a young pup and has hip damage that is permanent. She sticks close to home, to the farm house and to me and does not go on the walk about with the dogs unless I go. She follows me about when I do chores and loves being petted and talked to. She and Robbie are with me all the time, though not under my feet, just within my sight. Poor Jade to this day wags her tail tucked between her legs, still afraid of humans because of her sad life as a puppy. Jenna also suffers and will not come anywhere near a male. Only after 9 months on the farm will she let my son, Travis, pet her, but only if he approaches her. She does not go to a man. The girls are excellent watch dogs, both sounding the alarm bark when noises are heard. Jade keeps the barnyard safe while the other dogs are on patrol, since she stays home and she does not allow the Pyrenees pups to eat until the pack is finished. They have their order and the pups are last. Jade also bosses Ofcharka around, though he is twice her size, and her sister, Jenna, who knows better than to disrespect her sister. Jenna is very very small for a Maremma female, even smaller than Jade. Jade already has some arthritis in her injured hip when she was kicked as a baby, but she is delightful and full of love and sweet natured. My lady Jady! Chickens love to bathe in dust and dirt. They do not mind wood ashes, either. The theory is that the dust and ash keeps parasites away from the skin. I can understand that ashes might help with parasites, but dirt? The hens go into a zen like state when they are dirt bathing and they are almost oblivious to the rest of the world. The Ameraucanas do not like to mix with the rest of the chickens generally, but in this case, they did not mind. The Bantam Ameraucana/Silkie rooster did not intrude, though roosters do dirt bathe as well, but nothing like the hens. He was mesmerized by the ladies in their sweet bliss. Very cute, don't you agree? Things do not always come easy. For example, the web hosting was managed by a friend who passed away and for a month the .com domain was not accessible. This did hurt traffic to the website and reduced it by half. After just over a month, the issue was finally resolved, though not without penalty. Then the main computer froze and is now in the repair shop. Lesson number one; DO NOT RELY ON THE COMPUTER. The calendar for the bed and breakfast was on the computer and since it crashed, so has the information with it for the bed and breakfast. So, from now on, a separate paper calendar will be kept in addition to the computer calendar. I am thankful to have my old laptop from 1996,but several keys are missing and although it is functional, it is difficult and very slow compared to today's technology. The main computer is in the repair shop, though its state won't be known until Tuesday at the earliest. In the meantime, coping is about the best way to describe the functionality at the farm and bed and breakfast. Yet there is much to be grateful for and I am . Bless all the dear friends who have been supportive through these glitches and remain with us. Thank you. The theory is that if a lamb is picked up and shown to the mother sheep, she will follow. It works for short distances and when the lamb is new, but after a couple of months, as in the case of Dominique and his mother, she paid no attention. I was trying to move the llamas and Mamma Sheep in with the ewes to make feeding and watering slightly easier, since Zeb is now rehomed. Talk about a lesson in frustration. Lucy did get as far as the ewe pen, but I could not lure her in, not even with grain. I was in danger, however, of luring the sheep out, who remember what a grain bucket is and were highly motivated to see what was in it. Karin Llama and Mamma sheep did not even so much as enter the barnyard, even with their matriarch, Lucy, out of sight. Usually, Karin follows wherever Lucy goes, though not today of course. In the meantime, little Dominique was being inspected by the ewes, batted around a bit and cried until he was hoarse, but Mamma Sheep never came. Lucy had a visit with Aiden, her son, who lives next to the ewes, and then went to eat what little bit of green grass she found on the east slope of the yard. I finally gave the plan up and then had to carry Dominique back to the llama pen and get Lucy, Karin and Mamma Sheep back in too. So much for moving the Llamas and Mamma Sheep. Sigh. |
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AuthorFluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. Archives
October 2020
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