The Fat Ewe Farm and Bed and Breakfast
The Fat Ewe Farm and Moose Hills Inn
Organic Permaculture Farmin' for
the Lazy Ewes
  • The Fat Ewe Farm
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • The Fat Ewe Farm Store
  • Livestock Breeds (click here to see all the breeds)
    • Angora goats
    • Icelandic Sheep
    • Jacob sheep
    • Old English Southdown Babydoll Sheep >
      • Babydoll Sheep on the Fat Ewe Farm
  • Contact Us
    • Photo Gallery (click here for some awesome photos or watch the slideshow) >
      • Video Slide Show
    • Phone Number
    • Map
  • Sale Barn
  • Recipes From the Fat Ewe
    • Old Stuff
  • How Much Meat Do You Get?
  • Ukrainian Easter Eggs
  • Moose Hills Inn

Why Be a Farmer?

6/15/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureThe promise of freedom and joy rests on the majestic wings of the Monarch butterfly as she dines on the sweet carrigana blossoms.
Farming is not an easy occupation, at least not a small holder type of operation, and especially when the premises were not set up for livestock previously. There are several methods to begin the life of a farmer: to jump in with both feet, my way, or to make sure everything is ready prior to acquiring any animals at all. The whole idea of farming, for me, was to bring life into perspective by creating a full time job that could not be shirked. The physical labour was intended to keep me in good shape though natural hard work carrying five gallon pails of water in winter and forking over large amounts of hay, pulling the laden toboggan with the buckets and ensuring the shelters have fresh bedding, and so on. But, there was also the hope that I would be able to break even, if not make some money. 

I learned some things. 
Breeding is good because the animals will pay for themselves over and again, but only if there are buyers. I do not have enough buyers. 
There are too many males born, about half, which is normal, but who are unneeded or unwanted. It only requires a single male to breed many females and after breeding, they are only fuel consumers. So, the males become meat animals through necessity. It was never my design to raise animals for slaughter. What do you do with twelve ram lambs though or 25 roosters? Only a few will be sold and the rest…well, stew or soup is their unfortunate fate. 

Without a market, one should truly not breed. The animals then quickly multiply and suddenly, there may not be enough hay or pasture to feed them all or enough fenced area to ensure their safety. This is also the case with my farm. I kept some of the ewe lambs, too many, and then they had babies this year and I definitely do not have enough fenced areas to pasture them. I also have no more hay. The only option I have now, is to install the electric net fence and move it daily. There must be one area fenced for the rams and one for the ewes. The setting up and moving of the fence daily is at least a three hour job and adding that to an already full day means one tired old farmer.  The lesson there, is do not breed unless there is already a market and be sure there is enough area to feed the animals. There, preparation ahead of time would have been sensible. 

There are the heart breaks of losing baby animals. Mamma turkey has slowly lost her whole brood and the second turkey has lost half. The geese both have lost a few of their babies, too. There are so many chickens and guineas sitting on too many eggs in the nest boxes, that after the sheep are set up, I will have to throw the hens off the nests, clean the nest boxes out completely and make some new boxes so the hens not setting can have a place to lay. Even the two new boxes I installed each have setters, one with two hens on one nest and the other with a Muscovy duck. When I can, I must remove the chicken eggs from her nest. I think I will give her guineas to hatch instead, since guinea hens are terrible mothers, losing all of their babies usually and Muscovy ducks are fantastic protective mothers. Guineas do not like water much though, but Muscovy ducks are not as fanatic about it as North American breeds either. It might work. Getting a Muscovy off a nest is another story. They are like small geese, biting, hissing, and using claws to fend off their intruders. Long padded sleeves and leather gloves will be in order. 

But, despite the problems, the lack of outbuildings and a barn, the impossible situation getting anyone to work at the farm, and the lack of fenced pasture, when I hold the little lamb in my arms and give her a bottle, just watching the life that I am entrusted with puts a song in my heart. There are too many mosquitos, too many flies and it is too cold in winter in this climate, yet the wood fire is soothing at the end of a cold hard day and there is the promise of flowers blooming in spring and new life on the horizon. Why be a farmer? The blessings far outweigh the trials. That is it in a nutshell. A farmer is the steward of the Earth and for the world and without farmers, life as we know it would forever change. Bless each and every one who dedicates their lives to the hard work of farming, me too!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Airstream Land Yacht 1964
    Alpacas
    Alpine Goats
    Ameraucana Chickens
    American Buff Geese
    Ancona Ducks
    Angora Goats
    Angora Goats
    Angora Rabbits.
    Babydoll Southdown Sheep
    Babydoll Southdown Sheep
    Bed And Breakfast
    Berkshire Pigs
    Blue Faced Leicester Sheep
    Blue Swedish Ducks
    Boer Goats
    Border Collie
    Border Collie
    Bronze Turkey Standard
    Bronze Turkey (Standard)
    Canadian Horses
    Canadian Horses
    Cats
    Chickens
    Cotswold Sheep
    Crafts And Hobbies
    Cream Legbar Chickens
    Dorset Sheep
    Ducks
    Embden Geese
    E'st A Laine Merino Sheep
    Farm Life
    Farm Life
    Farm Store
    Finnsheep
    Flemish Giant Rabbit
    Flowers
    French Lop Rabbit
    Galloway Cattles
    Gardening
    Gotland Sheep
    Guinea Fowl
    Herbs
    Holstein Steer
    Icelandic Sheep
    Jacob Sheep
    Japanese Bantam Chickens
    Jersey Cow
    Kahaki Campbell Ducks
    Karakul Sheep
    Kiko Goats
    Kilo Highland Cows
    Light Sussex Chicken
    Livestock Guardian Dogs
    Livestock Guardian Dogs
    Maremma Sheepdogs
    Maremma Sheepdogs
    Meishan Pigs
    Miniature Nigerian Dwarf Goats
    Moose Hills Inn
    Muscovy Ducks
    Norwegian Red Dairy Cow
    Nubian Goats
    Nygora Goat
    Ossabaw Hogs
    Partidge Chantecler Chickens
    Pekin Ducks
    Permaculture
    Pied Guinea Fowl
    Polish/Ameraucana Bantam Cross Chickens
    Polled Dorset Sheep
    Potbelly Pigs
    Pygmy Goats
    Recipes
    Rigit Galloway Cows.
    Romanov Sheep
    Romney Sheep
    Rouen Ducks
    Saddleback Pomeranican Geese
    Saxony Ducks
    Sebastopol Geese
    Sheep And Goats
    Shetland Sheep
    Silver Spangled Hamburg Chicken
    Soap And Hand Made Cosmetics
    Standard Jack Donkey
    Sustainability
    Swiss Blackneck Goats
    The Llamas
    The Llamas
    Toulouse Geese
    Tunis Sheep
    White Chantecler Chickens
    White Danish Geese
    Wool

    Author

    Fluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. 

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    view old blog site

    RSS Feed

Contact Us
Home

The Fat Ewe Farm 

All text and photos are the sole property of The Fat Ewe Farm  and may not be used without written permission.