and others slaughter chickens! Truer words have never been spoken, and these were, by a co-worker who thought it quite hysterical that we have embarked on this latest adventure.
Our first batch of baby "meat" chicks arrived last Thursday. One chick died during shipment, but with our free exotic chick, we are still at 25. The chicks spent the first couple of days in the brooder in Melanie's room. This was to protect them from all the cats that have been in the house recovering from their recent surgeries (yeah! We finally got some spayed!).
It was sad for me as I was in the hospital when the chicks came and I missed the first couple of days with them. Sunday evening, we moved them into the coop. They are so happy to have the freedom to roam. I placed some clumps of grass in with them (learned this trick from Backyard Poultry magazine) so they could start eating greens and looking for bugs.
I worried these past two nights as the weather has been blustery. The babies need to be kept at about 90 degrees because they don't have a lot to keep them warm. They seem to be doing ok with the heat lamp and are still chirping away.
I have to be honest, it will be extremely hard to do the deed. They are SO CUTE! Maybe it will be easier when they all grow up to be ROOSTERS. Heaven knows we don't need any more roosters here! I threaten chicken nugget at least once a day that he will be my test subject when it comes time to stuff the freezer!
Photos to come soon.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Cage-Free vs. Factory Farming
Today, Oprah did a show on a proposition in California that would alter the living conditions for chickens, veal, and pigs that are being factory raised.
I watched the show with an open mind, and while I can see both sides of view, it is hard not to be biased because I have free range chickens. I nearly broke down watching the clip of a egg factory. The chickens are packed 6 to a crate, with about 80,000 per chicken house. They live there inside these houses for their entire lives, never seeing the sunshine or eating fresh grass and bugs.
I love my chickens. They have personalities and, as someone on Oprah said, "they have the spark of life in them just as human's do, and they deserve better treatment considering their lives are given for us."
I think it all comes down to economics. Most of the factories already in production would go under if they were required to completely overhaul their cage systems. However, if more farmers would free range, the cost of these types of eggs would go down as supply increased.
I am still soliciting thoughts on whether or not people would consume less or consider what they consume more if they had an active role in or a better understanding of where their food came from.
Thoughts?
I watched the show with an open mind, and while I can see both sides of view, it is hard not to be biased because I have free range chickens. I nearly broke down watching the clip of a egg factory. The chickens are packed 6 to a crate, with about 80,000 per chicken house. They live there inside these houses for their entire lives, never seeing the sunshine or eating fresh grass and bugs.
I love my chickens. They have personalities and, as someone on Oprah said, "they have the spark of life in them just as human's do, and they deserve better treatment considering their lives are given for us."
I think it all comes down to economics. Most of the factories already in production would go under if they were required to completely overhaul their cage systems. However, if more farmers would free range, the cost of these types of eggs would go down as supply increased.
I am still soliciting thoughts on whether or not people would consume less or consider what they consume more if they had an active role in or a better understanding of where their food came from.
Thoughts?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Circling the Wagons
Every day the news seems to bring more depressing news about the economy. One of the main reasons we decided to try out this farming experiment was to learn to be more self-sufficient. The prophet and apostles are always counseling church members to build up a year's supply of food, stay out of debt, and follow the word of wisdom.
In our continuing effort to live off the land, the Mastracola's have decided to try their hand at raising some meat chickens. We ordered 25 meat chickens from McMurray Hatchery that should arrive the week of October 20. We have cleaned up the coop and readied the back room for the new chicks. We had a family meeting and it was decided that we cannot name these chicks or play with them too much, as it was so easy to become attached to the flock we have producing our eggs today.
It will be an interesting task when the time comes for the chicks to make it to our freezer. No one here at the house is quite ready to be the executioner. I have repeatedly told the kids that there will come a time that they will be grateful for having learned these skills. We will all take part in the process.
I really feel that if people had to raise their own food, and slaughter it in order to get it on their table, I believe there would be a different respect towards what, and how much, we consume. I wonder how many people actually stop to think about the factory process of growing and processing meat? It has been something that has been on my mind lately. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
In our continuing effort to live off the land, the Mastracola's have decided to try their hand at raising some meat chickens. We ordered 25 meat chickens from McMurray Hatchery that should arrive the week of October 20. We have cleaned up the coop and readied the back room for the new chicks. We had a family meeting and it was decided that we cannot name these chicks or play with them too much, as it was so easy to become attached to the flock we have producing our eggs today.
It will be an interesting task when the time comes for the chicks to make it to our freezer. No one here at the house is quite ready to be the executioner. I have repeatedly told the kids that there will come a time that they will be grateful for having learned these skills. We will all take part in the process.
I really feel that if people had to raise their own food, and slaughter it in order to get it on their table, I believe there would be a different respect towards what, and how much, we consume. I wonder how many people actually stop to think about the factory process of growing and processing meat? It has been something that has been on my mind lately. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Changes
The corn came down this weekend. I don't know why, but it makes me sad. As it grows over the summer, it provides a protection for us from the wind and insulates us from the world. I think the only ones who are happy about the corn being cut are the chickens. I am watching them from the kitchen window as they forage for any lost treasures.The Combine
Monday, September 8, 2008
Black gold, Texas tea
Ok, so I learned something new this week. Heating oil does not look like car oil, it looks more like gasoline. I just always had this image in my mind of a thick black liquid that cost me so much to heat my home. Heating oil is actually a thin, red liquid.
How I discovered this amazing thing was at 11:45 on Saturday night, Melanie came running into our room to tell us that she heard something pop, vibrate the floor, and then a hissing noise and a bad smell followed. We ran to the basement to discover the pipe at the base of one of our oil tanks had ruptured and was spewing oil all over our basement. My first thought was how much money was leaking all over the floor and as I watched the oil run down the floor drain, my second thought was that it was going to contaminate our well. These thoughts were immediately replaced by a more pressing one, the several hundred pounds of food being stored in the basement. Oil has a very offensive odor that will absorb into any surface that is not glass or metal. The thought of oil flavored Cheerios propelled me into action. I quickly ran through the house gathering up bodies to come help evacuate the food storage.
We cleared out the food and turned our attention to the leak. Nothing we tried could get the oil to stop spilling out. We didn't even know who to call. Who do you call when oil is spilling all over your basement floor? So we called our insurance company to find out if they ever had to deal with this type of issue before. They told us to call 911 (seems so clear in hindsight). Within 3 minutes, the first of several companies arrived on the scene. These talented men quickly stopped the leak and had contained the spill. We believe the loss was about 40-50 gallons of oil, most of which drained into the ground beneath the house.
About 2 am, the oil company arrived to pump out the remaining oil from the damaged tank. As they investigated the damage, it quickly became clear that the tank had been placed on a 2 inch piece of wood spanning an uneven portion of the floor, decades of dampness combined with the weight of 275 gallons of oil caused the wood to collapse, taking the corner of the tank with it. When the tank shifted and crashed into the second tank, the movement caused the pipe at the bottom to crack open.
We now have 5 barrels of oil sitting in the yard next to the house, awaiting the replacement of the oil tank. We had a restoration company come today to evaluate the remaining oil damage and will wait for a quote on the repair and restoration. Could be as simple as absorbing as much oil out of the concrete as possible with a 2 process coating of epoxy to seal the concrete preventing the oil fumes from affecting the house. They will most likely need to take core samples from the concrete/ground beneath the house to determine where the oil went. We will also need to test the well for contamination, but so far, so good. Worst case, they will need to jackhammer the entire basement floor and reconcrete.
As bad as all of this sounds, we are so amazingly grateful that this did not happen earlier in the day as were were in Washington and the kids were home alone. Additionally, if it had happened while we were all at work, we would have lost almost 600 gallons of oil (at 3.55 a gallon) and our entire farm would have surely been contaminated as well as killing our beloved pets because of the dangerous fumes trapped in the house. Absolute worst case, if this had happened while the furnace was running, our house would have burned down. So, if there is a bright side, this was the best possible outcome. We saved our food, prevented the loss of our entire supply of oil, and protected our family.
How I discovered this amazing thing was at 11:45 on Saturday night, Melanie came running into our room to tell us that she heard something pop, vibrate the floor, and then a hissing noise and a bad smell followed. We ran to the basement to discover the pipe at the base of one of our oil tanks had ruptured and was spewing oil all over our basement. My first thought was how much money was leaking all over the floor and as I watched the oil run down the floor drain, my second thought was that it was going to contaminate our well. These thoughts were immediately replaced by a more pressing one, the several hundred pounds of food being stored in the basement. Oil has a very offensive odor that will absorb into any surface that is not glass or metal. The thought of oil flavored Cheerios propelled me into action. I quickly ran through the house gathering up bodies to come help evacuate the food storage.
We cleared out the food and turned our attention to the leak. Nothing we tried could get the oil to stop spilling out. We didn't even know who to call. Who do you call when oil is spilling all over your basement floor? So we called our insurance company to find out if they ever had to deal with this type of issue before. They told us to call 911 (seems so clear in hindsight). Within 3 minutes, the first of several companies arrived on the scene. These talented men quickly stopped the leak and had contained the spill. We believe the loss was about 40-50 gallons of oil, most of which drained into the ground beneath the house.
About 2 am, the oil company arrived to pump out the remaining oil from the damaged tank. As they investigated the damage, it quickly became clear that the tank had been placed on a 2 inch piece of wood spanning an uneven portion of the floor, decades of dampness combined with the weight of 275 gallons of oil caused the wood to collapse, taking the corner of the tank with it. When the tank shifted and crashed into the second tank, the movement caused the pipe at the bottom to crack open.
We now have 5 barrels of oil sitting in the yard next to the house, awaiting the replacement of the oil tank. We had a restoration company come today to evaluate the remaining oil damage and will wait for a quote on the repair and restoration. Could be as simple as absorbing as much oil out of the concrete as possible with a 2 process coating of epoxy to seal the concrete preventing the oil fumes from affecting the house. They will most likely need to take core samples from the concrete/ground beneath the house to determine where the oil went. We will also need to test the well for contamination, but so far, so good. Worst case, they will need to jackhammer the entire basement floor and reconcrete.
As bad as all of this sounds, we are so amazingly grateful that this did not happen earlier in the day as were were in Washington and the kids were home alone. Additionally, if it had happened while we were all at work, we would have lost almost 600 gallons of oil (at 3.55 a gallon) and our entire farm would have surely been contaminated as well as killing our beloved pets because of the dangerous fumes trapped in the house. Absolute worst case, if this had happened while the furnace was running, our house would have burned down. So, if there is a bright side, this was the best possible outcome. We saved our food, prevented the loss of our entire supply of oil, and protected our family.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Beginnings and Ends
This summer has really gone by fast! I blinked and it was over. I feel like I didn't even experience the summer at all. I didn't work in the garden, spend much time with my animals, or just relax and enjoy the sunshine.
Work has been very intense for me since about April because of the size and number of implementation projects I am assigned. It has not left me much time to blog about anything! Now summer is over, school is back in session, and early morning seminary starts on Wednesday. I am getting my classroom and supplies in order today and trying to catch up on email . I thought now was a good a time as any to put out an update.
So, we are not doing very well in the cat arena. After our two momma cats each blessed us with a litter this Spring, we were set for a while with some good mousers. Our plan was to spay the mommas when they finished nursing. Well, our orange tabby had a different idea and gave birth to 6 more babies last week. Hopefully we will be more successful with the spaying this go-round because at 15, I think we have enough cats for one small farm!
One of the spring kittens met with tragedy this week. John Malkovich (as I liked to call him because he was a dead ringer for the famous actor) seems to have had an accident. We are not sure if it was a fall or if he got clipped by a car. He broke a tooth and seems to have peed out a little blood. He didn't have any other visible wounds, but was breathing heavy and could not walk on his back leg. We tried to comfort him as much as possible, but he crawled off into a bush and died the next afternoon. Bob is truly tired of digging holes, but death seems to be an unavoidable facet of farm life.
The horses are doing well. Melanie has been riding all three and they are becoming more familiar with her. She said that Lily has the smoothest canter that she has ever experienced. We tried selling Star over the summer, but didn't have much luck. I am so averse to sending her to the auction because I would hate for her to get sold to some slaughterhouse knowing that she would likely meet an inhumane fate.
We have been working on our food storage this summer. We were fortunate enough to be able to secure some red and white winter wheat between out kind stake food specialist and the DC cannery. Wheat orders have been backordered for months and quantities are being restricted to 100 lbs per family. I think we are up to 300 pounds stored, but this is not even a dent of what it should be. We generally have kept plenty of rice and flour along with some canned goods. We canned cherry jam, but haven't attempted any other fruit. Our cellar has been extremely hot this summer and I am not sure if it is the dehumidifier running all the time or heat being magnified by the heavy metal bilco doors. My jams keep liquefying in the heat. Any suggestions?
Another issue that has been a plague on us is mice. We have tried every possible method of eradication, but they are like nuclear super mice! We have brought the cats in, tried traps, poison, sonic deterrents, etc. Nothing has cleared this house. We can hear them in the ceilings chewing through the plaster and lathe. Our food storage is safe for the most part because we keep it in sealed plastic or glass jars, though they have made their way through some bags of tortillas and a large bag of bread flour. I went to tractor supply and bought these cool pet food containers that are tall and narrow and have wheels on the bottom and a lid that locks shut. They fit a large Costco sized sack of flour in them nicely. The wheels keep the container off the dirt floor. I keep the sugar and flour sacks in these rolling bins. I think for our other dry goods we may have to buy some plastic totes from Walmart and start storing in there.
I am so sad about the economy. We really want to put an addition on this farm house. We have the plans all drawn up and have a contractor ready to do the work. Since the basement thing is not really working out, we have designed a large walk in pantry within the new kitchen for our food storage. However, the mortgage crisis has caused banks to be less flexible with how they design mortgages these days. Even though we fully qualify to borrow the money, we cannot find a bank to construct a loan to put on the addition. Food storage and additional bathrooms were our main needs with the addition, but it seems to be a fading dream for the time being.
Today we are finishing up our only other house project, installing new fencing in our side garden. We had old ranch style wooden rails along the front, but the wood posts had rotted in the ground and we needed to pull it out. We purchased new white plastic picket fencing with the hopes to have at least one item that does not need regular maintenance! Everything else here is painted and peeling! Did I mention that Bob is tired of digging holes.....
So that is about it for summer updates. The corn out behind the house is starting to dry and yellow meaning the close of another planting season is about to come to an end. We get so very sad when the corn gets cut as we like to think of it as our cocoon from the world.
The chickens are doing well and are still my favorite part of life here on the farm!
Work has been very intense for me since about April because of the size and number of implementation projects I am assigned. It has not left me much time to blog about anything! Now summer is over, school is back in session, and early morning seminary starts on Wednesday. I am getting my classroom and supplies in order today and trying to catch up on email . I thought now was a good a time as any to put out an update.
So, we are not doing very well in the cat arena. After our two momma cats each blessed us with a litter this Spring, we were set for a while with some good mousers. Our plan was to spay the mommas when they finished nursing. Well, our orange tabby had a different idea and gave birth to 6 more babies last week. Hopefully we will be more successful with the spaying this go-round because at 15, I think we have enough cats for one small farm!
One of the spring kittens met with tragedy this week. John Malkovich (as I liked to call him because he was a dead ringer for the famous actor) seems to have had an accident. We are not sure if it was a fall or if he got clipped by a car. He broke a tooth and seems to have peed out a little blood. He didn't have any other visible wounds, but was breathing heavy and could not walk on his back leg. We tried to comfort him as much as possible, but he crawled off into a bush and died the next afternoon. Bob is truly tired of digging holes, but death seems to be an unavoidable facet of farm life.
The horses are doing well. Melanie has been riding all three and they are becoming more familiar with her. She said that Lily has the smoothest canter that she has ever experienced. We tried selling Star over the summer, but didn't have much luck. I am so averse to sending her to the auction because I would hate for her to get sold to some slaughterhouse knowing that she would likely meet an inhumane fate.
We have been working on our food storage this summer. We were fortunate enough to be able to secure some red and white winter wheat between out kind stake food specialist and the DC cannery. Wheat orders have been backordered for months and quantities are being restricted to 100 lbs per family. I think we are up to 300 pounds stored, but this is not even a dent of what it should be. We generally have kept plenty of rice and flour along with some canned goods. We canned cherry jam, but haven't attempted any other fruit. Our cellar has been extremely hot this summer and I am not sure if it is the dehumidifier running all the time or heat being magnified by the heavy metal bilco doors. My jams keep liquefying in the heat. Any suggestions?
Another issue that has been a plague on us is mice. We have tried every possible method of eradication, but they are like nuclear super mice! We have brought the cats in, tried traps, poison, sonic deterrents, etc. Nothing has cleared this house. We can hear them in the ceilings chewing through the plaster and lathe. Our food storage is safe for the most part because we keep it in sealed plastic or glass jars, though they have made their way through some bags of tortillas and a large bag of bread flour. I went to tractor supply and bought these cool pet food containers that are tall and narrow and have wheels on the bottom and a lid that locks shut. They fit a large Costco sized sack of flour in them nicely. The wheels keep the container off the dirt floor. I keep the sugar and flour sacks in these rolling bins. I think for our other dry goods we may have to buy some plastic totes from Walmart and start storing in there.
I am so sad about the economy. We really want to put an addition on this farm house. We have the plans all drawn up and have a contractor ready to do the work. Since the basement thing is not really working out, we have designed a large walk in pantry within the new kitchen for our food storage. However, the mortgage crisis has caused banks to be less flexible with how they design mortgages these days. Even though we fully qualify to borrow the money, we cannot find a bank to construct a loan to put on the addition. Food storage and additional bathrooms were our main needs with the addition, but it seems to be a fading dream for the time being.
Today we are finishing up our only other house project, installing new fencing in our side garden. We had old ranch style wooden rails along the front, but the wood posts had rotted in the ground and we needed to pull it out. We purchased new white plastic picket fencing with the hopes to have at least one item that does not need regular maintenance! Everything else here is painted and peeling! Did I mention that Bob is tired of digging holes.....
So that is about it for summer updates. The corn out behind the house is starting to dry and yellow meaning the close of another planting season is about to come to an end. We get so very sad when the corn gets cut as we like to think of it as our cocoon from the world.
The chickens are doing well and are still my favorite part of life here on the farm!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Catch Up
Ok, it is catch up time. I am severely negligent in my blog entries these past couple of months. I have no good excuse other than just plain old being busy.
Since my last update, Bob had surgery and spent about 6 weeks recovering. Not much was getting done on the farm during his down time, although I did rip out the carpeting in the summer house and give the room a fresh coat of paint. We have completely transformed it into a nice retreat. I put in a couple of before and after. The before were actually part-way through the remodel and the after are not quite the finished product.
There is still some painting inside the fireplace and we need to move in a desk for the computer. But for the most part, we have everything set up.
Our kittens are getting to be almost full grown. They are really entertaining, but I am ready for them to go to deserving homes!
I love these chickens. We discovered that when you call them "Here chick, chick, chick" they will all come running from the barnyard to you. It is hysterical. Yesterday, Nick and I went to pick raspberries at a local farm and we made jam. I took some video, but it is too large to post. I need to find a way to get a smaller sized video so I can post it.
Since my last update, Bob had surgery and spent about 6 weeks recovering. Not much was getting done on the farm during his down time, although I did rip out the carpeting in the summer house and give the room a fresh coat of paint. We have completely transformed it into a nice retreat. I put in a couple of before and after. The before were actually part-way through the remodel and the after are not quite the finished product.
There is still some painting inside the fireplace and we need to move in a desk for the computer. But for the most part, we have everything set up.Our kittens are getting to be almost full grown. They are really entertaining, but I am ready for them to go to deserving homes!
I love these chickens. We discovered that when you call them "Here chick, chick, chick" they will all come running from the barnyard to you. It is hysterical. Yesterday, Nick and I went to pick raspberries at a local farm and we made jam. I took some video, but it is too large to post. I need to find a way to get a smaller sized video so I can post it.Our vegetable garden is struggling this year. We just have problems with weeds and a large groundhog. Someone at church lent us a trap for the groundhog, but the options once we catch it will be limited to letting it die in the sun, shooting or stabbing it. None of these options will be acceptable at the Mastracola farm. We have learned that it is illegal to trap a pest and release it somewhere else without permission. I like the idea of releasing it at the highway off ramp as I see groundhogs frequently in center of the cloverleaf!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Spring Kittens, part 2
Our other surviving barn cat, "Porch Kitty", had a litter of kittens tonight. She has been trying to get into the house for 2 days, always finding a way to sneak past us. When I was changing out of my work clothes tonight, I happen to look down into Kelly's dog crate on my bedroom floor and I saw the cat inside curled up on the dog bed. I asked Bob if the cat had her kittens in there and he said he didn't think so. Upon closer inspection, out popped the second kitten. We are up to 4 babies at this point, and it looks like she is done.
The other cat is doing well. One of the babies died the first night. She has 6 kittens left and just got moved into a larger kennel today as she was outgrowing the smaller crate we had them in.
The new paint mare is doing well. Her leg is healing up nicely and she is able to trot on it. The vet was here today to give annual physicals and shots. She said the paint looks great and will be fine.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spring Kittens
Our orange tabby barn cat, "Kitty", had her first litter of kittens today. I believe there are 7 babies in the litter. Mom and kittens are doing well.
I am so proud of myself. I went to the small animal auction tonight and I did not buy a single thing. I showed such great restraint as there was a mama and baby goat that were so cute, I couldn't stand it! I may have to rework the living quarters in the barn and go back next week...hee hee.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Losses and Gains
R.I.P. Sonny
With a sad and heavy heart, I am here to report that Sonny, our favorite rooster, died tragically a couple of weeks ago. He never really recovered from losing his voice and eventually suffocated to death. We never were able to discover the nature of his throat issues. When we saw that his wattle and comb suddenly turned purple (which is caused by lack of oxygen), I frantically tried calling every vet in two counties and no one would treat a chicken. I googled potential issues, and spent about $50 in chicken antobiotics, electrolytes, and de-wormer from Tractor Supply Company. I had only given him a small syringe of chicken gatorade when it became clear that it didn't make it to his stomach, but seemed to go right into his lungs. He started gasping and coughing up the liquid. It was heart wrenching to see him suffer so much. Within about 15 minutes, he died in my arms. Sometimes, being a farmer is just hard.
So what do you do when your beloved rooster gives up the ghost? You go out and buy yourself.....a new horse? Yesterday we stopped in at the Fredericksburg Auction House for the monthly horse, tack, and hay auction. I had only intended to see if we could pick up some cheap tack and supplies, but ended up coming home with a 3 year paint mare, whom we named Lily, after the Consider the Lilies song and scripture. Actually, Lily is her barn name. Her official horse name will be "Mom's Foolishness" which is appropriate!
The story behind our new mare is simple. She was the best looking horse they had to auction yesterday, but we noticed that her back leg was hurt and swollen. I guess a bunch of people complained and were going to call the police. So I started asking around to some more experienced horsemen and spoke with the owner. Turns out, Lily, had gotten her leg caught on the trailer when they were unloading the horses yesterday. It skinned her back leg from knee to hoof. There was not much blood, but it was definitely swollen. After much discussion with my new friends, I decided to talk to the owner about taking her out for a ride to see how bad the limp was, and if the leg was broken. Because of the fuss people were making, they actually just put her back on the trailer and were not going to auction her. The owner said if I was interested, I could just buy her directly from him for $500, which is like getting a ferrari for the price of a chevy. After some deliberation and weighing of the odds, we decided to take a chance on this dream horse.
She has been so gentle today, allowing us to clean her wounds and apply some peroxide and balm (SWAT ointment today, but we will be getting bag balm, which was recommended by our horse friends at the auction). She is out grazing in the pasture today and while she favors the back leg a bit, is not limping to badly.
I will keep the blog updated on her progress.
In other news, we have been working so hard on fattening up Sarge. He is actually looking pretty healthy now and I have been brushing and brushing to get all the winter coat out. Once I am done, he will have a sleek black coat underneath that will gleam! I need to take some new photos and post them out here for all to see. No more concentration camp victim!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Sick Chick
Well, actually, the sick rooster. Our Cuckoo Maran has a bad case of laryngitis. I have never heard such a pathetic and funny thing as his almost whisper of a crow. We are not sure how he got it, but we separated him from the rest of the flock. He spent his day inside the house in a dog carrier, trying to get warmed up and rest his voice a little. I am concerned because once he lost his voice, the other roosters started attacking him. His comb was badly damaged, so I cleaned it off with some warm water and put some antibiotic ointment on it today. Mom and I spent about 90 minutes shoveling out about 1000 cubic feet of poopy pine shavings. We emptied the whole coop out and will put down some new clean bedding. I had read on the net to keep piling clean bedding on because the droppings will generate heat. Well, they also generate ammonia, which can be a contributor to the breathing problems. We want to eliminate all the possible causes because I am not sure I can lose another chick.
We lost another barn cat to the road this week. Our big boy, Cat, got hit by a car the other day. The remaining two kitties are just lost this week looking for him.
So even though we are not in a flood plain, we have gotten so much rain this winter, the ground is saturated and there is just no where for the rain to go. We got 3 inches in one day last week and had the worst flooding the property has seen since we lived here. We had to shovel the mud and gravel from the driveway when the rain stopped, we have so much run off from the fields above the house. I can't wait for Spring!
We are drying out and with the weather being nicer, it has been great to get outside and do some farm chores!
Last, if you ever decide to buy an old farmhouse, make sure you buy ready to assemble furniture that you don't even intend to move out of the house. Bob and I purchased some dressers for our bedroom this month and we could not get the dresser up the stairs. We tried for two hours to push, prod, angle, and dismantle that thing and had no luck. Bob got a hernia and we ended up tying a rope to it on Saturday and pulling it up on the porch rood and hauling it in through the bathroom window! What an ordeal!
Look for more updates as the weather gets nicer!
We lost another barn cat to the road this week. Our big boy, Cat, got hit by a car the other day. The remaining two kitties are just lost this week looking for him.
So even though we are not in a flood plain, we have gotten so much rain this winter, the ground is saturated and there is just no where for the rain to go. We got 3 inches in one day last week and had the worst flooding the property has seen since we lived here. We had to shovel the mud and gravel from the driveway when the rain stopped, we have so much run off from the fields above the house. I can't wait for Spring!
We are drying out and with the weather being nicer, it has been great to get outside and do some farm chores!
Last, if you ever decide to buy an old farmhouse, make sure you buy ready to assemble furniture that you don't even intend to move out of the house. Bob and I purchased some dressers for our bedroom this month and we could not get the dresser up the stairs. We tried for two hours to push, prod, angle, and dismantle that thing and had no luck. Bob got a hernia and we ended up tying a rope to it on Saturday and pulling it up on the porch rood and hauling it in through the bathroom window! What an ordeal!
Look for more updates as the weather gets nicer!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Some days are better than others....
I wish I could say that this blog is one of those better days, but do the better days really make as good a story?
I was not eager to go into the office on Wednesday, but had the opportunity to meet an out-of-town co-worker visiting just for the day so I decided to go in. I mentioned to Melanie that morning that she needed to make sure her barn chores were completed before school because her memom would not be here to do them for her while she was at school. (Memom is out in Colorado this week)
So I am all dressed up in a nice pair of cream colored slacks and dress boots. I put on a dress coat and headed out to my car. I noticed that the chicken coop was closed and although it was foggy and moist outside, it wasn't really raining and it was supposed to be unseasonably warm, so I thought I should open the coop and let out the chickens. I walked over to the barn yard and was immediately greeted by a vast wasteland of sopping wet mud. It has been raining pretty much for a week here and we were completely flooded last Friday. I had told Melanie that she should not work with the horses out there because the ground was vey soft. She did not listen and jumped her horse in the barnyard to the point that there was basically no sod left at all. I carefully tried to find some places to step without getting my shoes and pants dirty. I made it over to the coop door without too much trouble and opened the door. I wish this was the end of my story.
As I was finding my way out of the barn area, I noticed that Sarge's stall door was partially open, so I peeked in to say hi. That was when I saw his water bucket was completely empty. Of course, the water spigot is....you guessed it....over at the entrance to the coop. So now I have to make my way back to the coop with the bucket and somehow get the bucket filled up and carried back to the barn without getting dirty. Did I mention the bucket is about 15 gallons?
I made my way back to coop and started to fill the bucket. I noticed that I had a few small mud splatters on the bottoms of my slacks and was a little angy. I filled the bucket about a third full and lugged it back to the barn. I brushed the dirt from my nice coat and decided I should check the other horses' water, too. I went to the second stall and when I opened the door, I grabbed for the bucket which was situated between a large dirty horse and the door. She was so anxious to get out that as I was trying to pull the bucket from the stall she pushed her way out the door.
So, now I have a dirty, thirsty horse who is not intersted in trying to go BACK into the stall. I made the executive decision to put the horses out in the pasture for the day. I guess in hindsight it may have been an easier task to shove her back into the stall. I took Shadow by the halter and started to walk her towards the pasture. As I approach the north side of the coop, I notice the ground is not only muddy, but that it still has puddles of water all over it. Now, I have to maneuver myself and a 1000 pound beast through this minefield without getting my shoes or pants dirty. I somehow managed to get to the gate only to discover that the top hinge was off and the gate was stuck in the deep mud. So, with horse in one hand and barely keeping my footing in the deep mud (remember, I have on cream colored pants and dress boots) I struggle to pull the broken gate through the mud. After pulling it open about 2 feet, the horse pushed her way into the pasture. I decided at this point that it might be a good idea to go change into my muck boots. I figured I was already late for work at this point, so what would it matter.
So I carefully step back through the mud and head back to the house. My boots were completely swamped with mud and I was completely angry to the point that I actually considered driving up to the school and pulling Melanie out of class to work her over a little bit! I pulled off the muddy boots and shoved on my muck boots jamming my pants down inside.
I walk back over to the barn to take the other two horses out to the pasture. Each time having to maneuver the broken gate through the mud while getting the horse in without having any escape or fall down. Once all were safely in, I had to find a way to keep the gate secured with the broken hinge. To fix it properly would be a two man job, and I was an island unto myself at this point. So I went in search of some chain that I could use. Back through the mud I stole one from another gate. The smaller piece of chain just barely fit around the post and with no extra links to spare I managed to get it latched together. Proud of my accomplishment I started to walk back to the house when I realized that the horses did not have water. So now I have to completely fill a 15 gallon bucket up with water and drag it though 10-inch deep mud, reopen the gate, and get it inside the pasture. Once again, I thought of going to the school...
After getting the water in the pasture, I noticed the horses were trying so hard to get whatever little green was left in the ground, I thought I should check the feed stall. Of course, to my astonishment, there was no hay in there. I figured that Melanie did not leave herself enough time to bring down hay for them, so she gave them some grain and left for school. Now, I have the task to go up into the barn and pull down a bale of hay to take out to the pasture. I walked up the barn and saw that there was some flakes of hay (a segment of hay is called a flake and we normally feed them two flakes). So I picked up a flake or two and carried the loose hay (in my black wool coat) down to the pasture. I repeated this process three times because we generally throw it in different areas so they don't fight over it. Out of breath, with sweat pouring down my face, hair dishelved I returned to the porch to get my muddy boots. I took them to the outside faucet and sprayed them down to get the clumps of mud off. Once cleaned, I returned to the porch and swapped out my boots. I went to the car and brushed off the hay from my coat and looked for my Tide pen to clean the mud off my pant cuffs which were wrinkled and dirty from the 30 minute ordeal. I could not find it, so back into the house for a wet papertowel as a lousy second choice. I cleaned off the best I could, tried to reorganize my hair and started on my way to work.
You would think this would be the end of this tragic tale of mud and woe, and yet you would be wrong. All the way to work I kept smelling cat urine. To my utter shame, the barn cats peed on the muck boots out on the porch and when I pulled them on, it transferred to my hands. It took about 10 handwashings, Purell, and lots of hand cream to get through the day.
The only bright spot in my day is that our main computer application and database crashed at lunchtime and I had to go home early. What a shame.....
( on a sad note, one of our chickens died last week. She was found in a nesting box and we have no idea how she died, but we are now back to 26 chicks in the sticks)
I was not eager to go into the office on Wednesday, but had the opportunity to meet an out-of-town co-worker visiting just for the day so I decided to go in. I mentioned to Melanie that morning that she needed to make sure her barn chores were completed before school because her memom would not be here to do them for her while she was at school. (Memom is out in Colorado this week)
So I am all dressed up in a nice pair of cream colored slacks and dress boots. I put on a dress coat and headed out to my car. I noticed that the chicken coop was closed and although it was foggy and moist outside, it wasn't really raining and it was supposed to be unseasonably warm, so I thought I should open the coop and let out the chickens. I walked over to the barn yard and was immediately greeted by a vast wasteland of sopping wet mud. It has been raining pretty much for a week here and we were completely flooded last Friday. I had told Melanie that she should not work with the horses out there because the ground was vey soft. She did not listen and jumped her horse in the barnyard to the point that there was basically no sod left at all. I carefully tried to find some places to step without getting my shoes and pants dirty. I made it over to the coop door without too much trouble and opened the door. I wish this was the end of my story.
As I was finding my way out of the barn area, I noticed that Sarge's stall door was partially open, so I peeked in to say hi. That was when I saw his water bucket was completely empty. Of course, the water spigot is....you guessed it....over at the entrance to the coop. So now I have to make my way back to the coop with the bucket and somehow get the bucket filled up and carried back to the barn without getting dirty. Did I mention the bucket is about 15 gallons?
I made my way back to coop and started to fill the bucket. I noticed that I had a few small mud splatters on the bottoms of my slacks and was a little angy. I filled the bucket about a third full and lugged it back to the barn. I brushed the dirt from my nice coat and decided I should check the other horses' water, too. I went to the second stall and when I opened the door, I grabbed for the bucket which was situated between a large dirty horse and the door. She was so anxious to get out that as I was trying to pull the bucket from the stall she pushed her way out the door.
So, now I have a dirty, thirsty horse who is not intersted in trying to go BACK into the stall. I made the executive decision to put the horses out in the pasture for the day. I guess in hindsight it may have been an easier task to shove her back into the stall. I took Shadow by the halter and started to walk her towards the pasture. As I approach the north side of the coop, I notice the ground is not only muddy, but that it still has puddles of water all over it. Now, I have to maneuver myself and a 1000 pound beast through this minefield without getting my shoes or pants dirty. I somehow managed to get to the gate only to discover that the top hinge was off and the gate was stuck in the deep mud. So, with horse in one hand and barely keeping my footing in the deep mud (remember, I have on cream colored pants and dress boots) I struggle to pull the broken gate through the mud. After pulling it open about 2 feet, the horse pushed her way into the pasture. I decided at this point that it might be a good idea to go change into my muck boots. I figured I was already late for work at this point, so what would it matter.
So I carefully step back through the mud and head back to the house. My boots were completely swamped with mud and I was completely angry to the point that I actually considered driving up to the school and pulling Melanie out of class to work her over a little bit! I pulled off the muddy boots and shoved on my muck boots jamming my pants down inside.
I walk back over to the barn to take the other two horses out to the pasture. Each time having to maneuver the broken gate through the mud while getting the horse in without having any escape or fall down. Once all were safely in, I had to find a way to keep the gate secured with the broken hinge. To fix it properly would be a two man job, and I was an island unto myself at this point. So I went in search of some chain that I could use. Back through the mud I stole one from another gate. The smaller piece of chain just barely fit around the post and with no extra links to spare I managed to get it latched together. Proud of my accomplishment I started to walk back to the house when I realized that the horses did not have water. So now I have to completely fill a 15 gallon bucket up with water and drag it though 10-inch deep mud, reopen the gate, and get it inside the pasture. Once again, I thought of going to the school...
After getting the water in the pasture, I noticed the horses were trying so hard to get whatever little green was left in the ground, I thought I should check the feed stall. Of course, to my astonishment, there was no hay in there. I figured that Melanie did not leave herself enough time to bring down hay for them, so she gave them some grain and left for school. Now, I have the task to go up into the barn and pull down a bale of hay to take out to the pasture. I walked up the barn and saw that there was some flakes of hay (a segment of hay is called a flake and we normally feed them two flakes). So I picked up a flake or two and carried the loose hay (in my black wool coat) down to the pasture. I repeated this process three times because we generally throw it in different areas so they don't fight over it. Out of breath, with sweat pouring down my face, hair dishelved I returned to the porch to get my muddy boots. I took them to the outside faucet and sprayed them down to get the clumps of mud off. Once cleaned, I returned to the porch and swapped out my boots. I went to the car and brushed off the hay from my coat and looked for my Tide pen to clean the mud off my pant cuffs which were wrinkled and dirty from the 30 minute ordeal. I could not find it, so back into the house for a wet papertowel as a lousy second choice. I cleaned off the best I could, tried to reorganize my hair and started on my way to work.
You would think this would be the end of this tragic tale of mud and woe, and yet you would be wrong. All the way to work I kept smelling cat urine. To my utter shame, the barn cats peed on the muck boots out on the porch and when I pulled them on, it transferred to my hands. It took about 10 handwashings, Purell, and lots of hand cream to get through the day.
The only bright spot in my day is that our main computer application and database crashed at lunchtime and I had to go home early. What a shame.....
( on a sad note, one of our chickens died last week. She was found in a nesting box and we have no idea how she died, but we are now back to 26 chicks in the sticks)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Consider the Lilies
I apologize for not having the time to create any updates for two months. It has been a busy time away from the farm and, for a period, it seemed as if nothing of note was happening here. As I sat in fast and testimony meeting yesterday, I contemplated getting up to speak, but didn't really know what I would say. The MoTab song, Consider the Lilies, came to my mind as I often think of it when I see the chickens wandering outside. As I thought of the meaning behind the words, I turned to the scripture that it references:
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:25-34
I am humbled by nature and its complexities and its delicacies that almost seem to contradict one another. Tonight is no exception. I went out to the chicken coop to close the lights for the night and I noticed an egg in one of the nesting boxes. It looked eerily translucent. I blinked, thinking that I was seeing things. I reached in and gently picked up the strange egg. It's shell was simply a thick membrane, nothing more. It is quite beautiful and delicate to the touch, yet peculiar to the extreme. If you hold it to the light, you can see the yolk inside. An egg is something that most do not think twice about, however, we have been enthralled with the various shapes, sizes, and properties of the eggs that our chickens have produced.
On a side note, earlier this year a bird made a nest in a wreath on our front door. We watched for two weeks as the baby birds hatched, grew, and flew away. Two weeks! I could not believe it.
I love to watch the chickens as they fill the measure of their creation. They dig in the flower beds, leaving behind tilled and fertilized soil. They nest and lay their eggs. They bustle around talking in a quiet chicken language. The roosters proudly defend and protect their flock from predators great and small. An example of this occurred a few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen and I heard the roosters making a racket outside. They were not crowing as one would expect, but almost shrieking. I went to the door to see what was going on and all of the hens were hiding under the large pine tree. The 5 roosters were in the yard running around and yelling. I looked up and saw two large hawks circling overhead. How amazing to see nature in action. That Heavenly Father created these beautiful creatures with all the instincts and knowledge they need to survive here. They are a source of pure joy in my life.
Equally as amazing to me, our horses have grown a winter coat. Not being much of a horse expert, this year has been full of experiences that are new for me. I had no idea that horses hair changed at all! But ours have grown into a thick, ruglike coat to keep them warm through the harsh winter months. I have been grateful for the warmer days this new year has brought. The horses have been able to stay outside in the pasture more often and I imagine it must be a thrill for them after being cooped up in the barn so much.
Everything else on the farm has gone into a state of hibernation. The lush greenery of the summer gave way to the decay of autumn and the stark nakedness of the winter. We are currently mourning the loss of a large tree that was toppled by an ice storm around Christmas. I look forward to the spring, when all will be renewed again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
