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Chicken Lickens

July 2nd, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm, Food | 24 Comments »

Note: the chickens have grown.  They stay cute for about 2 days, then they start getting weird and manky looking as their feathers come in and often try to eat one another.  Beautiful creatures, chickens. Whenever anyone tells me how much they love chickens I always think they probably have not yet met enough of them.

We move them about the pasture in giant chicken tractors.  They are protected from predators, but get fresh grass and the pleasure of eating all the bugs they can catch.  If they were free range, they would be free food for the foxes, cougars, coons and wandering farm dogs.  They would also burn a lot of extra calories, making feed to meat conversion less efficient and less cost effective.  Being on grass reduces their feed intake some and I think it makes for happier birds.

(I recently saw “vegetarian eggs” recently.  Some food for thought for anyone thinking this more humane: if the chicken is not able to eat a bug, it is not outside.  Also, chickens LIKE to eat bugs.  If you think that’s gross, that’s really just too bad.)

The path of destruction in their wake is quickly replaced by beautiful lush green turf.

There are 50 chickens in each pen. They get moved out into the tractors around 3-4 weeks of age.  I move a cooler of feed along with them, so I don’t have to worry about coons getting to the food.  (They seem to be able to undo all securing mechanisms on garbage bins).  I also bought an extra hose this year so I can bring the hose pretty close to them, instead of having to haul multiple jugs of water back and forth every time I do chores.

We raise “Special Dual Purpose” chickens from a local hatchery.  They are a bit slower growing than say, a White Mountain.  I have heard from people who raise those that you always know when they’re “ready” because their legs start to break and their hearts stop.  Lovely.  This is what happens when you mess so heavily with genetics.  The birds we raise grow a bit faster than “Heritage” breeds.  We have raised a few of those, and while they were very nice birds and actually acted like chickens and not chicken breasts, we wanted a little bit more bang for our buck.

BUCK-ACK!

Midwife and Executioner

June 28th, 2010 . Posted in Amish, Crafty, Farm, Husband, Kids | 17 Comments »

Those are two job titles I’ve earned since deciding to engage in our homesteading adventure.  The former I earned today, assisting Suki through her first delivery.

Suki had been showing signs of labor all weekend.  She’d been pawing, contorting, heavy breathing, groaning, dripping mucous, contracting.  I spent so much time in the goat shed.  Some of it was very tranquil.  It’s quite nice to take a nap with a goat.  Other times, like at night during torrential downpour, being eaten alive by mosquitos dressed in a sopping hoody while staring at the goats ass…. not so idyllic.  My (marvelous and infinitely helpful) WOOFer Katie took shifts.  Auntie Alexis took shifts and even had the pleasure of helping hold Suks while I performed my first cervical exam as the vet was up North for a family gathering.  (We were worried she her amniotic sac had burst and there may be issues with potential kids.)  Through all of this Suk’s was the suckiest she had ever been, literally becoming a lap goat.  Laying across my legs, nuzzling my neck, putting herself under my hands.  She really wanted love.  So we gave it.

This afternoon her udder looked like it was going to burst.  Each teat looked like a jumbo cartoon breast from Playboy.  Her hind end had gone from very puffy to sunken and she began bellowing through her contractions.  Scott eventually heard this and came dashing out to the goat shed just in time to see a little nose emerging from within the fluid filled sac.  With a little manoevering and a few good pushes on her part we were soon helping clean off her beautiful little doeling.

Suki took instantly to mothering; licking furiously and keeping a hawk eye on her precious one. Little Cindy Ray took quickly and easily to nursing.  It was such a wonderful experience to get to share alongside my wonderful husband.  He caught Bob when he was born and played a huge role in supporting me during my labour with Meeps.  It was so fantastic to be able to help support our wonderful little goat through her labour, together.  Definitely softens the sadness of knowing we will not be having anymore kids ourselves.

And now I will shut up and show off some pictures.

On the topic of daughters, here is a recent picture of four generations of lovely ladies.

It is my precious little daughter’s birthday tomorrow.  But the Great Grandparents started their journey back to Hawaii today, so we shared presents for her yesterday.  We had a Blessingway planned, but given the unrelenting rain, the 7 or 8 desserts that failed miserably and the fact that I smelled like a goat… we decided to postpone.

There are plenty of people who think we are nuts over one component of our parenting ethos or another and one of those things involves toys.  We eschew plastic toys, specifically those containing BPA and pthalates.  We do this for two reasons: (1) I’d rather not expose my kids to said chemicals and (2) them toys is ugly.  I’ve gotten my share of “but you’re depriving them of play!”  Most certainly, I am not.  Mags presents included such wonders as a wooden coffee maker; a stash of handsewn finger puppets; a wool stuffed fairy and a fantastic set of felted peas in a pod, which I didn’t manage to take a picture of in daylight today, but I assure you are achingly adorable.  BEHOLD!

Maggie wore the dress I sewed for her from Anna Maria Horner fabrics (so wonderful) and Bob wore the Amish pattern based shorts I sewed for him over the winter.  He performed what he called Amish Dances all over the living room that day. They involved a lot of twisting and writhing, much akin to Suki’s recent behaviour.

And now it’s time for me to sleep, not in the manger, but in my own bed.

Good night all.  Thanks for checking in.

Anniversary

June 20th, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm, Husband, Kids | 17 Comments »

Scott and I celebrated our anniversary this past week.  We attended a single malt tasting (Scott lucks out twice over in the Scotch department those nights) at the Brasserie in town.  Which is also where we had our wedding reception.  The food was tremendous as usual and the company was great.  Feeling very blessed.

Don’t know why I waited so long to buy a pair of work overalls, but holy crap.  They had them on sale at the TSC this week and am I ever thrilled.  Now I don’t have the poo of the 7 different types of animals we have at our farm on my pants!  Novel!

Suki is penned up in the maternity ward as we wait for her to kid.  Everything is racing along at full speed.  Animals, children, life.

Chickens Eye View

June 11th, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm, Food | 8 Comments »

Very busy.  Enjoying having our WOOFER.  Chickens are acting like chickens.  Turkeys are acting like, well, turkeys.  Pigs are learning to come to kissy noises.  Bucky the goat has been impersonating a pony.  Suki is due to kid the end of June and we’re going to start prepping the maternity ward soon.  Making cheese.  Eating berries.

Speaking of berries, any Kincardine area folks looking for organic strawberries at half the price of grocery store fare, please visit my neighbour Alan Jantzi.  If you are on HWY 21, turn inland at the 5th Concession at the Beefway.  Drive about 10 clicks down.  Look for Jantzi on the mailbox on the left side of the road, but his farm is the one set back on the right.  They are Amish, and the farm across the street is also Amish.  If you hit the Bervie sideroad, you’ve gone too far.

With An Oink Oink Here

June 6th, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm, Food | 35 Comments »

Introducing Piggie Smalls and Pig Daddy Kane!

We name them because animals who are filled with love taste better.

They Have Arrived

June 5th, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm | 5 Comments »

Piglets, that is.  Two little Berkshire balls of bacon.  I mean, joy.  I have no pictures because it’s dark out.  But everytime I go into the bathroom, I hear oinking.  Tomorrow there will be pictures.

We need to think names though, so here are a list of final qualifiers.  Please feel free to suggest others.

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I think the big boys at British Petroleum need a bath too

June 4th, 2010 . Posted in Animals | 24 Comments »

To think these animals are still alive.  To think, this is day 45 and yet only the beginning.

When are we going to consume less?  When is government going to recognize the importance of small, sustainable and safe energy production?  What of this world will be left for my children?

No Whey Man

June 2nd, 2010 . Posted in Farm, Food | 10 Comments »

My partner in cheese came over this morning!  We got started on Feta.  It’s got some time left now, 6-8 hours to drain.  Then it’ll be pressed, salted, brined and devoured.  (This batch is not for sale.)

If you live in the Kincardine area, we are selling via cheese list and not the market this summer.  It’ll work like this: You’ll get an email saying: “We’re making chevre this week, if you want some let us know.”  And at the end of the week, we’ll get you your fresh cheese.  Email us at: rennetrebels@gmail.com to sign up for the cheese list.

Edited to add a picture of the beautiful finished feta.  I am really gonna have to do another month of ‘Shredding to keep the cheese pounds off.

Alligator Pie Alligator Pie

May 24th, 2010 . Posted in Animals, Farm, Food, Husband, Kids | 25 Comments »

These past couple weeks have brought a whole new level of neglect of communication.  The messages on the phone, the emails in the box… both of those things require me to be inside of my home to receive and respond to and I just have not been.  At least not for any duration that allowed for such activities.  I always know when my son refers to the laundry pile as “Skull Mountain” that it’s gotten way, way too high.

I have been gardening my face off. Trying to keep my mother’s day fruit trees alive, so far so good.  Scott tells me if I kill this lot, they’re the last. I am now fretting over some rusty looking spots on one cherry tree and some brown dead leaf tips on the plums.  The black bugs have eaten my pak choi already and almost all of my heirloom tomatoes got frostbite and I’ll be shocked if they make it.  And they’re not even in the ground yet, heavens.  Nature does abhor a garden, Michael Pollan you are right again and again.

Below is a picture of Scott holding the Meeps after running his first 10k.  Have I mentioned how insanely, rabidly proud I am of him?

I haven’t been running races, but I have been running my tail off.  Made lotion specifically geared towards tattoo healing.  Appears to be working great on my back and Scott’s ribs, which are both seriously soaking up some nice black ink.  Made the most delicious ice cream the other day.  After multiple failed attempts to get the whipper snipper started, I found a Gerry Can of gas and some oil and managed to get our push mower to start.  Cutting grass so tall you could bale it means the mower bogs down and stops.  While it fires up in a couple hard pulls, after what was surely at least a hundred cranks on it, I can hardly use my right hand.  At least the edges of our lawn look beautiful now.  Fixed the giant gates on our back pasture so I could put the new four month lambs out with the goats.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.  Sheep sound like people making sheep noises.  Honestly.

Our goats are being nicer to them than I thought they would be.  I thought it was going to be 9 goats chasing 2 lambs in endless circles around the shed.  So far the majority of the butts they’ve received (and there have not been many) have been from the Nubian/Boer babies who are the lowest on the totem pole.  Like somehow the other goats higher up the totem pole are too important to be bothered with the business of these new stupid sheep.

I am posting the following picture because I have had several people tell me to ” just plant trees” when I talk of neighbours installing multiple industrial wind turbines beside our property.  Unless I am transplanting a fleet of Mighty Sequoias, no tree is going to buffer us from the 100+ meter tall turbines.  We are having a public information night at the local Davidson Centre June 24th with speakers starting at 7pm.  Please any Kincardinites, mark this on your calendar and attend.  These things are not green and they are not safe.  Optioned, contracted, or just curious, this information night is for everyone.

Here are the children playing in a pile of topsoil.  The Eisen lads cleared the topsoil off the spot where we put the 20×24 foot pad our playset sits on.  The kids love that topsoil.    And I love having the Eisens over.  These guys are punctual, polite and hardworking.  They are also quite attractive and well, it is summer… so Kincardine housewives, you know who to call for any landscaping needs, OK?  You will not regret your decision, I assure you.

Here’s Bob doing a crazy monkey dance in front of the pig tractor Scott built today.  And the kids pretending to be pigs inside of it.  And one of a few dozen handfuls of grass the kidlets deposited in it.  Thank you Richard for your innovative and afforable design!

I am reading Will Ferguson’s Beauty Tips from MooseJaw.  I got the book because (1) Bob loves the word MooseJaw thanks to Alligator Pie and (2) it’s about Canada, eh.  While I find his humor a little soft in spots, I have to admit I am inspired to do the following: (A) read more of his titles including Bastards and Bonehads, Canada Glorious Leaders Past & Present  (B) go to Churchill and have a polar bear encounter before we kill them all.

I am getting into taking  Vega.  Scott has been taking it.  It’s pretty incredible.  It is spectacularly full of of vitamins and minerals, vegan, gluten & soy free and here’s the best part: it doesn’t taste like you are cleaning our your child’s fishtank with your mouth.   At least, the berry flavour doesn’t taste that way.  Scott would go so far as to call it “delicious”.

I am going to go to bed now.  And try to sleep through the BAA-ING that is going on practically underneath my window.  Wish me luck, eh.

Mud Season

May 21st, 2010 . Posted in Farm, Kids | 12 Comments »

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