It has been quite some time since my last blog. So many things have evolved, so many remain unchanged. I think of those unchanged as in a holding pattern. That's how we manage too many projects/obligations.
We have continued to hay in order to maintain the meek business income. The labor can be intense, especially when machinery fails or when our perception of our aging process seems accelerated, ie we feel old a particular day.
We still have most of our animals, but we are starting to be more selective based on their offerings; food, protection, or the tricky one, joy. Joy is the one we have to focus on limiting, which sounds depressing. But we have many animals for the joy of it. The joy is diminished when paying the feed bills or doing the labor day after day to provide them with their basic needs. The balance between joy and the feelings of begrudgery assist in the decision as to which animals we can maintain. We will only maintain the animals that provide us with joy if we feel unable to place them in perfect new homes.
In the meantime, we have increased the flock of sheep and intend to add more this summer. We have found that we feel comfortable with the physical handling of our sheep and we really love lamb burgers. We will eventually raise a steer on the property, but that requires the labor of solid housing and fencing. Our horses could be fenced in with paper tape, so we haven't prioritized sturdier fencing as a result. The meat birds are raised sparingly and now seasonally. Butchering is more likely to happen in the cooler season. Flies and heat are a big dissuasion for us, and meat birds can easily become layers if the butchering conditions are not optimal. Fair weather butcherers?
The girls are grown and are moving out for college. We are excited to see them make they're way in life. The ranch will fall to just the two of us and modifications must be made for us to continue and still enjoy ourselves.
We have added a hoop house for winter gardening. It is planted now for the summer to see if it will produce in the heat or if we will need a shade to be successful. Eventually we will add more beds, covered or not covered. The current hoop house is 40' x 20'. I love just walking through everyday and seeing the green growth. I had to re-wrap the rabbit fencing with poultry wire for some little critters were still getting in.
I will try to return with future plans and the progress soon.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Lackluster Lamb
We have been anticipating Eweness' lamb for a while now. We moved Frank out of the large pen and adjusted her feed to include some alfalfa/bermuda pellets and a rye alfalfa hay blend. I made notes of her behavior changes at the first possible due date. We were able to see the lamb rolling around in her belly, so we knew it was active. She began some tail shaking, stamping, and panting. All of which could be attributed to the heat and flies. Her panting was done with her head level and it was hot enough to make her pant. The Thursday morning after her first possible due date, she started pawing at the hay bedding. I always have my phone ready to do quick searches on the internet for information, and found that this was a sign of impending labor...nesting. She also had "bagged" up finally.
As always when I have had to leave the ranch, I would drive down and do a quick peek on her. I left Thursday at 5:30 pm and she was standing and panting as normal, so I went on my way. About half way to pick up Emma, I realized that Eweness was panting, but with her head lowered. She had not done that and she definately looking less comfortable in this stance. I had watched numerous videos of ewe's in labor, and this stance was familiar. I began to worry that labor had begun and wanted to hurry back to the ranch.
By the time we got back, it was 8:00 pm and we drove down to the pen to find her licking a little spotted lamb. Emma and I jumped back into the car and drove to the house to get our lambing supplies. We wiped the lamb down some, she was very wet still and shaking as if she were chilled. We snipped and dipped the navel. Her momma was licking at her still, and we made sure her breathing was clear. We backed off to let momma do her job and sat and watched.
After some time, it became evident that the lamb was not getting up and seemed to be struggling to coordinate it's movements. She seemed to flop mostly and we decided we better get some colostrum in her to warm her up. This required milking Eweness; remember she is a miniature breed of sheep.
Emma got the job done. We strained the colostrum of the bedding that had fallen into the milking jar, and put it into the bottle with a lamb nipple. Emma was the one doing most of the "ground" work, she was much better at crawling around than I. The lamb appeared to have lost her sucking strength. We immediately grabbed a syringe and dribbled it into her her mouth for her to swallow. We were able to get several colostrum ounces in her and continued to do so every 2 hours. We attempted to stand her near mom to get her to latch on, but she just didn't have the coordination. She was definately "not right."
It was a very tiring night of milking, straining, bottling, syringing, cleaning and starting over. By dawn, the lamb seemed to be dry and warming, but still shaky and lacking coordination. Eweness was very hesitant about our assistance, but seemed to understand we were helping.
At this point, I was thinking that if the lamb didn't come around quickly, I would have to have her put down. If she was not able to suck, this was going to be a problem. We syringed an ounce or two into her and scooped her up and took her to the local vet that had experience with sheep. On the way Emma was doing a bit of research on the internet, and suggested that there was a copper deficiency in the ewe during gestation. I balked at that because I had been told several times to limit copper for sheep.
Upon arrival, the vet told us to drive home and get some more milk and he would do a blood draw and it would be done by the time we got back. So we zipped home, milked Eweness and zipped back to town.
The blood showed a problem with the liver function. He pulled out his sheep text and repeated what Emma had said in the car. I suppose Eweness could have been lacking, but it still seemed contradictory. I still find it hard to believe we have copperless hay! All the other blood readings were spot on!
He didn't give any real insight as to her future. I knew that if she didn't start sucking a bottle, the process of caring for this lamb was going to become very laborious. Emma was in the meantime preparing the bottle there at the vet's and squeaked, "she's sucking!" It was as if the lamb heard my thoughts...and she figured she had better try.
At home, Emma assisted the lamb as the vet had demonstrated, holding the tail up and giving some support to the front end to get her standing. I thought if the lamb doesn't have the strength to stand and walk, she would not survive. We both fell asleep between feedings and when Emma went out to give the next bottle, she returned to tell me that the lamb had gotten up and walked around several times.
I thought of the bottle feeding more of a therapy session to strengthen her sucking strength. She would start out well enough, but soon tire and we would switch to the syringe. But she was getting more with the nipple each time. We had been given a product called Lamb Lac Milk Replacer by a local sheep person. We began to supplement this and then would milk Eweness to keep the pressure off her and to avoid Mastitis.
As the lamb was getting a bit more from the nipple with a rather significant hole in the end, I decided to up the requirements for her and had a second nipple with a slightly smaller hole. I thought this would further strengthen her sucking. I would start with this one and switch to the less challenging and eventually eliminated the syringe.
I had forgotten how exhausting a newborn could be. I remembered the late feedings with my own girls and how similar it felt the next day when trying to function with a clear head. I had a couple down moments when I tried to be objective about what this lamb's future would be. She would not be used for breeding. I won't really ever know what the cause of this shaky, weak start is, and won't spend the money to analyse milk, blood, or whatever to determine it. On the other hand, she may have been breach and lying in fluid for a couple hours. Oxygen deprevation, hypothermia.....So to be safe, she will not be bred. I don't want to think about it, but she still may have to be put down. She wasn't latching on to the momma and this results in two maintenance programs; lamb feeding and ewe milking. That wasn't the plan. I decided I would put my best effort to get this lamb the best possible start and see where she took it.
And with that I went out and the lamb was nursing on her momma's teat. These markers were making me smile each time. I still don't know how much she is really getting from her momma, so I have developed a feeding schedule that remains conservative on my part, in order to encourage her to nurse from her mom. I have gradually increased the duration between feedings as literature suggests for "bummer lambs." However, I have not been increasing beyond an ounce at each feeding now. It seems to be working, as the lamb goes to her mom more and more. Of course, most literature regarding the quantity of milk is for a regular sized lamb, so I have been adjusting for her 4 lb birth weight.
I remembered reading about infants and something called "nipple confusion." I noticed that the tongue action of the lamb on the rubber nipple was more like what would be used on the teat. Because of the large hole in the rubber nipple, she was still getting plenty of flow, regardless of her tongue movements. I preferred her latching onto her momma, to being bottle-fed, so anything that supports that transition was fine with me.
I am now giving her an ounce every 6 hours and letting her nurse on momma in between. She is really effected by the heat of the day, leaving her panting and rather limp. I try to make sure she is getting the fluids, so that she does not dehydrate because of the heat. She is definately more perky in the cooler parts of the morning and evening.
I still haven't named her. I suppose I believe it would make it harder if she were to have to be put down. Of course the more time that passes, the more difficult that will be anyway. But I am trying to be objective. I have progressed from hour to hour status' to day to day status'. I will be neutral.
As always when I have had to leave the ranch, I would drive down and do a quick peek on her. I left Thursday at 5:30 pm and she was standing and panting as normal, so I went on my way. About half way to pick up Emma, I realized that Eweness was panting, but with her head lowered. She had not done that and she definately looking less comfortable in this stance. I had watched numerous videos of ewe's in labor, and this stance was familiar. I began to worry that labor had begun and wanted to hurry back to the ranch.
By the time we got back, it was 8:00 pm and we drove down to the pen to find her licking a little spotted lamb. Emma and I jumped back into the car and drove to the house to get our lambing supplies. We wiped the lamb down some, she was very wet still and shaking as if she were chilled. We snipped and dipped the navel. Her momma was licking at her still, and we made sure her breathing was clear. We backed off to let momma do her job and sat and watched.
After some time, it became evident that the lamb was not getting up and seemed to be struggling to coordinate it's movements. She seemed to flop mostly and we decided we better get some colostrum in her to warm her up. This required milking Eweness; remember she is a miniature breed of sheep.
Emma got the job done. We strained the colostrum of the bedding that had fallen into the milking jar, and put it into the bottle with a lamb nipple. Emma was the one doing most of the "ground" work, she was much better at crawling around than I. The lamb appeared to have lost her sucking strength. We immediately grabbed a syringe and dribbled it into her her mouth for her to swallow. We were able to get several colostrum ounces in her and continued to do so every 2 hours. We attempted to stand her near mom to get her to latch on, but she just didn't have the coordination. She was definately "not right."
It was a very tiring night of milking, straining, bottling, syringing, cleaning and starting over. By dawn, the lamb seemed to be dry and warming, but still shaky and lacking coordination. Eweness was very hesitant about our assistance, but seemed to understand we were helping.
At this point, I was thinking that if the lamb didn't come around quickly, I would have to have her put down. If she was not able to suck, this was going to be a problem. We syringed an ounce or two into her and scooped her up and took her to the local vet that had experience with sheep. On the way Emma was doing a bit of research on the internet, and suggested that there was a copper deficiency in the ewe during gestation. I balked at that because I had been told several times to limit copper for sheep.
Upon arrival, the vet told us to drive home and get some more milk and he would do a blood draw and it would be done by the time we got back. So we zipped home, milked Eweness and zipped back to town.
The blood showed a problem with the liver function. He pulled out his sheep text and repeated what Emma had said in the car. I suppose Eweness could have been lacking, but it still seemed contradictory. I still find it hard to believe we have copperless hay! All the other blood readings were spot on!
He didn't give any real insight as to her future. I knew that if she didn't start sucking a bottle, the process of caring for this lamb was going to become very laborious. Emma was in the meantime preparing the bottle there at the vet's and squeaked, "she's sucking!" It was as if the lamb heard my thoughts...and she figured she had better try.
At home, Emma assisted the lamb as the vet had demonstrated, holding the tail up and giving some support to the front end to get her standing. I thought if the lamb doesn't have the strength to stand and walk, she would not survive. We both fell asleep between feedings and when Emma went out to give the next bottle, she returned to tell me that the lamb had gotten up and walked around several times.
I thought of the bottle feeding more of a therapy session to strengthen her sucking strength. She would start out well enough, but soon tire and we would switch to the syringe. But she was getting more with the nipple each time. We had been given a product called Lamb Lac Milk Replacer by a local sheep person. We began to supplement this and then would milk Eweness to keep the pressure off her and to avoid Mastitis.
As the lamb was getting a bit more from the nipple with a rather significant hole in the end, I decided to up the requirements for her and had a second nipple with a slightly smaller hole. I thought this would further strengthen her sucking. I would start with this one and switch to the less challenging and eventually eliminated the syringe.
I had forgotten how exhausting a newborn could be. I remembered the late feedings with my own girls and how similar it felt the next day when trying to function with a clear head. I had a couple down moments when I tried to be objective about what this lamb's future would be. She would not be used for breeding. I won't really ever know what the cause of this shaky, weak start is, and won't spend the money to analyse milk, blood, or whatever to determine it. On the other hand, she may have been breach and lying in fluid for a couple hours. Oxygen deprevation, hypothermia.....So to be safe, she will not be bred. I don't want to think about it, but she still may have to be put down. She wasn't latching on to the momma and this results in two maintenance programs; lamb feeding and ewe milking. That wasn't the plan. I decided I would put my best effort to get this lamb the best possible start and see where she took it.
And with that I went out and the lamb was nursing on her momma's teat. These markers were making me smile each time. I still don't know how much she is really getting from her momma, so I have developed a feeding schedule that remains conservative on my part, in order to encourage her to nurse from her mom. I have gradually increased the duration between feedings as literature suggests for "bummer lambs." However, I have not been increasing beyond an ounce at each feeding now. It seems to be working, as the lamb goes to her mom more and more. Of course, most literature regarding the quantity of milk is for a regular sized lamb, so I have been adjusting for her 4 lb birth weight.
I remembered reading about infants and something called "nipple confusion." I noticed that the tongue action of the lamb on the rubber nipple was more like what would be used on the teat. Because of the large hole in the rubber nipple, she was still getting plenty of flow, regardless of her tongue movements. I preferred her latching onto her momma, to being bottle-fed, so anything that supports that transition was fine with me.
I am now giving her an ounce every 6 hours and letting her nurse on momma in between. She is really effected by the heat of the day, leaving her panting and rather limp. I try to make sure she is getting the fluids, so that she does not dehydrate because of the heat. She is definately more perky in the cooler parts of the morning and evening.
I still haven't named her. I suppose I believe it would make it harder if she were to have to be put down. Of course the more time that passes, the more difficult that will be anyway. But I am trying to be objective. I have progressed from hour to hour status' to day to day status'. I will be neutral.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Spring 2012
This spring is a wonderful example of why we live in Arizona. The weather has been beautiful. I will have to come back to this post in the heat of the summer to remind myself of this. The leaves are spring green on the Mulberry. The grapes leaves are miracuously emerging from the dead twisted branches. The mice are prolific and the snakes have not yet come out to eat them.
As a result of this time delay, I adopted a cat for the barn. He has different names depending on which family member you ask, but I figured it didn't matter really because he comes to any thing, and everybody is happy that way. He has become a quick convert from his pampered condo living, to an adept barn cat, catching mice and sparrows. I am very happy to have him. The dogs have been resistant to the temptation to impede on his territory. He has a horse stall that is currently storing everything from feed to washing machines. The door is now left slightly open so he can swiftly escape into and out of his lair. I am hoping the dogs continue to be polite, keeping their distance. I would really like to have another mouse catcher to live in the poultry yard. I am seeing little mice at night and their deposits in the feed bowls the next morning. I know they're eating a lot of chicken feed.
Emma has decided to become more active in 4-H and her animal interests this next year. She purchased a darling Nubian goat doe, born January 25, 2012. She is named Lily. Emma has been bottle feeding her, and Lily has quickly bonded with Emma. We met a wonderful woman that sold Lily to Emma. I think she is someone I would be a great friend with if she didn't live so far away. She had a terrific garden, and raises goats for milk, pigs for meat and chickens for eggs. The goat milk sample she gave us was delicious and I can hardly wait for next spring when Lily will have milk. I even day-dreamed about getting a doe in milk now, but reality hit when I realized the labor of pen construction would stop that endeavor for now.
Eweness, our Jacob ewe had been together with Frank the ram since October. We had the two sheared (that was a lot of wool), and was surprised to see how small they really are. Anticipating that Eweness would look pregnant, we were all scratching our heads wondering if she really was. She had some signs, and her belly was a bit round, but not overly so. Her teats still resembled a fairly young sheep. One morning recently, Emma and I were watching her as she was resting, when suddenly her side was quivering with sharp punches. She walked a bit and stood staring back at us. That's when it happened, a nose or foot drew a long line from front to back along her side. It stuck out at least 3 inches, and we both gasped. She is definitely pregnant, but as to when she is due, we are still not sure. The very earliest due date calculated is April 4th.
I have been reading and watching youtube videos about Jacob sheep lambing. They all look much larger than Eweness, but they are not shorn or sheared (still have to look up the proper tense of that one). Their udders are much larger, but they had lambed before. So I really don't have a good reference to figure out how far a long she is.
Emma and I did move Frank next door to Eweness. I think it is good to have them close, but separate so that I can supplement her a bit and he can't push her out of the way to eat it all. She seems less stressed with him close by, now that they are accustomed to each other.
I am rather excited about a little lamb. And this will be a "little" lamb. I really want to make sure the lamb is tame, but I don't want to have to bottle feed it. And by the size of Eweness' teats, I'm not sure I could even milk her, even if she was more trusting of me. I will play it by ear. Maybe just a wee bit calmer than Eweness would be nice. If it is a female we will keep her around.
Emma incubated a few Freedom Ranger chicks. Mostly to have hatch when a friend was visiting, but I will raise them for 10 weeks and process them if I can handle the heat at the end of May. I will not raise chicks to butcher in summer ever again. That was a mistake. Incubate in August, hatch in September and butcher in November. That schedule works for me.
Spring has been wonderful so far. I will enjoy it while it lasts.
As a result of this time delay, I adopted a cat for the barn. He has different names depending on which family member you ask, but I figured it didn't matter really because he comes to any thing, and everybody is happy that way. He has become a quick convert from his pampered condo living, to an adept barn cat, catching mice and sparrows. I am very happy to have him. The dogs have been resistant to the temptation to impede on his territory. He has a horse stall that is currently storing everything from feed to washing machines. The door is now left slightly open so he can swiftly escape into and out of his lair. I am hoping the dogs continue to be polite, keeping their distance. I would really like to have another mouse catcher to live in the poultry yard. I am seeing little mice at night and their deposits in the feed bowls the next morning. I know they're eating a lot of chicken feed.
Emma has decided to become more active in 4-H and her animal interests this next year. She purchased a darling Nubian goat doe, born January 25, 2012. She is named Lily. Emma has been bottle feeding her, and Lily has quickly bonded with Emma. We met a wonderful woman that sold Lily to Emma. I think she is someone I would be a great friend with if she didn't live so far away. She had a terrific garden, and raises goats for milk, pigs for meat and chickens for eggs. The goat milk sample she gave us was delicious and I can hardly wait for next spring when Lily will have milk. I even day-dreamed about getting a doe in milk now, but reality hit when I realized the labor of pen construction would stop that endeavor for now.
Eweness, our Jacob ewe had been together with Frank the ram since October. We had the two sheared (that was a lot of wool), and was surprised to see how small they really are. Anticipating that Eweness would look pregnant, we were all scratching our heads wondering if she really was. She had some signs, and her belly was a bit round, but not overly so. Her teats still resembled a fairly young sheep. One morning recently, Emma and I were watching her as she was resting, when suddenly her side was quivering with sharp punches. She walked a bit and stood staring back at us. That's when it happened, a nose or foot drew a long line from front to back along her side. It stuck out at least 3 inches, and we both gasped. She is definitely pregnant, but as to when she is due, we are still not sure. The very earliest due date calculated is April 4th.
I have been reading and watching youtube videos about Jacob sheep lambing. They all look much larger than Eweness, but they are not shorn or sheared (still have to look up the proper tense of that one). Their udders are much larger, but they had lambed before. So I really don't have a good reference to figure out how far a long she is.
Emma and I did move Frank next door to Eweness. I think it is good to have them close, but separate so that I can supplement her a bit and he can't push her out of the way to eat it all. She seems less stressed with him close by, now that they are accustomed to each other.
I am rather excited about a little lamb. And this will be a "little" lamb. I really want to make sure the lamb is tame, but I don't want to have to bottle feed it. And by the size of Eweness' teats, I'm not sure I could even milk her, even if she was more trusting of me. I will play it by ear. Maybe just a wee bit calmer than Eweness would be nice. If it is a female we will keep her around.
Emma incubated a few Freedom Ranger chicks. Mostly to have hatch when a friend was visiting, but I will raise them for 10 weeks and process them if I can handle the heat at the end of May. I will not raise chicks to butcher in summer ever again. That was a mistake. Incubate in August, hatch in September and butcher in November. That schedule works for me.
Spring has been wonderful so far. I will enjoy it while it lasts.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Winter 2012
I have been busy with ongoing tasks and disasters that have prevented me from getting to my documentation. I am going to try to do a summary of events that I can recall since summer 2011.
The hatching of extra meat birds and turkeys for an individual to purchase, ended up falling through so that I had many more birds than I intended. The summer was hot enough that I could not inspire myself to set up the butcher station to process the birds until fall. By then many had gotten too large to be very good for meat, or had died from the heat. I gave some of the grown turkeys away to a neighbor that gives them to families from his church. It was an expensive "donation" as they were fed quality feed. I will never raise chicks with the intention of butchering in the summer again. The flies would have been horrible this past summer if I had actually done the deed.
The mosquito problem diminished considerably this past season with the exception of when the neighbor watered for 5 days after taking a couple months off due to a ditch squabble he was having with the other neighbor that shares with him. This summer season, the flies were obnoxious, but I would rather have them than the mosquitoes!
Eweness and Frank, our Jacob sheep pair moved in together the latter part of October. He had his mind set as to what he wanted to accomplish, so we should have a lamb the first part of April. I intend on supplementing her Bermuda grass hay diet with some reserved Timothy hay that I packaged up in the past.
Donald left the company that he was working for after 17 years in June 2011. He is much happier with his new company still today, but is home less than before. I tried to hire some help, but they either didn't show up or would not return calls. The sad part is I know who I would like to hire but he is currently in the country illegally. He is a good worker with many abilities, but I just can't take the chance. I tried to figure out how to get him a work visa, but it is a huge research project that I just haven't had time to pursue.
Our daughter started college locally. After the first semester, she applied to transfer to University of Arizona. She is interested in the Veterinary Science program and will start this fall. Our other daughter just got her driver's permit. When she gets her license, I will have many more hours to work on projects around the ranch.
We were able to get 10 more acres of Bermuda planted. It came in nicely, however, after the neighbor planted to the west of us (the wind comes from the SW and W primarily), weeds began growing in the field. The mower conked out on us during the last cutting of the third fields. We were unable to cut the new fourth fields before they went dormant and the weeds spread. We reluctantly will have to spray a broad leaf weed killer to eliminate them, as there are some that are toxic to horses. Morning Glory and some "horseweed" will be treated, but the Johnson grass (also from the neighbor's fields) would not be killed with a broadleaf weed killer. We are hopeful that the Bermuda will choke out the Johnson grass this spring. The first cutting will probably be sacrificed, meaning not sold to our hay clients.
We have made some progress on the barn electrical. We had to hire an electrician to do some conduit and wiring, because Donald just doesn't have any time now. The work was mediocre at best and a lot of the metal studs in the feed room were bent as a result of his work. This all has to be fixed in order to hang the drywall. Many fixtures were not braced properly and Donald has spent any spare time redoing those problems.
We have plenty of repairs to attend to this winter on the equipment as well as the normal maintenance. I'm not sure when I will post again.
The hatching of extra meat birds and turkeys for an individual to purchase, ended up falling through so that I had many more birds than I intended. The summer was hot enough that I could not inspire myself to set up the butcher station to process the birds until fall. By then many had gotten too large to be very good for meat, or had died from the heat. I gave some of the grown turkeys away to a neighbor that gives them to families from his church. It was an expensive "donation" as they were fed quality feed. I will never raise chicks with the intention of butchering in the summer again. The flies would have been horrible this past summer if I had actually done the deed.
The mosquito problem diminished considerably this past season with the exception of when the neighbor watered for 5 days after taking a couple months off due to a ditch squabble he was having with the other neighbor that shares with him. This summer season, the flies were obnoxious, but I would rather have them than the mosquitoes!
Eweness and Frank, our Jacob sheep pair moved in together the latter part of October. He had his mind set as to what he wanted to accomplish, so we should have a lamb the first part of April. I intend on supplementing her Bermuda grass hay diet with some reserved Timothy hay that I packaged up in the past.
Donald left the company that he was working for after 17 years in June 2011. He is much happier with his new company still today, but is home less than before. I tried to hire some help, but they either didn't show up or would not return calls. The sad part is I know who I would like to hire but he is currently in the country illegally. He is a good worker with many abilities, but I just can't take the chance. I tried to figure out how to get him a work visa, but it is a huge research project that I just haven't had time to pursue.
Our daughter started college locally. After the first semester, she applied to transfer to University of Arizona. She is interested in the Veterinary Science program and will start this fall. Our other daughter just got her driver's permit. When she gets her license, I will have many more hours to work on projects around the ranch.
We were able to get 10 more acres of Bermuda planted. It came in nicely, however, after the neighbor planted to the west of us (the wind comes from the SW and W primarily), weeds began growing in the field. The mower conked out on us during the last cutting of the third fields. We were unable to cut the new fourth fields before they went dormant and the weeds spread. We reluctantly will have to spray a broad leaf weed killer to eliminate them, as there are some that are toxic to horses. Morning Glory and some "horseweed" will be treated, but the Johnson grass (also from the neighbor's fields) would not be killed with a broadleaf weed killer. We are hopeful that the Bermuda will choke out the Johnson grass this spring. The first cutting will probably be sacrificed, meaning not sold to our hay clients.
We have made some progress on the barn electrical. We had to hire an electrician to do some conduit and wiring, because Donald just doesn't have any time now. The work was mediocre at best and a lot of the metal studs in the feed room were bent as a result of his work. This all has to be fixed in order to hang the drywall. Many fixtures were not braced properly and Donald has spent any spare time redoing those problems.
We have plenty of repairs to attend to this winter on the equipment as well as the normal maintenance. I'm not sure when I will post again.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Now How Did You Get Into Farming?
Some one asked me how Donald and I got into farming the other day. I have been thinking about how to answer that. I suppose the short answer is that we had some horses that needed good quality hay, so we decided that we would have to grow our own to get what we wanted. We ended up selling the surplus and people were so happy with our hay the word spread and the demand increased.
The longer version would involve the building of a barn, a lawsuit, and general frustration with the food produced and sold to us in this country (including that from other countries as well). As I stated in an original post, we intended to run a show barn and breeding facility. We designed a barn and the property layout for this purpose. The barn included a breeding barn attached to the main raised center aisle barn with tack, utility, and feed rooms. The interior was wood paneled with various niceties for ease of use and practicality. We signed a contract in 2004 with Arizona MD Barn Company to have the barn built. We subcontracted the concrete with the company recommended by the owner of Arizona MD Barn Company, as they had worked together through the years. And the process was to begin.
We had some trouble getting the concrete guy to commit to a date, and the barn materials were ready for delivery. The barn guy said they would go ahead and deliver, they did it all the time, and the concrete would be done soon anyway. Remember he was in communication with the concrete guy on a regular basis. The materials were delivered in July 2005. There were many redrawings of the barn plan. The owner hand-drew the plans everytime there was a correction to be made. He would then make another error that would require a new drawing. It was rather comical at the time. What we didn't realize was that all these copies would end up getting intermixed, so the accurate drawing was never drawn. There were further code changes that year, so the engineering was slow as well.
Just after the delivery of the materials, Donald realized that we had extra parts (obviously large items that were identifiable like palpation chutes), and missing parts (feeders, doors, and other identifiable parts). He sent me an email, as I was in Oregon with the girls until September, telling me of this fact and that he would contact AZ MD Barns to let them know we needed to do an inventory of the materials. When the materials were delivered they were unloaded from a couple trucks and no bill of lading or other document was signed or received. We had know idea whether we had the essential parts or not. Of course not being in the barn building business, we had no idea what some of the parts were anyway.
The owner was in Texas and said it wasn't a problem that the barn we ordered would be built. We felt reassured and continued to finalize the concrete installation. We finally got Wimer Concrete out in October of 2005. Needless to say we were irritated with both companies as they were in cahoots and were putting us off. In the meantime, the ranch was hit with a microburst. That's a mini-tornado in the desert. We had 90 mph winds that threw barn parts all over the desert. The wind was so powerful it ripped a mare motel out of the ground and blew it a half mile north of us. It looked like a dead spider with all its legs crumpled. Donald called the owner of AZ MD Barns and was once again reassured that we would get our barn.
The moment the concrete was complete, it started cracking. They tried to tell me that it was normal. It was terrible. I had videotaped the pouring of the concrete for Donald for he was away for work and couldn't be there. If you know anything about concrete you know it can't be too wet and you don't throw dirt into it as you are pouring it. The job was too big for this crew and they couldn't keep up and the temperatures were working against them too. As it turned out they had not put the metal mesh in the concrete, but had opted for a fiber material. They didn't order the concrete with that either. It was a disaster.
After researching our options, we had an inspector come out and he told us that the concrete was not acceptable. We filed a claim with the Register of Contractors and Donald had to go to the hearing without an attorney. They twisted everything around and decided that we had blocked access to Wimer Concrete to come on the property to do repairs. Repairs? We had to tear out the entire pour and have it disposed of in truck loads. We didn't pay Wimer a dime, thank goodness. We were still out the expense of the removal, and still didn't have our barn.
We had a friend in Oregon that poured concrete and asked his advise. He wanted to come down and spend some time in Arizona and visit family and get out of the cold for a bit, and said he'd come help us out. So he and his son stayed with us on the ranch and we got the concrete poured. It was perfect. Not a single crack. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. We have the concrete to prove it.
In the meantime, the barn guy finally came out to the property. We really wanted an inventory of the materials. We just didn't want to have something crucial missing. There were parts that he had directed his workers to come and take with out notifying us. We were panicked that someone was stealing the materials. When we called him he told us that they had taken them. At this point we had no idea what was left of our materials or as it turned out some materials that others had ordered and were unloaded on our property.
When he looked over the materials after the storm, he told us that boxes of fasteners were missing. Now these would be 12" square boxes filled with nuts and bolts and such, not something the wind could blow but a few feet. We had no idea what he was talking about. We had never seen such boxes.
He suggested that they were stolen. Donald asked who would want to steal such a box? He immediately retorted that maybe we had taken them. How absurd? Why would we want to delay the construction of the barn, and what would we do with them? Is there a blackmarket for barn parts? Unless they worked in a field building barns there wouldn't be any use for these. Perhaps one of his guys would have stolen them? I suggested this in a later phone call, when he again suggested that we had taken the boxes!
He later sent us a bill to replace the missing parts, in order to construct the barn. We told him we were not inclined to pay for them again since we didn't know if they ever arrived on the property. We had no inventory. He had decided to charge us for the parts again.
It was now the spring of 2006 and the second concrete pour was completed. After the first pour we had contacted the barn guy and told him we weren't sure about the concrete and asked if he would advise us. He never responded. After we rejected the first pour, we got a threatening letter from an attorney stating that a lien on the property would be put into effect by Arizona MD Barns. We were confused, as we had been actively preparing for the barn installation and expected to have the installation as we had contracted. Everything had been paid as the contract dictated.
Arizona MD Barn Company was refusing to build the barn now. They claimed that they didn't trust that we would pay in the last payment. Everything had been paid on time through the process. He had gotten enough money to cover the cost of the materials with a big profit. The remaining cost would be for the labor to construct the barn. He wouldn't lose a thing at this point if he just refused to build.
We met with an attorney to be advised. He suggested we hire a third party to construct the barn to find out what was missing, since we had no idea. And we would file a breach of contract claim against Arizona MD Barn Company.
Barn construction companies aren't a dime a dozen. This was a large complicated barn, so it took some searching to find someone willing to take the job. In my research, I some how got the address of the owner of the MD Barn Enterprises. I wrote him a letter in desperation explaining the situation and our feelings of helplessness regarding any progress with the owner of Arizona MD Barn Company in resolving this issue.
We hired another barn construction company to determine what was missing and what was damaged through the construction of the barn. Remember the materials had been lying in the desert since July 2005. It was now January 2007. Weather and termites had had some damaging effect on the wood panels for the interior of the barn. Donald and I were wandering the property looking at the mess when we discovered a pile of wall panels. The cardboard that separated the panels had deteriorated to the point that we could see in between the panels just barely. What we discovered was the top panel was a solid wall, but underneath were the panels that had the openings for the stall doors, so there was a space under the top panel. Low and behold, the missing fasteners that the barn guy was trying to make us pay for again! We notified him immediately, but he would not acknowledge us. We were told by his attorney that he would not construct the barn.
By the time the third party finished the barn, the owner of the MD Enterprises had contacted our barn guy and told him to get the missing parts to us. We had UPS, DHL and FedEx trucks coming non-stop with more barn materials. We had to pay the third party to erect the barn, knowing that it was possible that they may be missing something crucial that would not enable them to finish. They were able to get the barn up, but it was such a disappointment.
The termite and water damage was terrible. The owner of the MD Enterprises contacted me to make sure we were happy with the barn. I was honest and sent him pictures. He immediately contacted the head of manufacturing out of California and sent someone to evaluate the damages. When he arrived he took a look at the barn and made a list of parts that needed to be replaced. The list was longer than ours. He then ordered the CA crew to bring the missing parts and replace them at no cost.
It was the summer of 2007 when the barn was completed. We loved and still love the barn. It is a beautiful building. But what the owner of Arizona MD Barns had done was wrong. So we continued with our suit against him.
The legal system is a fiasco. We did our depositions and we all decided to have an arbitration hearing for the decision. The arbitrator found in our favor. The barn guy appealed. We were to have a jury trial. When we arrived, the court had not selected a jury and wanted to know if we could have the judge decide. At this point, we all just wanted to get it over with. We went through the trial.
The judge took almost five months to make her decision. It was not in our favor. So we appealed. That's where we are now in 2011.
I have skipped over some of the details, because it is really more of a book than a blog post. Needless to say, circumstances caused us to rethink our objectives. Farming was underway, so we expanded, adding more fields and tried other grass hays. We decided to add some livestock, poultry and garden produce. That is the long version of how we got into farming.
The longer version would involve the building of a barn, a lawsuit, and general frustration with the food produced and sold to us in this country (including that from other countries as well). As I stated in an original post, we intended to run a show barn and breeding facility. We designed a barn and the property layout for this purpose. The barn included a breeding barn attached to the main raised center aisle barn with tack, utility, and feed rooms. The interior was wood paneled with various niceties for ease of use and practicality. We signed a contract in 2004 with Arizona MD Barn Company to have the barn built. We subcontracted the concrete with the company recommended by the owner of Arizona MD Barn Company, as they had worked together through the years. And the process was to begin.
We had some trouble getting the concrete guy to commit to a date, and the barn materials were ready for delivery. The barn guy said they would go ahead and deliver, they did it all the time, and the concrete would be done soon anyway. Remember he was in communication with the concrete guy on a regular basis. The materials were delivered in July 2005. There were many redrawings of the barn plan. The owner hand-drew the plans everytime there was a correction to be made. He would then make another error that would require a new drawing. It was rather comical at the time. What we didn't realize was that all these copies would end up getting intermixed, so the accurate drawing was never drawn. There were further code changes that year, so the engineering was slow as well.
Just after the delivery of the materials, Donald realized that we had extra parts (obviously large items that were identifiable like palpation chutes), and missing parts (feeders, doors, and other identifiable parts). He sent me an email, as I was in Oregon with the girls until September, telling me of this fact and that he would contact AZ MD Barns to let them know we needed to do an inventory of the materials. When the materials were delivered they were unloaded from a couple trucks and no bill of lading or other document was signed or received. We had know idea whether we had the essential parts or not. Of course not being in the barn building business, we had no idea what some of the parts were anyway.
The owner was in Texas and said it wasn't a problem that the barn we ordered would be built. We felt reassured and continued to finalize the concrete installation. We finally got Wimer Concrete out in October of 2005. Needless to say we were irritated with both companies as they were in cahoots and were putting us off. In the meantime, the ranch was hit with a microburst. That's a mini-tornado in the desert. We had 90 mph winds that threw barn parts all over the desert. The wind was so powerful it ripped a mare motel out of the ground and blew it a half mile north of us. It looked like a dead spider with all its legs crumpled. Donald called the owner of AZ MD Barns and was once again reassured that we would get our barn.
The moment the concrete was complete, it started cracking. They tried to tell me that it was normal. It was terrible. I had videotaped the pouring of the concrete for Donald for he was away for work and couldn't be there. If you know anything about concrete you know it can't be too wet and you don't throw dirt into it as you are pouring it. The job was too big for this crew and they couldn't keep up and the temperatures were working against them too. As it turned out they had not put the metal mesh in the concrete, but had opted for a fiber material. They didn't order the concrete with that either. It was a disaster.
After researching our options, we had an inspector come out and he told us that the concrete was not acceptable. We filed a claim with the Register of Contractors and Donald had to go to the hearing without an attorney. They twisted everything around and decided that we had blocked access to Wimer Concrete to come on the property to do repairs. Repairs? We had to tear out the entire pour and have it disposed of in truck loads. We didn't pay Wimer a dime, thank goodness. We were still out the expense of the removal, and still didn't have our barn.
We had a friend in Oregon that poured concrete and asked his advise. He wanted to come down and spend some time in Arizona and visit family and get out of the cold for a bit, and said he'd come help us out. So he and his son stayed with us on the ranch and we got the concrete poured. It was perfect. Not a single crack. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. We have the concrete to prove it.
In the meantime, the barn guy finally came out to the property. We really wanted an inventory of the materials. We just didn't want to have something crucial missing. There were parts that he had directed his workers to come and take with out notifying us. We were panicked that someone was stealing the materials. When we called him he told us that they had taken them. At this point we had no idea what was left of our materials or as it turned out some materials that others had ordered and were unloaded on our property.
When he looked over the materials after the storm, he told us that boxes of fasteners were missing. Now these would be 12" square boxes filled with nuts and bolts and such, not something the wind could blow but a few feet. We had no idea what he was talking about. We had never seen such boxes.
He suggested that they were stolen. Donald asked who would want to steal such a box? He immediately retorted that maybe we had taken them. How absurd? Why would we want to delay the construction of the barn, and what would we do with them? Is there a blackmarket for barn parts? Unless they worked in a field building barns there wouldn't be any use for these. Perhaps one of his guys would have stolen them? I suggested this in a later phone call, when he again suggested that we had taken the boxes!
He later sent us a bill to replace the missing parts, in order to construct the barn. We told him we were not inclined to pay for them again since we didn't know if they ever arrived on the property. We had no inventory. He had decided to charge us for the parts again.
It was now the spring of 2006 and the second concrete pour was completed. After the first pour we had contacted the barn guy and told him we weren't sure about the concrete and asked if he would advise us. He never responded. After we rejected the first pour, we got a threatening letter from an attorney stating that a lien on the property would be put into effect by Arizona MD Barns. We were confused, as we had been actively preparing for the barn installation and expected to have the installation as we had contracted. Everything had been paid as the contract dictated.
Arizona MD Barn Company was refusing to build the barn now. They claimed that they didn't trust that we would pay in the last payment. Everything had been paid on time through the process. He had gotten enough money to cover the cost of the materials with a big profit. The remaining cost would be for the labor to construct the barn. He wouldn't lose a thing at this point if he just refused to build.
We met with an attorney to be advised. He suggested we hire a third party to construct the barn to find out what was missing, since we had no idea. And we would file a breach of contract claim against Arizona MD Barn Company.
Barn construction companies aren't a dime a dozen. This was a large complicated barn, so it took some searching to find someone willing to take the job. In my research, I some how got the address of the owner of the MD Barn Enterprises. I wrote him a letter in desperation explaining the situation and our feelings of helplessness regarding any progress with the owner of Arizona MD Barn Company in resolving this issue.
We hired another barn construction company to determine what was missing and what was damaged through the construction of the barn. Remember the materials had been lying in the desert since July 2005. It was now January 2007. Weather and termites had had some damaging effect on the wood panels for the interior of the barn. Donald and I were wandering the property looking at the mess when we discovered a pile of wall panels. The cardboard that separated the panels had deteriorated to the point that we could see in between the panels just barely. What we discovered was the top panel was a solid wall, but underneath were the panels that had the openings for the stall doors, so there was a space under the top panel. Low and behold, the missing fasteners that the barn guy was trying to make us pay for again! We notified him immediately, but he would not acknowledge us. We were told by his attorney that he would not construct the barn.
By the time the third party finished the barn, the owner of the MD Enterprises had contacted our barn guy and told him to get the missing parts to us. We had UPS, DHL and FedEx trucks coming non-stop with more barn materials. We had to pay the third party to erect the barn, knowing that it was possible that they may be missing something crucial that would not enable them to finish. They were able to get the barn up, but it was such a disappointment.
The termite and water damage was terrible. The owner of the MD Enterprises contacted me to make sure we were happy with the barn. I was honest and sent him pictures. He immediately contacted the head of manufacturing out of California and sent someone to evaluate the damages. When he arrived he took a look at the barn and made a list of parts that needed to be replaced. The list was longer than ours. He then ordered the CA crew to bring the missing parts and replace them at no cost.
It was the summer of 2007 when the barn was completed. We loved and still love the barn. It is a beautiful building. But what the owner of Arizona MD Barns had done was wrong. So we continued with our suit against him.
The legal system is a fiasco. We did our depositions and we all decided to have an arbitration hearing for the decision. The arbitrator found in our favor. The barn guy appealed. We were to have a jury trial. When we arrived, the court had not selected a jury and wanted to know if we could have the judge decide. At this point, we all just wanted to get it over with. We went through the trial.
The judge took almost five months to make her decision. It was not in our favor. So we appealed. That's where we are now in 2011.
I have skipped over some of the details, because it is really more of a book than a blog post. Needless to say, circumstances caused us to rethink our objectives. Farming was underway, so we expanded, adding more fields and tried other grass hays. We decided to add some livestock, poultry and garden produce. That is the long version of how we got into farming.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Already Mid-June
I am feeling thankful for a very mild introduction to our summer this season. June is supposed to be the hottest month and we have been very fortunate to have had what I would describe as reasonable temperatures for the desert. I am not sure if it is the mild temperatures or my new mosquito management program that is responsible for the minimal pest population this year. But whatever it is I am very happy to have had the relief so far.
I have been diligent, if not a little frugal, with the distribution of the larvaecide Altosid. I have spent hours next to the ditch sprinkling the granules into the irrigation water. I feel like I have been holding my breath waiting for the onslaught, but with the exception of one short-lived outbreak last month, we have been been rather comfortable. The granules are supposed to be spread across irrigated land prior to flooding. I tried using a fertilizer spreader, that I spent a great deal of time on the phone trying to crack the settings code to determine the best setting for the tiny granules, only to discover in the end that the settings would not go low enough to distribute appropriately. After that I spent time putting the product into the water, which is not the recommendation. I aborted that plan when I realized the product could be ending up on the bottom of the ditch caught in the silt and debris and not flowing onto the field. I then took to the Gator. I had pre-measured baggies to be distributed per acre. I then would mark out my target area and throw scoop fulls out into the field driving along in the Gator prior to irrigating. This got the product out, but my distribution was probably a little spotty, and my trapezius muscle has started to bulge with spasms as a result.
I finally ordered the backpack blower, the Maruyama Blower. It will come in next week sometime, along with some more of the granules. So I will be ready for the next distribution. I only have to spread the granules every 21 days. So we should be set until into July. I have dropped the briquet products into the neighbor's standing water in their ill-maintained ditches. Those last for 90 days.
Donald and I were feeding horses in the barn last night, and he reminded me that it has been a very long time since we have not had mosquitoes in the barn at this time of the year. I am still not ready to be convinced that there is another explanation yet, but I am hoping it is my treatment.
I irrigated this past Tuesday and ended up with standing water on the horse pasture 1B. The ground has become so compacted that even .6 of an acre foot of water is not being absorbed like it should be. This will be a real test of the mosquito infestation. I am guessing there will be mosquitoes present by this weekend. The field was treated, but I have never had such poor absorption on a field. I question whether the product will be effective in this situation. Time will tell.
The horses are all in the barn, as the pasture 1A has been plowed and disked in preparation for re-seeding of the Bermuda. This is the side that we planted the winter pasture and the condition of this field is very nice for growing. The 1B side will need to be cultivated and re-seeded eventually. Because I irrigated 1B, the horses don't have a pasture to graze in at this point. We will level 1A ourselves prior to planting. We are able to do a level field, but not one with a slope with our laser equipment.
The 4A and 4B fields have been plowed and disked and we just negotiated a trade with our neighbor to have him laser a slope onto those fields. We will pay the diesel and we will lend him a piece of equipment that he wants to borrow. I feel like it's a little in our favor, but I may give him some turkey poults to make me feel better, if he is interested.
We have enough seed to do the pasture, but we will have to order seed for the fourth fields. The price was ridiculous this winter for Bermuda. We are hoping to find a better price now that some of the seed farmers have started getting some seed off this year's fields. We will have to hire a guy to seed with a Brillion. Bermuda seed is extremely small and broadcast seeding does not work. The Brillion drags a little trench, pushes the seed into the trench, and covers it up at a specified depth. The depth is something like a quarter inch and this really makes a difference in your growth success. We will put some phosphate to stimulate the initial growth of the field.
We have had a lot of diversions with the start of the hay season, preventing us from getting the railing on the arena finished. But the fields have to be done as the season dictates, so once we are done with those, we will return to the arena in between cuttings and deliveries.
Our first cutting this year was a disappointment. The temperatures have been fantastic for humans and animals, but the Bermuda really needs those miserably hot nights to thrive. We have had evening temperatures in the 50s even into June this year. So the growth rate was slow and uneven. 3A grew better, so we only sold the hay from that field. 3B was too short to make nice flakes in the bales, so we set those aside for our own use. The yield was low on 3B, so at least I don't have too many of the bales that fall apart. I just put them in the big cart, so all the hay is in the cart when I open a bale that doesn't hold its flakes well. The horses sure weren't complaining, so I guess I'll make it through until I can put up some more manageable bales for ourselves.
I got some information regarding some hay we sold last year to a client through another client. Apparently, her horses would not eat the hay. She ended up selling it to another woman (also a client), but didn't tell us about it. This was last fall, so we couldn't piece together any information as to what field, if it was fertilized, or watered in some different way....So we don't know what went wrong with that batch of hay. The other woman's horses ate it without any problem, so the gal didn't say anything to us. On the other hand, we got a call regarding this year's hay from another client that said the hay was fantastic and her horses don't leave a single blade. She wanted to make sure we put her on the list for the next cutting. We don't really don't have enough hay to supply the demand this year. People really are having trouble getting hay. I suppose the shipping over-seas and to Texas is really limiting what is available locally this year.
I should mention our rather extroverted Kingsnake has obviously become more comfortable with our presence this year. He or she has been known to follow Erin around the horse barn while she is feeding horses. I have watched him nose into mouse holes around and in the poultry barn, coming out the other end into some of the stalls at times. Yesterday while feeding the latest clutch of chicks and poults, I discovered the Kingsnake in their stall eating mice. He finished both while I was standing in the stall with him. I have to admit, I was surprised at my calm state, and patience as he finished his meal. When I saw him shrink his body small enough to fit through the 1" metal fencing hole, I decided maybe a smaller screen needs to be applied for the stall housing the smallest chicks or poults. I will have to add this to the list of things to do.
There are lots of positive things happening with our family and progress is forward with the ranch, even if it goes slowly sometimes. If we are successful in managing the mosquitoes this year, I will feel like there is a future for me here in the desert.
I have been diligent, if not a little frugal, with the distribution of the larvaecide Altosid. I have spent hours next to the ditch sprinkling the granules into the irrigation water. I feel like I have been holding my breath waiting for the onslaught, but with the exception of one short-lived outbreak last month, we have been been rather comfortable. The granules are supposed to be spread across irrigated land prior to flooding. I tried using a fertilizer spreader, that I spent a great deal of time on the phone trying to crack the settings code to determine the best setting for the tiny granules, only to discover in the end that the settings would not go low enough to distribute appropriately. After that I spent time putting the product into the water, which is not the recommendation. I aborted that plan when I realized the product could be ending up on the bottom of the ditch caught in the silt and debris and not flowing onto the field. I then took to the Gator. I had pre-measured baggies to be distributed per acre. I then would mark out my target area and throw scoop fulls out into the field driving along in the Gator prior to irrigating. This got the product out, but my distribution was probably a little spotty, and my trapezius muscle has started to bulge with spasms as a result.
I finally ordered the backpack blower, the Maruyama Blower. It will come in next week sometime, along with some more of the granules. So I will be ready for the next distribution. I only have to spread the granules every 21 days. So we should be set until into July. I have dropped the briquet products into the neighbor's standing water in their ill-maintained ditches. Those last for 90 days.
Donald and I were feeding horses in the barn last night, and he reminded me that it has been a very long time since we have not had mosquitoes in the barn at this time of the year. I am still not ready to be convinced that there is another explanation yet, but I am hoping it is my treatment.
I irrigated this past Tuesday and ended up with standing water on the horse pasture 1B. The ground has become so compacted that even .6 of an acre foot of water is not being absorbed like it should be. This will be a real test of the mosquito infestation. I am guessing there will be mosquitoes present by this weekend. The field was treated, but I have never had such poor absorption on a field. I question whether the product will be effective in this situation. Time will tell.
The horses are all in the barn, as the pasture 1A has been plowed and disked in preparation for re-seeding of the Bermuda. This is the side that we planted the winter pasture and the condition of this field is very nice for growing. The 1B side will need to be cultivated and re-seeded eventually. Because I irrigated 1B, the horses don't have a pasture to graze in at this point. We will level 1A ourselves prior to planting. We are able to do a level field, but not one with a slope with our laser equipment.
The 4A and 4B fields have been plowed and disked and we just negotiated a trade with our neighbor to have him laser a slope onto those fields. We will pay the diesel and we will lend him a piece of equipment that he wants to borrow. I feel like it's a little in our favor, but I may give him some turkey poults to make me feel better, if he is interested.
We have enough seed to do the pasture, but we will have to order seed for the fourth fields. The price was ridiculous this winter for Bermuda. We are hoping to find a better price now that some of the seed farmers have started getting some seed off this year's fields. We will have to hire a guy to seed with a Brillion. Bermuda seed is extremely small and broadcast seeding does not work. The Brillion drags a little trench, pushes the seed into the trench, and covers it up at a specified depth. The depth is something like a quarter inch and this really makes a difference in your growth success. We will put some phosphate to stimulate the initial growth of the field.
We have had a lot of diversions with the start of the hay season, preventing us from getting the railing on the arena finished. But the fields have to be done as the season dictates, so once we are done with those, we will return to the arena in between cuttings and deliveries.
Our first cutting this year was a disappointment. The temperatures have been fantastic for humans and animals, but the Bermuda really needs those miserably hot nights to thrive. We have had evening temperatures in the 50s even into June this year. So the growth rate was slow and uneven. 3A grew better, so we only sold the hay from that field. 3B was too short to make nice flakes in the bales, so we set those aside for our own use. The yield was low on 3B, so at least I don't have too many of the bales that fall apart. I just put them in the big cart, so all the hay is in the cart when I open a bale that doesn't hold its flakes well. The horses sure weren't complaining, so I guess I'll make it through until I can put up some more manageable bales for ourselves.
I got some information regarding some hay we sold last year to a client through another client. Apparently, her horses would not eat the hay. She ended up selling it to another woman (also a client), but didn't tell us about it. This was last fall, so we couldn't piece together any information as to what field, if it was fertilized, or watered in some different way....So we don't know what went wrong with that batch of hay. The other woman's horses ate it without any problem, so the gal didn't say anything to us. On the other hand, we got a call regarding this year's hay from another client that said the hay was fantastic and her horses don't leave a single blade. She wanted to make sure we put her on the list for the next cutting. We don't really don't have enough hay to supply the demand this year. People really are having trouble getting hay. I suppose the shipping over-seas and to Texas is really limiting what is available locally this year.
I should mention our rather extroverted Kingsnake has obviously become more comfortable with our presence this year. He or she has been known to follow Erin around the horse barn while she is feeding horses. I have watched him nose into mouse holes around and in the poultry barn, coming out the other end into some of the stalls at times. Yesterday while feeding the latest clutch of chicks and poults, I discovered the Kingsnake in their stall eating mice. He finished both while I was standing in the stall with him. I have to admit, I was surprised at my calm state, and patience as he finished his meal. When I saw him shrink his body small enough to fit through the 1" metal fencing hole, I decided maybe a smaller screen needs to be applied for the stall housing the smallest chicks or poults. I will have to add this to the list of things to do.
There are lots of positive things happening with our family and progress is forward with the ranch, even if it goes slowly sometimes. If we are successful in managing the mosquitoes this year, I will feel like there is a future for me here in the desert.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Being Stalked by a Coyote
We have lost three of our Bourbon Red Turkeys to a coyote. We have been stalked by him and he has figured out when the dogs are all fed and has made his move. So we adaptted and rotated the feedings, so there was always a dog on duty. The coyote has been patient. We had to lock up the turkeys with the intention of removing the predator before they would be allowed out again. I gave in Sunday evening and decided to let them out for a hour before dusk. We were working nearby so we could keep an eye on things. When we went to lock them up, one hen was missing. We knew she hadn't been nabbed, but had probably found a spot to hunker down for the night. We searched into the darkness for her hiding spot. We couldn't find her, but we knew she was still around. The next morning Donald went out to do a quick recovery and get her back in the pen for the day, and found the coyote with her freshly killed carcass next to the irrigation ditch. The coyote had gotten her moments before.
I was so mad at myself for letting them out. And Donald was so mad at himself for missing his shot. He had cleaned his gun and taken the scope off and had not re-sighted it. He still hasn't made it to the range to make adjustments and two mornings in a row the coyote has been back. The dogs tell us it's here and we scramble. Sometimes it's someone driving on a distant road or a neighbor's dog visiting, but we have had so many coyote visits, we aren't ignoring any warning barks. Bear just isn't enthusiastic about a big chase these days. He goes out to a certain imaginery line and then turns back once the coyote starts to trot away. Donald says "Bear has retired." We have to figure out a way to put one of the Pyrenese out to do Bear's job.
The problem is Zeus could probably do the job, but he'll probably kill Bear if we don't isolate him from Zeus. Titan gets along better with Bear, but we're not sure he wouldn't wander off. So much talent, but so many traits to neutralize their value! What's a soft-hearted rancher to do?
The horses have been doing great on the pasture. They are all looking much fuller and have shed the winter coats, so they have a shine these days. So far they aren't being bothered by any bugs, specifically mosquitoes, so life is good for them.
We are going to have to irrigate one more time before cutting the hay fields. We were hoping to cut this week, but there just isn't enough growth to make good flakes in the bales. We will irrigate the next couple days and we should be able to cut at the end of the month. It always seems to be the end of May for our first cutting. I just hoped it would be a little early this year.
We have had a lot of maintenance and repairs to do around the ranch. Just recently we had to dig up the drainage pipe for the washrack on the barn to put in some clean-outs. The muck had built up in the pipe, so that the washrack was not draining to the trees anymore and there was standing water in the wash rack. That was completed, but now we have to re-plumb the cut water lines to the trees on the perimeter for the lines were in the way of the work we needed to do for the clean-outs. The intersection where we put the clean outs is directly in front of the round pen gate. There will be boxes when we are finished that will house the clean outs for access. We will have to switch a couple panels to relocate the gate to the round pen. We don't want to have the horse traffic over the boxes for safety reasons. It is yet another job that requires a couple people.
The first batch of chicks and turkeys will be moved out to the pasture in the chicken tractor today. The visiting coyote makes me nervous, but the tractor is pretty secure. We have another clutch due to hatch this week. We have some people interested in buying chicks and poults, so I have put extra into the incubator. My fear is that they will change their minds and I will have a lot more chicks than I want at a time. I am anticipating the butchering process and I know my limitations. I am not an endurance butcher :)
As I spend so much time in the barns, the house is progressively getting dustier and more cluttered. I tell myself that the extreme heat will be here soon and will chase me inside again. I will take care of the interior when the heat drives me inside. In the meantime, I can barely stand to be in the messy house.
Time to go back outside and avoid the nagging irritation of the dusty piano and television!
I was so mad at myself for letting them out. And Donald was so mad at himself for missing his shot. He had cleaned his gun and taken the scope off and had not re-sighted it. He still hasn't made it to the range to make adjustments and two mornings in a row the coyote has been back. The dogs tell us it's here and we scramble. Sometimes it's someone driving on a distant road or a neighbor's dog visiting, but we have had so many coyote visits, we aren't ignoring any warning barks. Bear just isn't enthusiastic about a big chase these days. He goes out to a certain imaginery line and then turns back once the coyote starts to trot away. Donald says "Bear has retired." We have to figure out a way to put one of the Pyrenese out to do Bear's job.
The problem is Zeus could probably do the job, but he'll probably kill Bear if we don't isolate him from Zeus. Titan gets along better with Bear, but we're not sure he wouldn't wander off. So much talent, but so many traits to neutralize their value! What's a soft-hearted rancher to do?
The horses have been doing great on the pasture. They are all looking much fuller and have shed the winter coats, so they have a shine these days. So far they aren't being bothered by any bugs, specifically mosquitoes, so life is good for them.
We are going to have to irrigate one more time before cutting the hay fields. We were hoping to cut this week, but there just isn't enough growth to make good flakes in the bales. We will irrigate the next couple days and we should be able to cut at the end of the month. It always seems to be the end of May for our first cutting. I just hoped it would be a little early this year.
We have had a lot of maintenance and repairs to do around the ranch. Just recently we had to dig up the drainage pipe for the washrack on the barn to put in some clean-outs. The muck had built up in the pipe, so that the washrack was not draining to the trees anymore and there was standing water in the wash rack. That was completed, but now we have to re-plumb the cut water lines to the trees on the perimeter for the lines were in the way of the work we needed to do for the clean-outs. The intersection where we put the clean outs is directly in front of the round pen gate. There will be boxes when we are finished that will house the clean outs for access. We will have to switch a couple panels to relocate the gate to the round pen. We don't want to have the horse traffic over the boxes for safety reasons. It is yet another job that requires a couple people.
The first batch of chicks and turkeys will be moved out to the pasture in the chicken tractor today. The visiting coyote makes me nervous, but the tractor is pretty secure. We have another clutch due to hatch this week. We have some people interested in buying chicks and poults, so I have put extra into the incubator. My fear is that they will change their minds and I will have a lot more chicks than I want at a time. I am anticipating the butchering process and I know my limitations. I am not an endurance butcher :)
As I spend so much time in the barns, the house is progressively getting dustier and more cluttered. I tell myself that the extreme heat will be here soon and will chase me inside again. I will take care of the interior when the heat drives me inside. In the meantime, I can barely stand to be in the messy house.
Time to go back outside and avoid the nagging irritation of the dusty piano and television!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Fantastic Springtime
I love this time of year! The temperatures are so wonderful, there are no mosquitoes yet, and everything is greening up. I am happy to have discovered that all of the grapes that lived through last summer, survived the winter. Alas, the blackberries planted last spring did not survive the summer, and this spring's blackberries didn't last but a few weeks. Even with the fencing around the blackberries, there was yet a smaller rodent that got in and devoured all the leaves on both plants. The grapes were pruned in February, so they should train well to cover the fence around the chicken yard through the summer. We may even get some grapes this year.
Last year's pine and mulberries that survived the summer also made it through the winter. These are planted along the eastern side of the property. I am still debating as to whether I will replace them so that they maintain the every other pattern, or take the cottonwoods that have sprung up in the orchard area and transplant them. We did have one casualty this winter; the lemon tree. It just couldn't take the freezing temperatures, even with a cover. The pomegranate survived with one branch greening up in the last few weeks. I am thankful.
The Bermuda grass is coming in like gang-busters. The first cutting will probably be the first weekend of May if things continue as they are. We have had more calls from people desperate for hay this winter and spring than ever before. I am even running low this spring. I will be relieved to get a few stacks in the barn.
We have had two horses arrive at the ranch. They were obviously used by drug runners to pack drugs in from Mexico. As soon as they are done with their trip, they cut the horses loose to fend for themselves. Fortunately, for these two it is early enough that they were not dying of thirst like the ones in the heat of the summer. Those horses try to get water from the irrigation canals and fall in unable to get back out and are swept away to their death. We have helped pull both live and dead ones out of the canal. These current two horses are healing their backs and rehydrating. They both had bloodied backs from ill-fitted, overloaded packs. One has had severe damage to his right eye, leaving him blinded and with a disfunctional eye lid. The actual eye ball is very damaged and withering in the eye socket. They are both very broke and gentle. We are having a difficult time finding someone to take them. The blind one depends on the other, using him as a guide, keeping his good eye on him as he travels.
The arena posts are all in the ground. We will put the top rail on and order truck loads of bedding sand next. Of course, that is after we deal with the latest crisis with the well. The pressure tanks have split so badly they are unable to maintain pressure. The motor was switching on and off constantly, until the switch finally quit on us. In the meantime, I have had to run back and forth from the horse's water trough and the well to manually re-pressurize the tanks to get through watering the animals.
We are also in an on-going state of having to repair plumbing leaks all over the property. Every leak is at a plastic fitting. Plastic is such a ineffective product when it comes to the extreme temperatures of our desert. The difficulty is actually finding the fittings in brass or some type of metal. Plastic is a source of replacement part income for companies, so why stock something that will last that they can't make money on. We are in the process of redesigning some of the plumbing to eliminate as much plastic as possible.
This weekend is Easter. We have 8 new Call ducklings in the brooder and clutches of Americaunas, Freedom Rangers and Bourbon Red turkeys due to hatch Sunday just in time for Easter. We had a power outage in the course of the incubation, so we are not sure that we will have a good hatch rate this time around. A new clutch of Freedom Rangers and Bourbon Reds went into the incubator yesterday.
We had a terrible loss this spring. The temperatures hit over 100 degrees one day and of the second breeding set of Freedom Rangers, all but two died. They had been temporarily moved to an aviary, because the plumbing burst in their stall and the ground was drying out. I was so devastated. The remaining two were moved in with the other breeding set. It is a little crowded and they haven't been accepted very well, but they are able to jump up on the roost and get away. They other hens and the very aggressive rooster are unable to get up to the roost, so the two have a getaway. I am concerned that these heavy-bodied birds may have difficulty surviving our summer heat.
I had a perfect irrigation of the 3A field yesterday. That means that the water traveled all the way to the end of the field without pooling. I didn't have the same luck with the 1A horse pasture. We leveled that pasture flat, since it is a short field. The water traveled 3/4 of the way down the pasture, and I switched the water to the next field. In the past we have had a slight slope on this pasture and it would have continued down to cover the entire field. This time it stopped right where I switched it off and the water soaked in. So I shortchanged the pasture. I will have to go back and rewater it, so I don't lose the grass at the northern end. I will irrigate 3B tomorrow.
I will have to go to town today to purchase the pressure tanks. We had to clear all the tools and supplies out of the pick up that we have been using for the fencing in order to make space to haul the tanks. By having all the tools and materials in the pickup bed, it allows us to transport all of the tools to and from the work site, parking under cover in the evening in case of rain. Putting everything back in will take away time from actually working on a project. With our limited time, those little time consumers become a real nuisance.
Spring here is terrific. The evenings are gorgeous. I really should take up star gazing, because we have a magnificent sky at night. It is dark enough out here, you can really see a lot more stars than when you're in the city. I will enjoy the climate knowing the heat of the summer and all that comes with it, is just around the corner.
Last year's pine and mulberries that survived the summer also made it through the winter. These are planted along the eastern side of the property. I am still debating as to whether I will replace them so that they maintain the every other pattern, or take the cottonwoods that have sprung up in the orchard area and transplant them. We did have one casualty this winter; the lemon tree. It just couldn't take the freezing temperatures, even with a cover. The pomegranate survived with one branch greening up in the last few weeks. I am thankful.
The Bermuda grass is coming in like gang-busters. The first cutting will probably be the first weekend of May if things continue as they are. We have had more calls from people desperate for hay this winter and spring than ever before. I am even running low this spring. I will be relieved to get a few stacks in the barn.
We have had two horses arrive at the ranch. They were obviously used by drug runners to pack drugs in from Mexico. As soon as they are done with their trip, they cut the horses loose to fend for themselves. Fortunately, for these two it is early enough that they were not dying of thirst like the ones in the heat of the summer. Those horses try to get water from the irrigation canals and fall in unable to get back out and are swept away to their death. We have helped pull both live and dead ones out of the canal. These current two horses are healing their backs and rehydrating. They both had bloodied backs from ill-fitted, overloaded packs. One has had severe damage to his right eye, leaving him blinded and with a disfunctional eye lid. The actual eye ball is very damaged and withering in the eye socket. They are both very broke and gentle. We are having a difficult time finding someone to take them. The blind one depends on the other, using him as a guide, keeping his good eye on him as he travels.
The arena posts are all in the ground. We will put the top rail on and order truck loads of bedding sand next. Of course, that is after we deal with the latest crisis with the well. The pressure tanks have split so badly they are unable to maintain pressure. The motor was switching on and off constantly, until the switch finally quit on us. In the meantime, I have had to run back and forth from the horse's water trough and the well to manually re-pressurize the tanks to get through watering the animals.
We are also in an on-going state of having to repair plumbing leaks all over the property. Every leak is at a plastic fitting. Plastic is such a ineffective product when it comes to the extreme temperatures of our desert. The difficulty is actually finding the fittings in brass or some type of metal. Plastic is a source of replacement part income for companies, so why stock something that will last that they can't make money on. We are in the process of redesigning some of the plumbing to eliminate as much plastic as possible.
This weekend is Easter. We have 8 new Call ducklings in the brooder and clutches of Americaunas, Freedom Rangers and Bourbon Red turkeys due to hatch Sunday just in time for Easter. We had a power outage in the course of the incubation, so we are not sure that we will have a good hatch rate this time around. A new clutch of Freedom Rangers and Bourbon Reds went into the incubator yesterday.
We had a terrible loss this spring. The temperatures hit over 100 degrees one day and of the second breeding set of Freedom Rangers, all but two died. They had been temporarily moved to an aviary, because the plumbing burst in their stall and the ground was drying out. I was so devastated. The remaining two were moved in with the other breeding set. It is a little crowded and they haven't been accepted very well, but they are able to jump up on the roost and get away. They other hens and the very aggressive rooster are unable to get up to the roost, so the two have a getaway. I am concerned that these heavy-bodied birds may have difficulty surviving our summer heat.
I had a perfect irrigation of the 3A field yesterday. That means that the water traveled all the way to the end of the field without pooling. I didn't have the same luck with the 1A horse pasture. We leveled that pasture flat, since it is a short field. The water traveled 3/4 of the way down the pasture, and I switched the water to the next field. In the past we have had a slight slope on this pasture and it would have continued down to cover the entire field. This time it stopped right where I switched it off and the water soaked in. So I shortchanged the pasture. I will have to go back and rewater it, so I don't lose the grass at the northern end. I will irrigate 3B tomorrow.
I will have to go to town today to purchase the pressure tanks. We had to clear all the tools and supplies out of the pick up that we have been using for the fencing in order to make space to haul the tanks. By having all the tools and materials in the pickup bed, it allows us to transport all of the tools to and from the work site, parking under cover in the evening in case of rain. Putting everything back in will take away time from actually working on a project. With our limited time, those little time consumers become a real nuisance.
Spring here is terrific. The evenings are gorgeous. I really should take up star gazing, because we have a magnificent sky at night. It is dark enough out here, you can really see a lot more stars than when you're in the city. I will enjoy the climate knowing the heat of the summer and all that comes with it, is just around the corner.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Chickens and Horses
I have been delinquent in my documentation of the activities here on the ranch. As I am waiting for the horses in the barn to finish their hay and supplements, I will do an update.
The warmer temperatures, upper 70's to lower 90's, have arrived. It is still wonderful at night with temperatures in the 50's, so morning chores are done in comfort. The chore routine has been altered lately, as the horses are rotated on pasture and within the barn, and we have had some poultry relocations due to flooding and new arrivals.
The stored hay is getting low. We intended on having both sides of the horse pasture planted, but only one was completed. As a result the horses had to have more hay than projected. I will double what I put up for them this fall season, to prevent this anxiety next spring. Erin has started showing a couple of the horses, and insists on having them in the barn at night and feeding hay. And the stack dwindles. From what I have heard, hay is pretty scarce around here right now. I have gotten several calls from people looking for grass and alfalfa hay. I may have to find some for ourselves soon, if the Bermuda doesn't start growing a little faster in the 1B pasture. The winter pasture is finally starting to grow faster now that the temperatures have warmed.
In the poultry barn, we had a fitting break on one of the automatic waterers and I found a breeding set of 6 Freedom Rangers submerged to the neck one morning recently. Fortunately, the two that were suffering the most were able to make a speedy recovery in the warmth of the sunshine. After several buckets full of syphoning, I realized that I was going to need the sump pump to get the water out of the contained stall. With the extension cords strung across the implement depot, and a lot of clearing of shavings from the bottom of the pump, the majority of the water was removed. The stall has been drying out for about a week now and still is not close.
In the meantime, the Freedom Rangers were moved into the duck aviary and she was kicked out to fend for herself with the chickens in the yard. They are getting along famously, and I actually discovered that the duck started laying in the main coop with the chickens yesterday. The challenge is to get the duck to eat her special diet before the chickens devour it.
Emma was able to sell 8 Orpington cockerel bantams and the "ugly" Polish rooster. That was a great relief to "Fred" the old rooster in the main yard flock. He is getting older and had some run-ins with the younger Polish cock. He gave his fair share on those occasions, but was not going to be able to sustain. With the sale of the cockerels, we were able to move the breeding set of 5 Americaunas into the Orpingtion's old stall, The Hyatt. This shift freed up the Disneyland Resort stall for the brooder with the first clutch of call ducklings. Erin has labeled all the poultry stalls with 5 star hotel names. Emma has a couple more clutches of call duck eggs in the incubator that will eventually move into the outdoor brooder. She keeps them in a smaller indoor brooder for a couple days after they hatch, to make sure they are eating, drinking and thriving, before being moved out. They are very messy and smelly after a few days.
A small clutch of Bourbon Red turkey eggs are already in the incubator. Chicken eggs are being saved now for incubation from the Freedom Rangers and Americaunas. Their hatch date will be towards the end of April. The meat chickens will be raised for approximately 10 weeks, making an early July processing date. I will process the turkeys a little sooner than the last batch. I want to put up some dressed birds for family meals that can be on the smaller side. The Americaunas will be raised as layers and will replenish the flock. I will start a rotation of incubating eggs, so that I stagger the processing dates. I have learned that having a large number of birds all at once is difficult for me to complete with my scheduling conflicts and more pressing, my lack of stamina!
The arena fence posts should all be done this weekend, barring any more difficulties or obstacles. Once the posts are done, the top rail will be welded on. While that process is being done, I will laser level the arena and we will then order truckloads of sand. We will not be using the same sand that we put in the roundpen, as it compacts too easily and requires too much maintenance. The lower rail will then be welded.
The Bermuda fields were all burned. We intended on just burning the outer edges where the tumbleweed persists, but the wind made quick work of the fields. No loss (other than some organic matter). We are hopeful that the fields green up early this year, considering my low supply of hay.
Many projects continue to be slowed or delayed with ongoing repairs and maintenance requirements. I am hopeful that the barn wood oiling project will re-commence soon. Erin has been doing a lot of the barn chores, for which I am very grateful. She has been spending a lot of time working horses and cleaning the barn in general. It's nice to have her helping out.
The warmer temperatures, upper 70's to lower 90's, have arrived. It is still wonderful at night with temperatures in the 50's, so morning chores are done in comfort. The chore routine has been altered lately, as the horses are rotated on pasture and within the barn, and we have had some poultry relocations due to flooding and new arrivals.
The stored hay is getting low. We intended on having both sides of the horse pasture planted, but only one was completed. As a result the horses had to have more hay than projected. I will double what I put up for them this fall season, to prevent this anxiety next spring. Erin has started showing a couple of the horses, and insists on having them in the barn at night and feeding hay. And the stack dwindles. From what I have heard, hay is pretty scarce around here right now. I have gotten several calls from people looking for grass and alfalfa hay. I may have to find some for ourselves soon, if the Bermuda doesn't start growing a little faster in the 1B pasture. The winter pasture is finally starting to grow faster now that the temperatures have warmed.
In the poultry barn, we had a fitting break on one of the automatic waterers and I found a breeding set of 6 Freedom Rangers submerged to the neck one morning recently. Fortunately, the two that were suffering the most were able to make a speedy recovery in the warmth of the sunshine. After several buckets full of syphoning, I realized that I was going to need the sump pump to get the water out of the contained stall. With the extension cords strung across the implement depot, and a lot of clearing of shavings from the bottom of the pump, the majority of the water was removed. The stall has been drying out for about a week now and still is not close.
In the meantime, the Freedom Rangers were moved into the duck aviary and she was kicked out to fend for herself with the chickens in the yard. They are getting along famously, and I actually discovered that the duck started laying in the main coop with the chickens yesterday. The challenge is to get the duck to eat her special diet before the chickens devour it.
Emma was able to sell 8 Orpington cockerel bantams and the "ugly" Polish rooster. That was a great relief to "Fred" the old rooster in the main yard flock. He is getting older and had some run-ins with the younger Polish cock. He gave his fair share on those occasions, but was not going to be able to sustain. With the sale of the cockerels, we were able to move the breeding set of 5 Americaunas into the Orpingtion's old stall, The Hyatt. This shift freed up the Disneyland Resort stall for the brooder with the first clutch of call ducklings. Erin has labeled all the poultry stalls with 5 star hotel names. Emma has a couple more clutches of call duck eggs in the incubator that will eventually move into the outdoor brooder. She keeps them in a smaller indoor brooder for a couple days after they hatch, to make sure they are eating, drinking and thriving, before being moved out. They are very messy and smelly after a few days.
A small clutch of Bourbon Red turkey eggs are already in the incubator. Chicken eggs are being saved now for incubation from the Freedom Rangers and Americaunas. Their hatch date will be towards the end of April. The meat chickens will be raised for approximately 10 weeks, making an early July processing date. I will process the turkeys a little sooner than the last batch. I want to put up some dressed birds for family meals that can be on the smaller side. The Americaunas will be raised as layers and will replenish the flock. I will start a rotation of incubating eggs, so that I stagger the processing dates. I have learned that having a large number of birds all at once is difficult for me to complete with my scheduling conflicts and more pressing, my lack of stamina!
The arena fence posts should all be done this weekend, barring any more difficulties or obstacles. Once the posts are done, the top rail will be welded on. While that process is being done, I will laser level the arena and we will then order truckloads of sand. We will not be using the same sand that we put in the roundpen, as it compacts too easily and requires too much maintenance. The lower rail will then be welded.
The Bermuda fields were all burned. We intended on just burning the outer edges where the tumbleweed persists, but the wind made quick work of the fields. No loss (other than some organic matter). We are hopeful that the fields green up early this year, considering my low supply of hay.
Many projects continue to be slowed or delayed with ongoing repairs and maintenance requirements. I am hopeful that the barn wood oiling project will re-commence soon. Erin has been doing a lot of the barn chores, for which I am very grateful. She has been spending a lot of time working horses and cleaning the barn in general. It's nice to have her helping out.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Little House in the Desert
Moving into the little house that was on the property when we started up the ranch, was supposed to be temporary. We intended to get the horse barn up and then move onto the building of a house. Without going into all of the still unresolved issues with the construction of the barn (still in litigation), the process delayed any other progress indeterminately. We had three bedroom and four people with Donald working from a home office. We put the little girls together in one room, another was the office, and a master bedroom. The little girls grew and we separated them using the office for a bedroom, and put in an office trailer on the northeast side of the property. As the girls have grown, the house and its deficiencies have been a trial, but its "cozy."
You see we are in the middle of the desert and with the desert there are special little creatures that survive by adaptation and instinct. Bear the ranch dog is one of them, and he has contributed to several home repairs as a result of his desert survival instincts. One summer he found the ductwork under the house. Apparently, a little varmit (most likely a rabbit) found the coolness refreshing and slid under the ductwork. Bear in his enthusiasm for flushing out the critter, ripped and shredded the flexible ductwork allowing for a fuller flow to blast forth under the house. In the meantime, the little house was growing warmer and warmer, with the AC fan running non-stop. Bear was rarely coming out from under the house, and why should he? He had an air conditioned cave to enjoy. Unfortunately, Donald had to crawl under the crawl space to investigate and eventually do the repair. Did I mention scorpions and rattlesnakes like to rest in cool dark places during the day? Yes, it is on Donald's list of top ten things to avoid.
The other enticement under this little house is the water. And because we are one of the only consistent sources of water, creatures usually find us. That includes bugs and rodents. The rodents come is a variety of sizes and colors. But when they die under your house wedged somewhere between the insulation and wiring, they all smell pretty much the same. One summer, Donald had to go under the house over six times to cut out sections of plastic water lines that the mice/rats/gophers had chewed pin-sized holes in to get to the drink. The spray would be heard in the wee hours of the morning hitting the floor boards of the house alerting us to yet another repair that would need to be done. Donald would stagger out, half asleep, to the valve to shut the water off till we could get to it. One of these holes was directed away from the floor, so that it was undetected for some time. But as the floor in front of the kitchen sink was beginning to swell, we figured we had better check it out.
The insulation in this house is placed between the floor joists under the house and has a plastic liner that is stapled to the wood itself. The effect is a sealed plastic cover over the insulation that is flush with the bottom of the joists. But when the mouse snipped into the water line under the kitchen sink, it continued to spray, filling the compartment between the joists, absorbing into the insulation, being sealed in with the plastic, until it could hold no more and began to drip onto the earth below the house. It is important to note that the electrical wires are also run between the joists with the water lines. Another note; mice apparently have no discrimination in chewing plastic wire insulation or plastic water lines. It is all the same to them.
The other wonderful survival skill that these particular little rodents have is stock piling goodies for the winter or snacking during the daytime. Nest are particularly cozy when made in the insulation as well. So when Donald did his comanche crawl under the house, he saw the bulging plastic for the insulation with the water dripping from it and realized he would have to slice it open to get to the repair. There was no way to avoid being soaked, but what he hadn't planned on was the rodent's collection of food and extras washing down around him as well.
Most of you are not aware of this, but mice/rats/gophers find dried dog poop especially appealing. I suppose there are a lot of nutrients that go through the dog that the mice find valuable. This rodent had collected a huge quantity of this and it had been rehydrated in the water leak for quite some time. Donald found himself surrounded by this mess, along with half of our compost pile from the garden. As he cleared the way to the leak, he discovered exposed electrical wires and immediately yelled for me to shut down the electric, as he was lying in a large puddle of water and dog poop.
We have taken measures to try to seal up the underside of the house, but we still get mice under there from time to time. We have found some rather large, dead rats that the big white dogs have caught and killed, so we are aware that they are still prowling around.
Another malfunction that occurred with the heater in the house, allowed two of the heating elements to cross and arc so that the heat would not turn off. Fortunately, I was home and aware of the build up of heat around the heater and when the thermostat was unable to shut the elements off, I shut the electric off to the house until we could get it repaired. The potential disaster is unthinkable.
So the other morning when Donald and I both sat bolt upright in bed at 5:00 am to a horrible burning odor, we both dashed to the heater thinking the problem had occurred again. But the elements were fine. The smell was throughout the house, not just at the heater. It was putrid. Donald noticed the blob of grease from greasing bearings in the fan compartment of the heater, but realized there were no bearings to grease in this particular fan. Suddenly he realized that it was not grease, but flesh. Upon further investigation, hair, bones, a tail and feet were discovered within the motor. During the night while the fan was not running this smart little mouse found a warm little compartment to crawl into for a nap. But when the thermostat registered to switch the motor on to run the fan, the little devil was sliced and diced and then.....roasted. The smell of roasted mouse filled the house. Donald disassembled the unit to take outside to wash with the hose. But the freezing temperatures had frozen the pump for the well and we were without water and of course with out heat.
We ended up having to replace the motor on the heater and eventually the remains were cleaned from the rest of the unit. Unfortunately, the mouse didn't live to tell his tale and spread the word to stay out from under our house. It is likely some other critter will find the underside of our house and try to move in and we will just have to continue to deal with the trespassers.
I'm not sure many can say they have been awakened to the smell of roasted mouse. I am not sure that I really want to be able to say so, but I can. This house offers a variety of challenges; cabin fever, bickering teen-agers, storage stacked in corners, doors that can be opened seasonally, electric bills to awe the reader, critters and their destruction. Maybe some day we will get back to a new house plan on the list, but we will just perservere for now.
You see we are in the middle of the desert and with the desert there are special little creatures that survive by adaptation and instinct. Bear the ranch dog is one of them, and he has contributed to several home repairs as a result of his desert survival instincts. One summer he found the ductwork under the house. Apparently, a little varmit (most likely a rabbit) found the coolness refreshing and slid under the ductwork. Bear in his enthusiasm for flushing out the critter, ripped and shredded the flexible ductwork allowing for a fuller flow to blast forth under the house. In the meantime, the little house was growing warmer and warmer, with the AC fan running non-stop. Bear was rarely coming out from under the house, and why should he? He had an air conditioned cave to enjoy. Unfortunately, Donald had to crawl under the crawl space to investigate and eventually do the repair. Did I mention scorpions and rattlesnakes like to rest in cool dark places during the day? Yes, it is on Donald's list of top ten things to avoid.
The other enticement under this little house is the water. And because we are one of the only consistent sources of water, creatures usually find us. That includes bugs and rodents. The rodents come is a variety of sizes and colors. But when they die under your house wedged somewhere between the insulation and wiring, they all smell pretty much the same. One summer, Donald had to go under the house over six times to cut out sections of plastic water lines that the mice/rats/gophers had chewed pin-sized holes in to get to the drink. The spray would be heard in the wee hours of the morning hitting the floor boards of the house alerting us to yet another repair that would need to be done. Donald would stagger out, half asleep, to the valve to shut the water off till we could get to it. One of these holes was directed away from the floor, so that it was undetected for some time. But as the floor in front of the kitchen sink was beginning to swell, we figured we had better check it out.
The insulation in this house is placed between the floor joists under the house and has a plastic liner that is stapled to the wood itself. The effect is a sealed plastic cover over the insulation that is flush with the bottom of the joists. But when the mouse snipped into the water line under the kitchen sink, it continued to spray, filling the compartment between the joists, absorbing into the insulation, being sealed in with the plastic, until it could hold no more and began to drip onto the earth below the house. It is important to note that the electrical wires are also run between the joists with the water lines. Another note; mice apparently have no discrimination in chewing plastic wire insulation or plastic water lines. It is all the same to them.
The other wonderful survival skill that these particular little rodents have is stock piling goodies for the winter or snacking during the daytime. Nest are particularly cozy when made in the insulation as well. So when Donald did his comanche crawl under the house, he saw the bulging plastic for the insulation with the water dripping from it and realized he would have to slice it open to get to the repair. There was no way to avoid being soaked, but what he hadn't planned on was the rodent's collection of food and extras washing down around him as well.
Most of you are not aware of this, but mice/rats/gophers find dried dog poop especially appealing. I suppose there are a lot of nutrients that go through the dog that the mice find valuable. This rodent had collected a huge quantity of this and it had been rehydrated in the water leak for quite some time. Donald found himself surrounded by this mess, along with half of our compost pile from the garden. As he cleared the way to the leak, he discovered exposed electrical wires and immediately yelled for me to shut down the electric, as he was lying in a large puddle of water and dog poop.
We have taken measures to try to seal up the underside of the house, but we still get mice under there from time to time. We have found some rather large, dead rats that the big white dogs have caught and killed, so we are aware that they are still prowling around.
Another malfunction that occurred with the heater in the house, allowed two of the heating elements to cross and arc so that the heat would not turn off. Fortunately, I was home and aware of the build up of heat around the heater and when the thermostat was unable to shut the elements off, I shut the electric off to the house until we could get it repaired. The potential disaster is unthinkable.
So the other morning when Donald and I both sat bolt upright in bed at 5:00 am to a horrible burning odor, we both dashed to the heater thinking the problem had occurred again. But the elements were fine. The smell was throughout the house, not just at the heater. It was putrid. Donald noticed the blob of grease from greasing bearings in the fan compartment of the heater, but realized there were no bearings to grease in this particular fan. Suddenly he realized that it was not grease, but flesh. Upon further investigation, hair, bones, a tail and feet were discovered within the motor. During the night while the fan was not running this smart little mouse found a warm little compartment to crawl into for a nap. But when the thermostat registered to switch the motor on to run the fan, the little devil was sliced and diced and then.....roasted. The smell of roasted mouse filled the house. Donald disassembled the unit to take outside to wash with the hose. But the freezing temperatures had frozen the pump for the well and we were without water and of course with out heat.
We ended up having to replace the motor on the heater and eventually the remains were cleaned from the rest of the unit. Unfortunately, the mouse didn't live to tell his tale and spread the word to stay out from under our house. It is likely some other critter will find the underside of our house and try to move in and we will just have to continue to deal with the trespassers.
I'm not sure many can say they have been awakened to the smell of roasted mouse. I am not sure that I really want to be able to say so, but I can. This house offers a variety of challenges; cabin fever, bickering teen-agers, storage stacked in corners, doors that can be opened seasonally, electric bills to awe the reader, critters and their destruction. Maybe some day we will get back to a new house plan on the list, but we will just perservere for now.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February Begins
Progress on the post holes has been very frustrating. We will be trying a Bobcat this weekend. The auger bit on the tractor is just not cutting into the ground well enough and we'll be at this till winter at the rate we're going. We need to be able to just cut through so we can move on to the process of concreting the posts into the holes. In the meantime, we ride around where the arena will eventually be....wishful thinking.
Two horses, Anya and Jeepers, have been having trouble keeping their weight on this winter. All of the horses have had their teeth checked so I know that isn't the problem. I have been giving them supplements to try and fatten them up. Rice bran has helped in the past for these two, so I am hopeful it will work again. Jeepers has the tendency to bolt his food, meaning he gobbles it up and then he chokes on the accumulation in his throat. There is a little dip at the end of the neck, where the esophagus intersects with the stomach. The food gets balled up at that dip and creates a blockage. We have had to have him tubed to draw it back out once, and don't want to go through that again. I have large rocks in the bottom of his feeder so that he has to root around a bit to get to the pellets, preventing him from getting large mouthfuls at a time. The horses are being rotated on the pastures, one with winter pasture and one without. So the grass is helping with the nutritional needs, especially for our two skinny ones.
The Freedom Rangers chickens that were held back as breeders are doing well overall. The pullets started laying recently. They are unique for us, as they have been laying double and even triple yolkers consistently. I am waiting until this levels off before saving eggs for incubation. Two roosters were saved with ten hens. I had hoped to be able to keep them all together, but it did not work out. I heard a horrible screaming from their pen one day and found one rooster on top of the other, fighting very violently. I got the loser out from under the other, but his foot was injured in the process of being smashed into the ground. I separated him, hoping that it would heal up as most do. I gave him his own set of five hens. Unfortunately, he really has not healed well and I am not sure his job requirements will be fulfilled. I will have to check the eggs for fertility in the next week or so. If they are not fertile, I will have a decision to make.
We are very happy to have the majority of the hens laying more regularly now. So far today we have already gotten a dozen eggs and several more should be found later in the day. It is nice to not be wanting for eggs and we have started giving some to our chicken-less neighbors. I will take a nicely arranged rainbow colored carton to mom and dad today.
We are supposed to have a pretty chilly week this week, with freeze warnings starting tonight. I intend on shutting all the waterers off this evening to prevent any bib bursting in the morning. All the animal waterers will have to be filled tonight, because the hoses will be frozen most of the morning.
We finally had the diesel tank filled, so that I don't have to run into town and buy fuel at a commercial price in five gallon cans. It will seem like a luxury. We just got the farm/pink diesel to run in the tractors and farm implements.
Ongoing repairs and maintenance seem to have eaten up a lot of our free time lately. But this is the season for greasing and attending to all the vehicles and accessories. The summer heat and use of the equipment in the hay season makes it difficult to have to do any of these chores at that time.
We are thankful we are here as we hear about all the snow storms across the country. I will try to remember this when summer is in full swing.
Two horses, Anya and Jeepers, have been having trouble keeping their weight on this winter. All of the horses have had their teeth checked so I know that isn't the problem. I have been giving them supplements to try and fatten them up. Rice bran has helped in the past for these two, so I am hopeful it will work again. Jeepers has the tendency to bolt his food, meaning he gobbles it up and then he chokes on the accumulation in his throat. There is a little dip at the end of the neck, where the esophagus intersects with the stomach. The food gets balled up at that dip and creates a blockage. We have had to have him tubed to draw it back out once, and don't want to go through that again. I have large rocks in the bottom of his feeder so that he has to root around a bit to get to the pellets, preventing him from getting large mouthfuls at a time. The horses are being rotated on the pastures, one with winter pasture and one without. So the grass is helping with the nutritional needs, especially for our two skinny ones.
The Freedom Rangers chickens that were held back as breeders are doing well overall. The pullets started laying recently. They are unique for us, as they have been laying double and even triple yolkers consistently. I am waiting until this levels off before saving eggs for incubation. Two roosters were saved with ten hens. I had hoped to be able to keep them all together, but it did not work out. I heard a horrible screaming from their pen one day and found one rooster on top of the other, fighting very violently. I got the loser out from under the other, but his foot was injured in the process of being smashed into the ground. I separated him, hoping that it would heal up as most do. I gave him his own set of five hens. Unfortunately, he really has not healed well and I am not sure his job requirements will be fulfilled. I will have to check the eggs for fertility in the next week or so. If they are not fertile, I will have a decision to make.
We are very happy to have the majority of the hens laying more regularly now. So far today we have already gotten a dozen eggs and several more should be found later in the day. It is nice to not be wanting for eggs and we have started giving some to our chicken-less neighbors. I will take a nicely arranged rainbow colored carton to mom and dad today.
We are supposed to have a pretty chilly week this week, with freeze warnings starting tonight. I intend on shutting all the waterers off this evening to prevent any bib bursting in the morning. All the animal waterers will have to be filled tonight, because the hoses will be frozen most of the morning.
We finally had the diesel tank filled, so that I don't have to run into town and buy fuel at a commercial price in five gallon cans. It will seem like a luxury. We just got the farm/pink diesel to run in the tractors and farm implements.
Ongoing repairs and maintenance seem to have eaten up a lot of our free time lately. But this is the season for greasing and attending to all the vehicles and accessories. The summer heat and use of the equipment in the hay season makes it difficult to have to do any of these chores at that time.
We are thankful we are here as we hear about all the snow storms across the country. I will try to remember this when summer is in full swing.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Prime Climate Time
While the rest of the country is powdered in snow, we are in the prime time of our wonderful climate here in Arizona. We have been taking advantage of the comfortable temperatures to do our outdoor projects. I have set the timer to remind me not to linger on this quick update, for I have more projects that I want to get to before my chauffering duties are required.
We have been trying to drill through the soil for fence posts since before Christmas. The soil is so hard using the auger bit on the tractor, we could only penetrate the surface between 4-10". We would fill the holes with water after drilling and scooping out any remaining loose dirt. The water would soak overnight and we would return for another mere skimming of the hole innards and repeat the process. Donald started looking into replacing the digging teeth on the auger. We started considering that we may need an auger that would dig through rock, but the expense was not something we were ready to commit to yet. Donald took some bent concrete form rods and snipped the tips and welded them onto the auger's teeth, creating a rather nasty looking weapon. It reminds me of a weapon or torture implement of days gone by. We tested it and we made progress. He welded more on and made some more progress. It is still slow going, but we have now drilled all of the holes for the southern end of the arena. It is only 11 holes and the remaining 50 or so feel overwhelming as a whole. I will categorize the process by sides of the arena to feel like there is hope.
By happenstance, we ran into a fellow that did some dirt moving for us years ago. We had wanted to ask his opinion on sources of good bedding sand and AB (for the parking area and under the hay barn). It was nice to run into him because he is a nice guy, but we really wanted his expert opinion on the quarries here locally. We will need to haul in sand for the arena once we get the surface leveled and fencing up. We decided not to do the drainage runs in the arena as we did with the round pen. We can always use the round pen if rains have flooded the arena.
The chicken and turkey processing sessions have concluded for the time being. The breeding set of Freedom Rangers are just starting to lay. The Bourbon Red turkeys will get some nesting boxes in the near future as they typically start laying in February.
We have done a lot of cleaning and clearing around the property. Erin has taken on "decorating" the chicken yard. She has color coordinated the feed bins with fancy labeling. She will be labeling the stalls of the poultry barn with hotel names, and installing a homemade black board with the feed requirements for the different birds. I really appreciate an accomplice in adding a little accent around the ranch. We have had fun the last couple weeks working together.
I will be repainting the trail course poles today. Any unprotected wood around here is vulnerable to the termites. This weekend we should be ready to concrete some posts on the south end of the arena. Yea!
We have been trying to drill through the soil for fence posts since before Christmas. The soil is so hard using the auger bit on the tractor, we could only penetrate the surface between 4-10". We would fill the holes with water after drilling and scooping out any remaining loose dirt. The water would soak overnight and we would return for another mere skimming of the hole innards and repeat the process. Donald started looking into replacing the digging teeth on the auger. We started considering that we may need an auger that would dig through rock, but the expense was not something we were ready to commit to yet. Donald took some bent concrete form rods and snipped the tips and welded them onto the auger's teeth, creating a rather nasty looking weapon. It reminds me of a weapon or torture implement of days gone by. We tested it and we made progress. He welded more on and made some more progress. It is still slow going, but we have now drilled all of the holes for the southern end of the arena. It is only 11 holes and the remaining 50 or so feel overwhelming as a whole. I will categorize the process by sides of the arena to feel like there is hope.
By happenstance, we ran into a fellow that did some dirt moving for us years ago. We had wanted to ask his opinion on sources of good bedding sand and AB (for the parking area and under the hay barn). It was nice to run into him because he is a nice guy, but we really wanted his expert opinion on the quarries here locally. We will need to haul in sand for the arena once we get the surface leveled and fencing up. We decided not to do the drainage runs in the arena as we did with the round pen. We can always use the round pen if rains have flooded the arena.
The chicken and turkey processing sessions have concluded for the time being. The breeding set of Freedom Rangers are just starting to lay. The Bourbon Red turkeys will get some nesting boxes in the near future as they typically start laying in February.
We have done a lot of cleaning and clearing around the property. Erin has taken on "decorating" the chicken yard. She has color coordinated the feed bins with fancy labeling. She will be labeling the stalls of the poultry barn with hotel names, and installing a homemade black board with the feed requirements for the different birds. I really appreciate an accomplice in adding a little accent around the ranch. We have had fun the last couple weeks working together.
I will be repainting the trail course poles today. Any unprotected wood around here is vulnerable to the termites. This weekend we should be ready to concrete some posts on the south end of the arena. Yea!
Friday, December 3, 2010
"Free Range" Turkeys
It has been a busy fall season for us. The kids' activities rev up to full throttle to culminate at the end of the school semester and of course there are the preparations for the holidays. In addition, we have been trying to get fields plowed, disked and planted (not with much help from the weather). The last of the hay deliveries are dwindling now, so the ever-present list is revisited to contemplate which projects to take on or continue.
This year we raised a lamb and had it butchered at University of Arizona. It is now located in our freezer awaiting my final selections for recipes for the various cuts. In addition, we raised Bourbon Red turkeys, and Freedom Ranger meat chickens. As Thanksgiving came closer the accumulation of equipment for the inevitable butchering of the birds was gathered and set up at my "processing station." I intended to do the work outside and had a location selected. After last year's party at the neighbors, I decided that I would try to emulate Joel Salatin's setup on a very small scale.
Donald fashioned a restraining cone or killing cone from some sheet metal. True to form, he started doing mathematical calculations referring to old textbooks, until I threatened to duct tape the metal together myself. It was the last of the equipment necessary for me to get on with the deed.
I decided to just do one turkey by myself. I was feeling a little like the "Little Red Hen." No one wanted anything to do with the work, but they would be willing to help me eat it. I set my goal of one turkey, with the option of continuing if things went smoothly and I was up for it. The night before Donald and I were taking care of animals and we witnessed a large turkey Tom mating with a young female too young for such activity. It was brutal. She was covered in blood and she didn't look like she was going to make it through the night. Donald was livid. He announced that that was the first bird to be butchered. I agreed. We rescued the hen and tried to clean her up some and relocated her in a barn stall by herself to recuperate with any hope. Later, when the birds had roosted Donald caught the offender and put him in a crate.
The next morning I drove Emma to school in Chandler, returned to the ranch and went out to my station to get the propane flame going under the giant pot of water. The water needed to reach between 140-145 degrees. I knew it would take a while for the water to reach temperature, so I fed all the other animals and brought the chosen Tom in the crate down to the station. I had set up on the west side of the horse barn on the fence line between the second field and the horse facilities. It was about a 1/16 of a mile from the turkey pen to the processing station. I figured I didn't want to subject the others, in case things got disturbing. No need upsetting the others if it would indeed be comprehended in some way.
I moved the little red tractor over with the forks on the front end. The trash can was lined with a plastic bag and the knife and loppers were at hand. Then I waited for the water to heat, and thought that tweezers would come in handy and I got some. And I waited, and figured I would get some duct tape to tape some plastic to the table and got that and taped the plastic down. And I waited, and decided to go ahead and fill the cooler with the final rinse and chill water and tore open the bags of ice. And I waited for the water, and went and got some paper towels for they might come in handy. And I waited, and donned my latex gloves as the water was getting closer to temperature. The wind was picking up slightly so I imagined that it was prolonging the heating of the water. And as I waited, I rehearsed the procedure over and over. Sometimes shifting the killing cone tree, sometimes re-adjusting the height of the forks of the tractor. I had thought of everything that I might possibly need for the job. I even got some water to drink in case the job proved a little too much for me. The first part was the part that I had never done. Last year the guys chopped the head off the turkey and it violently flopped around on the ground. I didn't want to do that, so the initial step was unfamiliar. Rehearsing in my mind was my attempt to familiarize myself. I had read several sources and viewed several youtube videos of this initial step.
It was time. The water was heated. My adrenaline was pumping (well that and the latte I had on the way back from Chandler). I was to get the turkey from the crate, carry him to the killing cone tree, step up on the upside down half barrel to get the large bird up and over the lip of the cone, head first, and pull his head through the hole at the bottom of the cone. I closed my eyes like the olympic skiers visualizing my task one more time and then moved forward with purpose and determination. Bear the dog was hanging out with me through my antics.
When I took the bird out of the crate, I was surprised at my strength (may have been the adrenaline) or the manageability of the heavy bird. I did as planned (and rehearsed), and made it to the cone and inserted the turkey head first. The next step was to pull down on the head, so as to slice the jugular vein on each side of the neck with out cutting the trachea. The book said "pull down hard on the head," but I thought there was no reason to be aggressive, all was going well. When at that moment, the bird bucked and kicked, backing out of the cone and went running through the desert! Running through the desert! He left me holding the knife feeling like I had been duped for I had thought of everything, but what to do when the bird went running off.
When I told my dad this story, he said, "now I know why they call them free-range turkeys." Yep he was running free on the range, leaving me with my mouth gaping, with Bear by my side. Bear looked from me to the turkey about four or five times. About that time I got it together and realized that I was going to finish what I set out to do and got to work. I eventually was able to recapture him. And took him back to the cone tree and this time I pulled down firmly and got the job done.
Now I will not lie, it was very difficult to wait on the bird to finally fade. I honestly asked for forgiveness just in case the idea of raising your own food and taking care of the processing, is not looked favorably upon by someone upstairs. I had to make myself not look as I waited. And then I realized that during the time I was chasing the turkey through the desert, the water was still heating and had reached over 20 degrees above my target. I now had to wait for the water to cool! Somehow I kept looking over at the turkey, head down in the cone and willed myself to look elsewhere. I eventually added cold water to the pot to speed up the cooling and was able to continue.
I had used a piece of wire to tie between the turkeys feet and lifted him with a broom stick and dipped and lifted and dipped and lifted and then tested the feathers. When the tail feathers pulled out relatively easily, I carried the bird to the forks and placed the broom stick across the forks so the bird hung in front of me. I took the trashcan from the cone tree and placed it under the turkey for the feathers. I removed the more difficult feathers from the wings and tail first. This went smoothly, really not difficult at all. At this point, I decided I would be able to pretend that it was just a turkey from the grocery if I got rid of the head. So I did and dropped it into the trash can and removed all the feathers and was aware that my revulsion had subsided.
I removed the oil gland from the back above the tail. My back was starting to ache a bit and I realized that I was hunched over the job and started up the tractor and lifted the forks again. Over time I realized that the hydraulics on the tractor would slowly, imperceptively lower the forks. I had to continually re-adjust them for I was becoming more determined to remove all of the pin feathers. It was no longer that turkey from earlier in the morning it was this never-ending pin feather removal job. I was going cross-eyed and had to rinse repeatedly to make sure I had gotten them all, only to find a few more.
Now the removal of the crop on the birds still eludes me. I don't feed for at least 12 hrs before butchering so there won't be any food left in the crop and won't contaminate the bird if it is accidentally torn or cut spilling its contents. Well I have not been able to figure this one out yet. I know that the esophagus connects to it and have located that, but the crop collapses into tissue when its empty. I just clean it all out in the end, so I know I've gotten it, but I can't do the identification in the disection.
I then lowered the bird to the table onto the previously placed plastic. I opened up the vent end, removed all the innards. This is not as gross as I thought it would be. It all comes out sort of together if it is done right and then its a matter of rinsing thoroughly and removing the newly discovered pin feathers here and there. Then I put it in an ice bath in the cooler. I tied up the trash bag and took it to our dumpster to dispose of and got the scale out to weigh the dressed bird.
This first bird weighed about 12 pounds and I was so sore across my shoulders when I finished I could barely get it bagged and carried to the refridgerator to chill for 48 hours. The goal had been reached, but I wasn't about to take on any more that day. I did it. One down, nine to go.
The next session a couple of days later, I did two more Toms. And the next session, Donald helped me. His job was to make sure no one bucked their way out of the cone and to look up at the sky until the bird was underwater. He actually sped up the feather plucking process, but then started feeding Bear the organs; big mistake. Now I can't leave anything unattended for he overturns the can and carries parts off to bury all over the ranch. I found a chicken head by the horse's water trough the other day. I am sensitive enough that I know Emma would be repulsed and disgusted by such a discovery, so I have been stalking him to relocate other parts that he has made off with and re-buries seemingly on a whim.
I am still not done with the butchering. I have to take a couple days off after a batch for my shoulders and upper back to recover. It is definitely easier with one other person, but I wouldn't dream of asking anyone for help. I will persevere and get them all done and then pack up the equipment until it is time to start again next year some time.
Thanksgiving was rewarding for me. Donald really dislikes turkey meat, but he really liked the turkey this year. And no he wasn't just saying that. He won't eat what he doesn't like and he ate several helpings this year. I did cook it breast side down initially and will do that in the future. It makes for a much moister breast meat. The chicken that I have prepared from our flock was very good. Knowing that they have been raised organically makes me satsified.
I feel like I am doing something good for our family by avoiding some of the unknowns of factory-produced food. Our animals, yes they end up on the table just like the ones we buy at the store, but for the time they are alive they are raised humanely and in a healthy enviroment. I wish there were more small farmers raising food like this so that I could support them and reap the benefits. These products do tend to cost more and I know that makes it difficult for many to justify in their budgets. Sometimes I just can't afford some items at times and have to forgo, but with the increasing health problems in this country, I am not sure we don't just pay for it in the end anyway.
I was in a situation last week that I had to eat at a fast food place. I knew I wouldn't get anything else to eat for a while and there was no other reasonable option where we were, so I ate it. I, by no means intend to sound righteous, but I felt horrible after eating that food. I was dying of thirst too. I had forgotten about the high levels of sodium in processed foods. I just hadn't eaten anything like that long enough I had forgotten the effects. I would rather have a block of cheese with some crackers or whole grain bread and a few apple wedges anyday! It was a real revelation to me.
So now I know from where the term "Free Range" comes. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're going about things the wrong way.
This year we raised a lamb and had it butchered at University of Arizona. It is now located in our freezer awaiting my final selections for recipes for the various cuts. In addition, we raised Bourbon Red turkeys, and Freedom Ranger meat chickens. As Thanksgiving came closer the accumulation of equipment for the inevitable butchering of the birds was gathered and set up at my "processing station." I intended to do the work outside and had a location selected. After last year's party at the neighbors, I decided that I would try to emulate Joel Salatin's setup on a very small scale.
Donald fashioned a restraining cone or killing cone from some sheet metal. True to form, he started doing mathematical calculations referring to old textbooks, until I threatened to duct tape the metal together myself. It was the last of the equipment necessary for me to get on with the deed.
I decided to just do one turkey by myself. I was feeling a little like the "Little Red Hen." No one wanted anything to do with the work, but they would be willing to help me eat it. I set my goal of one turkey, with the option of continuing if things went smoothly and I was up for it. The night before Donald and I were taking care of animals and we witnessed a large turkey Tom mating with a young female too young for such activity. It was brutal. She was covered in blood and she didn't look like she was going to make it through the night. Donald was livid. He announced that that was the first bird to be butchered. I agreed. We rescued the hen and tried to clean her up some and relocated her in a barn stall by herself to recuperate with any hope. Later, when the birds had roosted Donald caught the offender and put him in a crate.
The next morning I drove Emma to school in Chandler, returned to the ranch and went out to my station to get the propane flame going under the giant pot of water. The water needed to reach between 140-145 degrees. I knew it would take a while for the water to reach temperature, so I fed all the other animals and brought the chosen Tom in the crate down to the station. I had set up on the west side of the horse barn on the fence line between the second field and the horse facilities. It was about a 1/16 of a mile from the turkey pen to the processing station. I figured I didn't want to subject the others, in case things got disturbing. No need upsetting the others if it would indeed be comprehended in some way.
I moved the little red tractor over with the forks on the front end. The trash can was lined with a plastic bag and the knife and loppers were at hand. Then I waited for the water to heat, and thought that tweezers would come in handy and I got some. And I waited, and figured I would get some duct tape to tape some plastic to the table and got that and taped the plastic down. And I waited, and decided to go ahead and fill the cooler with the final rinse and chill water and tore open the bags of ice. And I waited for the water, and went and got some paper towels for they might come in handy. And I waited, and donned my latex gloves as the water was getting closer to temperature. The wind was picking up slightly so I imagined that it was prolonging the heating of the water. And as I waited, I rehearsed the procedure over and over. Sometimes shifting the killing cone tree, sometimes re-adjusting the height of the forks of the tractor. I had thought of everything that I might possibly need for the job. I even got some water to drink in case the job proved a little too much for me. The first part was the part that I had never done. Last year the guys chopped the head off the turkey and it violently flopped around on the ground. I didn't want to do that, so the initial step was unfamiliar. Rehearsing in my mind was my attempt to familiarize myself. I had read several sources and viewed several youtube videos of this initial step.
It was time. The water was heated. My adrenaline was pumping (well that and the latte I had on the way back from Chandler). I was to get the turkey from the crate, carry him to the killing cone tree, step up on the upside down half barrel to get the large bird up and over the lip of the cone, head first, and pull his head through the hole at the bottom of the cone. I closed my eyes like the olympic skiers visualizing my task one more time and then moved forward with purpose and determination. Bear the dog was hanging out with me through my antics.
When I took the bird out of the crate, I was surprised at my strength (may have been the adrenaline) or the manageability of the heavy bird. I did as planned (and rehearsed), and made it to the cone and inserted the turkey head first. The next step was to pull down on the head, so as to slice the jugular vein on each side of the neck with out cutting the trachea. The book said "pull down hard on the head," but I thought there was no reason to be aggressive, all was going well. When at that moment, the bird bucked and kicked, backing out of the cone and went running through the desert! Running through the desert! He left me holding the knife feeling like I had been duped for I had thought of everything, but what to do when the bird went running off.
When I told my dad this story, he said, "now I know why they call them free-range turkeys." Yep he was running free on the range, leaving me with my mouth gaping, with Bear by my side. Bear looked from me to the turkey about four or five times. About that time I got it together and realized that I was going to finish what I set out to do and got to work. I eventually was able to recapture him. And took him back to the cone tree and this time I pulled down firmly and got the job done.
Now I will not lie, it was very difficult to wait on the bird to finally fade. I honestly asked for forgiveness just in case the idea of raising your own food and taking care of the processing, is not looked favorably upon by someone upstairs. I had to make myself not look as I waited. And then I realized that during the time I was chasing the turkey through the desert, the water was still heating and had reached over 20 degrees above my target. I now had to wait for the water to cool! Somehow I kept looking over at the turkey, head down in the cone and willed myself to look elsewhere. I eventually added cold water to the pot to speed up the cooling and was able to continue.
I had used a piece of wire to tie between the turkeys feet and lifted him with a broom stick and dipped and lifted and dipped and lifted and then tested the feathers. When the tail feathers pulled out relatively easily, I carried the bird to the forks and placed the broom stick across the forks so the bird hung in front of me. I took the trashcan from the cone tree and placed it under the turkey for the feathers. I removed the more difficult feathers from the wings and tail first. This went smoothly, really not difficult at all. At this point, I decided I would be able to pretend that it was just a turkey from the grocery if I got rid of the head. So I did and dropped it into the trash can and removed all the feathers and was aware that my revulsion had subsided.
I removed the oil gland from the back above the tail. My back was starting to ache a bit and I realized that I was hunched over the job and started up the tractor and lifted the forks again. Over time I realized that the hydraulics on the tractor would slowly, imperceptively lower the forks. I had to continually re-adjust them for I was becoming more determined to remove all of the pin feathers. It was no longer that turkey from earlier in the morning it was this never-ending pin feather removal job. I was going cross-eyed and had to rinse repeatedly to make sure I had gotten them all, only to find a few more.
Now the removal of the crop on the birds still eludes me. I don't feed for at least 12 hrs before butchering so there won't be any food left in the crop and won't contaminate the bird if it is accidentally torn or cut spilling its contents. Well I have not been able to figure this one out yet. I know that the esophagus connects to it and have located that, but the crop collapses into tissue when its empty. I just clean it all out in the end, so I know I've gotten it, but I can't do the identification in the disection.
I then lowered the bird to the table onto the previously placed plastic. I opened up the vent end, removed all the innards. This is not as gross as I thought it would be. It all comes out sort of together if it is done right and then its a matter of rinsing thoroughly and removing the newly discovered pin feathers here and there. Then I put it in an ice bath in the cooler. I tied up the trash bag and took it to our dumpster to dispose of and got the scale out to weigh the dressed bird.
This first bird weighed about 12 pounds and I was so sore across my shoulders when I finished I could barely get it bagged and carried to the refridgerator to chill for 48 hours. The goal had been reached, but I wasn't about to take on any more that day. I did it. One down, nine to go.
The next session a couple of days later, I did two more Toms. And the next session, Donald helped me. His job was to make sure no one bucked their way out of the cone and to look up at the sky until the bird was underwater. He actually sped up the feather plucking process, but then started feeding Bear the organs; big mistake. Now I can't leave anything unattended for he overturns the can and carries parts off to bury all over the ranch. I found a chicken head by the horse's water trough the other day. I am sensitive enough that I know Emma would be repulsed and disgusted by such a discovery, so I have been stalking him to relocate other parts that he has made off with and re-buries seemingly on a whim.
I am still not done with the butchering. I have to take a couple days off after a batch for my shoulders and upper back to recover. It is definitely easier with one other person, but I wouldn't dream of asking anyone for help. I will persevere and get them all done and then pack up the equipment until it is time to start again next year some time.
Thanksgiving was rewarding for me. Donald really dislikes turkey meat, but he really liked the turkey this year. And no he wasn't just saying that. He won't eat what he doesn't like and he ate several helpings this year. I did cook it breast side down initially and will do that in the future. It makes for a much moister breast meat. The chicken that I have prepared from our flock was very good. Knowing that they have been raised organically makes me satsified.
I feel like I am doing something good for our family by avoiding some of the unknowns of factory-produced food. Our animals, yes they end up on the table just like the ones we buy at the store, but for the time they are alive they are raised humanely and in a healthy enviroment. I wish there were more small farmers raising food like this so that I could support them and reap the benefits. These products do tend to cost more and I know that makes it difficult for many to justify in their budgets. Sometimes I just can't afford some items at times and have to forgo, but with the increasing health problems in this country, I am not sure we don't just pay for it in the end anyway.
I was in a situation last week that I had to eat at a fast food place. I knew I wouldn't get anything else to eat for a while and there was no other reasonable option where we were, so I ate it. I, by no means intend to sound righteous, but I felt horrible after eating that food. I was dying of thirst too. I had forgotten about the high levels of sodium in processed foods. I just hadn't eaten anything like that long enough I had forgotten the effects. I would rather have a block of cheese with some crackers or whole grain bread and a few apple wedges anyday! It was a real revelation to me.
So now I know from where the term "Free Range" comes. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're going about things the wrong way.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Fall Harvest
Now is the time of year when I love being in Arizona. The temperatures are fantastic, the star-filled skies can be enjoyed, and inspiration to be outside working on projects takes over. This is my favorite time of the year. Even when I lived on the east coast, fall was always appreciated.
On the ranch we have at least half a dozen turkeys that are ready to be processed immediately. Twenty or so broilers will, with good maintenance, reach a nice weight by the second week of November. One of the lambs is already at the University of Arizona Meat Lab, and will be ready to pick up in the next week. I have a plan A and a plan B in regards to the poultry. Plan A is to process at home. Plan B is to take the birds to U of A.
In order for plan A to go into effect, I must accumulate the equipment necessary for the job. I have the knife. I have the experience, but that is it. I still need a cone to humanely kill the birds, a very large pot for scalding, and buckets for offal, and a very important part of both plan A and B is the freezer in which to put the birds. I have done several hours of research looking for the various items on line, and have come to the conclusion that things are so over-priced. The killing cone large enough for the turkeys, I will have Donald fashion out of sheet metal. I will probably need a large and a medium sized for the different sized birds. The best prices that I have found for these range from $40-60. I find that ridiculous, but I suppose if someone didn't have someone like Donald they may have to pay for the expertise in constructing one. I must say that I never take Donald's abilities for granted. He is amazingly creative and effective in designing and building just about everything. If only he had more time on the ranch...
I continue to look for a very large scalding pot. For the start of this endeavor, I intend to spend the least amount of money as possible. I have never been one to shell out the bucks for something new only to find that I have no further interest and then the materials go in a shed or closet, until a charity run is made. The scalding pot may be my biggest expense. I am looking into the possiblity of using a 55 gallon barrel cut to a reasonable height (by Donald), that will be set upon a gas burner that we already have. The water will be heated in this in order to loosen the feathers for plucking.
There are all kinds of feather pickers available, but I will not invest in one until I know that I will try this again or that plucking all those birds by hand is too laborious. I do know that I need to restock my latex glove supply. I learned from my neighbor before last year's turkey processing that the gloves protect the hands from a lingering smell of poultry innards. That is one of my mom's memories from her younger years on the family farm.
I have a large chest that I will fill with chilled water for the final rinse and I think I will look into purchasing some sealing bags for the birds. I have one of the heat sealers, but the bags I have will definitely not be large enough for the turkeys.
After last year's Thanksgiving Turkey Jerky disaster.... I will try out a turkey before Thanksgiving to avoid embarrassing myself again and ruining one of my favorite holiday meals. I have learned a few tips that should eliminate the problems that I had. I am very hopeful I get it right this year.
In anticipation of our lamb meat, I have been looking for recipes for all of the different cuts we have ordered. I have a terrific lamb chop recipe, but have many more to decide upon. The lamb was 80 lbs on the scale, so we expect somewhere around 40 lbs of meat in the end.
Our pastured broilers are ravenous grass eaters. I am moving their chicken tractor two times a day now. I supply them with an organic crumble feed and they have all remained healthy. The importance of the green food for animals is disregarded in so many settings. The green or chlorophyll detoxifies the animals system, allowing for a healthy immune system. The fact that they are consuming the grasses also cuts down on the expense of the grain. I wish we had a mill that provided organic feed here in Arizona. Currently, the closest is California, so the added expenses of trucking is tacked onto the cost of feed. And we are not able to order large amounts to reduce the cost.
I will have to select a breeding trio from the Freedom Rangers that I will use for future re-supply of meat birds. I am counting on the next couple weeks to reveal which are cockerels and which are pullets. I am not sure Emma will be enthusiastic to help me with this task, as she is not interested in the meat production aspect of chicken rearing. I will go forward alone....and with luck pick what I need.
Elsewhere on the ranch, we have the last Bermuda grass cutting to do this weekend. We should be able to provide all our clients with their orders for the winter and put up enough for us. We are determined to get the winter pastures in for our horses grazing. But we will have to wait till spring to reseed the fourth fields with Bermuda. We have not ordered seed yet and have been so busy with all of the demands of ranch and family that we are behind on our list of things to do.
I haven't given up on the tilling of the garden, but can't allow myself to focus on it until we take care of other priorities. We have the underground plumbing operational to the garden again, but I will be patient. I really would like to plant the vegetables and herbs that we consume regularly. I love being able to go out and pick what I need as I am preparing meals.
The horses are being ridden more and more, especially with the wonderful weather. Erin has been inspired to work on reorganizing the barn again. We still so many projects within the barn; electric, plumbing, dry wall, flooring. If we could just get enough time or find someone to hire to take care of some of these projects, we might be able to see more progress. It is so frustrating at times, but I have learned patience is the only way for me to keep my sanity.
October has been fabulous. I am hoping the weather continues into November. That would be lovely.
On the ranch we have at least half a dozen turkeys that are ready to be processed immediately. Twenty or so broilers will, with good maintenance, reach a nice weight by the second week of November. One of the lambs is already at the University of Arizona Meat Lab, and will be ready to pick up in the next week. I have a plan A and a plan B in regards to the poultry. Plan A is to process at home. Plan B is to take the birds to U of A.
In order for plan A to go into effect, I must accumulate the equipment necessary for the job. I have the knife. I have the experience, but that is it. I still need a cone to humanely kill the birds, a very large pot for scalding, and buckets for offal, and a very important part of both plan A and B is the freezer in which to put the birds. I have done several hours of research looking for the various items on line, and have come to the conclusion that things are so over-priced. The killing cone large enough for the turkeys, I will have Donald fashion out of sheet metal. I will probably need a large and a medium sized for the different sized birds. The best prices that I have found for these range from $40-60. I find that ridiculous, but I suppose if someone didn't have someone like Donald they may have to pay for the expertise in constructing one. I must say that I never take Donald's abilities for granted. He is amazingly creative and effective in designing and building just about everything. If only he had more time on the ranch...
I continue to look for a very large scalding pot. For the start of this endeavor, I intend to spend the least amount of money as possible. I have never been one to shell out the bucks for something new only to find that I have no further interest and then the materials go in a shed or closet, until a charity run is made. The scalding pot may be my biggest expense. I am looking into the possiblity of using a 55 gallon barrel cut to a reasonable height (by Donald), that will be set upon a gas burner that we already have. The water will be heated in this in order to loosen the feathers for plucking.
There are all kinds of feather pickers available, but I will not invest in one until I know that I will try this again or that plucking all those birds by hand is too laborious. I do know that I need to restock my latex glove supply. I learned from my neighbor before last year's turkey processing that the gloves protect the hands from a lingering smell of poultry innards. That is one of my mom's memories from her younger years on the family farm.
I have a large chest that I will fill with chilled water for the final rinse and I think I will look into purchasing some sealing bags for the birds. I have one of the heat sealers, but the bags I have will definitely not be large enough for the turkeys.
After last year's Thanksgiving Turkey Jerky disaster.... I will try out a turkey before Thanksgiving to avoid embarrassing myself again and ruining one of my favorite holiday meals. I have learned a few tips that should eliminate the problems that I had. I am very hopeful I get it right this year.
In anticipation of our lamb meat, I have been looking for recipes for all of the different cuts we have ordered. I have a terrific lamb chop recipe, but have many more to decide upon. The lamb was 80 lbs on the scale, so we expect somewhere around 40 lbs of meat in the end.
Our pastured broilers are ravenous grass eaters. I am moving their chicken tractor two times a day now. I supply them with an organic crumble feed and they have all remained healthy. The importance of the green food for animals is disregarded in so many settings. The green or chlorophyll detoxifies the animals system, allowing for a healthy immune system. The fact that they are consuming the grasses also cuts down on the expense of the grain. I wish we had a mill that provided organic feed here in Arizona. Currently, the closest is California, so the added expenses of trucking is tacked onto the cost of feed. And we are not able to order large amounts to reduce the cost.
I will have to select a breeding trio from the Freedom Rangers that I will use for future re-supply of meat birds. I am counting on the next couple weeks to reveal which are cockerels and which are pullets. I am not sure Emma will be enthusiastic to help me with this task, as she is not interested in the meat production aspect of chicken rearing. I will go forward alone....and with luck pick what I need.
Elsewhere on the ranch, we have the last Bermuda grass cutting to do this weekend. We should be able to provide all our clients with their orders for the winter and put up enough for us. We are determined to get the winter pastures in for our horses grazing. But we will have to wait till spring to reseed the fourth fields with Bermuda. We have not ordered seed yet and have been so busy with all of the demands of ranch and family that we are behind on our list of things to do.
I haven't given up on the tilling of the garden, but can't allow myself to focus on it until we take care of other priorities. We have the underground plumbing operational to the garden again, but I will be patient. I really would like to plant the vegetables and herbs that we consume regularly. I love being able to go out and pick what I need as I am preparing meals.
The horses are being ridden more and more, especially with the wonderful weather. Erin has been inspired to work on reorganizing the barn again. We still so many projects within the barn; electric, plumbing, dry wall, flooring. If we could just get enough time or find someone to hire to take care of some of these projects, we might be able to see more progress. It is so frustrating at times, but I have learned patience is the only way for me to keep my sanity.
October has been fabulous. I am hoping the weather continues into November. That would be lovely.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The End of September
I was so excited today when I realized that today is the last day of September. I was agonizing through the month of August. I thought it would never end, and now September blew by without me noticing. It is still in the triple digits, but October is sure to bring cooler temps....I hope.
We have been busy with lots of things this past month. Donald has had to travel out of town more this month than usual, so that has kept me even busier (hence my surprise at the seemingly sudden end of September). The Freedom Ranger chicks have officially been moved to the pasture and are of little interest to the mares sharing the acreage. The chicks are busy pecking the bugs that wander into their space, nibbling the grass, and gorging on the grain supplement. I was able to purchase a bag of organic chick starter from the Modesto Mill in CA. I have since been informed that a local feed store will now have the organic grains available, so I can just pick up a bag while I run my endless list of errands.
The waterer that Donald designed for the chicken tractor was assembled and installed and has worked perfectly. There are no leaks and the 7 gallon bucket has provided 4 days of water so far. It is still half full (feeling optimistic today apparently) and I am keeping track so that I have an idea of how often it will need to be refilled.
The chicks are all very healthy and have adapted well to their environment change. They are now going on their 4th week. At ten weeks they will be processed. I will hold back a few for future breeders so we can continually replenish our stock.
The Bourbon Red turkeys are getting to be of age now. I have about 6 that are ready. It looks like I will be doing some small scale butchering on my own in the very near future. My biggest challenge is to find a pot or container large enough to put the turkey in to heat in water in order to loosen the feathers to clean the birds. I have several items I am searching for to get this job done.
We will need to get ourselves a freezer very soon, as one of the lambs will be heading to the University of Arizona meat lab. With a minimum of 6 turkeys and a lamb, we will be appliance shopping soon.
I was able to purchase some grass fed beef from our Casa Grande Farmers Market. I made a batch of sloppy joes with it and I really think it was the best I'd ever made. I don't know if I just got the seasonings perfect or the difference in the meat was really the key. I stopped by this week, but he was not there. I was very disappointed for I was going to test out another batch of sloppy joes. Maybe next week?
We have separated the chicken breeds and genders in the poultry barn. This makes the care and maintenance so much easier. We still need to install automatic waterers and feeders, but the end is near.
We did have to hire someone to hay for us this cycle. Donald was out of town and I didn't feel confident I could do the entire job without his assistance. We were surprised at the relatively low fee charged for the ten acres. The bales are three-string at 100lbs. Some of our clients will not like this as they prefer the lighter two-string bales, but more of concern to me is Donald having to load the 100 lb bales by hand and then unload them for deliveries. I am thinking that we will save the heavy bales for smaller orders. I know he is not looking forward to the extra weight. In the end, we were relieved to be able to find someone reasonable and not have a disaster occur trying to coordinate Donald's schedule with the haying. The job is done and the fields are irrigating as I type.
Speaking of....gotta run. Time to check the fields.
We have been busy with lots of things this past month. Donald has had to travel out of town more this month than usual, so that has kept me even busier (hence my surprise at the seemingly sudden end of September). The Freedom Ranger chicks have officially been moved to the pasture and are of little interest to the mares sharing the acreage. The chicks are busy pecking the bugs that wander into their space, nibbling the grass, and gorging on the grain supplement. I was able to purchase a bag of organic chick starter from the Modesto Mill in CA. I have since been informed that a local feed store will now have the organic grains available, so I can just pick up a bag while I run my endless list of errands.
The waterer that Donald designed for the chicken tractor was assembled and installed and has worked perfectly. There are no leaks and the 7 gallon bucket has provided 4 days of water so far. It is still half full (feeling optimistic today apparently) and I am keeping track so that I have an idea of how often it will need to be refilled.
The chicks are all very healthy and have adapted well to their environment change. They are now going on their 4th week. At ten weeks they will be processed. I will hold back a few for future breeders so we can continually replenish our stock.
The Bourbon Red turkeys are getting to be of age now. I have about 6 that are ready. It looks like I will be doing some small scale butchering on my own in the very near future. My biggest challenge is to find a pot or container large enough to put the turkey in to heat in water in order to loosen the feathers to clean the birds. I have several items I am searching for to get this job done.
We will need to get ourselves a freezer very soon, as one of the lambs will be heading to the University of Arizona meat lab. With a minimum of 6 turkeys and a lamb, we will be appliance shopping soon.
I was able to purchase some grass fed beef from our Casa Grande Farmers Market. I made a batch of sloppy joes with it and I really think it was the best I'd ever made. I don't know if I just got the seasonings perfect or the difference in the meat was really the key. I stopped by this week, but he was not there. I was very disappointed for I was going to test out another batch of sloppy joes. Maybe next week?
We have separated the chicken breeds and genders in the poultry barn. This makes the care and maintenance so much easier. We still need to install automatic waterers and feeders, but the end is near.
We did have to hire someone to hay for us this cycle. Donald was out of town and I didn't feel confident I could do the entire job without his assistance. We were surprised at the relatively low fee charged for the ten acres. The bales are three-string at 100lbs. Some of our clients will not like this as they prefer the lighter two-string bales, but more of concern to me is Donald having to load the 100 lb bales by hand and then unload them for deliveries. I am thinking that we will save the heavy bales for smaller orders. I know he is not looking forward to the extra weight. In the end, we were relieved to be able to find someone reasonable and not have a disaster occur trying to coordinate Donald's schedule with the haying. The job is done and the fields are irrigating as I type.
Speaking of....gotta run. Time to check the fields.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Resident Ranch Dog, Bear
I feel compelled to dedicate some time writing about Bear the dog. Bear came to us here at the ranch several years ago now. He originated somewhere up in the valley with a young family that couldn't keep him. They had young children and he was still an energetic pup that apparently knocked the kids down, and as those of you that are parents know, the kids' safety comes first. Bear is a Rottweiller/Labrador cross, so he has significant mass as a male dog.
From the city, Bear was relocated with a new owner, our neighbor, about a mile or two away to act as a guard dog. From what we are told, he was already a few years old when he was relocated south of interstate 8. He lived there for several years, but soon took to wandering in search of company. He eventually found us and our neighbors, both with several female dogs. He oscillated between the two of us, perhaps indulging in his "male" status and the admiration he was given by the "girls. He still returned home at this point, but was soon driven to visit us frequently as a result of one of our female dogs....not fixed.
It became a real challenge to let our dog out, because Bear would be camped out waiting for her. We would have to try to lock Bear in a horse stall, so Star the yellow Lab could go out a couple times a day. He grew wise to this and would steer clear of us in his pursuit. We used a horse halter at one point to control him. It took at least two to let Star out. Donald decided to lock him in our laundry room while Star went out. This worked a couple of times, although Bear was extremely leary of entering the house. Donald would spend the time petting him while Star went out. Eventually, Donald thought that this was the solution and went out to do some work with Bear in the laundry room and Star outside. When Donald returned, Bear had dug his way through the drywall next to the door, ripping the insulation out and starting on the exterior siding. The door trim was splintered. Star was lying outside the door waiting to go back inside and he knew she was there.
We tried to get the owner to take Bear, but Bear would run back, escaping from whatever containment was used; a regular Houdini. Bear, eventually adopted our family after his past owner beat him, mistakenly thinking he had killed a visiting toy sized dog. As it turned out the little dog had choked on a chicken bone and Bear had carried it to the owner. They assumed he had killed the dog. Bear never returned and has stayed with us ever since.
Bear especially enjoyed running with our other Lab, Moon. She was a chocolate Lab that would go hunting for rabbits or whatever lurked in the desert with Bear and our other neighbor's dog, Dozer. The three developed some rather advanced techniques for flushing rabbits and other rodents from pipe and holes. Here's a link to see Moon and Bear in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHxRVQBt0eQ They weren't very successful in this specific attempt, maybe because a member of the team was missing.
As we were putting the fencing around our house to contain Moon and some newly acquired pups, Bear discovered the cooler temperatures under our house. He was determined to have access to the underside of the house, but still have the freedom to roam. He promptly dug under the fence and allowed all of the other dogs access to their freedom. Unfortunately, the pups were never focused enough to stay with the older dogs and would distractedly wander until they were lost. We took several late night, early morning trips into the desert searching for them. We drove stakes into the ground where Bear would dig out or in, and had to invest in an electric line that ran the base of the fence. Late one night as Bear was digging in or out, he got the one shock that put an end to the digging for good. He now lives outside the fenced in area of the house. As the pups grew to size, Bear lost his reign on the pack. For his safety, we keep him separate from the Great Pyrenese. Zeus is now the Alpha male inside the fence, Bear is Alpha male for the rest of the property.
Before Bear learned his lesson, he let Moonie out one time to many. We have since lost Moonie, she drown in an irrigation ditch. Dozer still visits early in the morning and the two old men go through the motions of hunting rabbits. But they don't leave the property, and they don't really give it their all anymore.
Bear steals turkey and duck eggs and buries them in the horse stall shavings. He buries my horse fly masks, and I have yet to find one that I had custom made. He is innocently destructive, causing all kinds of extra work for us. He will smell a rabbit or something around a bale of hay, and he will rip into it and throw hay everywhere trying to get to whatever it was he smelled. He lies in the water wells under the trees absorbing most of the water so the trees get short-changed. He crawls into the horse water troughs to cool down for a bit, muddying it for the horses.
Bear spends the night running the property, barking at whatever is out there. During the day, he mostly sleeps unless someone comes to visit. He is intimidating looking. He has a docked tail, so there is no indication that he is wagging when strangers approach. He is lithe and silent, so he sneaks up on people. Several people that have come out to do different services at the ranch, ask if he is "okay." They are obviously worried that he may attack. I have been known to tell them various threats like, "as long as you don't have a criminal record, he will be fine. I don't know what it is about him, but he can always sense that." Or, "as long as you stay 5 feet away from me, he'll be okay. Just don't break that barrier or he'll become extremely protective and violent."
Bear has been bitten by rattlesnakes at least three times that we know of. He has developed quite a calloused nose from lifting metal pipe by sticking his nose in and using it as a lever. His ear swelled up one time and we drained it, but it has a rather lumpy-cartlidge feel to it now. He used to have to be wormed regularly, as he consumed so many jackrabbits and such. In his later years, he seems to be keeping clear of that diet. Maybe because his girl Moon isn't here to catch them for him, and he doesn't have the energy to do it himself. Winters are harder on him than summers. He gets very stiff and sore in the winter. He has been given old horse blankets for bedding some winters. Donald has been known to wrap Bear up when Donald returns late from work, and the next morning Bear will still be curled up underneath.
Bear has never been house trained and won't get into a vehicle. I am not sure what would happen if he needed to be doctored. We would probably have to sedate him to get him into a truck to transport him. He was never "fixed," so he continues to be a nuisance. I know that he fathered a litter to one of the neighbor's Heelers a couple years back. We feel guilty, but Bear really doesn't belong to us. He doesn't belong to anyone. He is a survivor.
From the city, Bear was relocated with a new owner, our neighbor, about a mile or two away to act as a guard dog. From what we are told, he was already a few years old when he was relocated south of interstate 8. He lived there for several years, but soon took to wandering in search of company. He eventually found us and our neighbors, both with several female dogs. He oscillated between the two of us, perhaps indulging in his "male" status and the admiration he was given by the "girls. He still returned home at this point, but was soon driven to visit us frequently as a result of one of our female dogs....not fixed.
It became a real challenge to let our dog out, because Bear would be camped out waiting for her. We would have to try to lock Bear in a horse stall, so Star the yellow Lab could go out a couple times a day. He grew wise to this and would steer clear of us in his pursuit. We used a horse halter at one point to control him. It took at least two to let Star out. Donald decided to lock him in our laundry room while Star went out. This worked a couple of times, although Bear was extremely leary of entering the house. Donald would spend the time petting him while Star went out. Eventually, Donald thought that this was the solution and went out to do some work with Bear in the laundry room and Star outside. When Donald returned, Bear had dug his way through the drywall next to the door, ripping the insulation out and starting on the exterior siding. The door trim was splintered. Star was lying outside the door waiting to go back inside and he knew she was there.
We tried to get the owner to take Bear, but Bear would run back, escaping from whatever containment was used; a regular Houdini. Bear, eventually adopted our family after his past owner beat him, mistakenly thinking he had killed a visiting toy sized dog. As it turned out the little dog had choked on a chicken bone and Bear had carried it to the owner. They assumed he had killed the dog. Bear never returned and has stayed with us ever since.
Bear especially enjoyed running with our other Lab, Moon. She was a chocolate Lab that would go hunting for rabbits or whatever lurked in the desert with Bear and our other neighbor's dog, Dozer. The three developed some rather advanced techniques for flushing rabbits and other rodents from pipe and holes. Here's a link to see Moon and Bear in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHxRVQBt0eQ They weren't very successful in this specific attempt, maybe because a member of the team was missing.
As we were putting the fencing around our house to contain Moon and some newly acquired pups, Bear discovered the cooler temperatures under our house. He was determined to have access to the underside of the house, but still have the freedom to roam. He promptly dug under the fence and allowed all of the other dogs access to their freedom. Unfortunately, the pups were never focused enough to stay with the older dogs and would distractedly wander until they were lost. We took several late night, early morning trips into the desert searching for them. We drove stakes into the ground where Bear would dig out or in, and had to invest in an electric line that ran the base of the fence. Late one night as Bear was digging in or out, he got the one shock that put an end to the digging for good. He now lives outside the fenced in area of the house. As the pups grew to size, Bear lost his reign on the pack. For his safety, we keep him separate from the Great Pyrenese. Zeus is now the Alpha male inside the fence, Bear is Alpha male for the rest of the property.
Before Bear learned his lesson, he let Moonie out one time to many. We have since lost Moonie, she drown in an irrigation ditch. Dozer still visits early in the morning and the two old men go through the motions of hunting rabbits. But they don't leave the property, and they don't really give it their all anymore.
Bear steals turkey and duck eggs and buries them in the horse stall shavings. He buries my horse fly masks, and I have yet to find one that I had custom made. He is innocently destructive, causing all kinds of extra work for us. He will smell a rabbit or something around a bale of hay, and he will rip into it and throw hay everywhere trying to get to whatever it was he smelled. He lies in the water wells under the trees absorbing most of the water so the trees get short-changed. He crawls into the horse water troughs to cool down for a bit, muddying it for the horses.
Bear spends the night running the property, barking at whatever is out there. During the day, he mostly sleeps unless someone comes to visit. He is intimidating looking. He has a docked tail, so there is no indication that he is wagging when strangers approach. He is lithe and silent, so he sneaks up on people. Several people that have come out to do different services at the ranch, ask if he is "okay." They are obviously worried that he may attack. I have been known to tell them various threats like, "as long as you don't have a criminal record, he will be fine. I don't know what it is about him, but he can always sense that." Or, "as long as you stay 5 feet away from me, he'll be okay. Just don't break that barrier or he'll become extremely protective and violent."
Bear has been bitten by rattlesnakes at least three times that we know of. He has developed quite a calloused nose from lifting metal pipe by sticking his nose in and using it as a lever. His ear swelled up one time and we drained it, but it has a rather lumpy-cartlidge feel to it now. He used to have to be wormed regularly, as he consumed so many jackrabbits and such. In his later years, he seems to be keeping clear of that diet. Maybe because his girl Moon isn't here to catch them for him, and he doesn't have the energy to do it himself. Winters are harder on him than summers. He gets very stiff and sore in the winter. He has been given old horse blankets for bedding some winters. Donald has been known to wrap Bear up when Donald returns late from work, and the next morning Bear will still be curled up underneath.
Bear has never been house trained and won't get into a vehicle. I am not sure what would happen if he needed to be doctored. We would probably have to sedate him to get him into a truck to transport him. He was never "fixed," so he continues to be a nuisance. I know that he fathered a litter to one of the neighbor's Heelers a couple years back. We feel guilty, but Bear really doesn't belong to us. He doesn't belong to anyone. He is a survivor.
Friday, September 3, 2010
September At Last
I am so relieved that it is finally September. Of course, that is primarily because of my memories of the month in other parts of the country. In Ohio, September marked the ending (sometimes abruptly) of summer, Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green, jackets becoming a requirement (although they never were packed for the summer), and the start of the school year at the university. Maryland, was a little delayed compared to Ohio's temperature decline, but started the process of the color changes in the leaves (and there were lots of leaves to change compared to the sparse sprinkle here in the desert). Now September gives me strength to push forward through the end of the very hot season here. I believe this year has been the most difficult for me personally.
As Donald's work load has required him to be away so much of the time, the farming responsiblities have fallen to me. Now I am not a strapping young buck that has the strength to toss bales around or wrestle with heavy machinery, so when those challenges would arise, I simply had to wait until Donald came to take care of things for me. If I ran into a problem first thing in the day, the progress for that day would come to a halt. This has made me very frustrated at times. The solution, albiet late in the season, was to try and hire a helper. That proved to be a challenge in and of itself. With the controversy involving the immigration within the state of AZ, the risk of hiring a worker of Hispanic descent could get one in trouble if the worker proved to be illegally in the country. So we looked to high school aged kids that might be looking for summer work. Many leads fell to the side, as calls were not returned. I really need someone available during the week to help as needed as I am working the fields or any of the other projects around the ranch, but high school has started back in session. We finally had some help this past weekend from a young man from Casa Grande.
As Donald and I are scrambling to get things done on the weekends (assuming Donald doesn't have to work), the tumbleweeds are continuing to grow. I decided to have the tumbleweeds cleared as a starting point for our helper, and then have him load some hay for delivery. The idea was that Donald and I were to try and get some repairs done while our helper worked. As the day wore on, I realized the tumbleweed clearing was being done, but not to my expectations. A lot of the weeds were left and with just the humidity in the air it seems, could rejuvenate and would probably be as lush as they were in a matter of a week or two. Not really, but those blasted weeds are hardy pests. So that task was not going to be done by this particular helper to my specifications. He was able to load hay and worked with Donald so that Donald could show him how to organize and eventually load on his own. Donald usually takes an hour tops to load a full trailer for delivery. As it turns out our helper was not able to keep up with Donald in strength or speed. The next load we had him work on his own and it took him almost two hours to get the job done.
Our time is valuable, and we have worked hard to make sure that expenses are always kept to a minimum for the obvious reasons. We decided that the per hour payment was not effective and the tasks were not being done to our expectations. We have offered him a project for a price and have calculated how much time it has taken Donald to do the work in the past. We offered him a price that allows him double the time it should take. We want him to shovel the last section of the concrete irrigation ditch that accumulates the sand and dirt from the irrigation water. We need it cleared so that we can move forward on preparing the fourth fields for planting. Something that is becoming more pressing as the season wanes. We will see if this chore is accepted, and evaluate the work to decide if we need to try someone else.
The mosquitoes have been an issue, but we are hopeful to have a solution to this problem soon.
The house that was on the property when we arrived is another culprit in the frustration factor. The house is very small for four people, with no real storage, and it provides a constant flow of repairs to keep the basics functioning (water, electric, and structure). "Cabin Fever" was definitately a contibuting factor to the difficult season. The ongoing diversions of the repairs on the house has taken our time away from the ranch projects that we have wanted to complete.
It seems that the demands of the ranch as a whole really have stolen from our family this season. Maybe the realization that Erin is a senior in high school and will potentially be leaving next year makes my feel guilty for not spending more time with her and the family in general. I suppose everyone has these concerns to some extent. I have made a family getaway a priority in October when both girls have a fall break. I just hope I am successful in the preparation, planning and execution of what turns into another project.
I have ordered our broilers for our first attempt at raising meat chickens. I am excited about this and have worked out a setting that will be minimal work on my part once the chickens are put to pasture. I will talk about this at another time. The lambs should be going in for processing later this month, early October at the latest. I am seriously considering holding on to one of the rams and getting a ewe to provide us with some "workers" for next season.
I would like to put together a mobile pen that would conform to the borders that divide our hay fields. The sheep would be put in the pens and they would eat down the grasses that grow on the borders, leaving the fields to grow for haying. They would "earn their keep." I have lots of these ideas, just no time to move on them....
The fall should be exciting with the processing of our first bunch of Bourbon Red turkeys. We will have a surplus for our needs, so I will calculate the cost of raisng the birds and sell accordingly. I intend on doing the same with the broilers. With all the uncertainty of our food industry, the opportunity to avoid the unknowns as much as possible is satisfying. The fact that we have the ability to do so is rewarding. Rewarding in so many ways.
As Donald's work load has required him to be away so much of the time, the farming responsiblities have fallen to me. Now I am not a strapping young buck that has the strength to toss bales around or wrestle with heavy machinery, so when those challenges would arise, I simply had to wait until Donald came to take care of things for me. If I ran into a problem first thing in the day, the progress for that day would come to a halt. This has made me very frustrated at times. The solution, albiet late in the season, was to try and hire a helper. That proved to be a challenge in and of itself. With the controversy involving the immigration within the state of AZ, the risk of hiring a worker of Hispanic descent could get one in trouble if the worker proved to be illegally in the country. So we looked to high school aged kids that might be looking for summer work. Many leads fell to the side, as calls were not returned. I really need someone available during the week to help as needed as I am working the fields or any of the other projects around the ranch, but high school has started back in session. We finally had some help this past weekend from a young man from Casa Grande.
As Donald and I are scrambling to get things done on the weekends (assuming Donald doesn't have to work), the tumbleweeds are continuing to grow. I decided to have the tumbleweeds cleared as a starting point for our helper, and then have him load some hay for delivery. The idea was that Donald and I were to try and get some repairs done while our helper worked. As the day wore on, I realized the tumbleweed clearing was being done, but not to my expectations. A lot of the weeds were left and with just the humidity in the air it seems, could rejuvenate and would probably be as lush as they were in a matter of a week or two. Not really, but those blasted weeds are hardy pests. So that task was not going to be done by this particular helper to my specifications. He was able to load hay and worked with Donald so that Donald could show him how to organize and eventually load on his own. Donald usually takes an hour tops to load a full trailer for delivery. As it turns out our helper was not able to keep up with Donald in strength or speed. The next load we had him work on his own and it took him almost two hours to get the job done.
Our time is valuable, and we have worked hard to make sure that expenses are always kept to a minimum for the obvious reasons. We decided that the per hour payment was not effective and the tasks were not being done to our expectations. We have offered him a project for a price and have calculated how much time it has taken Donald to do the work in the past. We offered him a price that allows him double the time it should take. We want him to shovel the last section of the concrete irrigation ditch that accumulates the sand and dirt from the irrigation water. We need it cleared so that we can move forward on preparing the fourth fields for planting. Something that is becoming more pressing as the season wanes. We will see if this chore is accepted, and evaluate the work to decide if we need to try someone else.
The mosquitoes have been an issue, but we are hopeful to have a solution to this problem soon.
The house that was on the property when we arrived is another culprit in the frustration factor. The house is very small for four people, with no real storage, and it provides a constant flow of repairs to keep the basics functioning (water, electric, and structure). "Cabin Fever" was definitately a contibuting factor to the difficult season. The ongoing diversions of the repairs on the house has taken our time away from the ranch projects that we have wanted to complete.
It seems that the demands of the ranch as a whole really have stolen from our family this season. Maybe the realization that Erin is a senior in high school and will potentially be leaving next year makes my feel guilty for not spending more time with her and the family in general. I suppose everyone has these concerns to some extent. I have made a family getaway a priority in October when both girls have a fall break. I just hope I am successful in the preparation, planning and execution of what turns into another project.
I have ordered our broilers for our first attempt at raising meat chickens. I am excited about this and have worked out a setting that will be minimal work on my part once the chickens are put to pasture. I will talk about this at another time. The lambs should be going in for processing later this month, early October at the latest. I am seriously considering holding on to one of the rams and getting a ewe to provide us with some "workers" for next season.
I would like to put together a mobile pen that would conform to the borders that divide our hay fields. The sheep would be put in the pens and they would eat down the grasses that grow on the borders, leaving the fields to grow for haying. They would "earn their keep." I have lots of these ideas, just no time to move on them....
The fall should be exciting with the processing of our first bunch of Bourbon Red turkeys. We will have a surplus for our needs, so I will calculate the cost of raisng the birds and sell accordingly. I intend on doing the same with the broilers. With all the uncertainty of our food industry, the opportunity to avoid the unknowns as much as possible is satisfying. The fact that we have the ability to do so is rewarding. Rewarding in so many ways.
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