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.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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.
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