Posts Tagged ‘Brooder’
She’s Not a Little Girl Any More
The sweet little Sebastopol gosling, we picked up on the way to a sheep show last March, is all grown up now. How do we know this? Well, we found this gigantic egg outside the barn yesterday morning. And I do mean gigantic. Poor little girl…the egg measured just over 3 ¼-inches. OUCH! Brianne was so excited when she bounded through the back door clutching Sophia’s inaugural egg.
But, our delight was tempered by the knowledge that even though Sophia is laying eggs there won’t be any goslings running around the farm. Her hatch mate and gander friend (Sebastian) died of unknown causes shortly after we brought them home. They were still in the brooder at the time. When I checked on them in the morning all was well, but in the mid-afternoon I walked by the brooder box and Sebastian was cold and stiff. We talked to the breeder and they had no idea either why he died, but they were kind enough to replace him. Read the rest of the story »
Raising Ducks for Meat
Meat chickens, turkeys and rabbits are the quintessential small livestock used for meat production on farms and homesteads of all sizes. But other fowl, like ducks, should not be discounted as a viable source of food and income. In fact, ducks are thought to be easier to raise then meat chickens because they are heartier and don’t require expensive housing. They can handle many different climates very well. They eat a variety of foods, from kitchen scraps to garden culls to small critters like toads and snails. Ducks are also beneficial. They produce good quality fertilizer while ridding the garden of weeds and bugs. And, they are not as susceptible to avian diseases as chickens are.
So—if you’ve mastered raising your own meat from other small livestock and want to try something new, try ducks.
The more popular meat duck breeds include the Pekin, Rouen and Muscovy. The White Pekin is a favorite of the three because it produces delicious, healthy white meat. The Rouen is second to the Pekin with its flavorful carcass. Rounding out the trio is the Muscovy because the meat is similar to ham or sirloin steak, yet much leaner (98% fat free). Read the rest of the story »
Longing for Fall
It was barely dawn when I woke to a cool breeze floating through my window. A thin glimmer of light shone just over the horizon. Rather than roll over and sleep some more I got up, put on my jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Our weather is still warm during the day, but the mornings are brisk. I quietly left the house and walked around our little homestead. I love this time of morning, before the farm and the world has decided to rise and get on with their day.
When Dutch and Dakota finally realized I was outside they came running over to me, tails wagging wildly. They were still droopy eyed. Wondering what I was doing out so early, but loving the pre-dawn attention. I bent over and rubbed them vigorously and chuckled as they flopped on their backs begging for a belly rub. I am happy to have such contented farm dogs. They moaned and grinned and begged for more.
When Brianne came out I joined her in her morning routine of scooping grain and throwing hay to the lambs, and feeding the chickens. The baby chicks, now a good month old, have been moved to a spare rabbit hutch to get acquainted with barn life and life outside the brooder. No more do they have the warmth of their heat lamp, but a thickly packed nesting box seems to suit them just fine. Oreo (the rabbit) got his water bottle refilled and a fresh supply of pellets. We still have lambs left over from the state fair and our county fair. Fortunately they have all been sold. Now we wait for the butcher to have room in his locker before we can take them in. Not an ideal situation – waiting – but I know when our turn comes he will treat us right. Our county fair is just a few weeks gone, but it seems like a lifetime ago. Strange how we roll from one event to another with barely a look behind.
September has always marked the beginning of fall for me. I’ve been pining for it, longing for it since July, but it’s still a few weeks off. Fall is my time folks, when golden leaves float down from the sycamore tree in front of my house; when the fragrant smells of hearty stews fill the kitchen; and, when the pumpkins we planted back in spring start to change their color from green to brilliant burnt orange.
No – it’s not yet time, but soon. September paves the way for our hallowed fall. This is my time folks. I can’t wait.
So much going on
There’s so much going on right now, on this homestead. It would take thousand of words to explain it all, and although I’ve love it if that were my primary gig it’s just not in the cards right now.
In farm news: we’ve had a wacky spring so far; wind and cold and rain so late in the season I can’t even remember the last time we had late April showers. The fire roars at night while the days claw their way into the low-60’s. My seedlings are not liking the cold at all and some of my spring planting has been pushed back waiting for warmer soil temps.
On the chick front, I think we will lose two of our chicks hatched last months. They’ve developed what’s called Merrick’s Disease and there’s nothing that can be done. The others are healthy and growing like weeds after a good rain. We moved some of the bigger one’s out to an old rabbit hutch because they were flying out of the brooder. I think the one’s that remain in the brooder will join their friends by next weekend. I’ve already chased three around the garage today.
On the up side though, Brianne’s show lambs are on their way, and we are excited to see what our friend found in his travels. This is a busy time of year for us with gardens and chickens and lambs and livestock shows, not to mention school and work. Our plate is so full we sometimes feel like crazed lunatics and a Vegas buffet.
May is just around the corner and if we’re lucky enough to get back into our normal weather patterns it’ll be game on. We’ll be working harder than ever to catch up and get this farm back on track. I can’t wait.
Backyard Chickens
When I was about 8 or 9-years old my family bought their first batch of day old chicks. They were delivered by parcel post and lived in a cardboard box brooder in our family room for the first month. Before they arrived we had built the coop, fenced in an outside pen area, set the water fonts, made feeders from scrap lumber and bought enough chicken feed to last a month.
Over the years I have raised hundreds of chickens in dozens of breeds and enjoyed every one of them. I am always amazed at how much information is out there about raising this docile, versatile, homestead mainstay. When my daughter first started raising poultry in her 4-H project, we once again, combed the internet for resources that were up-to-date as well as kid friendly. And we weren’t disappointed.
Sites like BackyardChickens.com and Feathersite.com are great resources for anyone thinking about getting a few hens. It has free information, a downloadable care guide, images, a forum, questions and more. It’s for new chicken people, poultry lovers and gawkers alike.
Most towns and cities now allow backyard chickens as long as they are hens and are in a confined area. Chickens are easy to raise and as long as they are given a place to nest at night they are quite content. They don’t require fancy digs that cost a lot of money. A friend of mine houses her hens in an old outhouse and lets them out during the day. The coop at my first house was an old wooden tool shed with an outside fenced area. Today, things haven’t changed much. My coop is still simple, well-built, has enough room for a growing flock (which we need given our current hatch) and gives the girls plenty of room to roam.
Check them out, you won’t be disappointed. Click here for the link http://www.backyardchickens.com/ or http://www.feathersite.com/
As for our surprise! We have 8 chicks hatched, with more on the way. They are all snuggly warm, nestled in our brooder box in the corner of the kitchen. Man, this is fun!!
Sheep Shows, Chicks and Tired Bodies
Boy oh boy, what a weekend we’ve had.
In the past few days we drove north to a junior livestock show (Brianne placed first in her class and competed for champion), spent a long wonderful day visiting with other livestock showing friends, had a late dinner with a sheep breeder friend, looked at potential candidates for our county fair, and came home to a new batch of CHICKS! Life on a farm, no matter what the size, goes on about its business with or without you.
I’m recouping from the weekend’s non-stop pace, I’ll fill you in on it all… but tonight I am barely standing up. We got home around 3PM, and started to get the lambs settled back in the barn when I heard the tell tale peeps of newly hatched chicks. When Brianne checked, sure enough our little Frizzle hen was guarding three day old chicks and two more were pipping through their shells. We quickly set up our brooder with heat lamp, feed and water and brought the new chicks into the kitchen. We’ll see how many new one’s we have tomorrow.
To add insult to injury: this afternoon I ran around and watered newly planted seeds in mini-greenhouses, washed show blankets and towels, filled feed barrels and still managed to make dinner from scratch. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck (or is that a farm). It’s time to sleep. I am beat!
Before I go… I want to wish everyone a happy spring equinox. Life with longer days and warmer weather is eagerly awaited.
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