Extra Jumbo

If I hadn't gotten this egg out of a chicken nest box I would have sworn one of my turkeys had laid it. I think this egg may be classed as extra-jumbo. See it compared to a turkey egg, and the other eggs taken from the coop today.

The Class Work Begins

Maurine and I attended our first class of Whole Farm Planning for Beginning Women Farmers. It was a full day of meeting other women, learning about the concept of Whole Farm Planning, doing lots of brainstorming, case studies, introspection, group work, individual work, and more. The focus, discipline and direction it will instill in us, not to mention the knowledge and skills it will impart will be incredibly valuable. The diversity of women and farms and farms plans in the class is interesting and fun. I think Maurine and I will gain lots from being a part of this course.

A Good Man

This guy is always on the lookout, taking care of his hens. He does such a fine job, one can't help but admire him and his dedication. He spends hours on the doorstep, keeping watch.

Everything but the Gobble

After bonding with our turkeys, it was difficult to butcher them and eat them. But we've made a commitment to eat every last bite. We had delicious Christmas dinner turkey breast, loads of turkey sandwiches, a big pot of soup, an some gristly scraps fed to the dog.

For the Record

Paula gave to me, an old egg collection record book dated from 1921. An example of an entry is February 14, when 25 eggs were laid. She must have had a large number of chickens! By the end of the month, the total eggs laid were 28 dozen with a total revenue of $15.39. Besides being a record book it also advertised Wirthmore Feeds and doled out chicken raising advise, including such harsh words as "Don't feed the slackers and cull out the drones"

Whole Farm Planning for Beginning Women Farmers

Maurine and I were accepted into this program that will help us to plan our farm for success! It sounds interesting and intense. Several days of classroom work, homework, and farm visits. The program is funded via a grant from the USDA and the course itself is developed by Holistic Management International. http://holisticmanagement.org/

A Thanksgiving Egg Basket

Don discovered a turkey nest in the woods today....full of eggs! We had noticed the hens spending a lot of time in the woods these last several days.

Big Birds

I knew the turkeys were getting big....but not that big! After being totally dressed out they weighed in at 38 and 36 pounds. I wonder what they weighed before that???

Goodbye to our Splendid Toms

These two guys will be moved to the freezer tonight.

They were big, beautiful birds that we enjoyed having roam the yard. They leave behind the two hens, who will live on indefinitely.

A Turkey Egg!!!!

This afternoon, one of the hen turkeys wandered off by herself into the woods and was gone for quite some time. We speculated she was maybe brooding. So after she reappeared, I went scavenging in the woods where she had been and found this egg she had laid. I brought it in and nested it amongst the salvaged feathers of the tom turkey that was killed by a predator last week.

Shed Roof

A shed roof is being added to the back of the barn so that infrequently, and seasonal, equipment, can be stored out of the way and out of the weather.

The Girls are Really Laying Now!

We're In the Egg Business!!!

Tuesday, October 16th is the first day we got an egg from our hens. It's been five and a half months of raising the little girls from chicks and we'd been placing bets on when the first egg would be found in the next box. Emily Collins gets the prize for coming the closest. But since the prize was to get to eat the first egg, and she's way over in Maine, studying to become an OT, we decided to go ahead and eat it ourselves.

After much admiring and photographing, we cooked it up in a pan and shared it. Very very yummy!

Time for a Fence Around the Veggie Garden

Don set up his game cam on a post in the garden. Here's what triggered it at 4:17 AM.

Too bad for this guy hunting season is just around the corner. But, he's being fattened up nicely on the end of the bean crop so he should be tasty! Next year a fence needs to go up around that garden!

My Little Hen has Died

I think this is the little hen I spoon fed to keep alive when she was only a day old. I suspect she has died from Blackhead disease, a parasite that hurts their liver. Despite many efforts to find the needed medicine, I could not find a local vet who could get and none was to be had in farm stores. It's a very helpless feeling. There seem to be all kinds of help for horses, dogs and cats, but I haven't yet found a poultry vet. I'm imaging most farmers double up as farmer and vet when it comes to chickens and turkeys, and more than likely, most find it not economical to pay a vet for a rather cheap and expendable bird. Even so, I find it sad that she died like this and I feel badly I couldn't help. I know, I know.....she was going to be butchered in another couple of months, but at least she would be eaten and would fulfill her 'circle of life' fate, but now she must be buried very deep or burned so as not to infect wildlife. Keep your fingers crossed that the other turkeys also don't get it.