Turkey Independence Day

When we lived in the city, the fourth of July was a night filled with enough booms and crackles and smoke to fill the neighborhood. Even though we lived only five miles from Clearwater Beach where the BIG fireworks go off, that didn't seem to stop everyone on our block from indulging their inner pyro and lighting off their own private display. When our kids were little, we just walked down a few driveways and watched the neighbors set off $100.00 worth. So it didn't bother us at all when our new neighbors in the country decided to have an impressive sky show of their own this year. We just turned up the volume on the tv and enjoyed our movie. However, if we had taken a peek outside we would have seen 42 out of 43 turkeys trample the electric netting, and take off into the night.
The thought did cross my mind during the movie that we should at least check on them. Bill casually said that there couldn't possibly be any danger of predators with all the noise and flashing lights going on. He was right. No coyote, fox, raccoon, bobcat, panther, or armadillo were anywhere near our place. At around 11pm our neighbors had finished and something prompted Bill to grab a flashlight. That's when I learned of the only one remaining turkey in the corral. We quickly passed out flashlights. Thankfully our son and daughter-in-law were with us so we had extra help. We scattered into the darkness criss-crossing our beams of light. Bill and Ben found the first 16 birds bedded down near the clothesline. My heart sank. I didn't think the flock would separate. I hoped we would recover more.
We scattered again and I headed toward the woods. There, in the thick grass and weeds were more birds. When they saw the light, they lifted their heads and started cooing. I quickly counted. Yes. All were there. Now, how does one pick up and move 42turkeys in the dark without scaring them, injuring them, or injuring ourselves? A third of them already weigh close to 20lbs and can kick and flap with more strength than you would expect.
Bill brought the pickup truck in slowly. We turned out all the flashlights except one. Danielle, our daughter-in-law held that one as we slowly moved through the flock. One at a time we loaded about ten into the bed of the truck. Micah, our youngest son climbed in, and he and I held our arms around the birds while Bill drove us back to the turkey net. It took about four trips to get them all back in. Then we realized that Lilly, our new puppy was missing too. She would have been with us "helping". Once again, the flashlight brigade scattered into the darkness calling her name. She had either hidden herself very well, or was missing from the property. I had seen Lilly's stubborn streak before, so I knew there would be no coaxing her out of hiding. I'd have to wait until morning. I went out at dawn the next day and was greeted by her smiling face. Thank God she was okay. She seemed unaffected by the previous nights escapades and started the day with her wagging tail like always. Bill and I breathed a prayer of thanks and a promise to ourselves to be prepared for next year.
Hope your 4th of July was spectacular!

Staying Coooooool

Was last summer this hot? Laughing Chicken Farm has become panting chicken farm in the mid-afternoons. Thankfully, we do cool off at night to a nice, less than 60ish temp. But in the heat of the day I've seen our thermometer read over 100. That being said, we are doing our best to keep everyone comfortable and hydrated. Our well water comes from an underground spring pocket so when I refill the animal waterers in the afternoon, the chickens splash and dunk their heads in it. They love to lounge under the hanging waterer and lay on the damp ground.

Today we moved the first two batches of turkeys out to the TRV (Turkey Roosting Vehicle). One and two at a time, Bill and I carried them by hand across the pasture to the new corral. This all started around 11am when the sun is almost full strength. What were we thinking? Too many trips later, covered in sweat, turkey poo and feathers, we got all 30 into their new shady quarters. Of course they just gawked at us and stood in the sun, but slowly they made their way under the roof and into the shade. The first group of 15 has about a month to go before harvest day, but I think they are over ten pounds already.

Our flock of new layers are doing well, but not blending together as we had hoped. We brooded 25 of them separately two weeks apart, and they have decided to stay segregated. It's like rival gangs. The big girls take over the watering station and hang out by the feeders. They peck the little ones on the heads when they get close so I have to set up different watering and feed troughs. At night, the little girls sneak in and join the flock, but then run out as soon as daylight comes. We had them surrounded by the poultry net, but the little ones could fit through the holes, so now they all are running around free. At least they are getting lots of foraging area. They haven't found the garden yet, thankfully.

Speaking of the garden, I pulled up what I thought were sorry little failed carrots only to find that several had actually gotten big enough to bite. We've never grown carrots before. I haven't tasted them yet so I'm not sure if they were a success or not. The heat has withered and bolted many of the garden's first plantings. I'm thinking I'll save the seeds so I let the mustard, cilantro, and arugula go to flowers. The ducks are sharing the space too so they get to enjoy the plants when they are pulled up. I tossed them green bean plants today. They stay cool with lots of water to dunk in and shade to get under. Most of their quacking is morning and afternoon when the day cools off. These are Giant Pekins. Sure they're beautiful, but dumb as dirt. Chicken Little should have been a duck because they all run around and think the sky is falling! I've already started a small flock of Muscovys. Everyone I've talked to about it says they are much better to manage, and actually get bigger then the Giants. Plus they have the added bonus of hatching out their own babies. Can't wait for that one!

Of all the other animals here, I think Lilly has the best idea for cooling off. Every Tuesday and Wednesday after processing and packing the chickens Bill dumps the ice from the coolers on the ground. Lilly rolls in it, lays on it, eats it and throws it in the air. She makes it look so good, I sometimes want to join her. So I've included a picture of "Lilly on Ice" and hopefully it will make facing the heat easier for all of us.

The birds and the bees

There's never a dull moment on the farm. After getting home from the Melrose paintout, I put my art supplies away, slammed the RV door, and walked a little bit away. Then I noticed a bunch of bees near the front corner. A few bees soon became many, then a swarm started! I called my beekeeping friends and they came over, but by that time, the swarm had entered the sagging framework of my poor dilapidated RV studio. My friends Margie and Sissy (two true farm girls) tried a few tricks with honey hoping to coax them out, but no. The bees had already decided this would make a great place for a hive. I, on the other hand, did not see it that way. Bees were making their way INSIDE the RV and bumping up against the windows. I wanted to cry. I had just been getting all the art juices flowing again at the paintout, only to come home to a studio I couldn't use.

A week has passed. Margie and Sissy came again yesterday with Sissy's husband Steve, and a big, white bee suit. Steve, an engineer by profession, got out a screwdriver and began to disassemble the front of the RV in hopes of getting to the hive without much damage to either the bees or my studio. I stood by (not too close) watching, hoping this would be the answer. The more Steve opened up, the more the RV crumbled. We all agreed the RV would not survive if he dug much deeper, and yes, the bees could be heard buzzing much deeper.

Margie, in her farm woman wisdom, said, "Well, you could always leave them in there and tear it apart in a year and at least you would have the honey."

I thought it over. Maybe. "How much honey could they make?"

Margie assured me it could be hundreds of pounds. The trade off sounded better. Bill also assured me that we could build a new studio. A new studio sounded good.

This morning, at breakfast, as we were drizzling honey on our grits, Bill and I contemplated the future of our honey house. We also realized that last year we didn't see many birds on our property. This year, after a whole winter of moving chickens on the pasture, we have wildflowers coming up all over, we see song birds flitting from tree to tree, and we have a buzzing hive of new residents who must have thought this was a fruitful place to set up a new home.

green!

Oh, Boy can we see where the chickens have been all winter long! Our pasture is so much improved this year. We have grass coming up all over. You can see where the turkeys have grazed, fertilized and cleaned up the blackberries. Our next group of turkeys will be here by the end of the month. You can see where the movable egg-mobile has been too. See all the green behind it? The grass comes up the next morning after I move them!

Our next batch of layer chicks have arrived. We have Rhode Island Reds and Americanas with Barred Rocks still to come. We've ordered extra so if you are looking to pick up a few chickens for your yard, give us a call. In six months they'll be laying more brown and green eggs for the market.

I just had to show how big Lilly is getting. She and Johnny follow us on our daily chores feeding everyone and moving tractors. Anytime we have a chicken that needs a little extra care, we take it out and set it on the ground while we move the others. Lilly usually comes over and licks it's head and sits down beside it. I don't think the chickens like it, but she is very gentle and I'm hoping this is a sign of her future as a livestock guardian. We are still deciding whether or not to get her fixed or wait and breed her when she is two years old. How in the world will I keep all the neighborhood dogs away when she comes into heat? Will I regret it if I get her fixed and she turns out to be an excellent guardian? We already know she is a wonderful dog.

Latest edition

Some of you have been following my art blog about the painting I was working on in exchange for a guardian puppy. Well Here she is! The painting turned out fantastic. Brooke, the owner/breeder was thrilled to see her favorite goat in oil paint. We took a drive to the panhandle and picked up our puppy, Lilly! She loves to greet all the visitors when they arrive. Make sure you come and meet her soon!

Turkey Pick up day

We had a wonderful, busy day with friends coming to pick out their fresh dressed turkeys the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The weather couldn't have been better either. I forgot and let the chickens out that morning, so they were part of the party too. A great big thank you to everyone who made the journey out to the farm. A big thank you to Sissy for help on the decorations,(never my strong suite) and to all my kids and soon-to-be-kids for helping spread mulch.

On another note, God has provided again. With this cold weather now upon us, we needed a windbreak on each tractor. As you can see we are stylishly color coordinated in blue. My mom and dad came with gifts from Clearwater and one of them was a giant pool cover someone had thrown out. It just happened to be the right size to make six strips to cover the backs of the tractors with one to spare. Oh, thank you Lord! Now I can sleep at night not worrying if my babies are cold. We can lift the edges up in the daytime if it is warm, and slide them down at night. Perfect! Another recycled item put to good use.

Turkeys

It's sad to see them go. We've watched them grow from day old chicks to grown up gobblers. Bill built them a mobile roost he calls the TRV the turkey roosting vehicle. They've done wonders for our pasture and they are eating things like cactus and blackberry leaves. But, you know what happens to all good turkeys on Thanksgiving. We've enjoyed them so much this year, that we're already planning when the chicks can come again. We want to try some heritage breeds this spring. Maybe we'll even keep some breeding pairs.
On another melancholy note, we had to say goodbye to the sheep. It was with many tears. We simply don't have the fencing yet on our farm to protect the sheep or move them from pasture to pasture. Maybe the sales from the turkeys this year can help with that. We were able to sell the sheep back to our wonderful, understanding friends the Cox's. The money went to a freezer. Another one. How dull. Our house looks like an appliance store already. Bill was right. We needed it. I can see that now as the twenty pounders go into the new freezer and just about fill it to the top. But I still want to farm with my heart, not always my head. Most of the time my heart wants something warm, fuzzy and cuddly.