Happenings on the Ranch

So, it’s been six months or so since my last entry.  That’s exactly how long our CSA season lasts.  Tells you how busy we were.  We had an absolute blast for our first season and a very positive response all around.  Our waiting list has been growing since June and we’re starting sign ups now.  Planning is already under way for next season and there are so many new and exciting things we’re working on I just can’t wrap my head around it just yet.  I’ll save that for later.  Right now, I think I need to do a brief recap on  what’s been happening around here lately!

All of our calves have born for the year and, unfortunately, we lost one of the momma cows in the process.  So, we’ve been bottle feeding “T-bone” and he’s doing very well.  We also lost a bull – he’s an escape artist!  He’s still wandering somewhere in the Peculiar area and people catch sight of him now and again but he’s so keen to what we’re doing that he’s impossible to catch.  Eventually I hope to get him back but in the meantime we have to figure what we’re going to do about getting our cows pregnant.  Grrrr.

We ended up losing about 85% of our laying and meat chicken flocks to predators this year along with many ducks, geese and turkeys.  Right now we’re working on trying reconfigure things to keep closer track of the birds and keep them protected from foxes, coyotes and other prowlers while still allowing them to free range.  Not an easy task, let me tell you.  I’m determined to make it work, though.

We’re also working on ideas for hoop houses and row covers for the crops next year to cut down a little on the wrath of mother nature.  She’s our friend and our enemy at the same time and since we’re expanding our programs for next year we really want to have a little bit more control over the harvest.  We’ve come up with some great ideas that won’t impact the land at all and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Now that the harvest season is over I’m hoping to post several times a week.  If I can manage to keep that pace into the planting and harvesting seasons, then all the better.  Like everything else on the farm, though, we’ll have to see how it goes!

-Karin

It has been really nice out today – almost balmy.  The animals really enjoyed lounging in the sun.  Unfortunately, it looks like another predator also enjoyed one of our chickens.  Our beautiful Japanese bantam “Tiny” has disappeared and I have found no trace of her.  It’s always sad when one of our animals mysteriously disappears, but even worse when it is one that’s more like a pet.  She was our only Japanese bantam and I will miss her beautiful feathers and the tiny little eggs she would lay.  We still have our two Americauna bantams – “Prince Ozorumba” (Oz for short) our very colorful rooster, and “Queen Sheba” our white hen.  Sheba has yet to lay but when she does it will be fun to see what color the eggs are.  Americaunas often lay eggs that are blue or green in color.  Instant Easter eggs!

The broiler chicks are continuing to grow and will be ready for the table soon.  If you live in Peculiar and are interested in having some farm-raised chicken delivered for your table, go to our Local Orders page.  In the spring, we will have chicken available in our CSA Meat Program as well.

Yipes it’s been cold, especially at night. The livestock are all doing well with it, though. Valentine the bull woke up with ice on his fur this morning, which didn’t seem to bother him a bit but made me giggle when I saw him. He’s a Scottish Highland and they have very long coats. Great for the cold weather, not so good for the frost when it’s damp! I don’t think he knew why I was laughing at him.

The bad thing about the cold weather is the predators have less to eat and are now starting to prey on our animals. Sadly, we lost two of our ducks this week to some sort of animal. Ricky, our male mallard, was found by the creek. All that was left of one of our pekins, Lucy, was a slew of white feathers. Ethel, our other pekin, is now wandering around the farm a bit lonely. Some of the hens have befriended her, though, so I think she’ll be okay for now. I’ve posted a picture of the three of them when they were ducklings. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on the chickens and be sure I’m counting them each night as they go to roost to be sure we’re not losing any to hungry animals.

As I wake up in the morning to heavy frost on the ground, I think forward to spring and the anticipation of turning the soil, working in the compost and setting the new seeds in the ground. We are working on building a heated shelter to get an early jump on planting, with some seeds going into pots as early as February. This will let us provide an early and longer harvest of many items that usually wouldn’t be available until later in the year. I really hope we can pull it off – I’m already anxious to start planting and it’s not even Christmas yet!

-Karin