The Surprising Tale of “Miz Lazarus”

a portion of the flock doing their "healthy chicken thing"...picking, scratching, eating

Yesterday, as I walked by the henhouse, I noticed an ailing hen.  Further investigation revealed that not only was she “ailin’ “, she was bleeding, lethargic…and probably dying. Chickens die fairly easily…they can get cropbound, eggbound, attacked by hawks, skunks, possums, fall prey to parasites…and sometimes just because it’s Thursday (Friday, Wednesday, the second Tuesday of the month…whatever). There was no way to tell what might have happened to her, and the chances for recovery were slim at best. While death is never a good thing, heroic measures are not taken in caring for chickens.  Chickens are even quicker to succumb than sheep.

Since the chickens are not really “my department”, I apprised the Boss of the situation and went about my other business.  He had already noticed her, knew there wasn’t anything he could do for her, and assumed that he would be called upon to dispose of the body later.

**A little aside here---the Boss is suffering from a severe case of Achilles tendonitis.  Walking is painful at best.  A visit to the doctor put him in one of those boot-things and he’s supposed to stay off his feet as much as possible.  This whole ordeal is fodder for another entry.  But, for now…I’m doing most of the farm chores. (and giving major thanks that it’s not May, June, July…)**

He managed to get out to gather the eggs at afternoon choretime.  The hen had been lying in the same spot for ages, and while she was still slightly breathing, he knew she was a “goner”.  He tossed her in his VARMINT bucket and headed back to the barn.

The VARMINT bucket is not to be confused with FEED buckets or WATER buckets.  The VARMINT bucket is used to dispose of the bodies of small creatures that have been dispatched by force from the farm.  (like groundhogs, 'possums, 'coons, large rats, etc)  When chickens die, they must also be disposed of as well.  I will spare you the details of the disposal.

But...here, I will give you a piece of advice necessary for farm survival…NEVER, EVER use one of the Boss’ buckets without returning it to its proper place, in the original condition! (there WILL be repercussions, I guarantee)

Since The Boss is trying not to walk too much, I volunteered to take over the disposal detail.  However, other matters were far more pressing and I decided to wait until morning to take care of the deceased hen. It wasn’t as if she was going to go anywhere…

Morning chores were going fairly smoothly.  The bottle lambs had been fed.  The ewes no longer thought they were going to starve and the barn was relatively quiet, so I began gathering all the feed for the hens and Waylon (our ram that lives out back).  As I scooped feed into a bucket, I thought I heard a little noise.  

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement.

WHAT!?  OH!!  OH MY!!!

The “deceased” hen was NOT so deceased.  As a matter of fact, she was peering at me out of her one good eye over the rim of the VARMINT bucket!   Yikes!  That was slightly unsettling. It reminded me of the Biblical account of Lazarus being raised from the dead.

After a quick trip to the house to share the weird news with the Boss, I took her out of the bucket and let her have a drink of water.  The cats and dogs were not too thrilled that she was drinking out of the heated “pet” bowl. She pecked at the spilled grain scattered on the barn floor.

Now, quite honestly, I didn’t need a convalescent hen in the middle of the barn in the middle of my busy day.  But…there she was.  I found a couple old catfood cans for feed and water.  I gave her a few lettuce leaves and she PECKED me. Rude and annoying as that may seem…it is a good sign.

She hung out by the barn doors all day with cats and dogs watching over her.  For the overnight hours, I placed a crate over her and her little bowls of food and water.  She will be safe from predators that way.

While “Miz Lazarus” will indeed succumb sometime…maybe even sometime in the overnight hours…her odd resurrection story served to remind us of something…

     NEVER assume anything! 
           
                                  ...and ALWAYS expect a miracle!

Thankful Thursday: Signs of Spring

It's Thursday...

               ...thankful Thursday...

                                             It's Thursday and...I'm thankful...for...

                                                    Okay, I'll admit it...today has been one of "those" days...

                                                                                                      ...you know what I mean.

Sometimes life events seem to conspire against us...sometimes it is really hard to find something...ANYTHING...for which to give thanks.

However, I found CROCUS blooming in the backyard.

Spring can't be that far away.  Oh, yes!  I am SO thankful for those bright sunny blossoms today.

Project "Lamb Mama" Continues

A month ago today, the Boss and I worked incredibly hard to help birth out twin lambs.  You may have read about it in How I Became a Sheep Mother.

It seemed appropriate to take a little look at how “Baab” and “Baa-bette” have progressed since then. Short story...they are THRIVING!

In the past month, I have fed each of them 137 times.  (It should have been 138, but the Boss took a turn.) Believe me…I appreciate our ewes! Every one of those trips meant that I mixed up some milk replacer (lamb formula) before donning my coveralls, coat, gloves, boots and headband and walking out to the barn.  On my return, the entire winter wardrobe had to be discarded (and sometimes dried by the woodstove) and the baby bottles rinsed.

The first week, they were given a bottle every 4 hours. That’s 6 times a day…and…all night, too!  Since the second week, the bottles have become bigger and they only get fed 4 times a day. Thankfully, the schedule can be arranged so that their last feeding of the day is 10pm and the first one is at 5am, and I actually get to sleep again. Believe me…now, I really appreciate the mothering effort put forth by our ewes!

Next week, they will graduate to 3 times a day.  I can guarantee that they will NOT like that change of plans. By the time they are eight weeks old, they will be weaned completely from their bottles. They have been eating grain and hay in small amounts since they were about a week old, so they are assured of good nutrition even after the weaning.

at the beginning of the project

Generally, bottle lambs don’t do very well.  The growth rate of bottle lambs is often poor at best, because they often have many other issues to overcome.  But, these guys are making me look like an amazing lamb mama.  As of 2/11, “Baab” weighed in at 29.4#, while “Baa-bette” is slightly smaller at 27.8#.  In order to have some reference of desirable weights…the naturally born, dam raised lambs born the same day weigh just a little over 30# each.  A lamb’s weight should be about one pound for every day of its life…until it’s about 3 months old and then weight gain slows considerably.

I may have stumbled on to a good model for any future lamb projects. Instead of bringing them in the house…or setting up my “lamb hospital” in the shop, these little guys have stayed in the barn the whole time.  They were penned for a little more than a week so they could get used to the whole bottle lamb routine.  The creep pen is outfitted with a couple of heat lamps that provide a little break from the frigid overnight temperatures. By living in the barn they have constant access to hay and water, as well.  So, they haven’t suffered in any way.

Here is a video of them eating their lunch on Sunday afternoon (2/10/13).  

Notice how rambunctious they are! This only becomes more energetic as they grow. Again, I truly appreciate the ewes.  When lambs are quite hungry, they will actually knock their mother off her feet as they butt the udder for the milk! Yee-ouch! 

"Baa-b" coming when he was called

These two are more than a little amusing when they notice me from a distance and come screaming along, looking for something to eat.  Sometimes it almost seems like they are smiling.

While I know that there is somebody somewhere who would question the economics and sanity of my efforts…but, we couldn’t just let the little things die.  The added expense of milk replacer will indeed eat into the bottom line when we go to harvest, but we are still ahead at this point.  Each and every lamb is quite valuable to us and we try to be a good steward of what we have been given. As for my sanity…that is another matter...

We are more than a little pleased with the results of Project Lamb Mama so far.

    Here's to a farm success story!  

The Farm in Winter

Winter on the farm means life moves at considerably different pace than the flurry of activity that is summer harvest season.  There are days that are beautiful in their icy austerity tempered with the dark, leaden skies prior to a storm that make me want to pull the covers over my head and sleep ‘til Spring.

I fully intended to write something to de-bunk the myth that farmers take some sort of vacation in the Winter as it seems that a lot of other folks out in cyber-world are talking about the actual WORK of winter.  I tried…but, it fell flat. I really didn’t have time to sit and think and write coherently---there was too much to do!

Then it struck me, our “to-do” list for today alone proves that there is a lot of work to do in the Winter, too.

After morning chores, there is a great number of things that need to be completed prior to going to purchase and haul a load of hay.  Purchasing a load of hay means that the Boss has to stack the bales at the point of purchase and then we un-stack from the truck and trailer and RE-stack in the barn when we get back home.  But, the sheep gotta eat!

It’s a bright, sunny day, and we will be gone for a while…so, the greenhouses/hoophouses must be irrigated and ventilated prior to our departure.  The seeds started last week must be checked for germination and any misses re-seeded.

When we return home, it will be time to feed the bottle babies again.

Tomorrow is Winter Sales Newsletter day.  That means that today I need to identify what crops can be harvested and what we will offer for sale this week. I need to check the weather to see what kind of harvest window (when the temperatures will be above freezing) I will have, too.

We’re also keeping an eye on the weather…a predicted storm may preclude harvest and delivery.  We need to make a plan “B”…just in case.

Afternoon chores will be followed by supper and a meeting in town about LOCAL food which if nothing else will give me something to rant about for a couple of days.

Then, we’ll crash and burn... 

              

 ...and start it all again tomorrow at 5am when the bottle babies will be expecting another meal!

If you want to read more about the farm in winter…here are some links to some old stuff.

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2009/12/we-survived-blizzard-of-09.html#.URouxKXLTTp  

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-hopes-of-preventing-scurvy.html#.URmBlaXLTTo

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/01/baby-its-cold-outside.html#.URl7RqXLTTo

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-farmers-market.html#.URl77KXLTTo

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/02/mid-winter-day.html#.URl8VKXLTTo

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/03/sufferin-snowballs.html#.URl9DqXLTTo

Say WHAT?!?!

“Have you heard?”  a longtime customer-friend was hurrying toward me, waving an egg carton.

I have to tell you something!  Have you heard what goes on in the industry?  Mad science, I tell you…science fiction!”

Okayyyyy….I waited for the rest of the story.

“you know you told me chickens will live and lay eggs for years…?  I saw this guy on television and he said that in the industry they only lay for 72 days and then they are so spent that they kill them off!” She was becoming more and more agitated. The other customers looked a little concerned.

What?  What are you talking about?

While I keep up with all sorts of Ag news, I had absolutely NO clue what she could be talking about. I keep up with the news because all those regulations and “issues” meant for Big Ag eventually trickle down and affect the small producers as well.  Since we direct market everything, it pays to at least be conversant on the topics of concern to our customers.

She took a deep breath and started over.

Apparently, she was watching some news show.  She couldn’t remember which one and in the big scheme of things it really doesn’t matter.  The host was talking about eggs and the egg industry and how awful conditions are for the hens. (here I know I groaned…I thought it was mental, but the look on her face told me that she heard me… But, Dear Lord, I HATE those one-sided stories!) Customer-friend has a real fascination with chickens and eggs and production.  She keeps bringing me stories that concern her and I keep trying to de-fuse the situation. Those so-called facts that you see on the Internet, spouted by animal rights groups and then often repeated by your best friend’s third cousin (or someone else) are majorly erroneous.

72 days!  72 days!  She kept saying it.  Why would they only keep them for 72 days?  That’s horrible!  I will never buy another egg from the grocery store!  You wouldn’t do that, would you?  Isn’t that awful?  How can they do it?  It’s awful…you should tell people that you don’t do that!

Well…I really don’t think they do that in “the industry”, either. 

Her eyes widened as I continued…

You see, it takes 16 to 22 WEEKS for a chicken to develop to the point where she can lay eggs. For a producer to keep the animal for mere days would NOT be economical. I honestly think the speaker mis-spoke or you misunderstood.  The average productive life of a chicken is anywhere from 1 to 2 years.  The most frequent replacement schedule is about 1 ½ years…that would be a little more than 72 WEEKS. Yes, a chicken will live for a long time…a very long time.  But, once that first flush of egg laying is over, the hen will never produce at that level again.  If eggs are your cash crop, you must have a productive flock that you know will lay eggs at a predictable rate.

At this point, she calmed down a little bit.

NO...NO...NO...this is NOT how hens lay eggs!

Those cartoon images we remember from childhood gave a completely false sense of egg production! A hen will lay an egg about every 26 hours, whether I want her lay more to or not. You can only push SO hard.  As the animal ages…the timeframe becomes longer and longer. The laws of nature cannot be completely changed. 

…and while it is true I said a hen will live for a long time, I never said, nor implied that we keep them that long.  We work on a two year replacement cycle.  We don’t send the old hens off to some chicken retirement home, either. At the end of that time, we either sell the hens to small flock owners who are not concerned with predictable production or we take them to the local zoo where the big cats can enjoy eating "local".Our operation, just like “the industry” needs some level of predictability.

“Well, I still don’t like the industry!” she asserted.

At that point, I gave up.  Live to fight another day… I guess.

Stories like this happen all too frequently.  Somebody thought that they heard somebody say something that sounded "kinda bad".  They missed a lot of the details, but made a firm decision anyway.  Then, they shared it with a friend or relative and the erroneous information began to be accepted as fact. More than one urban myth has started this way.  The current cultural tendency to accept information without any real research or proof is completely maddening.

If I could make any one request of the world at large, it would be PAY ATTENTION and check your sources.  If someone, anyone, (including me) says something that you have never heard before, find out if the information has any basis in fact, or if you possibly misunderstood, or if the speaker/writer has any credible experience with the subject.  It is also possible that the source is just looking to stir things up.  But, if you have no personal knowledge of the subject…you cannot make a good decision just based on what is essentially hearsay. Do some homework, for your own sake!

Because, quite honestly…there’s a whole lot of mis-information, falsehood, mis-conceptions, false perceptions….just plain lies out there….particularly when it comes to Agriculture.

If you have an Ag question…ask a farmer!  A real farmer…not someone who knows someone who sorta kinda knows something, or someone who read a book once, or someone who plays Farmville on Facebook.  

Ask a real, live farmer who actually makes his/her living doing the type of work in question. 

You’ll be amazed!

Somebody's Looking Out for Me

A visit to the feedstore is a given part of my weekly town run.  We can only store so much feed at a time, so we buy feed in bags (not in bulk) on a regular basis and I haul it back home rather than have the store make a delivery.

I love the camaraderie of the feedstore.  The whole staff takes time to talk and they make sure my load is tucked in the back of the truck "real good"…they even put my tarp on for me if it looks like rain. Mrjim always call me “hey girl” and tells me stories about farming here in the old days. He’s lived in the area and knows almost all the neighbors.  He’s got a ton of stories and so far I haven’t heard the same one twice. 

RW and "Jamaica" are the warehouse guys…they generally get my feed order together and toss it in the truck, while entertaining me with stories on a wide variety of topics.  "Jamaica" is from the islands and while he really doesn’t quite fit the image of the Valley feedstore-dude, he is always quite jolly and helpful.  He will greet me with, “hey…lady, how you dooooing?” with this huge smile from across the parking lot.  The boss-lady generally has some gossip or a story or two of her own.  The owner likes to talk about all sorts of educational types of things, so I learn something whenever I talk to him. A simple trip for feed often becomes a visit that lasts at least a half hour.

We’ve been going to the same feedstore for quite some time, and we really like how they treat us. The animals are thriving and the prices are good. We’ve had them do custom mixes for us…and they remember our needs and attempt to keep everything we need in stock.

I didn’t realize that they were really paying attention to ME until the other day.

It’s that time of year when we start buying creep pellets for the lambs.  Creep pellets are essentially “baby food”.  It is a pelletized grain with an added vitamin pack.  Don’t worry, there’s nothing else in there!  But, the high protein level, along with the vitamins, provide the nutrition for the lambs to grow, grow, grow prior to going out on grass in early April.  To this end, my feed order included a few sacks just to get the lambs used to the creep feeder.

As "Jamaica" clambered around the warehouse assembling my order, he couldn’t reach the creep pellets without the aid of the skid loader.   “hey…RW!  Help me.  I need creep pellets!”

“what?  CREEP pellets?  are you SURE?” 

RW and I had exchanged greetings as I pulled up to the loading area, and I saw him peer around the warehouse door to identify the truck. I waved at him again.

“When did SHE start buying THOSE?  

I guess he had already heard THIS story involving mrJim. 

"Jamaica" assured him that I had requested them.  I assured him I had requested them.

It was then it occurred to me that these folks know me…appreciate me…and are looking out for me.

                      THANKS, Valley Feed!

...So God Made a Farmer

There’s a lot of talk going on in my little part of the world today…a whole lot of talk about Dodge’s amazing Super Bowl ad last night. 

Wow!  2 minutes devoted to farmers…all sorts of farmers, with a voice-over by Paul Harvey.

Most everyone in rural America had listened to a commentary by Mr. Harvey at one time or another.  For years, our family listened to his stories, along with the Ag report, at lunchtime nearly every day. Rural America truly missed his distinctive voice and reporting style following his death in 2009.

The ad was incredibly powerful. If you haven’t seen it … here it is.

I had been meaning to post that speech that Mr. Harvey made to an FFA meeting back in 1978 for some time. I loved it the first time I heard it.  It’s been sitting on my desk, where I would look at it, remember and smile. Somehow, it seemed to sum up everything that farmers do. ...and that would be ALL farmers! Here is the original post...withOUT the Dodge trucks.

Here’s a look at WHY that ad was so effective.

As I got in our rusty old Dodge to head off to town this morning, I wondered if anyone else felt the same way I did.  It felt like someone “out there” noticed…and approved of all the hard work that goes on in the world of Ag. It felt really good to be a farmer. From the conversations going on out here...I am not alone in my feelings. For once, it didn't matter what kind of farmer you were, or the size of your operation...we all felt the warm glow of appreciation. 

Thanks, Dodge!  Farmers need a little boost of recognition…farms of all sorts have come under a great deal of criticism lately.  Thanks for making all of us feel good about ourselves today. 

What seems to have gotten a little lost in the telling of the story is Dodge’s commitment to partnering with the FFA in helping to solve hunger issues.  Dodge has pledged up to a MILLION dollars to this program.

You should read more about the FFA…the organization Future Farmers of America… here...  

In the United States, a land of plenty, one in six Americans will experience food insecurity some time during the coming year. Today, millions of Americans struggle with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. Around the world, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes every day. That is one child every five seconds. An estimated 1 billion people did not have enough to eat during 2011. National FFA’s Feeding the World—Starting at Home initiative is a compelling educational movement to help students understand the issues and effects of hunger. Students then take action to support the human right to safe, affordable, abundant and nutritious food as a means of reducing hunger at home and abroad, starting with a look at the U.S. The first step is to educate teachers and students about domestic and global food insecurity. The second is to organize hunger relief efforts that give FFA members opportunities to apply what they have learned to fight hunger and promote food security for all.

Here’s hoping that the Super Bowl audience remembers that ad for a long time and remembers that FARMERS feed all of us…and all those FFA members can truly make a difference and get folks involved in solving hunger issues…and that the YEAR OF THE FARMER is one to remember!