April 11, 2008

New addition

A new trailer! We bought this a month or so ago, and ever since it has been parked in Gary's sister's driveway. Today, Gary brought it home.
It is a 12' Adams trailer. There is a divider that separates the interior into 2 sections. Unlike our other trailer whose doors open as a ramp, this trailer has barn doors. I think they may be easier in the long run, but it may prove hard to get some critters to step up. We will see!
We bought this from B&G Trailers in Groton, NY. They are really great to deal with and will work hard to get you what you need. If you are looking for a trailer, I suggest you look them up!

And thank you, Kathy, for letting us use your driveway this past month or so :)

Posted by roosterh at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2008

Walk in the Woods

Twice a year we perform a pilgrimage, the great schlepping of seasonal stuff back and forth to "the land," a piece of property on the other side of our town. It's at the land where we get a lot of our firewood, Gary goes hunting, and we store a lot of stuff we don't need in day to day activities. Sunday was the day for the seasonal shuffle, and we took a truckload of things to the land.
It was a very nice day, 55 and sunny. We inspected the fields, and then we decided to take a walk in the woods.
Despite pockets of snow in the shady corners of the woods, spring is definitely planning its arrival.
Here is a fern, species yet undetermined but probably a cinnamon fern.
Club moss grows in a patch of icy snow.
Mare's tail moss, more icy snow.
Some sort of polypore. The color glows in the shadows of the trees.
We have several very large pine trees. Some are dying at their tops. Boards from these trees will make a nice barn! They are deep in the woods though and will be difficult to remove.
Woodpeckers have been quite busy this winter! The woods were pretty silent as far as bird song goes. I did hear a Carolina Wren down by the creek. Its "teakettle teakettle" call is very distinctive - and loud for such a small bird.
We walked back up the hill, out of the woods and into a field. Those hills in the distance surround Shindagin Hollow.
The field was absolutely filled with puff balls!
And we visited a pond. Millions of minnows took shelter in the canes of these cattails.

Posted by roosterh at 5:59 AM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2008

Bees' Knees

One sure sign of spring is BEES. Since nothing is blooming right now, they will take what they can get and usually swarm to chicken food, a great source of protein for them. Believe it or not it upsets the chickens and they will steer clear of a dish swarmed with bees.
Today we also got grain from a farm down the road. The bees swarmed that too. It gave the task of unloading the 20 bags off the truck a little excitement that it usually lacks :) Luckily for us the bees are more interested in the grains than defending their turf, so as long as we move slowly, no one gets stung.
They even swarm the empty bags. A local apiary has a number of boxes (hives) down at the bottom of our driveway that could account for the great numbers of bees. A beekeeper can set out food especially for his bees so they won't have to travel so far for food. But I bet by next weekend they will also have some flowers to visit. In the meantime, the chickens will have to share.

Posted by roosterh at 3:53 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2008

Only thing different is the year

Happy New Year to everyone! Yes I know I am a few weeks late. But the sentiment is strong! :)

It is hard to post when not much happens worth reporting. We wake up, drink coffee, Gary does his chores in the dark while I drink more coffee, he gets ready and leaves for work, I go outside to do my chores. It is hard for me to do chores in the dark - I like to see everyone in the morning and have a good look. Towards evening, Gary gets home and does chores and I follow a few hours later.

It snows, it gets cold, it warms up, we get ice, we get mud. Repeat. When the temps fall the cows come down from the fields and stay in the barn. When it warms up, the cows go back up. They know the routine and travel the half mile or so without much trouble - or assistance for either way they know they destination and are happy to get there.

And that pretty much sums up the last month!

Posted by roosterh at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2007

Nature shots

Milkweed.
Burdock, the flower picked clean by wind, weather and goldfinches.
I found this jawbone under a tree. I think it is from a squirrel.
Shelf lichen.

Posted by roosterh at 6:59 AM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2007

Noon is nap time

Around noon each day things tend to slow down.
Everyone finds a quiet spot and lays down for a snooze.
Goats more often than not make their quiet spot as close to the grain feeder as they can (grain comes around 2-3pm these days. Line starts here!)
Hank keeps a watchful eye.

Posted by roosterh at 12:21 PM | Comments (1)

October 7, 2007

Getting ready for winter

This time of year we always gear up and get serious about firewood. But I have to admit something: it is very difficult to do firewood in October when it is 90 degrees out! Where is fall? The leaves have all changed yet we are still experiencing searing heat. I am sure it will come soon and we will all complain how cold it is. Just wait.

Posted by roosterh at 6:46 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2007

Quick bits

Headlines from RHF!

• There are 5 5 gallon buckets of tomatoes in the kitchen right now;
• There is a 3 gallon pot of pressed tomatoes ready to be cooked into sauce in the fridge right now;
• An owl made off with one of my roosters yesterday and my neighbor saw it;
• More ducks hatched Sunday;
• We had our first frost Monday;
• 2 pigs go to the butcher today.

Posted by roosterh at 6:50 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2007

Soup for a fall day

It's a damp and cool day - fall has arrived. I am spending the day at an outdoor fiber festival, and Gary is working. No better time for Bean soup in a crockpot!
Mo's Favorite Bean Soup
1 pound package of navy beans
one carrot, sliced
one onion, chopped
one bullion cube (I use vegetable)
6 cups water
2 smoked ham hocks
one bay leaf

I place all ingredients in the crockpot early in the morning. Stir before leaving the house. Stir when arriving home. Serve with bread and salad.

Can't get easier than that!

Posted by roosterh at 5:46 AM | Comments (3)

May 12, 2007

More pictures: spiders and pheasants

I took these yesterday.

A pheasant rooster has come to live with us. One does almost every year. They mostly live up above, and are probably escapees from the hunting reserve down the road. Seeing pheasant and grouse is common around here. they might be native. I have never seen a chukkar around here (also stocked at the reserve).

A spider's web in the quince bush glistens in the morning fog.

Posted by roosterh at 7:23 AM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2007

All this and the weather too

Yesterday Annie, one of my remaining goats kidded. She had 2 bucklings, this time with color (hers are usually all white). No pictures yet - yesterday one was touch and go and today the other is. They move away from the heat lamp and become too chilled to eat.

One of the pigs has learned how to escape his pasture. He has done it a few times already today. Gary was collecting some kindling in the woods above the pigs and said, "One minute he was in there watching me and the next minute he was up the hill following me." I like pigs but I do not like chasing pigs. You know the phrase, "Screaming like a stuck pig?" If you have never heard a pig, stuck or free, being made to do something against his will, you are missing out. Their high-pitched scream curdles your ears as well as prompting every other critter here into a chorus of bawling, braying and barking. It's chaos!

And speaking of chaos, it will be interesting to see what it is like around here this time tomorrow to Monday morning. We are under a storm watch. I have heard reports of up to 20" of snow around here and Gary has heard of even more coming! He has been listening to radio stations out of Binghamton and their weather is always a touch different than Ithaca's. So we have spent the day preparing for the storm. When we put the plow on the truck Gary declared that now it wouldn't snow. We'll see. Seems like a few months ago winter would never arrive and now it just won't quit.

Posted by roosterh at 2:49 PM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2007

Happy Easter (but not happy spring)

Happy Easter! We have more snow today than we did at Christmas!

Posted by roosterh at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

December 2, 2006

The Storm That Wasn't

After a week of 60 degree weather (I saw forsythia blooming this week!), the front that affected WA and KS so badly has finally moved through here. Sustained winds of 50mph were predicted, lots of rain, small flood advisories, the works. After the flooding and rainfall of two weeks ago in the southern tier, many school closed early and events were cancelled.

We got a little bit of rain. The wind did blow last night, howling through like a train. I waited to hear roofs of the chicken tractors blow off, but heard nothing. With the cold front I expected snow on the ground this morning, but there is none. All the weather alerts have been cancelled.

Of course I haven't been outside yet, but this storm was a dud. It's getting to be the time of year where I almost *hope* for a storm, the kind that makes us hole up inside and listen to the lists of closings on the radio.

I know I will get my wish very soon now. It's inevitable around here!

Posted by roosterh at 5:46 AM | Comments (1)

September 6, 2006

Well, that's a deep subject for a shallow mind

1. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
2. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
3. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
4. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
5. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
6. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
7. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
8. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
9. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
   
10. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
11. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
12. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
13. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
14. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
15. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
16. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
17. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
18. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
19. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
20. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
21. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
22. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
23. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
24. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
25. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
26. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
27. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
28. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
29. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
30. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
31. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
32. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
33. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
34. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
35. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
36. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
37. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
38. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
39. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
40. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
41. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
42. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
43. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
44. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
45. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
46. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
47. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
48. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
49. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
50. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
51. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
52. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
53. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
54. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
55. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
56. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
57. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
58. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
59. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
60. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
61. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
62. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
63. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
64. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
65. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
66. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
67. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
68. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
69. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
70. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
71. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
72. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
73. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
74. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
75. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
76. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
77. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
78. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
79. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
80. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
81. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
82. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
83. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
84. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
85. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
86. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
87. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
88. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
89. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
90. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
91. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
92. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
93. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
94. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
95. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
96. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
97. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
98. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
99. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
    
100. I will not leave the hose running unattended.
     

Posted by roosterh at 4:52 AM | Comments (1)

July 23, 2006

Sunday morning chores

Gary has been up in the fields working on more fencing most of yesterday and today.
So while yesterday I ran errands while it rained, these have been my company today:



A mower, a trimmer and a turkey. I mowed our little orchard, some of the front yard and the side yard around the woodpile and house (where I found the hidden eggs). I trimmed the grass around the blueberries and the herb garden. I also weeded the garden (when I found the broody turkey).



Five hours of mowing have me whipped! Murphy and Luther have a good idea: they are taking a nap under some bushes.

Goosegoose are ready to take a nap in the side yard too, but first they have to say hi.

Posted by roosterh at 1:55 PM | Comments (0)

July 5, 2006

What the Hay

Last year it was hit and miss on second cutting for hay around here because of drought.
This year looks like it will be quite the opposite. With the southern southern tier hard hit and their corn and hay under water and mud, what crops do get harvested will need to be spread out to many more. Feed prices across the nation were already predicted to be higher due to increased production of ethanol and bio-diesel fuels with their dependence on grains, but this will deeply cut into pockets of farmers - especially NY dairy farmers who are victim to the lowest milk prices in decades.

Posted by roosterh at 7:04 AM | Comments (1)

June 29, 2006

We Are Lucky

We are very lucky here in northern Tioga County NY. Five miles down the road, I know West Creek must be lapping at the doors and windows of the farmhouses and barns; it usually does with a lot of rain. Seven miles slightly south of here in Owego, things are worse. And Vestal and Binghamton beyond, unbelievable.
Pictured: Binghamton from the sky, courtesy Press Connects
Last night a large rescue helicopter went over, quickly, going in a southerly direction.
Pictured: Being rescued in Conklin, courtesy Press Connects
I haven't seen any pictures of Owego or Vestal but I hear they are closed. The river in Vestal is 15 feet above flood stage as I write this.
Pictured: Washington Bridge, Binghamton, courtesy Press Connects

We are lucky indeed. More pictures can be seen here: Press Connects

Posted by roosterh at 7:05 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2006

Hold That Ark

The rain has stopped.


For now, at least here.

One group of chickens finds a dry spot this morning to greet the sunrise.
Gary tackles our driveway by using a backblade on a tractor. After any heavy rains, our long gravel driveway ends up at the bottom. Hank is helping, not sure if you can see him. Drive to work was uneventful in my area, but southeast of here from Binghamton to Delaware county is hit hard. Many people have been forced to evacuate.

Posted by roosterh at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2006

Gathering Supplies to Build an Ark

You might have heard we are getting some rain in the NE. I used to joke that we had so much rain so far this season, we had algae growing in our driveway. Turns out, algae is not that photogenic.

Today's paper shows some pictures taken from the road I use to get to work each day. I thought yesterday morning the road would be closed - and sure enough, it was closed later in the day. We did lose our power for a couple of hours last night on top of it. Oil lamps are good things.

It makes for a good day to be a duck. Although sometimes the rain proves too much for them too and they find shelter under a vehicle or bush and just watch it come down.
We made a quick goat shelter to give them a dry spot. No takers yet.

So we are gathering some materials to build our own ark. Not sure we can limit it to just 2 of each animal though. That makes for a pretty big ark.

Posted by roosterh at 5:23 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2006

Brand New and Making Do

After talking about it for a couple years, we finally bought a DR string trimmer. I haven't used it yet, but Gary has.
Here is a tip in case you are looking for one. Although you can get a DR mower directly from them, and they give you free shipping and run some great sales, call around to local dealers. They may be able to give you a better deal. We sure got one! Not only did we get the mower cheaper than advertised, but we got a hat and lots and lots of extra string.
No grass is safe from Gary and the trimmer. In fact he's eyeing any stand of long grass and asking, do we need this long grass here? Since the chickens are not cooped up, I am letting the grass grow in their runs for when they are eventually cooped in the nastier weather. I have even planted sunflowers and clover in there for them. No Gary, that grass has to stay.;)

The time may have come to get a new trailer for the fourwheelers. The spot welds gave way last week and Gary bolted the trailer to the frame to fix that problem, but at the time the welds gave out, the tongue bent as well. It's a dump trailer and now the latch will give out at the slightest bump.
Baling twine to the rescue! It's the farm's duct tape.

Posted by roosterh at 6:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2006

Weekend todo list

Long list of things to do this weekend! Let's see how we do.

Get feed and groceries. Check. 400 pounds of pig feed and 400 pounds of goat grain. Front of truck is loaded with groceries. I got a bale of Pro-mix too, for starting seeds.

Pick up tractor that has been "in the shop" since we bought it in November. Check.

Find,purchase and pick up round bales for cows.Then pick up all the loose hay from bale that broke in the driveway. Check.

Let all chickens run around. Check. What I didn't plan was they would find the dog food in Hank's house. I don't think he planned for it either.

Clean coops while chickens are out. Oops, missed that one. Gary did clean out one of them on Friday. That was very nice!

Move some does and their kids outside. Finally. Check.

That deserves 2 pictures, face it. Baby goats are cute.

Clean barn. Oops. Missed out on that one too.
Prune blueberries. Check.
Actually this was easy. The deer and rabbits took care of all the new canes for me over the winter. I hope the bushes recover. I was also helped by Hank, Toby the donkey, Murphy turkey, Melody turkey and Xena the rooster. Yes they are all very helpful. (not)

Clean house. Oops. Missed this one too. I am detecting a pattern on cleaning.

Posted by roosterh at 11:55 PM | Comments (3)

March 9, 2006

Mornings

Spring is definitely in the air. It is light enough at 5:45 in the morning to do chores without a head lamp. (Hands-free head lamps are one of the best inventions!)
Even in the dawn light, the birds start their singing. There are many male cardinals who sing to stake out their territory. The mourning doves hoocoo from the pine trees. Once it gets lighter the cardinals sing in earnest. Nuthatches and chickadees chime in, and the blue jays of course. My roosters have been at it for hours by this time.
Then my turkeys start and they drown out everyone else! Although this morning they had some competition from a wild tom across the gorge.
Yesterday, eagle-eye Gary spotted some coyotes wandering in the field across the valley, pawing in the snow. As long as they stay way over there, I am comfortable watching them from afar. This weekend we will be moving the first round of goat kids outside so we can prepare for round 2. I do not want to worry about coyotes!
Hank is sleeping outside now that it is warmer out. He has beenpretty quiet at night so the coyotes must be staying away. I hear the geese honk occasionally throughout the night. They've been sleeping by the basement door these days. There's no lost love between them and Hank, so for all I know they sneak up on him during the night and honk to wake him up!

Posted by roosterh at 5:11 AM | Comments (0)

March 5, 2006

A Sunny Day (lots of pictures)

After snowing for the past 3 days, Sunday dawned clear and sunny. About time! It was a perfect day. I cooked and cleaned in the morning while Gary worked outside. I came outside and goofed off by taking tons of pictures. Then I went to pick up a load of feed and by the time I got back it was time for chores. We took a quick fourwheeler ride before going in for dinner.
Lots more pictures to follow:
Even though the temps are cold, the turkeys are still in full-spring mode. Here is Luther strutting his stuff.
And here's my handsome Murphy. He and Luther had a little disagreement a couple days ago, and both have a few nicks and scars. Murphy's pride is a little beaten too.
My youngest turkey hen follows me everywhere.
The ducks enjoy the sunshine in the doorway of the new barn.
My chickens do not like the snow. Luckily Gary has plowed the drive and the snow has melted enough that they can walk on it.
The kids in the barn are growing! We have some warmer temperatures predicted finally, so we can move them outside and prepare for kidding, round 2. The roosters jump into their pen to search for grain and scratch through the hay. And provide some entertainment for the kids.
Here is Nala and her 3 kids plus another kid on the left. We ended up moving Nala to her own pen this afternoon. The other goats beat up on her too much for her to get a good meal. And with 3 kids, she needs all she can get!
One of Nala's kids enjoys some hay after being moved to the new pen.
Here is one of our young bucklings.
Annie is due the first week of April. She only started to look huge this week.
Many people at my workplace often ask me about the kid who came to work. Here she is with buddy Cinnamon. I couldn't get them away from the hay for a better picture.
Erin was also born last spring a little after our frozen girl (no, she doesn't have a name yet!)
Hank samples the hay.
Here is Liddie the pygmy. That must be some hay, everyone's too busy eating to pay attention to the camera.
Matty and Mae nibble at a white pine. We throw them into the pens with the goats, sheep and cows. They like to eat something green once in a while.
One of our cows is bred and is really starting to look huge. Here she shows us her best side.
Stand too long at the fence and other cows are sure to get curious! This is another red hereford, coming in for some pets.
Hank pets her too.
The big pigs slept in the sunshine most of the day.
We tried moving big mama pig again today, but were not successful.

Posted by roosterh at 5:19 PM | Comments (1)

February 27, 2006

Q&A

I often get e-mails and comments with questions. I will try to answer some today.

Reggie asks,

Reggie I have never seen one, but I think you drove by a farm that raises fighting cocks. What you probably didn't see is each rooster was leashed to his house and couldn't go far enough to fight his neighbor. Did you know that Abe Lincoln got his nickname, "Honest Abe," by refereeing cock fights? While legal in many countries, cock fighting is legal in only 2 states, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Charlene asks,

I don't think we will be selling any of our does but we will be selling some nice looking bucklings. I will post them here. In the meantime you can subscribe to srmarketing-l by sending an e-mail to listproc@cornell.edu with the message subscribe srmarketing-l You can also try this site.

Liz asks,

Expense! I wanted to make sure the fencing would work with our critters before going full hog into buying a charger. The fencing has proven itself and I think I will be getting a charger this year. This is partly why I went with the Yellow Jacket as well - it can be tied into a solar charger as well as a marine battery or the D Size batteries I currently use. They last about a week.

Dav Mc asks,

We can! Duck eggs, at least ours, have a much stronger taste. Besides the pigs absolutely love them and they are a good additive to their food. The pigs get the turkey eggs too.

Shereen sent me quite a few questions. I will try to answer them all!

Hi Shereen - I will be concentrating on marans this year for chicks but may try some New Hampshires, Rhode Island Reds and barred rocks. We have some tamworth/duroc cross piglets right now, and a full tamworth sow who was bred to a duroc. She should be due in about a month. A number of her piggies have been spoken for and most likely they will all go to the freezer. We raise pigs for others, selling halves and wholes.
We don't go quite as far as where you are with the mill. You can look for others with mills in your areas in your local papers, or go to Woodmizer. Last I knew they provided links to people to hire.
There is an organic mill sort of close to you in the Stephensville area, but I can't remember its name. King Bird Farm, up by me, used to sell their feed too. You can try Kreamer Feed too.
You can try Dr. Mary Smith at Cornell. I am not sure if she travels as far as you from Cornell but I am sure you can bring your animals to her. A good goat vet is hard to find. Remember there are regulations that vets have to follow so getting everything on your list may be difficult.
Thanks for the compliment on the site, and on your order! I just put up some new soaps this weekend too.

And finally, Marsha asks

I don't think I will have any hens for sale this year, just marans chicks, turkeys, muscovies and meat birds. Go to your local feed store and look at their bulletin board for folks around you selling birds. I know that Country Folks newspaper (which you will find at your feedstore too) has had a few ads for chickens for sale the past couple of weeks. Also try your local PennySaver or Shopper. Just don't go to TSC this year - they won't be selling any poultry.

Keep your cards and letters coming. I will answer your questions as well as I can.

Posted by roosterh at 5:01 AM | Comments (1)

February 12, 2006

Weekend to myself

Gary has to work this weekend and the weather's not looking too great What to do? Go to my first guild meeting? Get my hair cut?
So many possibilities and I decided to be responsible and stay home and clean the house and prepare taxes. Got in a couple batches of soap too.

Posted by roosterh at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2005

Can you guess?

Wow look at this. Could it be a picture of an iceberg in Alaska?
Or an aerial view of Lake Cayuga?
No! It is our driveway. Watch yourself on the way down. Even Hank slips and slides.
Surprisingly we still have running water although the temp is in the 20s today.
The ducks and geese enjoy the pond. Until Thursday, it had been frozen over.
The ducks also enjoy the mud. This spring feeds the pond.
Rocky and Bullwinkle line up for chin scratches.
Murphy and Luther show off.
I took a picture of this rooster to show his size. He is a marans and about as big as a turkey hen. He stands very tall.
I put up some sunflower heads, full of seeds, for the birds. I haven't been feeding the birds this winter, so seeing them so close is new to Hank. He stands under the feeder and barks at them, even chases them to the next tree where they land. Atta boy Hank. Defend your turf.

Posted by roosterh at 3:24 PM | Comments (1)

December 19, 2005

Long time gone

A combination of not much to report plus not being healthy have led up to a long quiet spell! I will back post some entries and get everything up to date. Here's an older picture that's been in the camera for a while.

Posted by roosterh at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2005

Snow Agrarian

The snow is perfect for making snowmen. Or in my case, snow agrarians. :-) Here is our farmer in the snow, with straw hat, potato fork, and baling twine for a belt. Her eyes are dog food, her buttons are another kind of dog food, and her nose is a bird feeder made from a pine cone. A pine cone? Why use a pine cone?
Because Hank the wonder dog stole my carrot!
And I think the turkeys are thinking about stealing the beef-flavored buttons!
Oh speaking of turkeys, here is my handsome Murphy.

Posted by roosterh at 4:22 PM | Comments (0)

The Perfect Storm

Lots of snow. And rain. And ice. And sleet. You name it, I think we got it in last night's storm. Makes for good pictures though.
We ordered the metal for the new barn. The builders should start next week!
Apple trees.
The ducks still manage to find some water. On the hill the water is always running. It's just a question of how much snow you want to dig through to find it.
Farm art. Hey we might need those tires some day.

Posted by roosterh at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2005

All in the Family

Gary has long admired a picture his mom received for Christmas last year. It shows his grandfather at his farm in King Ferry on 34B. The barn reads, "Homestead Farm, AJ Barger." This is now the McGarr Farm.

Posted by roosterh at 3:05 PM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2005

Sounds

Someone asked today what peoples' favorite farm sounds were. Even before I was asked, I was struck this morning by the many sounds going on. All the windows are open in this heat, and I got up around 4am. Even then I could hear my turkey mama softly purring to her babies under the kitchen window. The roosters were starting to crow under the setting orange moon. Once I turned on the kitchen light to make coffee, the goats in the next field knew someone was awake and starting calling for breakfast and attention. That set off the calves in the barn who set off the tom turkeys who encouraged the roosters to crow more. The geese came off the pond to get in line for breakfast at the barn. Around 5 we went out to start feeding, and Toby the donkey spied us from up the hill and started his caterwauling. All the songbirds were in full swing by this time. As I filled feed buckets, I could hear the rhythmic squish from the calves as they drank from their buckets. The pigs let out high-pitched squeals of delight that echoed down to lower depths when Gary came with their meal. The roosters let out happy bipbipbips when I came to their respective harems and gave them fresh water and food for the day.
Just all of it today, even though the chores were the same as the days before and will be the same for days to come, stood out and shone as a particular sparkling moment of sound.

Posted by roosterh at 2:43 PM | Comments (1)

July 8, 2005

Big Storm

Storms usually come down through a break in the hills, so we get a little warning before they hit.Before this storm hit, I got home from work to find the sheep out, some chickens got out of their netted fencing, since they were out Murphy turkey noticed Luke the turkey once again and they started fighting. I worked hard to get everyone inside and safe before the storm hit. As luck would have it, the storm missed us.

Posted by roosterh at 8:42 PM | Comments (1)

July 1, 2005

Weather Update

To prove how hot it has been, the national weather service has the following on their website today:

The average temperture for the month of June was 69.4 degrees. This is the warmest average temperature in June ever recorded at the Airport in Binghamton. The previous record was 68.2 set in 1967.

A cold front moves in this afternoon so we will get a break.

Posted by roosterh at 5:00 AM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2005

Another Reason for Raising Your Own Food

Another reason why you should raise your own food is a hot topic in the news today. A report was just released that details the steps needed to poison the US milk supply.

• CNN
• Washington Post
• FOX News

Not everyone can raise their own cow or goat for their milk needs, of course, but there are things you can do. You can start your own garden for your own vegetables, whether it is a large plot in the ground or in pots and containers on your deck. You can join a CSA or shop at a Farmer's Market and buy local from small producers. If you are unsure where to find a Market or CSA in your area, you can visit Local Harvest and search there.

Posted by roosterh at 7:37 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2005

Beat the Heat

The heat has never bothered me so much before. Add to that the swarming masses of biting gnats and I am ready to run screaming down the hill. Here are some things we do to beat the heat:

1. Wet a bandana and keep it in the freezer. When you go outside, place the bandana around your neck. The dampness will pick up any discernible breeze and keep you slightly cooler. Plus you have the bandana to wipe off the sweat dab your glistening nose.
   Disadvantage: Thaws quickly. Your shirt will become wet.
2. Husband Gary takes his shirt off and wears it on his head under his hat. This keeps the sun off his neck and the bugs at bay. I have not tried this method.
   Disadvantage: You are shirtless.
3. Take frequent breaks. You can place your bandana in the freezer for a touch up during these times. Work on things in the house, or better yet, the basement where it is cool.
   Disadvantage: Breaks become longer and longer.
4. Drink plenty of cold beer fluids.
   Disadvantage: This may require more frequent breaks for pitstops. See disadvantage to frequent breaks.

I hope this helps you keep cool this summer.

Posted by roosterh at 6:48 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2005

Haying when it's hot

In the words of the abomidubble snowman (Bugs Bunny fans will understand), "Gosh it's hot."
After chores we went up in the fields to finally get the potatoes in the ground. I knew it would be warm, but wow. I thought I was going to die. And as if the heat wasn't enough, biting gnats circled our heads like so many electrons. Even if they weren't biting, their presence was enough to drive us crazy!
Gary ran the tiller and I picked rocks. One row he planted the taters and I covered them and the next row we switched. Was it ever hot. Did I mention how hot it was?

Farmers around here started haying Memorial Day, but that first cut was mostly for chopping. Now they are baling. Our primary hay farmer baled some square bales for us. They smell so sweet and fresh.


It always seems that baling is done on the hottest stickiest day you can pick. Since you are dealing with hay you have to wear pants -- trust me I know as I tried wearing shorts last year when we baled hay with a neighbor -- I still have the scars to prove it.
The thermometer here was 95 and the humidity was 90%. Usually it ain't the heat it's the humidity -- but I think yesterday both were a huge influence. After I got the bales off the wagon and Gary stacked, I got sick: I was that hot.
We had the hay wagon to contend with too. Those things are meant to go forward, never back. They are very difficult to maneuver, especially in tight spaces like we have. I had an idea that hay wagons should have removable tongues so you can remove the tongue and put it on the other end so you never have to deal with backing up. Big enough hitch pin ought to work, right? ;-)

Posted by roosterh at 4:32 AM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2005

Signs it is too hot

When did I sleep through June and July and wake up in August? The temps are easily around 90 for the past week. It is hard on us, hard on the critters. We must do many rounds of water to make sure everyone is well-stocked.
Looking at the calendar I can tell it is still June, I must only feel like I can sleep through June and July. The heat wave is due to break this week. Let's hope that when the front moves through it treats us well.
Here are some random signs you know it is too hot:
You see you duck panting. It is true, the rouen male was resting under a tree and he was panting.
Husband will not leave basement where it is a cool 65 degrees.
When working outside, your eyelids are sweating.
A baby turkey who just hatched out of the incubator and who needs to be brooded at 100 degrees lives just fine in a plastic shoebox in front of the fridge. In fact he learned to climb out on day 2 and now lives in a large box in the living room, and his favorite food is crumbled hard boiled egg.

Posted by roosterh at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2005

Does Ursus arctos defecate in the arboreal plantation?

Apparently so. Neighbor has found fresh scat up in the woods. A couple years ago, a 500# sow was shot at the bottom of our driveway. There are a bunch of beehives there and she was doing a nightly raid. Here is hoping this bear is more shy and smaller.

Posted by roosterh at 1:48 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2005

Weekend wrap-up

Saturday the sheep were to be sheared, but we got tired of chasing them and they remain big and wooly. I will need to get someone to come out to the farm which is unfortunate because it can get pricey, especially for just 2 sheep. I reminded Gary that next year we will have help rounding up the sheep, but this year our help slept in the back seat fo the truck (Hank).

Weather was threatening and cold and we nixed the sawing plans for Sunday. We sent 3 piglets off to their new home and worked in the garden before going to scout out a farm that was on the market and visiting with Gary's family. The farm was not for us, and the visit to the in-laws was short. Back to home and back to work.
Gary had moved the goat shed a couple days ago and to it we added some combo panels. The plan was to house Hank in here while we were at work. He would be next to the goats and have a nice area to sleep I mean play in. (Did I mention that Hank loves to sleep??) Well we should have tested it out before using it for real Monday morning -- Hank can slip right through the openings quicker than jumping through a fiery hula hoop suspended in the air. So the poor pup is housed in a chicken tractor today. I gave him plenty of chewy toys and an old fleece coat of mine to cuddle with. I hope he doesn't hold grudges.
Work with him is moving forward. He is free to run whenever we are home. If he gets tired he has figured out he can go to the front porch and lay down, or to the deck. There is no laying down when I am tending to the chicks! He loves to chase them through their fence and lick their tails! Although it is hard for me to watch him scare the chicks, I see it as a good opportunity to teach him "Down." He is catching on, slowly but surely.

This morning I moved the remaining 35 meat chickens outside into their own tractor. I have one tractor left! The tractor I used today is quite large and can house this many birds for a little bit until they grow larger. Also since it is supposed to be a touch cooler this week it will be good to have a couple more chickens in there for more warmth. The cooler weather and impending rain make me nervous for their heathy futures, but last night I was reading Joel Salatin's "Pastured Poultry Profits," and in it he says that every week past 4 that you hold the chicks in the brooder you run the risk of losing birds and you lose money as well. Even with the cooler temps their growth rates are suppressed.

Posted by roosterh at 6:59 AM | Comments (1)

May 12, 2005

USAToday CSA: The new way of farming

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-11-farm-share_x.htm

Posted by roosterh at 5:59 AM | Comments (0)

May 2, 2005

Had last week off from work

I said to a friend today that I took the week off from my day job last week. "Oh, where did you go?" he asked. I didn't tell him that I haven't gone anywhere in 2 years or so. With the farm, I don't go anywhere that is not somehow related to farming ;-)

So on my week away from work, I ... worked! The todo list is somewhat shorter but by no means complete. It never ever is. In fact I would say the todo list is always your short list of things you want to do, meanwhile you have the longer list stuck in your head of the other things that need to be done... soon.
Monday I went to visit Denny at Poplar Hill Farm, a boer goat farm that has about 300-400 goats. He showed me how to prepare goats for show. I plan on showing a couple of our kids at a show at Cornell in June.
Tuesday I worked the day job for half the day, then went home to meet the vet. This is when we had Bebe put down as well as some other things looked at.

I think it was Wednesday that we pulled some logs out of the woods. to be honest, the days start to blend together even though they all start at about 4:30 and go til dark. I got to run the tractor most of the day which was nice. :-)

When weather would allow we worked on fencing. We created a new place for the goats. Again I got to run the tractor to pull the fencing tight.