Life Abounds on the Farm

As I write this entry, I can hear the sounds of night in autumn from the open windows~ crickets and cicadas ring out their persistent song; thanks to a small recent rain, I hear the calls of at least two frogs from the run off pond nearby; dogs are snoring on the porch after a day chasing squirrels and munching big new bones from Bastrop Cattle Company (who offer them at their market booth in all sizes)… and if I listen closely, I can hear the periodic chirps from Flock 4—160 one month old broiler chicks in their Pasture House, who have reached the age of becoming pushy with each other. In another moment I hear the peeps of the 10 day old chicks that make up Flock 5 who are still in the brooder not far from the house. It may not sound romantic or appreciative to name our chickens by their number of arrival on the farm, but this approach lets us know which group of chickens we’re concerned about when we’re talking or writing about them, and that’s really important to their well-being, especially in the middle of the night when we hear the dogs barking wildly “Something’s out near Flock 4!”. And given that another night sound often heard around here is the wailing barks of coyotes, I’m glad for our dogs and our quick identification when we run out to see after our chicks.

In addition to the 320 broiler chicks, we have 300 pullet chicks that are 2 ½ weeks old. With this flock we tried something new that is working very well~ we brought our babies right into their Layer House and brooded them on pasture. We put together one of those 10’ x 20’ portable ‘garages’ with metal frames and tarp roof and walls; we attached it to a base made from 4” x 4” timber and surrounded it with wire, to keep unwanted critters out and our chickens safely inside. I built two hovers which are low, wooden, table like structures that contain heat lamps underneath; we can have the heat from as little as one 100 watt bulb or as much as four 250 watt bulbs. We are now using just one light and keeping the windows upon most nights; the chicks are doing great and are ready to go outside… so, now it’s time to build their first yard, as well as roosts. These gals will be ready to lay their lovely brown eggs in the middle of February and we are looking forward to expanding our produce to include organic pastured eggs. We have several people who are interested in buying a few for their own home coops when they get a bit older. Because we use only organic feed (oh, we’re lucky that the only commercial organic feed mill in Texas, Coyote Creek, is just 25 miles away in Elgin!), our pullets cost more and will not be contaminated by petro-chemicals or GMOs. Eggs offer a much better return financially, so we’re trusting that this addition will allow us to keep raising and offering our happy healthy chicken meat as well.

Our practice flock of 16 Khaki Campbell ducklings are now a month old~ they’re doing well and are adorable! These babies move like a school of fish, with their quick, fluid shifts in direction… except that their waddling and chirping is more comedy that choreography. They are also the messiest eaters and end up being pretty stinky pretty quickly… still working out how to set up the coop in a way that will ease keeping the drinking area fresher, as well as their ‘comfy box’ which is a large thick cardboard box on its side and which holds in the heat and lets them feel snug and safe out there in the big world. Because their webbed feet are prone to injury, I’m hesitant to use the wood chips we put in the other houses, yet the shavings are expensive and get yucky fast. I don’t want to move the coop too often, since I am also working on a swimming pool set up that provides them safe entry and exit, even when they have one of their group panics and must rush back inside their comfy box… ah, a new learning curve, what fun! We will share these characters with another family who are also wanting to have some duck eggs; because we ordered the less expensive “straight run” we don’t know how many are male or female… we’ll be having a meal or two of young drake, which one of our friends is eagerly anticipating. If this works out and there’s a market for duck eggs (as we’ve been told) we may add a larger flock to our flapping farm family.

Last but not least, our cows and calves are coming home! We’re fortunate to have this wonderful breed called South Polls, and access to the bull at Coyote Creek Farm, from which they come. Huge gratitude to Jeremiah Cunningham, whose vision brought us the organic feed mill and whose farm values match ours so well~ thank you! Our cows are coming back pregnant and we hope these are females (heifers) to add to the herd. The calves were males this time, and are now steers which we will eat and sell when the time comes. We’re adding portable, solar powered fencing to keep their pastures from the chickens, as separate cows from calves when they wean. As time passes, I’m eager to work on rotational grazing that will add another layer to our sustainable farming strategy.

Now, I just have to find the time and energy to put in that fall garden…..