I have tried to hold off for as long as possible enabling "Word Verification" for posting comments on my blog, because I personally find those things annoying when I'm commenting on someone else's blog. In the last several weeks, however, I've come to realize the importance of Word Verification: it eliminates the posting of spam blog comments.
I used to get occasional spam blog comments, but the trickle has turned into a flood recently. It's to the point now where the great majority of comments I moderate are spam solicitations for get-rich-quick schemes or Viagra. I apologize for the extra hassle you will encounter as you post comments, but hopefully this will put an end to the spam.
BTW, one of the more interesting spam comments is the following:
"Nice post and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you seeking your information."
I allowed a similar comment a while back, from an anonymous poster, because the post he/she was commenting on was indeed packed with information. I recall being happy that I'd helped someone with their research.
Then, last week, I got the comment mentioned abovce, misspelled word and bad grammar and all, for another post. Now, I was curious. I Googled that exact phrase, in quotation marks, and it came back with 66 appearences in the comments sections of various blogs --- including some blogs not in English. It's obviously spam, but a curious sort of spam. It isn't selling anything. Could it be a sort of Phishing marker, allowing a spammer to use Google to go back and easily identify blogs that seem very liberal about allowing comments to post --- and then target those blogs for "real" spam comment postings?
I'd be curious if anyone out there knows. If so, please post a comment. Just make sure you do the Word Verification exercise! :-)
22 February 2010
Coda on Mean
My apologies for the slow posting of late; things with work and the farm have kept us preocupied. Some of this has related to the legal process in adopting Yeoman Farm Baby --- which, by the way, is progressing nicely (we appreciate your ongoing prayers for this intention).
About a month ago, I wrote about the passing of a barn cat named Mean. She had a prolapsed rectum, and had to be put down. At the time, we puzzled over the choice the vet gave us: $15 to have her put to sleep on the spot, or $20 for an office visit if we took her home alive and put her down ourselves. After further discussion, Mrs. Yeoman Farmer and I came to a rough consensus about the price discrepancy: the vet's office probably gives the price break to ensure the animals die as humanely as possible. I'm a pretty good shot, but not everybody is. The vet probably heard enough horror stories about people putting three or four bullets into their pets, causing unnecessary trauma for both the animal and the family, to decide an incentive should be offered to get the job done on the spot.
We thought that would close the books on Mean. Then, a few days ago, we got a nice card in the mail from the vet's office. The outside was covered with an illustration of doe-eyed puppies, kittens, bunnies, and the like, and read "In Loving Memory of Your Pet." On the inside was a hand-written inscription reading:
Dear [Mrs Yeoman Farmer], A loyal companion is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget. May you find comfort in the knowledge that you were truly belssed to have shared your life with such a friend as Mean. Thinking of you in your time of loss.
And it was signed by every member of the vet's staff.
I want to emphasize that this card was extremely thoughtful, and very much appreciated...but it also sparked a conversation around our dinner table that was perhaps even more so. First off, we thought it was amusing to read the name "Mean" in the same sentence as the tender sentiments of pet friendship. "You know someone at the vet's office was chuckling when they wrote that," MYF commented (see the post linked above for more info about the name's origin). But secondly, and more importantly, we discussed why the vet's office probably sends these cards out: most families get so attached to their pets, and so "personify" their animals, losing one of them becomes as traumatic as losing a human member of the family. We've largely avoided that, by being vigilant in how we refer to the animals and treat them. Yes, it's still hard when one of them dies --- especially a barn cat that the kids enjoyed playing with, or a dog that was a constant companion [see the four "Goodbye to a Great Dog" posts linked in the right margin of the blog for an example]. But it's not the end of the world, and we don't construct memorials to them. By contrast, we have heard of some kids so stricken at a pet's death that their parents allow them to miss school so they can grieve.
Our kids were sad about Mean's death, but they got over it in relatively short order. It turned out to be good preparation, because we ended up going through an identical situation just last week: Mean's last surviving littermate, Hairy (yes, an extremely long-haired cat), also developed a prolapsed rectum. We caught it earlier this time, so thought perhaps the vet might be able to do something. MYF and the kids took Hairy in, but the vet said that once this kind of thing gets going at all there really isn't any treatment. Furthermore (and this was important), it wasn't that we did anything wrong. Cats can have a genetic predisposition to rectal prolapse, and that's clearly what happened here. Both littermates developed it within weeks of each other.
We told the kids that we could get another free kitten or two, the next time we see someone advertising them. Not surprisingly, all three of the older Yeoman Farm Children are urging me to start looking actively. And given the average life expectency we've had with barn cats, we may need to NOT have the new female kitten spayed, so we can produce some litters of our own in the future.
But that's okay. We and our kids understand well that both life and death are all part of the natural order of things. Especially on a farm.
About a month ago, I wrote about the passing of a barn cat named Mean. She had a prolapsed rectum, and had to be put down. At the time, we puzzled over the choice the vet gave us: $15 to have her put to sleep on the spot, or $20 for an office visit if we took her home alive and put her down ourselves. After further discussion, Mrs. Yeoman Farmer and I came to a rough consensus about the price discrepancy: the vet's office probably gives the price break to ensure the animals die as humanely as possible. I'm a pretty good shot, but not everybody is. The vet probably heard enough horror stories about people putting three or four bullets into their pets, causing unnecessary trauma for both the animal and the family, to decide an incentive should be offered to get the job done on the spot.
We thought that would close the books on Mean. Then, a few days ago, we got a nice card in the mail from the vet's office. The outside was covered with an illustration of doe-eyed puppies, kittens, bunnies, and the like, and read "In Loving Memory of Your Pet." On the inside was a hand-written inscription reading:
Dear [Mrs Yeoman Farmer], A loyal companion is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget. May you find comfort in the knowledge that you were truly belssed to have shared your life with such a friend as Mean. Thinking of you in your time of loss.
And it was signed by every member of the vet's staff.
I want to emphasize that this card was extremely thoughtful, and very much appreciated...but it also sparked a conversation around our dinner table that was perhaps even more so. First off, we thought it was amusing to read the name "Mean" in the same sentence as the tender sentiments of pet friendship. "You know someone at the vet's office was chuckling when they wrote that," MYF commented (see the post linked above for more info about the name's origin). But secondly, and more importantly, we discussed why the vet's office probably sends these cards out: most families get so attached to their pets, and so "personify" their animals, losing one of them becomes as traumatic as losing a human member of the family. We've largely avoided that, by being vigilant in how we refer to the animals and treat them. Yes, it's still hard when one of them dies --- especially a barn cat that the kids enjoyed playing with, or a dog that was a constant companion [see the four "Goodbye to a Great Dog" posts linked in the right margin of the blog for an example]. But it's not the end of the world, and we don't construct memorials to them. By contrast, we have heard of some kids so stricken at a pet's death that their parents allow them to miss school so they can grieve.
Our kids were sad about Mean's death, but they got over it in relatively short order. It turned out to be good preparation, because we ended up going through an identical situation just last week: Mean's last surviving littermate, Hairy (yes, an extremely long-haired cat), also developed a prolapsed rectum. We caught it earlier this time, so thought perhaps the vet might be able to do something. MYF and the kids took Hairy in, but the vet said that once this kind of thing gets going at all there really isn't any treatment. Furthermore (and this was important), it wasn't that we did anything wrong. Cats can have a genetic predisposition to rectal prolapse, and that's clearly what happened here. Both littermates developed it within weeks of each other.
We told the kids that we could get another free kitten or two, the next time we see someone advertising them. Not surprisingly, all three of the older Yeoman Farm Children are urging me to start looking actively. And given the average life expectency we've had with barn cats, we may need to NOT have the new female kitten spayed, so we can produce some litters of our own in the future.
But that's okay. We and our kids understand well that both life and death are all part of the natural order of things. Especially on a farm.
13 February 2010
The Gibsonater
Tonight at dinner, I happened to mention something to Mrs Yeoman farmer about an extremely funny comedy piece featuring Mel Gibson. It came out quite some time ago, and we'd both laughed very hard as we'd watched it.
To which I only laughed more.
Finally, Homeschooled Farm Boy told her, matter of factly, "I think he's just tired."
Which is true, actually. But it was still that funny.
But tonight, when I mentioned the comedy piece, MYF's reaction was quite different. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I've lost a lot of respect for Mel Gibson lately."
Before I could reply, Homeschooled Farm Girl piped up and asked, "Why? Is it because he adulterated?"
MYF and I both began laughing, and I was soon laughing harder than when I'd watched the original Gibson piece.
"What?" HFG asked. "Why is that so funny?"
Finally, Homeschooled Farm Boy told her, matter of factly, "I think he's just tired."
Which is true, actually. But it was still that funny.
12 February 2010
Adoption: No Waiting. Or Much Less, Anyway
Our adoption of Yeoman Farm Baby continues to more forward; it isn't final yet, but we recently completed an important step: the post-placement visit from our local agency. Our case worker came to the house, sat down with the whole family, and we spent about 90 minutes talking about how things have been going. She had certain questions she needed to ask, but the whole process was highly conversational. She'll now write a report, which will be sent to our attorney and filed with the court in the state where YFB was born.
Our case worker shared some interesting information with us: they, and other agencies, are currently suffering a real dearth of adoptive parents. The numbers are sharply down, meaning far fewer families seeking the same number of babies. Particularly if a family is open to adopting a child of color, the wait time is very short right now. Our agency believes the uncertainty of economic conditions, especially here in Michigan, is largely responsible for the reduction in numbers of parents looking to adopt. The economic downturn has also caused problems for agencies themselves; ours was very prudent with its resources over the years, and had reserves to weather the storm, but she said that many other agencies have had to close their doors.
But the babies are still being born and still need homes. If adoption is something you've ever considered or believed you might be called to undertake, but were intimidated by horror stories about the number of months or years it takes to get a baby...this may be the time to take another look.
Our case worker shared some interesting information with us: they, and other agencies, are currently suffering a real dearth of adoptive parents. The numbers are sharply down, meaning far fewer families seeking the same number of babies. Particularly if a family is open to adopting a child of color, the wait time is very short right now. Our agency believes the uncertainty of economic conditions, especially here in Michigan, is largely responsible for the reduction in numbers of parents looking to adopt. The economic downturn has also caused problems for agencies themselves; ours was very prudent with its resources over the years, and had reserves to weather the storm, but she said that many other agencies have had to close their doors.
But the babies are still being born and still need homes. If adoption is something you've ever considered or believed you might be called to undertake, but were intimidated by horror stories about the number of months or years it takes to get a baby...this may be the time to take another look.
05 February 2010
Special Eggs
If you'll indulge me one more post about eggs, I promise I'll be brief.
As noted in previous posts, our kids have celiac disease and a number of other food allergies, and this was an important reason we originally decided to move to the country and take more control of our food supply. It's also made us highly sensitive to the special food requirements that others may have, and interested in helping them obtain what they need.
I never would've imagined it, but there are some people who are allergic to chicken eggs (even those raised on pasture in the most wholesome of conditions), but have no problem with duck eggs. Actually, as I think more about it, I shouldn't be surprised that there are people in this situation: our children cannot drink cow's milk, no matter how it's cultured, but they do just fine with cheese and yogurt and other cultured products made from raw goat's milk.
Anyway, if you think goat milk is hard to find...just try tracking down duck eggs. Even the local Meijer supermarket is now fairly well stocked with goat milk; it's expensive, but they have it. But I'll bet ten-to-one that none of my American readers has a grocery store nearby that stocks duck eggs. Maybe if you live in the Chinatown of a large city. But otherwise? Forget it.
We love duck eggs; they have a higher fat content than chicken eggs, and have a wonderfully rich flavor. We've enjoyed raising Cayuga, Magpie, and Khaki Campbell ducks, which are all excellent laying breeds. But here's the funny thing: once you put the word out in online directories that you have duck eggs...the folks with allergies to chicken eggs will find you. Fast. So will the Asians who want duck eggs for pickling and brining. When we lived in Illinois, we developed a nice little business supplying duck eggs to restaurants, Filipinos, and those with allergies in the Chicago area.
And then we moved to Michigan, and were no longer able to get to Chicago regularly. We cut the flock back quite a bit...but some of our old customers kept calling my cell phone and emailing me. Do you have any duck eggs? I really miss being able to eat eggs. You have no idea how integral eggs are to a normal diet until you can't eat any. Kind of like gluten is for our kids. If rice was as rare as duck eggs, I'd be burning up the phone lines trying to ensure a steady supply.
So...we bought a bunch of Cayuga ducklings last spring. Mrs Yeoman Farmer much prefers their eggs to those laid by Khaki Campbells (personally, I can't tell the difference...and neither can most people), so she can enjoy any that go unsold or that we can't deliver. Cayuga eggs are especially fun because they have a dark green (sometimes almost black) tint to the shell --- you can literally make Green Eggs and Ham. They started laying three or four eggs a day recently, and by early this week I'd managed to accumulate two dozen. Yesterday I needed to travel to Chicago on business, so shot an email off to one of my old customers who works in the heart of the Loop.
He didn't get the email until the day before I was set to leave, but immediately replied. YES, absolutely he was interested. He was off site in meetings until 1:45; could I come by his building after that?
No problem. I took the South Shore Line train to Chicago, laptop slung over one shoulder and my other hand grasping a shopping bag with two dozen very special green eggs. Then I took them on the CTA Red Line and into my meeting on the Near North Side. Then to Holy Name Cathedral for the 12:10 Mass, and to Starbucks as I grabbed a sandwich and coffee and checked email. Back onto the CTA State Street Subway and into the heart of the Loop, down a side street, into the lobby of a major bank...and into the hands of one very grateful man who hadn't enjoyed an egg for nearly a year.
We exchanged warm words for a few minutes, and then he retreated to the elevator and I headed for Millennium Station. Yes, he paid me a very fair price for the very special eggs I'd brought. But there really isn't any amount of money that can produce the joy that of knowing I've supplied something he's waited so eagerly for and cannot find anywhere else.
As noted in previous posts, our kids have celiac disease and a number of other food allergies, and this was an important reason we originally decided to move to the country and take more control of our food supply. It's also made us highly sensitive to the special food requirements that others may have, and interested in helping them obtain what they need.
I never would've imagined it, but there are some people who are allergic to chicken eggs (even those raised on pasture in the most wholesome of conditions), but have no problem with duck eggs. Actually, as I think more about it, I shouldn't be surprised that there are people in this situation: our children cannot drink cow's milk, no matter how it's cultured, but they do just fine with cheese and yogurt and other cultured products made from raw goat's milk.
Anyway, if you think goat milk is hard to find...just try tracking down duck eggs. Even the local Meijer supermarket is now fairly well stocked with goat milk; it's expensive, but they have it. But I'll bet ten-to-one that none of my American readers has a grocery store nearby that stocks duck eggs. Maybe if you live in the Chinatown of a large city. But otherwise? Forget it.
We love duck eggs; they have a higher fat content than chicken eggs, and have a wonderfully rich flavor. We've enjoyed raising Cayuga, Magpie, and Khaki Campbell ducks, which are all excellent laying breeds. But here's the funny thing: once you put the word out in online directories that you have duck eggs...the folks with allergies to chicken eggs will find you. Fast. So will the Asians who want duck eggs for pickling and brining. When we lived in Illinois, we developed a nice little business supplying duck eggs to restaurants, Filipinos, and those with allergies in the Chicago area.
And then we moved to Michigan, and were no longer able to get to Chicago regularly. We cut the flock back quite a bit...but some of our old customers kept calling my cell phone and emailing me. Do you have any duck eggs? I really miss being able to eat eggs. You have no idea how integral eggs are to a normal diet until you can't eat any. Kind of like gluten is for our kids. If rice was as rare as duck eggs, I'd be burning up the phone lines trying to ensure a steady supply.
So...we bought a bunch of Cayuga ducklings last spring. Mrs Yeoman Farmer much prefers their eggs to those laid by Khaki Campbells (personally, I can't tell the difference...and neither can most people), so she can enjoy any that go unsold or that we can't deliver. Cayuga eggs are especially fun because they have a dark green (sometimes almost black) tint to the shell --- you can literally make Green Eggs and Ham. They started laying three or four eggs a day recently, and by early this week I'd managed to accumulate two dozen. Yesterday I needed to travel to Chicago on business, so shot an email off to one of my old customers who works in the heart of the Loop.
He didn't get the email until the day before I was set to leave, but immediately replied. YES, absolutely he was interested. He was off site in meetings until 1:45; could I come by his building after that?
No problem. I took the South Shore Line train to Chicago, laptop slung over one shoulder and my other hand grasping a shopping bag with two dozen very special green eggs. Then I took them on the CTA Red Line and into my meeting on the Near North Side. Then to Holy Name Cathedral for the 12:10 Mass, and to Starbucks as I grabbed a sandwich and coffee and checked email. Back onto the CTA State Street Subway and into the heart of the Loop, down a side street, into the lobby of a major bank...and into the hands of one very grateful man who hadn't enjoyed an egg for nearly a year.
We exchanged warm words for a few minutes, and then he retreated to the elevator and I headed for Millennium Station. Yes, he paid me a very fair price for the very special eggs I'd brought. But there really isn't any amount of money that can produce the joy that of knowing I've supplied something he's waited so eagerly for and cannot find anywhere else.
31 January 2010
Just Another Sunday Morning
We were looking forward to a particularly easy-going Sunday morning this week; we'd gone to Mass the evening before (very unusual for us), and didn't have anything on the schedule before mid-afternoon. I figured I'd sleep in, and then spend some time in front of the fireplace.
Mother Nature had other plans, and proved that "farmers never get a day off." Out in the barn, I got hay for the sheep and fed the chickens. Then, as I took hay to the goats, I spotted something very odd: a smallish white body of some kind of animal, laying under the hay feeder. My first thought: it's a dead cat. Then, an instant later, I remembered that we have never had any white cats. A wild animal? Nope. Possums are the only white animals I can think of, and this was definitely not a possum.
Finally, my brain kicked into gear: STUPID. It's a GOAT KID. One of the does obviously gave birth in the night, and this is where she deposited the kid.
All the goats were swarming me, trying to get the hay that I was still holding in my arms. I feared that if I filled the hay feeder the goat kid was under, the herd would trample the kid to death. So, brain now fully engaged, I filled the feeder at the other end of the goat area first, drawing the herd away from the kid. With the herd distracted, I filled the other feeder and then snatched the kid into my arms before any adult goats could get close.
Fortunately, the kid was alive. She'd been laying so still, and looked so dirty and neglected, that hadn't been clear it first. Now came my next two tasks: (1) see if there was a twin laying around somewhere else, and (2) identify the mother.
A quick scan of the goat area revealed no twin. But identifying the kid's mother proved more difficult. The kid was now bleating (which I took as a good sign of life), but none of our does was responding. And they were doing so much swarming and fighting over the hay, none was standing still long enough for me to get a good look at their backsides. At last, I found a young doe (Holly) with dried blood on her haunches --- but it looked like it'd been a while since she'd delivered. Her udder and teats looked tiny, and she wouldn't stand still for me to see if any milk had come in. Worst of all, despite the kid's insistent bleating, Holly seemed oblivious to her.
Being only fifteen degrees outside (and about 25 degrees in the barn), I decided to take the kid into the house and confer with Mrs Yeoman Farmer. We put her in a box next to the fire and let her warm up a bit, and sent Little Big Brother [with Yeoman Farm Baby's arrival, he's not “Little Brother” anymore] upstairs to rouse his siblings. They weren't happy about getting out of bed initially, but eventually came tromping down excitedly to see the new kid.
Our biggest concern: how would we handle the logistics of our herd? Holly and her newborn kid needed a separate place where they could bond and she could focus on taking care of the little one, but we already had two older kids in the kidding pen, in the process of weaning so we could milk their mother (Button). If we just turned those two older kids back into Gen Pop, we'd lose the morning's milk. The two oldest Yeoman Farm Children volunteered to go out immediately and milk Button, and we decided that the kids could then stay with her in Gen Pop for at least the next 24 hours while Holly adjusted to motherhood. Perhaps Monday night we would put the two older kids back in the kidding pen with Holly and the new arrival, and see how that went. (The YFCs were of course pleased to realize they wouldn't have to milk again before Tuesday morning.)
So, the YFCs and I headed for the barn. We took Scooter the Amazing Wonderdog with us, to help move Button's kids out of the kidding pen --- and move Holly into it. I got Holly a nice clean bucket of warm water with apple cider vinegar (as a good overall tonic), and a little bit of grain (to aid her milk production). As the YFCs began milking Button, I smashed ice out of the sheep water trough and goat water trough (both were frozen solid), then thawed the faucet and refilled both water troughs to the brim.
After taking the milk into the house, Homeschooled Farm Girl and I turned our attention to Holly and the new kid. The kid was still just laying in the stall's bedding, and Holly was showing no interest in anything but eating. We wanted to make sure that the kid (and Holly) figured out the whole nursing thing, and that the kid got a good meal, before we left them to their own devices. HFG held Holly still, which allowed me to finally do a good inspection of the goat's udder. There was definitely milk in there, but it was way up high and felt hard. I gave the udder a thorough massage, and HFG managed to express some milk from the tiny teats. She guided the kid to a teat...and Holly pulled away. HFG got a new grip on Holly, and I focused on keeping the kid on the teat. To get low enough, and at the right angle, I had to basically lay in the stall's soiled bedding...but the kid did eventually get a good first meal. As the kid suckled, HFG and I had a nice conversation about goats and milking and cats and everything else that HFG likes to talk about. Which is many things.
Our mission accomplished, the two of us headed to the house so we could finally have some breakfast. After breakfast, with my prospect for quiet "Sunday morning time" in front of the fire long gone, I went out to the solitude of my office for a bit. About a half hour later, I heard the farmhouse door closing and wondered where the YFCs were going (and why). Ten or fifteen minutes after that, I got my answer: HFG appeared at my office door with good news. She'd just been to the barn, and the new kid was finally up and on her feet. And she was nursing on her own --- and Holly was standing still for her to do it, and sniffing the nursing kid just like all the other mother goats do.
I thanked HFG for the update, and praised her initiative in going out to check on the new kid. And asked her if she'd like to take my camera to the barn, so we could share some photos of the new arrival with all of the blog's readers.
HFG happily agreed to carry out that task. She brought back a nice photo of the kid:
Just another Sunday morning on the farm. Just another day when you have no idea what to expect.
Mother Nature had other plans, and proved that "farmers never get a day off." Out in the barn, I got hay for the sheep and fed the chickens. Then, as I took hay to the goats, I spotted something very odd: a smallish white body of some kind of animal, laying under the hay feeder. My first thought: it's a dead cat. Then, an instant later, I remembered that we have never had any white cats. A wild animal? Nope. Possums are the only white animals I can think of, and this was definitely not a possum.
Finally, my brain kicked into gear: STUPID. It's a GOAT KID. One of the does obviously gave birth in the night, and this is where she deposited the kid.
All the goats were swarming me, trying to get the hay that I was still holding in my arms. I feared that if I filled the hay feeder the goat kid was under, the herd would trample the kid to death. So, brain now fully engaged, I filled the feeder at the other end of the goat area first, drawing the herd away from the kid. With the herd distracted, I filled the other feeder and then snatched the kid into my arms before any adult goats could get close.
Fortunately, the kid was alive. She'd been laying so still, and looked so dirty and neglected, that hadn't been clear it first. Now came my next two tasks: (1) see if there was a twin laying around somewhere else, and (2) identify the mother.
A quick scan of the goat area revealed no twin. But identifying the kid's mother proved more difficult. The kid was now bleating (which I took as a good sign of life), but none of our does was responding. And they were doing so much swarming and fighting over the hay, none was standing still long enough for me to get a good look at their backsides. At last, I found a young doe (Holly) with dried blood on her haunches --- but it looked like it'd been a while since she'd delivered. Her udder and teats looked tiny, and she wouldn't stand still for me to see if any milk had come in. Worst of all, despite the kid's insistent bleating, Holly seemed oblivious to her.
Being only fifteen degrees outside (and about 25 degrees in the barn), I decided to take the kid into the house and confer with Mrs Yeoman Farmer. We put her in a box next to the fire and let her warm up a bit, and sent Little Big Brother [with Yeoman Farm Baby's arrival, he's not “Little Brother” anymore] upstairs to rouse his siblings. They weren't happy about getting out of bed initially, but eventually came tromping down excitedly to see the new kid.
Our biggest concern: how would we handle the logistics of our herd? Holly and her newborn kid needed a separate place where they could bond and she could focus on taking care of the little one, but we already had two older kids in the kidding pen, in the process of weaning so we could milk their mother (Button). If we just turned those two older kids back into Gen Pop, we'd lose the morning's milk. The two oldest Yeoman Farm Children volunteered to go out immediately and milk Button, and we decided that the kids could then stay with her in Gen Pop for at least the next 24 hours while Holly adjusted to motherhood. Perhaps Monday night we would put the two older kids back in the kidding pen with Holly and the new arrival, and see how that went. (The YFCs were of course pleased to realize they wouldn't have to milk again before Tuesday morning.)
So, the YFCs and I headed for the barn. We took Scooter the Amazing Wonderdog with us, to help move Button's kids out of the kidding pen --- and move Holly into it. I got Holly a nice clean bucket of warm water with apple cider vinegar (as a good overall tonic), and a little bit of grain (to aid her milk production). As the YFCs began milking Button, I smashed ice out of the sheep water trough and goat water trough (both were frozen solid), then thawed the faucet and refilled both water troughs to the brim.
After taking the milk into the house, Homeschooled Farm Girl and I turned our attention to Holly and the new kid. The kid was still just laying in the stall's bedding, and Holly was showing no interest in anything but eating. We wanted to make sure that the kid (and Holly) figured out the whole nursing thing, and that the kid got a good meal, before we left them to their own devices. HFG held Holly still, which allowed me to finally do a good inspection of the goat's udder. There was definitely milk in there, but it was way up high and felt hard. I gave the udder a thorough massage, and HFG managed to express some milk from the tiny teats. She guided the kid to a teat...and Holly pulled away. HFG got a new grip on Holly, and I focused on keeping the kid on the teat. To get low enough, and at the right angle, I had to basically lay in the stall's soiled bedding...but the kid did eventually get a good first meal. As the kid suckled, HFG and I had a nice conversation about goats and milking and cats and everything else that HFG likes to talk about. Which is many things.
Our mission accomplished, the two of us headed to the house so we could finally have some breakfast. After breakfast, with my prospect for quiet "Sunday morning time" in front of the fire long gone, I went out to the solitude of my office for a bit. About a half hour later, I heard the farmhouse door closing and wondered where the YFCs were going (and why). Ten or fifteen minutes after that, I got my answer: HFG appeared at my office door with good news. She'd just been to the barn, and the new kid was finally up and on her feet. And she was nursing on her own --- and Holly was standing still for her to do it, and sniffing the nursing kid just like all the other mother goats do.
I thanked HFG for the update, and praised her initiative in going out to check on the new kid. And asked her if she'd like to take my camera to the barn, so we could share some photos of the new arrival with all of the blog's readers.
HFG happily agreed to carry out that task. She brought back a nice photo of the kid:
And of Holly taking good care of the kid:
30 January 2010
Eggs Again
I recently discussed the new "Eggs" episode of Modern Marvels, on the History Channel, but wasn't sure when it would air again. Turns out, it is back on TONIGHT, January 30th, at 8pm Eastern and then a second time at midnight tonight (9pm Pacific).
BTW, this week's new episode was about "The Potato." It is also quite good, and comes on again tonight after the one about Eggs.
BTW, this week's new episode was about "The Potato." It is also quite good, and comes on again tonight after the one about Eggs.
27 January 2010
A Time to Plan - and Dream
One of the few fun things about winter on a farm in Michigan is spending time poring over catalogs and planning for the upcoming growing season. Mrs. Yeoman Farmer is the farm's designated gardener, and she loves sketching out which beds will be used for which plants. The task involves rotating certain plants into different beds, and making sure that certain plants are not grown in certain other beds. She also needs to decide roughly which week/month each bed will be planted, so I can make sure I've hauled and spread manure in the right places early enough for it to break down and be worked thoroughly into the soil.
MYF has a core of seed companies that she likes to order from (see the blog's right margin for links), and spends hours comparing prices and varieties in their respective catalogs. Just a couple of days ago, we ordered our seed potatoes (this coming year we hope for a large enough yield so we can keep our own seed for 2011 --- with the adoption of Yeoman Farm Baby this last year, we didn't get the potatoes watered enough, and the yield barely covered our eating needs).
I have no less fun making plans for livestock. How many new laying pullets should we get? How many broiler chicks? Ducklings? Goslings? Turkeys? Which breeds? How should we stagger them, to ensure enough chicken tractor pens are available inside for brooding --- and available outside to move them into once they're feathered? Do I need to build more tractors? Which hatcheries have the best deals on which birds?
If you've never raised chickens (or other poultry) before, I highly recommend McMurray Hatchery as your first stop for shopping. They are one of the most experienced, and widely regarded to be one of the best in the business. And their variety of birds is staggering; if you can't find it in McMurray's catalog, you'll probably only find it from a preservation center like Sand Hill or other highly specialized breeder (Magpie ducks come immediately to mind - we liked the breed, but had to get them from Holderread's Waterfowl Farm in Oregon). Anyway, the McMurray Catalog is tremendous fun to browse and let your dreams run wild. You can view everything online, and I recommend going online to place your order, but we personally like the experience of holding that full-color catalog in our hands and thumbing through it. You'll also find excellent advice for getting your new birds started. And McMurray has one of the best poultry guarantees in the business. Their birds are excellent, healthy, and when something tragic happens in shipping they make it right.
However, all of that service, and the beautiful catalog, and the top-notch website...comes with a price. McMurray's prices tend to be significantly higher than from other suppliers, especially when you factor in shipping. A good lower-cost alternative we've been happy with is Cackle Hatchery in Missouri. They don't have the same fancy chicken selection, their website isn't slick, it sometimes takes a really long time to get through to them on the phone, their printed catalog is all black-and-white ... but they have most anything a small farm would want to raise. They have a good selection of the most common laying breeds, a good broiler meat chick, and all the heritage turkeys and waterfowl breeds we've wanted of late. An especially good deal, if you're not choosy, is their "surplus rare turkey" package, where you can get a box of 15 or 20 heritage turkey poults that are left over from when the orders for specific breeds have been filled. Cackle's prices are great, and their shipping charges are very reasonable.
Here in Michigan, our local feed store has an even better deal: they send a large combined order to a hatchery that's just a couple of hours away. This yields a bulk discount, no shipping charges, and no interstate shipping stress for the birds. Best of all, the feed store has a special deal: for each 50# bag of chick starter you buy, they'll give you ten free broiler chicks. Since the feed costs $8.50 per bag, and the ten chicks would normally cost $10.00, this deal is beyond a no-brainer. Anyway, this particular hatchery's selection is very basic, but covers most of what we want to raise.
I'm thinking we'll get 30 or 40 of those broiler chicks, 25 Black Australorp pullet chicks ($2 each), and 20 White Pekin ducklings ($2.75 each). We can easily brood up to 100 chicks in one of our tractor pens, so we'll put the broilers and pullets into one pen; the ducklings will get a separate pen. All these chicks come in to the feed store on April 7th, so they should be ready to go outside the first week of May. Because the local hatchery doesn't have heritage breed turkeys, and their goslings are $2 more expensive than Cackle's (even after taking shipping into account), I'll order 16 goslings, and a box of 20 surplus rare turkeys, from Cackle to arrive in early May just as the brooder pens are being cleared out; the goslings will go in one and the turkeys in the other. (By ordering all the Cackle birds at the same time, we get a big break on shipping.)
Longtime blog readers know that we color-code our layer chicks, so we know how old each one is; after two years, it's time to put them in the freezer and soup pot. Last year, we raised Buff Orpingtons...so the Australorps will be easy to distinguish from them.
I'll probably have to build a couple of more tractor pens for the garden, but that'll be a fun project to do with the Homeschooled Farm Children...and we've built so many of them now, they come together quickly.
Lots of things to plan. Lots of things to dream about. Lots of fun in the year ahead.
MYF has a core of seed companies that she likes to order from (see the blog's right margin for links), and spends hours comparing prices and varieties in their respective catalogs. Just a couple of days ago, we ordered our seed potatoes (this coming year we hope for a large enough yield so we can keep our own seed for 2011 --- with the adoption of Yeoman Farm Baby this last year, we didn't get the potatoes watered enough, and the yield barely covered our eating needs).
I have no less fun making plans for livestock. How many new laying pullets should we get? How many broiler chicks? Ducklings? Goslings? Turkeys? Which breeds? How should we stagger them, to ensure enough chicken tractor pens are available inside for brooding --- and available outside to move them into once they're feathered? Do I need to build more tractors? Which hatcheries have the best deals on which birds?
If you've never raised chickens (or other poultry) before, I highly recommend McMurray Hatchery as your first stop for shopping. They are one of the most experienced, and widely regarded to be one of the best in the business. And their variety of birds is staggering; if you can't find it in McMurray's catalog, you'll probably only find it from a preservation center like Sand Hill or other highly specialized breeder (Magpie ducks come immediately to mind - we liked the breed, but had to get them from Holderread's Waterfowl Farm in Oregon). Anyway, the McMurray Catalog is tremendous fun to browse and let your dreams run wild. You can view everything online, and I recommend going online to place your order, but we personally like the experience of holding that full-color catalog in our hands and thumbing through it. You'll also find excellent advice for getting your new birds started. And McMurray has one of the best poultry guarantees in the business. Their birds are excellent, healthy, and when something tragic happens in shipping they make it right.
However, all of that service, and the beautiful catalog, and the top-notch website...comes with a price. McMurray's prices tend to be significantly higher than from other suppliers, especially when you factor in shipping. A good lower-cost alternative we've been happy with is Cackle Hatchery in Missouri. They don't have the same fancy chicken selection, their website isn't slick, it sometimes takes a really long time to get through to them on the phone, their printed catalog is all black-and-white ... but they have most anything a small farm would want to raise. They have a good selection of the most common laying breeds, a good broiler meat chick, and all the heritage turkeys and waterfowl breeds we've wanted of late. An especially good deal, if you're not choosy, is their "surplus rare turkey" package, where you can get a box of 15 or 20 heritage turkey poults that are left over from when the orders for specific breeds have been filled. Cackle's prices are great, and their shipping charges are very reasonable.
Here in Michigan, our local feed store has an even better deal: they send a large combined order to a hatchery that's just a couple of hours away. This yields a bulk discount, no shipping charges, and no interstate shipping stress for the birds. Best of all, the feed store has a special deal: for each 50# bag of chick starter you buy, they'll give you ten free broiler chicks. Since the feed costs $8.50 per bag, and the ten chicks would normally cost $10.00, this deal is beyond a no-brainer. Anyway, this particular hatchery's selection is very basic, but covers most of what we want to raise.
I'm thinking we'll get 30 or 40 of those broiler chicks, 25 Black Australorp pullet chicks ($2 each), and 20 White Pekin ducklings ($2.75 each). We can easily brood up to 100 chicks in one of our tractor pens, so we'll put the broilers and pullets into one pen; the ducklings will get a separate pen. All these chicks come in to the feed store on April 7th, so they should be ready to go outside the first week of May. Because the local hatchery doesn't have heritage breed turkeys, and their goslings are $2 more expensive than Cackle's (even after taking shipping into account), I'll order 16 goslings, and a box of 20 surplus rare turkeys, from Cackle to arrive in early May just as the brooder pens are being cleared out; the goslings will go in one and the turkeys in the other. (By ordering all the Cackle birds at the same time, we get a big break on shipping.)
Longtime blog readers know that we color-code our layer chicks, so we know how old each one is; after two years, it's time to put them in the freezer and soup pot. Last year, we raised Buff Orpingtons...so the Australorps will be easy to distinguish from them.
I'll probably have to build a couple of more tractor pens for the garden, but that'll be a fun project to do with the Homeschooled Farm Children...and we've built so many of them now, they come together quickly.
Lots of things to plan. Lots of things to dream about. Lots of fun in the year ahead.
23 January 2010
Truly Marvelous Eggs
In a recent post about eggs, I noted that a researcher from Iowa State University appeared on a History Channel program and declared that there is no nutritional difference between eggs from caged hens and free range hens. I'm not sure what evidence she was basing that conclusion on, or if she'd been comparing "caged" to "cage free" hens which all ate the same commercial layer ration diet, or what; one of the weaknesses of television is it doesn't allow much depth and nuance. I noted that my gut told me that conclusion couldn't be correct --- and, thankfully, commenter Sara directed me toward the necessary evidence.
This article from Mother Earth News is outstanding. Their nutritional testing concludes that:
I should mention that here in Michigan there is very little for our free range hens to forage on in the winter. They do eat our table scraps, but we must supplement their diet with layer ration from the feed store. We hope to remedy this in the future by growing more "winter keeper" feeds such as pumpkins, mangals, and other squashes that can be broken open for our hens when the pasture is gone.
Thanks again to Sara for directing me to this article.
This article from Mother Earth News is outstanding. Their nutritional testing concludes that:
Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:And later in the article they do address the sorts of misleading statements that the Iowa State University researcher made in the Modern Marvels program. Go read the whole thing.
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart at the end of this article shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs.
I should mention that here in Michigan there is very little for our free range hens to forage on in the winter. They do eat our table scraps, but we must supplement their diet with layer ration from the feed store. We hope to remedy this in the future by growing more "winter keeper" feeds such as pumpkins, mangals, and other squashes that can be broken open for our hens when the pasture is gone.
Thanks again to Sara for directing me to this article.
22 January 2010
Marvels of Eggs
One of our kids' favorite television programs is the History Channel's series, Modern Marvels. We've seen nearly every episode, and each one provides a remarkable amount of educational content --- while remaining entertaining and engaging.
Last night, a brand new episode aired, and it was about...eggs. As many Modern Marvels do, they began by showing the modern, industrialized production models --- basically, taking the viewer through a massive facility in Iowa and explaining the way in which 98% of eggs find their way to market. They then move on to alternative production models, showing the differences between "cage free" and "pastured"; the segment about Eatwell Farm in California, raising hens on pasture is beautiful, and an inspiration for all of us who are trying to keep livestock in a holistic manner (rather than by declaring war on nature). Later in the program, they explore different ways in which eggs are packaged, shipped, and consumed by end users.
They did their best to paint the industrial egg plant in as good a light as possible, but what struck me was the number of times the narrator had to explain that a given practice was "in accord with [SOME OFFICIAL-SOUNDING GROUP OR ORGANIZATION] guidelines." I think that's because, really, the concentration camp production model strikes most human beings as an affront to decency and the good stewardship with which animals ought to be treated. And I couldn't help laughing at the Iowa State University researcher who looked into the camera and solemnly declared that there are no nutritional differences between factory eggs and free range pastured eggs. It may indeed be true when subjected to a scientific analysis, the different kinds of eggs have identical levels of various enzymes and vitamins. But aren't "health" and "nutrition" about more than that? Does anyone really believe that a hen kept in close confinement with six other hens, allowed roughly 67 square inches of space, who never sees the light of day, and is fed a diet laced with low-level antibiotics to keep her from getting sick...can really produce from her body a fruit that is as healthy as what comes from the body of an active hen who spends her days ranging freely on pasture? (I discussed this issue, including my conversation with a USDA meat inspector who has seen what the hens look like when they're done laying and heading to the processing plant, some time back here.)
Anyway, I highly recommend watching this episode; chickens are so integral to most small farms, it's good to get a look at the variety of ways in which eggs are produced and used. Unfortunately, the History Channel isn't scheduled to run it again any time soon; if I do see it pop up on the schedule, I'll post an alert on the blog. In the meantime, I understand that Modern Marvels are available for purchase and download through the iTunes store. This is something I have zero experience doing, and can't even figure out how to post a link to the relevant page over there, but if you're an iTunes user you may want to give this a try.
Finally, speaking of eggs, look what I found in the barn this morning:
Yes, one goose egg, one duck egg, and one chicken egg (we'll get many more chicken eggs this evening). This is the first duck egg we've gotten in several months, so hopefully our Cayugas are kicking in and getting ready for some serious production. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the difference in size, and what they look like straight from the barn.
Last night, a brand new episode aired, and it was about...eggs. As many Modern Marvels do, they began by showing the modern, industrialized production models --- basically, taking the viewer through a massive facility in Iowa and explaining the way in which 98% of eggs find their way to market. They then move on to alternative production models, showing the differences between "cage free" and "pastured"; the segment about Eatwell Farm in California, raising hens on pasture is beautiful, and an inspiration for all of us who are trying to keep livestock in a holistic manner (rather than by declaring war on nature). Later in the program, they explore different ways in which eggs are packaged, shipped, and consumed by end users.
They did their best to paint the industrial egg plant in as good a light as possible, but what struck me was the number of times the narrator had to explain that a given practice was "in accord with [SOME OFFICIAL-SOUNDING GROUP OR ORGANIZATION] guidelines." I think that's because, really, the concentration camp production model strikes most human beings as an affront to decency and the good stewardship with which animals ought to be treated. And I couldn't help laughing at the Iowa State University researcher who looked into the camera and solemnly declared that there are no nutritional differences between factory eggs and free range pastured eggs. It may indeed be true when subjected to a scientific analysis, the different kinds of eggs have identical levels of various enzymes and vitamins. But aren't "health" and "nutrition" about more than that? Does anyone really believe that a hen kept in close confinement with six other hens, allowed roughly 67 square inches of space, who never sees the light of day, and is fed a diet laced with low-level antibiotics to keep her from getting sick...can really produce from her body a fruit that is as healthy as what comes from the body of an active hen who spends her days ranging freely on pasture? (I discussed this issue, including my conversation with a USDA meat inspector who has seen what the hens look like when they're done laying and heading to the processing plant, some time back here.)
Anyway, I highly recommend watching this episode; chickens are so integral to most small farms, it's good to get a look at the variety of ways in which eggs are produced and used. Unfortunately, the History Channel isn't scheduled to run it again any time soon; if I do see it pop up on the schedule, I'll post an alert on the blog. In the meantime, I understand that Modern Marvels are available for purchase and download through the iTunes store. This is something I have zero experience doing, and can't even figure out how to post a link to the relevant page over there, but if you're an iTunes user you may want to give this a try.
Finally, speaking of eggs, look what I found in the barn this morning:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)