Our First Morning with Dilly

I have sooooo much to write about Dilly's first night and day, but no time this minute. Enjoy this video and check back for the story later.



Ok, I am back and settled in from another normal busy day, with time to write a little before I capture some well deserved sleep. To start this tale, I must confess that I love living in a community where people are willing to help one another. Even when they don't know you personally. Just because they can. So with that, I thank Seth and Brianna, KelLee, Jake and Sarah. And, this is why:

I wrote a few days ago about the male guard llama for sale in Waldoboro that we called on. What I failed to mention is that Sean and I own neither truck nor animal trailer - highly inconvenient for the venture ahead. Sean called our friends Seth and Bri to see about borrowing their truck. Like the true spiritual brother and sister they are, they kindly agreed.

Truck secured, we tackled the problem of the trailer. I called on my friend, KelLee. KelLee called on one of her friends, who had a trailer, but it was not in any condition to haul a 400 pound llama. Undeterred, she called another friend of hers. Within hours, she texted me with Jake and Sarah's names, phone number, and address. Seriously. Just like that. Trailer secured.

We put the address of Mr Farmer and Jake and Sarah into the GPS and we were off on our adventure. Our first stop was to pick up the trailer. As we pulled up, Jake and his young son were preparing to pump up the tires for the trailer, which was sitting ready in their yard. Then, they attached the license plates, gave us the registration, and assisted with hooking up the lights. Sarah and I met and talked about our different farms' production and goals. As we discussed Sean and I getting turkeys later in the summer, I offered to give them the 2 turkeys we would not be keeping as breeding stock. Sarah accepted and the guys finished up their preparations. Just like that, within 20 minutes, we were back on the road with an animal trailer supplied by people who had up until those moments, had no idea we even existed. Who does that? Small family farmers in Maine, willing to help other small family farmers. I am overwhelmed with the generosity we have once again been shown. How can I express how blessed we are by our friends and neighbors?

When we arrived at Mr. Farmers, he called Dilly to meet us. Dilly is friendly and inquisitive.  Immediately, he stuck his nose in my hair to give me a good smell. Dilly was a little wary of Sean, but warmed up to the bread Sean offered. He was definitely fondly attached to Mr. Farmer, nuzzling his neck and allowing him to put the new halter we brought on. We visited for several more minutes and then, Mr. Farmer opened the gate and began walking Dilly to our trailer. Concerned that I would be comfortable handling this large, shaggy beast, I asked if I could walk with him. Dilly allowed this change of handling all the way to the trailer, but when Sean and Mr. Farmer left to get some fresh hay, Dilly decided to follow along and I (mindful of my recently healed fractured left humerus) let go of the lead rope and watched Dilly trot off to be with his human.

Sean and Mr. Farmer loaded Dilly into the trailer. We exchanged email addresses, we made the agreed upon payment and I accepted a gift of the two day-old goslings carefully boxed to be ready for out trip home. The trip was uneventful, excepting the misguided GPS taking us on every dirt road it could find for our return trip, until we mutinied and used our human sense of direction to find a paved road. Not to be ignored, mother nature chimed in with a drenching thunder and lightening storm to pass directly over our home, just as we got there.

We waited the storm out inside and settled the goslings into the ducklings brooding cage until it passed. Then, Sean, Meg and I walked Dilly into the paddock to meet our goats and Jasmine. Both Dilly and the goats were unsure of this new arrangement, but no one looked inclined to start trouble, so we left them alone to get themselves sorted during the night. Jasmine ignored all the goings-ons.

White sweater + muddy goats= laundry!

In the morning, Sean and I decided to interact with Dilly to start getting acquainted with our new addition. Though Dilly seemed aloof at Mr. Farmers, he was not actively guarding a herd and therefore behaved vastly differently than he did in the conditions at our growing farm. You have to understand, Dilly is not a pet to be loved on or trusted. Dilly is a guard llama. His instincts are all telling him that he must defend his territory and his herd - even against us! Armed with grain, Sean and I broached the paddock for our first encounter. As you can see in the video above, Dilly was alert, but interested in us only slightly; the grain we had to offer him, more so. We watched for tell tale signs of Dilly's displeasure: ears pulled back, stomping and blowing, charging into our personal space and NEVER did we take our attention off him or turn our back on him. Then, Sean accidentally made a mistake.

Sean here.  As Sonja stated, Dilly seemed fine with us.  His ears were forward, he was calm, and seemed happy with being fed.  Until he and I ended up alone in the stall.  At which point, Dilly decided that I constituted a threat to his position as Alpha Llama, a position I was not even aware was in contestation.  Llamas really don't look formidable in repose.  When you are on the receiving end of an angry llama's attack, you suddenly realize that they are twice as big as you and have much stronger teeth and jaws.  Although he did not employ these (thankfully), he did try to force me down to the ground with his body and neck.  I tried to get out of the way but he cornered me and wouldn't let me pass.  My wife is terrified and unable to help while the llama screams and blows in my face in his attempt to throttle me into submission.  A llama scream is like the cross between a donkey baying and a horse neighing, only much louder and continual.  I eventually was able to push him off and maneuver my way over the stall wall to escape.  The whole attack lasted less than 30 seconds but seemed a lot longer.  Our ignorance to llama husbandry was to blame. While we will attempt to curb this kind of behavior in the future, the experience has certainly reminded us that no matter how calm and friendly an animal may seem, when taken out of its environment, it is nothing but unpredictable and dangerous and MUST MUST MUST be treated as such.

Sonja continues: What we underestimated and were unprepared for was the llama's natural instincts. Were a coyote or fox to breach our fencing to menace our livestock, and Dilly sprung into action to defend our does, we would praise him for his watchfulness. That is exactly what Dilly did to Sean. Dilly does not know us yet or accept us as part of his herd. Sean's going into the stall with him, in a confined space, with does and kids present, was a dangerous situation that we should have recognized and avoided. And, we added him to pasture with a herd of females, (which is a known trigger to male llamas- only, we didn't know that at the time), instead of acclimating him in his own pasture for a time, first. Additionally, Dilly is an unaltered male with his fighting teeth intact. The first part of which, must be remedied immediately. Castration alone will not change his protective nature and territorial dominance, which is desirable in a guard animal, but the absence of testosterone will affect it markedly. And, in time, we hope he will be more accepting of our presence.

For now, while we reconsider the wisdom and our ability to continue caring for an animal of this sort, he will be moved to Jedidiah's pasture. Jedi is a sweet boy, but he is also intact and horned. A fitting companion, we hope. So far, there has been no signs of hostility among them, but this will be watched for. It has only been the one day, so we cannot jump to any conclusions without further research and experience. As a precaution, our girls have been clearly warned to stay completely away from the llama fencing. Appropriate no trespassing and warning signs will be posted to warn others of the potential for danger. If he shows no signs of improvement with our working with him, then, Dilly will have to find a new home. That would break my heart, but we will not keep an aggressive animal on our farm. We'll keep you posted.

Good night, friends!
Sean and Sonja ♥

Shared with Backyard Farming Connection Hop #14

Ducklings Take Their First Bath...

... and meet some new friends.

What else can you expect? You drive an hour to buy a llama and you come home with not only the llama in question, but also, two- day old Brown Chinese/Buff goslings. They are adorable fluff balls, but LOUD. Though they are younger than our ducklings by several days, they are slightly larger. We are hoping for both a male and a female. Or two females. The only combination that would be really inconvenient is two males, but the odds are in our favor. As I am attempting to update, they are snuggled in the top of my shirt, pecking at my necklace, hair, and earrings with their curious little bills. It is distracting, but they are warm and bonding with me... I hope. The alternative of sitting on them seemed chancy.

Yesterday afternoon, the ducklings took their first bath in the kitchen sink. Ducklings do not float like adult ducks can and must be watched very carefully. Ducklings produce a natural oil from a gland in their tail region which coats their feathers as they preen. Without that protection, they can drown. Another danger is catching a chill and getting sick. With these dangers in mind, we added just a few inches of water to the sink to get them used to the water and watched them intently- while filming video, of course. In no time at all, they will be swimming pros!

Tonight, we introduced the ducklings to their new neighbors. The ducklings were not sure about this turn of events and tried to establish some kind of pecking order with the ducklings sitting on top, but the goslings were having none of that! A few dabbles with their bills and everyone was sorted. That settled, the ducklings settled under their lamp for the night. As it is also long past time for this girl to be in her bed, too, the goslings must be returned to their nest box.

I intended to write about the new llama and our amazing adventure in getting him today, but I am zonked! So, tune in tomorrow for pictures and video of our new pal, Dilly!

Good night, friends!
Sonja ♥

Adult Buff Goose

P.S. Thse pictures are similar to what these new little guys are going to grow to look like.

Adult Brown Chinese Goose

Creating a Second Goat Pasture

In preparation for separating Jedi and Pepper into their own field, Sean and I worked this past weekend on fencing in the second pasture for them. Eventually, the goats will have a total of 5 pastures to rotate around, ensuring fresh green edibles for them most of the year. Though this is exciting work to be getting another one complete, it is physically draining on Sean, since he is digging them manually with a post hole digger. Good exercise, for sure, but the repetitive motion is tough on the back, shoulders and arms. My job is to make sure the placement is accurate, hold the post in place, once it is set, and to help back fill the holes around them, while he tamps them in. I also provide cold drinks, keep black flies and mosquitoes at bay, and of course, capture the event with photographs or videos.



Sean starts a new hole by ramming the digger into the sod to cut it. Then, with a small assistance of gravity, he continues thrusting the sharp digger into the hole, scooping out clay and dirt as he progresses. He set 10 poles in this manner on Sunday afternoon, then finished setting the last 3 Monday morning.



When the hole is 2-3 feet deep, he sets the cedar post into it and back fills with the dirt he removed, tamping it down with a stick so that the pole sits straight and doesn't move too much.

After all the poles were set, Sean muscled the 330 foot roll of livestock fencing onto the wagon of the riding mower and I drove it into the field. This roll weighs 190 pounds. It is not easy to maneuver it to where it needs to be. I certainly can't do it alone! I help with holding the end and pulling it tight to the post, so Sean can secure it by hammering fencing staples into each post. And here again, I keep the black flies from their blood-thirsty attack of Sean's person and mine.




Sean unrolled the fencing, but we had it upside down! It was at this point in the proceedings, that I wisely decided to stop talking, while Sean turned it all over and got it settled properly. It didn't take him much longer to fix it, but as much as the fencing weighs rolled, at least it is movable. Unrolled, it is ungainly, difficult to work with as it wants to bend into itself and sharp! I bravely kept up my assault on those pesky mosquitoes while Sean fought with the fencing.




After 3 hours of working, Sean used his heavy wire cutters to open the wall where a new gate will live, after it gets built. And, I showed the goats into the new pasture. They were hesitant at first to venture inside, but soon wasted no time mowing the field down, happily eating budding brush, and field grasses.

As tired as both Sean and I are at the end of each day, it feels so good to be getting so much accomplished! I would love nothing better, but to have the money it would require to just stay home full time and devote more of our time and effort to farming. Maybe, someday, as the critters produce and we sell what we won't use ourselves to others, that dream will be a reality.

For today, we just keep working along towards the goal of

sustaining ourselves from the good of our land.

Before I go, though, I had to add this picture of the beautiful group of butterflies I saw in the horse field. I don't know anything about butterflies, but it was really neat to see them all in a group. And, then, they flew off all together across the field.

Hope you all have a great week!

Sonja ♥

A Pig in a Blanket...

What a busy day so far!

Sean replaced the copper piping from the kitchen sink that has not been draining properly for a week, with new pvc pipes. We shall know in a few minutes if it is repaired- meaning: the sink will drain, my dishwasher will work, and neither of these things will flood into the basement. All that remains is to clean and sanitize all the dishes that have been just sitting, waiting to be washed and to scour the basement floor which has caught its share of nasty water during the week's "fixing" of it. I am so proud and happy to be married to a man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, try new things (even when he's out of his comfort zone), and NEVER gives up.


 I can happily report.... IT WORKS!!!

After he got the new pipes plumbed, he replaced my lawn mower belt. I took that time to load a wagon full of fire wood to get the girls started on that chore, when they get home today and I replanted some flowers into new pots and planted some lettuce in pots for the porch. Once the mower was again in business, I mowed the back lawn and Sean finished the fencing around the new Piggie house and emptied the shed of it's winter burden of odds and ends. These Sean will sort and move whatever is of value tobe kept into his wood shed and he will dispose of the rest. We bartered with our friend Laurie some eggs and grocery items for 2 hours of her weeding in my back flower garden. While Sean and I were working on our yard projects, she went to work! She did a fantastic job! And, brought us some rhubarb, too. I think I will make some apple rhubarb crisp for Sean's dessert tonight.

 It took us about 45 minutes to coax the pot bellies to leave their home on the hill and move to their new spacious yard. They were not pleased with the idea. Patches gave in to her stomach and followed a tub of food into the new pen. Ebony was having none of that! She grunted and growled. She walked three times the distance in the wrong direction. Sean tried rigging a leash for her. I tempted her with grain. Nothing was moving that pig! Finally, Sean grabbed an old blanket. We wrangled Ebony onto it, and with Sean lifting one side and me hoisting the other, we carried her squealing and unhappy down the hill and to the side of her new pen. I had the head, so I opened that side. Deciding any fate was better than another ride like the one just experienced, she walked into the pen of her own accord and immediately started digging up some muddy bits.

This is hog heaven. Some green grass, some fresh dirt to dig in, fresh hay in the 8'x8' water proof stable with a nice window for added light. The building lists to the left, but that shouldn't bother its new guests. (The overall plan is to completely replace their housing next spring, after the barn is finished this year.) And, we still need to fix the door, which had lost one of its hinges over the winter, but that is an easy fix. Later this summer, when the chicken coop gets its new cedar shingles, the pig palace will get new cedar shingles, too. So, we are not done, but it is an honest start to our day. And, as I write this, both piggies have wagging tails and a happy countenance.

Now, Sean is getting us some hot water for much deserved showers and I am sitting for a minute debating on what to have for breakfast, since it is past 4 pm already. I am thinking cheeseburgers on the grill and salad. I am exhausted, but the dishes are washing, the wood is getting stacked, the sun is shining and this country girls is very, very happy.

Have a great day, friends. I hope you enjoy the sunshine.
Sonja ♥

PS. If the ducklings are girls, their names are Becky and Kimmy. If boys, Dale and Ryan. And, if there is a mixture, well, we'll see!

Save the Drama for Your Llama...

Sean has wanted a llama forever; to guard the does, to sell the fleece when sheared, to go hiking with, as a companion... because it's a LLAMA.  And, it does make a kind of sense. Take our decision to separate out our bucks from our does, (so we can control the pace and heritage of our kids) add that to our intention on keeping both turkey and goat paddocks further into the wooded portion of our land (to clear out the underbrush and provide more grazing land) and you come out with our does living relatively unprotected from predators. Additonal reasons to keep a llama, is for fiber. Llamas appreciate a hair cut in warm summer months and their fleece can sell for a small sum of money, which helps defray the cost of keeping the llama. Also, llama manure is so fully digested, it can be added directly to a garden without needing to compost it (according to this website HERE). A less important reason to obtain a llama is that Sean dreams (literally) of hiking with his llama up Mt Waldo, to the quarry nearby and in the woods. And, of course, of riding his llama (which I stand firmly against.)

And... it's a LLAMA.

On the other hand, most llamas are expensive to buy by my standards. A previous Uncle Henry's ad had one priced at $450, which is on the low side. Depending on training, lineage, sex, fiber quality, you can expect to pay from $600 to over $1,500 for a llama. That is not in the budget. Even considering that we can get along with purchasing a lower priced animal since fiber production (we don't expect huge amounts of money from the fiber of one llama) and lineage are not as relevant to our needs (we won't be breeding our llama), but $450 is still more than I can reasonably spend at the moment- with our main barn still in need of finishing.

Enter "Mr. Farmer" from Waldoboro and his brown llama, named Dilly.

Mr. Farmer is retiring from a life of farming to settle into a smaller home with his wife, to enjoy his grand kids and the rest of his days. When we spoke on the phone, he gave me the impression of my Grandpa George- hard working, rugged, capable. He recalled how he has kept goats, geese, ducks, turkeys, chicken, and cows throughout his life, for milk, eggs, and meat. Now he's selling them off. He acquired Dilly at a farm auction about 2 years back for his herd of dairy goats, age unknown for certain. His neighbor, who keeps a small herd of llamas, looked the boy over then and placed him at about 5 years old, which makes Dilly about 7-8 today. Dilly loves his goats and his people. Mr. Farmer sounded quite sad to let him go, saying how he'd miss Dilly running to see him and thrusting his nose in Mr. Farmer's face in greeting each day. Dilly walks on a halter, but most of the time is content to follow Mr. Farmer around as he completes his chores. We talked for about an hour with me asking questions and Mr. Farmer patiently answering them. At the end, Mr. Farmer offered us a price we could afford and we set a time for Sean and I to visit his farm on Tuesday night to meet Dilly.

Then, the serious thinking, discussing and research began. Our llama needs to be 1. healthy, 2. friendly to humans, 3. affectionate with our goats, and 4. reasonably willing to protect them from predators. Sean and I read no less than 10 websites devoted to care and keeping of llamas. We discovered that many people have their llama's fighting teeth sawed off when young to prevent fighting among themselves, that they can live to be 20-30 years old, depending on how well they are cared for, that they thrive in cold weather and require a 3 sided shed to be comfortable and get out of the wet or cold. We read that 2 llamas can live off  1/2 acre of land well and that they do best in herds of other llamas, sheep, or goats. Contrary to common belief, llamas only spit as a warning. Llamas are generally good tempered, but will defend their herd (when the does are in heat, especially) by head butting or pushing humans away. Llamas can be fed for less than the cost of keeping a large dog. They need a variety of shots to prevent rabies and tetanus, like other livestock. (This reminded us that our goats were due for their shots, too.) All in all, we were very encouraged by our reading when we settled into bed for the night.

This morning, I contacted a friend about the possibility of her accompanying us with a truck and trailer on Tuesday for our visit. KelLee readily agreed. What a blessing to have someone in our lives who not only has been farming for a while, but is willing to help and share her knowledge with us! We thank God for her, often.

So... the best I can tell... we may have a guard llama sooner than we anticipated. But, that is how things happen around here. Animals have a way of finding us at just the right time for where we are in this journey. I am only glad that we planned an extra 10x10 stall in our barn blueprint!

We'll let you know what happens!
Sonja ♥

Livestock Updates: Videos May 24

It was brought to my attention today that I have not updated you on the regular goings-ons around the farm. I agreed and thought I might take some time to do that today. Today turned into tonight before I knew it and now, it is 10 pm and I am finally settled to unwind before bed.

Equine:
Jasmine has been put into service in assisting us to mow the lawn around the front part of our lawn which is desperate to become a pond. It regularly has 2 feet of standing water in the middle. It is my hope that this year, it will get its wish. In the meantime, Sean put up a temporary fence around it. I can't mow there, but Jasmine is having the best time eating the foot tall green grass growing all around it. She has not been eating very much of her hay, preferring the greens in her pasture, which is a good sign for this time of year. Meaghan spent the last two weeks brushing her winter coat from her and she looks just gorgeous.

Caprine:

Sean and I finished installing a gate for entrance into the goat pasture today. That makes bringing Ellie out for her milking much easier. We suspect that Pepper might be pregnant. I bought a pregnancy test, but getting her to pee in the cup, has proved more difficult than anticipated. If she is, that is a good thing; as a 2 year old, she is ready to be bred and we had planned on breeding her with Jedi this year. Leah and Rachel are growing and healthy. Asher had a milk goiter on his neck. (This is a swelling cyst on the chin/neck area of a nursing goat. Sometimes it comes to a head and ruptures. We feel it is better to lance the goiter with a sterile needle, drain it, and treat with a topical iodine or alcohol against infection.) This happens often with young goats and though it looks horrible as it swells, it usually remedies itself and did for us this time. Abigail is not showing any signs, and like her brother is growing like a weed. Notice how much bigger both Abigail and Asher are compared to Buster! Jedi is in need of a hoof treatment, which he is scheduled for on Sunday afternoon. He will not like the process, but will feel much better after it is done. And, it is time to administer routine worming medicine all around this weekend, too.

Porcine:
Patches and Ebony are glad that weather has changed. They did some housekeeping and removed all the hay from under their shelter. They are scheduled to move to their new home this weekend. I know they are really going to love the new place, though they may miss the ducks company, initially. I will take pictures and video of their new place. It seems like this move is taking forever, but I guess that is because I am anxious to see them settled. I know they are going to love all the room in their new yard and home.

Canines & Felines:
There are no new happenings to report about the dogs or cats (thankfully!) if you go under the premise that no news is good news. They are all accounted for, healthy, and other than needing baths, which is on the list for this weekend and a hair cut for Angus, everyone is doing fine.

Lagamorphs:
Bridget has moved to her summer home and is busy digging escape holes from inside her house. She might as well be a wild bunny through the warmer months. There has been more than one time, that I have looked out the kitchen window to spy her sunbathing on the wrong side of her fenced area, this being our queue, to move her home over, so she can begin again with her digging endeavors. Edith is in need of her monthly teeth clipping. I am sure Sean will take care of that this weekend, too- just not when I am around. While I am normal impervious to handling or assisting with any necessary vetting, but when it comes to this chore, Sean is on his own! I cannot deal with it. Thankfully, he can, as his routinely doing it, keeps Miss Edith alive and able to eat and drink properly.

Avian:
Sean finished the roof of the chicken coop last weekend. This weekend, we are expanding every one's fencing to give them twice the room. It is almost time for the ladies to be on pasture part of each day, which means, it is time to build this year's chicken tractors! Today, the chicken and duck hens laid 20 eggs! This is a new high count for us.

Sean and I candled the new incubating eggs and were pleased to find that 27 out of 28 eggs are growing normally. One of them contained the tell tale red blood ring of an egg that failed to develop in the early stages of chick development and needed to be removed. The eggs are on day 11 of development today. They are due to hatch on June 3.



The ducklings are thriving. They had their first play date outside today with me. We all enjoyed that very much. I especially loved today's discovery. When I went inside to grab my camera, they ran to the side of the cage peeping madly as soon as I got out of their sight. When I walked to the other side of the cage to sit near them to snap some pictures, they ran to the side I was sitting on. Based on that behavior, I had a hunch that the ducklings had imprinted successfully on me. When I took them out, my suspicion was confirmed. Just writing this makes me smile. I was so hoping that would happen! They follow me around like... well, baby ducks.



After some research online, I believe that one of these ducklings is a Mallard and the other is at least part, Black Swedish. We'll be able to tell for sure when they get their permanent feathers in a few months. They still need names, but these things take time to get them right.

Vegetables:
All seven varieties of tomatoes and 5 varieties of peppers are growing well; the tomatoes have already been replanted and have grown again to nearly 18 inches tall and are beginning to flower! We'll be putting them in their garden plots soon. The eight grape plants, planted in the last two years, have woken up from their winter's rest and are budding like crazy. The strawberries have blossoms, but no berries, yet. We still must begin our cold tolerant veggies, still. It is getting on in the year and the onions, carrots, peas and radishes are all wanting to be planted or we'll risk a stunted season for them.

I think that catches everyone up to date. With the long weekend coming up, I know we are going to have much more to post. For now, this country girl needs some bed time, but I couldn't resist just one more duck picture!

Goodnight, friends!
Sonja ♥

Let's Talk Turkey

With all the work we do... to get animal housing finished; fencing installed, moved around, and secured; feeding and watering accomplished; hoofs trimmed and animals inspected; manure scooped and composted; garden boxes built, filled, and planted; lawns mowed, garden beds weeded, goats milked; eggs collected... and so on... around here adding another breed of critter might seem incongruous to our goal of simplifying our lives. And, if we were going to begin breeding, say peacocks, or parrots, or llamas, I would agree. But, let's talk turkey.

Does THIS look like free range?

Most families in the United States roast, at least, two turkeys each year; 40 million turkeys are the center piece for thanksgiving celebrations alone. Since the 1970's, commercially raised and processed turkeys have been selectively bred to create excessively large bodies with lots of white breast meat. These hybrids can't fly, can't naturally reproduce, and are often prone to horrible health issues. According to efowl.com's website, " The Broad Breasted Bronze Turkey and the Broad Breasted White Turkey are the two main breeds of today's commercial turkey industry... these particular breeds have been strictly managed and bred for maximum meat production and minimum cost. The two strains of Commercial Turkeys that we offer will not reproduce naturally and are specifically developed for their efficient feed to breast meat conversion rate. They are the perfect choice for farmers looking for the most efficient turkey meat production." Additionally, nymag.com states, "...these birds are typically raised in factory conditions, sometimes thousands to a barn, and may be treated with growth hormones to enhance their size and antibiotics to prevent disease... Many factory-farmed birds are injected during processing with a solution that might contain water, stock, butter, or other seasonings to make the bird plumper, and more flavorful." These birds may be labeled as "free range" since they are not kept in cages and are allowed to roam, though often with no more than 3 sq ft or space each. Put that way, it doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

Top Left: Butterball turkey; Top Right: Young pastured turkey;
Lower Left: Wild turkey; Lower Right: Mature pastured turkey

Our plan calls for us to buy and raise a small number (for breeding stock) of heritage turkeys much like how their wild counterparts live, minus the worry of predators and attack. Sean and I are planning on fencing off some of our lightly wooded land, (not currently in use between the goat pasture and raised garden beds) adding a out-building for shelter. First, we will rotate some goats to live there for a week or two to help clear out some of the brush undergrowth to open it up for pasturage to grow to this new area. Then, we will inspect the area to make sure it is suitable to our new additions later this summer. When our poults are fledged out and ready to be outside, they will move into their new home. We will not be eating our new turkeys. These, like all the other animals on our small and admittedly dysfunctional farm, will live out their days in peace and safety. But, they will earn their keep. We will, collect their eggs and hatch batches of heritage turkey poults to sell to neighbors who want to raise their own turkeys to feed their families. Heritage turkeys take longer (at 24-28 weeks) to grow to maturity, but every review I've read agrees they taste better and they are not treated with any of the chemicals or additives described above.

Bourbon Red Toms

Sean and I have thought it through, researched the benefits and costs in terms of time, care, and our ability. With all that in mind, our new breeding stock of six Heritage Bourbon Red Turkeys have been ordered from Muddy Hoof Farm in Lubec, Maine. According to our research, mature toms weigh about 30 pounds; hens, 12 to 14 pounds. The Bourbon Red is ranked No. 2 for taste. They are curious turkeys. Anything in their area is subject to close examination by them. They are calm, friendly and often underfoot during feeding time. They’re good sitters and mothers, but also tend to go broody early, so we'll need to keep an eye on that. We will be driving to pick up our guys from the farm on August 9th. I can't wait to meet our new guys and for this new adventure to begin.

Sonja ♥