I found this recipe online at allrecipes.com and knew I had to try it. Now, I am sharing it with you. Radishes are often used in the united states as garnish or in salads. I love that this recipe gives them a place on center stage. I am sure I will be making this one a lot over the summer months. ♥
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
How to Help Hatch a Chick
It is our opinion that nature knows best. In our experience, allowing the hens to incubate and hatch their eggs gives us a better hatch rate and usually one that requires no assistance from us. (I'm not against using an incubator, we just have not had as good results from them.) Sometimes, interference is necessary and can be life saving. When it's a choice between certain death by suffocation or a slim chance at life, we make that call on a case by case basis and hope that we make the right one.
Last year, we chose to assist 2 ducklings in hatching and happily, they both survived and are still thriving here on the homestead. On the other hand, on two separate occasions, we felt the need to assist a couple chicks to hatch and only one of them lived. What about the chicks that died in their shells and never pipped or pipped and never progressed? Early on, we made the decision to not interfere with a hatching chick and it died in its shell. Could we have saved it? Was there something fatally wrong with that chick, something that helping it to hatch would not fix?
If you plan on hatching chicks (using an incubator or a broody hen), it is prudent to have a basic understanding of how it is supposed to work; what is "normal", what is not. With time and experience, you may be able to help when things don't go as they should. I wrote a post last year titled, "Marvelous Creation" that explains a bit about the changes that must take place within an egg for a chick to hatch.
This topic came up in my mind because we had a bit of worry over the weekend. Two clutches of eggs, incubating in nesting boxes, were due to hatch on June 1st. Right on schedule, we saw some pips in the eggs of one nest. The other nest had none. Because we knew that the hen sitting on the second clutch was new to hatching and had been on and off the nest frequently, we were prepared to find that few or none of those eggs would hatch any chicks. We were excited to see the pips and anticipated the arrival of some new chicks.
We watched the progress through the day. Two feather-footed cochins hatched first. We were surprised, while checking the eggs at mid-morning, to find a third egg sitting in the nest with its outer shell almost completely gone and the membranes still intact. The membrane was noticeably dry, so Sean and I made the decision to carefully mist it with water to see if that would help the chick to be able to hatch. We returned the membrane clad chick to the nest box and its broody hen.
When evening came and the chick had still made no further progress, we decided to intervene.
I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on hatching chicks. Last year was our first year hatching our own. The 40 or so chicks we hatched gave us some experience, but we are always learning. This post is not to tell you what to do, but to share what we are doing- what has worked for us and what hasn't.
I hope you found it useful. Thanks for visiting with us this evening, friends. We hope you enjoy your night.
Sean & Sonja ♥
Update: 8 of the 10 eggs hatched under Niecy. The other nest has begun to pip and so far, we have welcomed 3 new chicks from it. Also, remember the nest box full of duck eggs a chicken was sitting on? Well, 2 of them have hatched, too! (And, also, required some help! In their case, we think their shell was too dry because there was no wet Momma duck sitting on them, but rather a very dry hen. We're keeping an eye on the others for signs of hatching. If there are no more pips in a couple days, we'll candle them and discard any that are not living.
Shared with The Backyard Farming Connection #35 & The HomeAcre Hop #22
Last year, we chose to assist 2 ducklings in hatching and happily, they both survived and are still thriving here on the homestead. On the other hand, on two separate occasions, we felt the need to assist a couple chicks to hatch and only one of them lived. What about the chicks that died in their shells and never pipped or pipped and never progressed? Early on, we made the decision to not interfere with a hatching chick and it died in its shell. Could we have saved it? Was there something fatally wrong with that chick, something that helping it to hatch would not fix?
If you plan on hatching chicks (using an incubator or a broody hen), it is prudent to have a basic understanding of how it is supposed to work; what is "normal", what is not. With time and experience, you may be able to help when things don't go as they should. I wrote a post last year titled, "Marvelous Creation" that explains a bit about the changes that must take place within an egg for a chick to hatch.
 |
| A Buff Cochin newborn chick peeking out from under Niecy's wing. Niecy is not the bio-hen, but adopted 10 eggs without complaint. Good lass. ♥ |
We watched the progress through the day. Two feather-footed cochins hatched first. We were surprised, while checking the eggs at mid-morning, to find a third egg sitting in the nest with its outer shell almost completely gone and the membranes still intact. The membrane was noticeably dry, so Sean and I made the decision to carefully mist it with water to see if that would help the chick to be able to hatch. We returned the membrane clad chick to the nest box and its broody hen.
When evening came and the chick had still made no further progress, we decided to intervene.
I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on hatching chicks. Last year was our first year hatching our own. The 40 or so chicks we hatched gave us some experience, but we are always learning. This post is not to tell you what to do, but to share what we are doing- what has worked for us and what hasn't.
I hope you found it useful. Thanks for visiting with us this evening, friends. We hope you enjoy your night.
Sean & Sonja ♥
Update: 8 of the 10 eggs hatched under Niecy. The other nest has begun to pip and so far, we have welcomed 3 new chicks from it. Also, remember the nest box full of duck eggs a chicken was sitting on? Well, 2 of them have hatched, too! (And, also, required some help! In their case, we think their shell was too dry because there was no wet Momma duck sitting on them, but rather a very dry hen. We're keeping an eye on the others for signs of hatching. If there are no more pips in a couple days, we'll candle them and discard any that are not living.
Shared with The Backyard Farming Connection #35 & The HomeAcre Hop #22
Sunday, June 2, 2013
It's a Snapper!
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The geese were making a huge ruckus when Sean went outside to get the does ready for milking, so he paused to see what the fuss was all about and discovered a snapping turtle trying frantically to escape the geese pen. How did it get there? Either Sean inadvertently fenced it inside the new goose area or the poor thing swam under the fencing and then couldn't figure out how to get back out!
However it got in, it was not pleased with Sean's helping to get it back out. That did not stop Sean... though it certainly made him rethink carrying the large, aggressive, angry snapping reptile bent on removing several of Sean's fingers to the stream with his bare hands.
Rescue completed, we were ready to get back to our day.
Thanks for visiting.
Sean & Sonja
This post also shared with HomeAcre Blog Hop #22
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Just an Average Saturday
Sean and I were so looking forward to a few days off together- four of them- all in a row. We had a list of things to do and (finally!!!) the time to tackle some of them. Mother Nature had vastly different ideas.
It rained hard on Friday and our girls were off with friends, so we took the opportunity to spend some time with each other. We spent almost the entire day doing nothing special. We watched a movie on Netflix, even!
We woke Saturday morning to more rain. Despite this, we drove to our local Tractor Supply Company for our 2 week load of grains. Miss Meaghan was home and went with us. With so many vendors braving the rain that was beginning to be a recurring theme to these "Farm Swaps", we had it in mind to search for a pair of unrelated, baby angora bunnies with which to begin our breeding stock. Meaghan is in charge of this venture. She'll be breeding her pair twice a year and selling the kits, in addition to learning how to spin fiber into usable angora yarns.
Ironically, we purchased a handsome, 12 week old, English+(2).jpg)
Angora buck, at the swap, from a neighbor who used to occasionally supply us with round bales of hay last year and lives about 5 minutes from us. And, in a handy turn of events, she is going to be able to breed us a tawny English Angora doe for him. We'll purchase her in about 3 months. We spent the ride home deciding on names. I was hoping for Abraham and Sarah, but Meaghan vetoed them immediately. She spent several hours debating the merits of the names Boaz and Zechariah, finally choosing to use them both. Boaz Zechariah Sanders does not exactly flow off the tongue, but since we all call him Bo, I suppose it will do. Meg's doe is going to be named Ruth.
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Kristen has been asking for a mini lop-eared bunny for months. When we saw a friendly, young buck for only $15.00, we bought him for her. She named him Leo. Though he is not earning his keep monetarily, he is making Kristen very happy with his company. And, thankfully, bunnies are fairly inexpensive to keep.
On Sunday, unsatisfied with the previous nine consecutive days of hard rain, Mother Nature continued her deluge. Frustration compounded and frayed all our nerves. So much to do and the hours passing void of anything resembling accomplishment. A week's worth of clothing sat dirty and waiting. We washed one load during the week, but it was still damp days later. There is no point in washing laundry when it cannot be dried efficiently. The stalls were a sodden mess and both chickens and goats waited miserably in them, casting accusatory eyes at us when we ventured in to replace hay or collect eggs. In the face of unrelenting rain, there was really nothing that can be done other than to try to make everyone as comfortable as possible and pray it for it to pass.
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On Monday morning, we woke to a welcomed sight. The SUN! We snapped into action and attempted to fit four days worth of work into one. We set to milking and then moved the goats to the back yard, where they cheerfully spent the day grazing in the brush or napping in the sun. While I processed and recorded the milk and then fed the piggies, Jasmine, and the chickens in the main coop yard and tractors, Sean filled all the water buckets and then, fiddled with the riding mower in an effort to coax it back to life after its winter rest. Within minutes, the rider roared to a start and I was able to mow for the first time. Mowing is one of my favorite chores. There is almost nothing I like better (work wise) than to stick in my ear buds and spend a couple hours riding in circles, creating neat piles of grass clippings to rake up. I set to work immediately.
We have been wanting and NEEDING to move the big geese from the duck yard. Ever since Caitlin ruined a perfectly good nest, her days were numbered. Sean took a couple hours to sink 9-10 metal posts around the edge of where the lower part of the front lawn was holding over a foot of water. He engineered it so that the geese have a place to settle in the grass and also a place to paddle about. We still plan to have a proper pond dug for them at some point in the future, but in light of all the rain, it was a good time to move them.
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That project complete, it was time to move on to adding more soil to our garden beds and to begin to transplant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and watermelon into them. It feels so good to see the garden we planned on paper come to life with the plants we grew from seeds. I can only imagine how it will feel when they are all producing. To prepare the area where the raised beds will live, we staked a 30 foot square blue utility tarp on the ground. Then, we screwed the 2x6's in place. Sean cut out the tarp from the inside area of the beds. I laid a good layer of newspaper to cover the ground and we covered it with good garden soil. In some of the beds, we used cardboard instead of newspaper. Both will decay nicely in time and serve the purpose of being a great weed barrier now.
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We took the baby geese and our lone duckling to the front "pond" to splash about, too. They took to it like, well, ducks to water. At this age, they have to be watched carefully since the oils that will allow them to be buoyant and float as adults have not been distributed properly, yet. We watched them play, catch and eat little water bugs and instinctively preen themselves.
It took me all week to find the time to sit and catch you all up with what is happening around here. I am hoping to write more frequently, but I fear that finding the time to do so, will be hard. I am taking lots of pictures so that when I can sit for a bit, I'll have them ready. Please, bear with us as summer gears up and we get used to our schedule change.
We appreciate your taking the time to visit with us tonight. We're sure glad you're here.
Sean & Sonja ♥
It rained hard on Friday and our girls were off with friends, so we took the opportunity to spend some time with each other. We spent almost the entire day doing nothing special. We watched a movie on Netflix, even!
Ironically, we purchased a handsome, 12 week old, English
+(2).jpg)
Angora buck, at the swap, from a neighbor who used to occasionally supply us with round bales of hay last year and lives about 5 minutes from us. And, in a handy turn of events, she is going to be able to breed us a tawny English Angora doe for him. We'll purchase her in about 3 months. We spent the ride home deciding on names. I was hoping for Abraham and Sarah, but Meaghan vetoed them immediately. She spent several hours debating the merits of the names Boaz and Zechariah, finally choosing to use them both. Boaz Zechariah Sanders does not exactly flow off the tongue, but since we all call him Bo, I suppose it will do. Meg's doe is going to be named Ruth.
.jpg)
On Sunday, unsatisfied with the previous nine consecutive days of hard rain, Mother Nature continued her deluge. Frustration compounded and frayed all our nerves. So much to do and the hours passing void of anything resembling accomplishment. A week's worth of clothing sat dirty and waiting. We washed one load during the week, but it was still damp days later. There is no point in washing laundry when it cannot be dried efficiently. The stalls were a sodden mess and both chickens and goats waited miserably in them, casting accusatory eyes at us when we ventured in to replace hay or collect eggs. In the face of unrelenting rain, there was really nothing that can be done other than to try to make everyone as comfortable as possible and pray it for it to pass.
.jpg)
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That project complete, it was time to move on to adding more soil to our garden beds and to begin to transplant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and watermelon into them. It feels so good to see the garden we planned on paper come to life with the plants we grew from seeds. I can only imagine how it will feel when they are all producing. To prepare the area where the raised beds will live, we staked a 30 foot square blue utility tarp on the ground. Then, we screwed the 2x6's in place. Sean cut out the tarp from the inside area of the beds. I laid a good layer of newspaper to cover the ground and we covered it with good garden soil. In some of the beds, we used cardboard instead of newspaper. Both will decay nicely in time and serve the purpose of being a great weed barrier now. .jpg)
We took the baby geese and our lone duckling to the front "pond" to splash about, too. They took to it like, well, ducks to water. At this age, they have to be watched carefully since the oils that will allow them to be buoyant and float as adults have not been distributed properly, yet. We watched them play, catch and eat little water bugs and instinctively preen themselves.
It took me all week to find the time to sit and catch you all up with what is happening around here. I am hoping to write more frequently, but I fear that finding the time to do so, will be hard. I am taking lots of pictures so that when I can sit for a bit, I'll have them ready. Please, bear with us as summer gears up and we get used to our schedule change.
We appreciate your taking the time to visit with us tonight. We're sure glad you're here.
Sean & Sonja ♥
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
2013 Turkey Shares
After last year's disappointing lesson regarding not counting our turkeys before they hatch, we hedged our bets and ordered turkeys from 3 sources this year. This plan seems to be working in that 10 mixed color heritage turkeys are living in a brooder in our front room. Better than that? They are nearly all resold already! We'll be raising them up for those family, friends, and neighbors who ordered them. Then, when they are grown, Sean has the unenviable task to bring them to the butcher.
I thought this would be easier for me. I thought that by selling them to the recipients immediately, banding them to indicate to whom they belonged, and knowing from day one that these were destined for dinner I would be able to not get emotionally involved. I thought wrong.
I picked up these first chicks on Thursday morning. I was unprepared for their cute factor. When I held one later in the day, it shocked me when it began to shake in my hand until it calmed down with my petting and fell asleep. I buried the little pang and went to call a reputable local butcher to discuss pricing and find out how all this worked since this would be our first time raising any kind of meat at the homestead. I left a message when no one answered and went on with my day, creating Turkey Share Contracts to protect all the parties in this venture. The moment that I knew I was definitely in trouble? 2:17pm, Thursday afternoon. I was sitting with a couple chicks nestled in the collar of my shirt while I was typing up contract information when the butcher called back. Discussing the method of their demise, payments, and reserving dates was a bit "real" for me. It was at that moment that I knew Sean was going to have to handle that part of this deal. It was going to be too much for me.
And, that is okay.
All of this is preparation for our getting our breeding stock. Sean and I have been quite comfortable being a "no-kill" homestead. But, we aren't vegetarian. We eat meat. And, we hatch cute little chicks for other people to add to their flocks, knowing full well that most folk will "retire" their older hens and their roosters into their soap pot. And, we have been fine with that decision. Our intention is to keep the nicest tom and the 5 nicest hens to supply us with chicks to sell to those who want to raise
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their own heritage breed turkeys. But, we are a year later than we wanted to be with this aspect of our farming business, so after much discussion, we decided to raise some birds for customers here, in addition to getting and raising our breeding stock. The hope is that these customers will be happy with their experience and come back to purchase birds next year when we are hatching them ourselves. And, maybe, they'll be so happy, they will tell their friends about us, too. And, that helps... somewhat. Knowing that I can bond with, raise up, and love on a group of turkey birds that will live out their natural lives here on our farm is a little spot of sunshine. It also helps to know that the turkeys we are raising for our customers will have had a very good life here; plenty of food, room to run, and a clean coop to roost in. And, as morbid as it is, a quick end. I have spent a good amount of time looking into how "the deed" is done. It was unpleasant to be sure, but it is important for me to know that when the time comes, they won't suffer or be mistreated.
It is not my intention of scaring off potential customers with my candor. This site has and will always be a real, honest look at what is happening here. Sometimes we have much joy; other times, we are full of doubts and worry. That's just the way it is.
With all that being said, I was just contacted by the neighbor who hatched this set of turkey poults for us and she has had another 20 hatch successfully. If you are local and interested in our raising a heritage breed, organic turkey for your family's dinner, please feel free to contact us to order yours now while we have them available. If you are wondering why we feel so strongly about eating organic, heritage breeds and why you should be, read on HERE. Click to read our Turkey Share Contact.
Thanks for visiting with us this evening, friends. We're sure glad of your company.
Sonja ♥
I thought this would be easier for me. I thought that by selling them to the recipients immediately, banding them to indicate to whom they belonged, and knowing from day one that these were destined for dinner I would be able to not get emotionally involved. I thought wrong.
I picked up these first chicks on Thursday morning. I was unprepared for their cute factor. When I held one later in the day, it shocked me when it began to shake in my hand until it calmed down with my petting and fell asleep. I buried the little pang and went to call a reputable local butcher to discuss pricing and find out how all this worked since this would be our first time raising any kind of meat at the homestead. I left a message when no one answered and went on with my day, creating Turkey Share Contracts to protect all the parties in this venture. The moment that I knew I was definitely in trouble? 2:17pm, Thursday afternoon. I was sitting with a couple chicks nestled in the collar of my shirt while I was typing up contract information when the butcher called back. Discussing the method of their demise, payments, and reserving dates was a bit "real" for me. It was at that moment that I knew Sean was going to have to handle that part of this deal. It was going to be too much for me.
And, that is okay.
All of this is preparation for our getting our breeding stock. Sean and I have been quite comfortable being a "no-kill" homestead. But, we aren't vegetarian. We eat meat. And, we hatch cute little chicks for other people to add to their flocks, knowing full well that most folk will "retire" their older hens and their roosters into their soap pot. And, we have been fine with that decision. Our intention is to keep the nicest tom and the 5 nicest hens to supply us with chicks to sell to those who want to raise
.jpg)
It is not my intention of scaring off potential customers with my candor. This site has and will always be a real, honest look at what is happening here. Sometimes we have much joy; other times, we are full of doubts and worry. That's just the way it is.
Thanks for visiting with us this evening, friends. We're sure glad of your company.
Sonja ♥
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Let's Talk Turkey (Again)...
I have to update our TURKEY SHARE page in preparation for this year's venture, but I do not want to lose the record of last year's thoughts. As I reread the entry, I once again felt the excitement of raising turkeys and beginning our breeding program here. Last year, things did not work out as I planned for one very basic reason: THERE WERE NO TURKEYS. Our supplier had a rough run with her incubator and simply put, could not supply us with the heritage breeds we desired. No harm, no fowl, but lesson learned.. do not count your turkeys before they hatch, either.
But, why did we want to begin raising turkeys? And want it badly enough that I contacted several breeders this year to accommodate our hopeful needs? Well, let's revisit that old TURKEY SHARE page to whet your appetite for a page update detailing this year's program:
"Of course, you want to buy the best (i.e., freshest, healthiest, ethically raised, etc.) food possible for yourself and your family. That makes sense. No genetically engineered, hormone injected, artificially flavor enhanced, or cruelly processed turkeys for your family! But, perhaps you wonder, how much can you expect to pay for an organic raised or all natural turkey? The short answer is that the price really varies widely. As I was doing research for this page, I came across many comparisons listing last year's (2011) prices. For example:
IN-STORE:
Costco: Organic Free Range Organic Turkeys $2.69/lb. This price may vary by location.
Whole Foods: Organic Turkey $3.99/lb. This price may vary by location.
My sister called me this week to let me know a local Hannafords had whole turkey on sale for .59¢/lb. You may be used to seeing similar sale prices in your neighborhood. Why such a vast difference in price? Well, really it comes down to getting what you pay for. A genetically-enhanced, white breasted turkey common to your grocer's freezer takes only about 14 weeks to raise, from start to finish, whereas a natural turkey may take 24-30 weeks to reach the desired weight... Add to that, the time and care that must go into providing fresh pasture, housing, and water and the cost of feeding high-quality, organic feed, and you begin to see how the price can grow.
This year, we went ahead and ordered six heritage Bourbon Red poults, intending on some of these becoming our breeding stock for hatching future turkeys to sell beginning next year to folks who are interested in raising their own turkey bird for dinner. (You can read about that decision and subsequent post HERE.) Before we can figure out what we must charge to raise them for some one's dinner in coming years, we need to actually do it, see what the cost involved is first-hand, discover how good (or -hopefully not- bad) the meat tastes, and resolve other questions about our raising them. So, that is why we have decided to purchase several more as the "trial run", so to speak. For this year, we will acquire 6-8 additional turkeys of the same breed to raise until they mature to the desired weight, hopefully closer to the 24 week mark than the 30 week one. We will keep strict watch on the cost of feed and any other expenses to track our cost. One reference work estimated that it takes about 84lbs of grain to raise a tom to 30lbs. (It did not state whether the tom was strictly grain fed, the kind of grain fed, or other factors that could have a bearing on the final result.)
I have been (understandably) asked by several would-be turkey purchasers, how much the final price will be. The answer is, I don't know. What I can say is, we intend on taking the best care possible, feeding up the turkeys well with the best food we can offer them. When they reach the right size, we will take them to the butcher for processing. We will divide the total cost of raising the flock by the amount of turkeys available for eating. That will be the cost. We are not making any profit off this venture.
For our part, we will not charge you anything up front for your turkey, (since we have no guarantee that they will all survive). We will give them the very best care we can. We will update you regularly with pictures, posts, and video of this turkey adventure. We will be candid about how much the process is costing as we progress, so you will have some idea of what the end cost might be. (We would be thrilled if we can hold the cost to no more than $2.50/lb.) We will attempt to have your turkey ready for you by mid-December (if the good lord is willing and the creek don't rise).
For your part, you will be vested in the food on your table, sharing in both the risk and potential reward. You can enjoy the advantage of knowing where your food come from, how it was raised, and what it was fed; with or without the challenge of raising and caring for your turkey yourself. You will feel proud of buying from and supporting one of your local, small family farms, helping to sustain your neighbors and your friends. So, if you are interested in taking this adventure with us, the deadline for ordering your all natural, heritage turkey is June 18, 2012. (This will allow the turkeys to be 27 full weeks to our goal date of December 17th.) You can message us to add your hat into this venture.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Lally Broch Farmers,
Sean & Sonja Twombly♥
I am sorry to report that there will be not turkeys available from Lally Broch Farm in 2012. For those of you still interested in ordering a turkey for your family, our friends over at Wolfe's Neck Farm have naturally, pasture raised turkeys still available for purchase. You can visit them at the webpage HERE. They are selling their turkey's for $4.50/lb and the turkeys will be available for pick up on Wednesday, November 21st."
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What has changed? Well for one thing, this year, we contacted several breeders early in the year. For another, we waited until we got that all important phone call of "Your turkeys are hatching." before we called potential customers to take reservations. I picked up 10 turkey poults this morning. THERE ARE TURKEYS IN THE HOUSE!!!
I will be working today to update this year's TURKEY SHARE page. If you are interested in our raising a heritage turkey (or two) organically for your family, you will want to check back for those details later.
Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're glad you came.
Sonja ♥
But, why did we want to begin raising turkeys? And want it badly enough that I contacted several breeders this year to accommodate our hopeful needs? Well, let's revisit that old TURKEY SHARE page to whet your appetite for a page update detailing this year's program:
"Of course, you want to buy the best (i.e., freshest, healthiest, ethically raised, etc.) food possible for yourself and your family. That makes sense. No genetically engineered, hormone injected, artificially flavor enhanced, or cruelly processed turkeys for your family! But, perhaps you wonder, how much can you expect to pay for an organic raised or all natural turkey? The short answer is that the price really varies widely. As I was doing research for this page, I came across many comparisons listing last year's (2011) prices. For example:
IN-STORE:
Costco: Organic Free Range Organic Turkeys $2.69/lb. This price may vary by location.
Whole Foods: Organic Turkey $3.99/lb. This price may vary by location.
Sprouts: Sprouts had organic turkeys last year for $3.49/lb. Natural turkeys (meaning not "certified organic, but pasture fed and grain fed) were priced at $1.49/lb last year.
ONLINE:
D'Artagnan: Organic Free Range Turkey 12-14 lbs & up, starting at $84.99+ shipping. (This is around $7.08/lb.) Order on their website: HERE.
Wise organic Pastures: Whole Organic Turkey 14-16 lbs, $100+ shipping. (This is about $7.16/lb.) Order on their website: HERE.
Organic Prairie: Organic Whole Young Turkey w/Giblets 14 lbs, $69.49+ shipping. (This is about $4.96/lb.) Order online HERE.
My sister called me this week to let me know a local Hannafords had whole turkey on sale for .59¢/lb. You may be used to seeing similar sale prices in your neighborhood. Why such a vast difference in price? Well, really it comes down to getting what you pay for. A genetically-enhanced, white breasted turkey common to your grocer's freezer takes only about 14 weeks to raise, from start to finish, whereas a natural turkey may take 24-30 weeks to reach the desired weight... Add to that, the time and care that must go into providing fresh pasture, housing, and water and the cost of feeding high-quality, organic feed, and you begin to see how the price can grow.This year, we went ahead and ordered six heritage Bourbon Red poults, intending on some of these becoming our breeding stock for hatching future turkeys to sell beginning next year to folks who are interested in raising their own turkey bird for dinner. (You can read about that decision and subsequent post HERE.) Before we can figure out what we must charge to raise them for some one's dinner in coming years, we need to actually do it, see what the cost involved is first-hand, discover how good (or -hopefully not- bad) the meat tastes, and resolve other questions about our raising them. So, that is why we have decided to purchase several more as the "trial run", so to speak. For this year, we will acquire 6-8 additional turkeys of the same breed to raise until they mature to the desired weight, hopefully closer to the 24 week mark than the 30 week one. We will keep strict watch on the cost of feed and any other expenses to track our cost. One reference work estimated that it takes about 84lbs of grain to raise a tom to 30lbs. (It did not state whether the tom was strictly grain fed, the kind of grain fed, or other factors that could have a bearing on the final result.)
I have been (understandably) asked by several would-be turkey purchasers, how much the final price will be. The answer is, I don't know. What I can say is, we intend on taking the best care possible, feeding up the turkeys well with the best food we can offer them. When they reach the right size, we will take them to the butcher for processing. We will divide the total cost of raising the flock by the amount of turkeys available for eating. That will be the cost. We are not making any profit off this venture.
For our part, we will not charge you anything up front for your turkey, (since we have no guarantee that they will all survive). We will give them the very best care we can. We will update you regularly with pictures, posts, and video of this turkey adventure. We will be candid about how much the process is costing as we progress, so you will have some idea of what the end cost might be. (We would be thrilled if we can hold the cost to no more than $2.50/lb.) We will attempt to have your turkey ready for you by mid-December (if the good lord is willing and the creek don't rise).
For your part, you will be vested in the food on your table, sharing in both the risk and potential reward. You can enjoy the advantage of knowing where your food come from, how it was raised, and what it was fed; with or without the challenge of raising and caring for your turkey yourself. You will feel proud of buying from and supporting one of your local, small family farms, helping to sustain your neighbors and your friends. So, if you are interested in taking this adventure with us, the deadline for ordering your all natural, heritage turkey is June 18, 2012. (This will allow the turkeys to be 27 full weeks to our goal date of December 17th.) You can message us to add your hat into this venture.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Lally Broch Farmers,
Sean & Sonja Twombly♥
I am sorry to report that there will be not turkeys available from Lally Broch Farm in 2012. For those of you still interested in ordering a turkey for your family, our friends over at Wolfe's Neck Farm have naturally, pasture raised turkeys still available for purchase. You can visit them at the webpage HERE. They are selling their turkey's for $4.50/lb and the turkeys will be available for pick up on Wednesday, November 21st."
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I will be working today to update this year's TURKEY SHARE page. If you are interested in our raising a heritage turkey (or two) organically for your family, you will want to check back for those details later.
Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're glad you came.
Sonja ♥
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Despite the Rains...
The skies opened Sunday night and it has been raining off and on since. The ducks and geese are in heaven with the soggy situation, everyone else: not so much. Myself included. I have things to do outside and this rain is helping neither my mood nor motivation. In addition, the wet ground creates a very nasty scent and makes the chicken coop really unpleasant to be near. Sean and I spread some hay to cover the muddy mess. This made it more pleasant for the chickens walking about and also had the added benefit of eliminating the foul odor. At least, temporarily.
While caring for chicken chores on Sunday morning, I had quite a surprise. Amidst the cacophony of 2 geese honking, 13 ducks quacking (including Gillie, who takes her breed of Call Duck quite seriously), and nearly 60 chickens clucking, I heard a tiny, single, little "peep, peep, peep" emanating from somewhere. At first, I thought that the last chicken egg hatched from our first clutch of 10 eggs, but then, I remembered that I had Sean dispose of the last un-hatched egg the previous evening. There were no goose eggs being set upon any longer, either. This meant only one thing, either one of the chicken eggs (being set upon my some confused ducks) hatched out or the duck eggs were finally hatching. I called Sean over to help me investigate. Sure enough, one of the Black Swedish ducklings hatched. We decided to leave it with the broody duck caring for it until after we returned home from Sunday worship and could properly situate the new one into our brooding box.
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The ducks are still stubbornly sitting on multiple nests. We have five nests full of eggs being set upon right now by broody ducks. Besides the nest of the only duck to hatch any ducklings so far this year, two ducks have laid claim to a HUGE nest of 20 or more eggs and they are sharing incubation duty. One duck began a nest outside, in the corner between the duck house and the fencing. And, Caitlin (the goose) scared off the last broody Momma duck and claimed her nest for herself to sit upon. As long as the eggs are being incubated, this would not necessarily be a problem, but she is systematically expelling developing eggs from the nest each day! Sean and I candled the eggs Caitlin pushed out of her stolen nest and put any that were developing and still warm under a broody hen. This cannot be allowed to continue and makes removing Caitlin and Justin from the chicken yard a priority! To summarize: We have a broody goose sitting (and expelling) duck eggs, we have a broody duck sitting on both chicken and duck eggs, there are 2 ducks sharing nesting duties, and a broody chicken sitting on rescued duck eggs! I guess it is really true that it takes a village! With all this craziness to track, I just hope some ducklings actually hatch since I have orders pending and only 1 duckling so far to fill them!
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We settled the sole duckling into the brooder with the 2 goslings and they were immediate buddies. When the goslings drank water or ate their grain, the duckling followed along and learned to eat and drink from the containers, too. They are very sweet to watch and snuggle with, for sure!
Also, on Sunday night, we were able to find a home for Reddy Roo and the last Partridge Cochin Rooster with a family from a neighboring town. They lost their rooster of 4 years over the winter and had been looking for a replacement for their hens. That leaves 8 roosters for us to find homes with hens to protect and romance. We'll take 3 Americauna roosters and Barred Rooster to the Farm Swap in Bangor on Saturday and maybe they will also find suitable homes.
Monday was quiet around here. Sean and I both had to work and it rained steadily, so not much happened on the farm. Today was a different story. After the girls got on the school bus and Sean left for work, I spent my morning making 3 gallons of milk into a big batch of cheddar cheese. Then, I used the left over whey to make a container of ricotta cheese. While the cheddar was being pressed and the ricotta hung, I made up 3 trays of fresh Lally Broch Farm Goat's Milk Soap in the scents of Jasmine, Maine Woods, and Citrus-Mint. These need to cure for a bit, but they should be ready to use by July 1st.
We have thankfully been selling out of our soaps regularly. Which means, I need to make more to keep up! That will be easier to do in the months to come since I will finally be making Lally Broch Farm products my main source of income beginning in August. Sean will be keeping his regular job while continuing to work the farm as we've been doing. It is so exciting to see our hard work paying off and completely TERRIFYING, too. So much can go wrong, it is easy to dwell in the land of "what if." But then, what if cuts both ways. What if we are able to live modestly from the farm products we make and Sean is someday able to focus on it full time, too? What if we succeed and are able to spend crucial time home with our teenagers before they set out on their life's path? What if....
Back to today, Sonja!
Today, we have a few of our 5 oz (approximately) bath bars of goat's milk soap still available for purchase at $7.25/bar at our Etsy Shop. We have the following bars of soaps available:
From our Regular Line
Lavender: 3 bars (ready to use now)
Cinnamon Spice:3 2 bars (ready to use now)
Peppermint Stick: 6 bars (ready June 1, 2013)
Maine Woods:8 6 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
Citrus-Mint:8 6 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
Jasmine: 6 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
Limited Supply Special Scents*
Baby Powder: 3 bars (ready June 1, 2013)
Dragon's Blood: 7 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
*We do not plan to carry these scents regularly at this time. These limited supply soaps were made from free essential oil samples sent from our soap oil supplier with our order for organic coconut and palm oils. Each time a sample scent is sent to us, we make a limited run of those soaps. When they run out, they are gone. They may be available again, maybe not. So if you see one you want, get it while you can! ♥
Have you entered the Farm Chit Chat Give-Away Contest, yet? Here is your chance to win a bar of soap or your very own Lally Broch Farm Mosiac Eggshell Pendant valued at $25.00. To make it super easy, you can clickity, click, click on the link above or enter below for your chance to win one of the fantastic prizes FCC is offering. There are 2 separate give-aways being hosted with a total of 10 prizes to be won on June 1, 2013, so be sure to enter both!
Here is the first:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And, this is the second:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for visiting today, friends! I am so glad you are here. ♥
Sonja ♥
While caring for chicken chores on Sunday morning, I had quite a surprise. Amidst the cacophony of 2 geese honking, 13 ducks quacking (including Gillie, who takes her breed of Call Duck quite seriously), and nearly 60 chickens clucking, I heard a tiny, single, little "peep, peep, peep" emanating from somewhere. At first, I thought that the last chicken egg hatched from our first clutch of 10 eggs, but then, I remembered that I had Sean dispose of the last un-hatched egg the previous evening. There were no goose eggs being set upon any longer, either. This meant only one thing, either one of the chicken eggs (being set upon my some confused ducks) hatched out or the duck eggs were finally hatching. I called Sean over to help me investigate. Sure enough, one of the Black Swedish ducklings hatched. We decided to leave it with the broody duck caring for it until after we returned home from Sunday worship and could properly situate the new one into our brooding box.
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Also, on Sunday night, we were able to find a home for Reddy Roo and the last Partridge Cochin Rooster with a family from a neighboring town. They lost their rooster of 4 years over the winter and had been looking for a replacement for their hens. That leaves 8 roosters for us to find homes with hens to protect and romance. We'll take 3 Americauna roosters and Barred Rooster to the Farm Swap in Bangor on Saturday and maybe they will also find suitable homes.
Monday was quiet around here. Sean and I both had to work and it rained steadily, so not much happened on the farm. Today was a different story. After the girls got on the school bus and Sean left for work, I spent my morning making 3 gallons of milk into a big batch of cheddar cheese. Then, I used the left over whey to make a container of ricotta cheese. While the cheddar was being pressed and the ricotta hung, I made up 3 trays of fresh Lally Broch Farm Goat's Milk Soap in the scents of Jasmine, Maine Woods, and Citrus-Mint. These need to cure for a bit, but they should be ready to use by July 1st.
We have thankfully been selling out of our soaps regularly. Which means, I need to make more to keep up! That will be easier to do in the months to come since I will finally be making Lally Broch Farm products my main source of income beginning in August. Sean will be keeping his regular job while continuing to work the farm as we've been doing. It is so exciting to see our hard work paying off and completely TERRIFYING, too. So much can go wrong, it is easy to dwell in the land of "what if." But then, what if cuts both ways. What if we are able to live modestly from the farm products we make and Sean is someday able to focus on it full time, too? What if we succeed and are able to spend crucial time home with our teenagers before they set out on their life's path? What if....
Back to today, Sonja!
Today, we have a few of our 5 oz (approximately) bath bars of goat's milk soap still available for purchase at $7.25/bar at our Etsy Shop. We have the following bars of soaps available:
From our Regular Line
Lavender: 3 bars (ready to use now)
Cinnamon Spice:
Peppermint Stick: 6 bars (ready June 1, 2013)
Maine Woods:
Citrus-Mint:
Jasmine: 6 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
Limited Supply Special Scents*
Baby Powder: 3 bars (ready June 1, 2013)
Dragon's Blood: 7 bars (ready July 1, 2013)
*We do not plan to carry these scents regularly at this time. These limited supply soaps were made from free essential oil samples sent from our soap oil supplier with our order for organic coconut and palm oils. Each time a sample scent is sent to us, we make a limited run of those soaps. When they run out, they are gone. They may be available again, maybe not. So if you see one you want, get it while you can! ♥
Have you entered the Farm Chit Chat Give-Away Contest, yet? Here is your chance to win a bar of soap or your very own Lally Broch Farm Mosiac Eggshell Pendant valued at $25.00. To make it super easy, you can clickity, click, click on the link above or enter below for your chance to win one of the fantastic prizes FCC is offering. There are 2 separate give-aways being hosted with a total of 10 prizes to be won on June 1, 2013, so be sure to enter both!
Here is the first:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And, this is the second:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for visiting today, friends! I am so glad you are here. ♥
Sonja ♥
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