Meet the Bacon

May 23rd, three shy lads.
They would only run away unless I bribed them.

Every year we add something new. Well, usually several new projects but we try to limit the biggest, scariest, most costly or most intimidating projects to one per year.  For 2014 it is bacon.  Or pigs, depending on how you want to keep track of the semantics.

I've been told before that "lots" of people keep and raise poultry but you aren't "really farming" until you have "real" livestock.  This stipulation apparently then only includes the likes of pigs, horses, or cows.  I'm not entirely sure I agree, as raising (and handling, and butchering) 60+ lbs. live weight turkeys sure feels like "real farming" to me but even based on this extremely limited view of farming as of this year we are, in fact, playing with the big boys.

...And they are certainly shaping up to be BIG. (continued)

PPPP Report Week 3

Climbing and exploring.  Everywhere.

Another week, another Wednesday.

Time for your Promised Pastured Peeper Progress Report, week 3. 

After being able to report that everyone survived week 2 I'm sorry to say that this week we were not so lucky.  Even with two heat lamps it appears that the night we dipped into the low 50s was too much for two of the layers and one of the broilers.  It's especially hard in cases like these because while they all survived the night, the following day those three just gave up.  Checking up on them every few hours and going from "everyone happy" to "oops, there are 3 casualties" is shocking, and leaves one with an unrequited urge to provide care. Not that babying an ill bird usually helps, but it helps a little when you can tell yourself "you tried", even though I know that's usually me just trying to fool myself. (continued)

Fresh Salad

Some folks think that animals don't have feelings, or if they do they are simple ones like fear and pain.

I think those folks need to see just how happy a few square feet of fresh grass and weeds makes the peepers.  I don't even have to offer them dressing for their new salad, they will attack it with gusto.
(continued)

Lazy Sunday Reader's Recap

Tuesday - Never rains but it pours.

Wednesday - PPPP Report Week 2

Friday - Photo Friday

Photo Friday

Working hard? Hardly working?

 (continued)

PPPP Report Week 2

Wednesday is here! Now begins the Promised Pastured Peeper Progress Report, week 2.

Everyone is doing well, all nuggets accounted for, at least since last week.  The turf currently occupied by the brooder pen may last another week before they have really mucked it up but I think we'll probably move it this weekend.

Another landmark occurred today, we officially exhausted our first bag of feed.  No doubt most of that was consumed in week 2 but for sake of argument 50 lbs over 2 weeks for 50 broilers 25 layers and 10(now 8) turkeys is real good.  When it's two bags a week later on.... well we'll talk about that later.  (continued)

Never rains but it pours.

Ripples

Here in New England droughts are rare and a dry spell is downright damp compared to other parts of the United States.  That hot "dry" day with 80% humidity is hardly dry in absolute terms and the plants, soil, and I (especially I), notice.  Nothing quire like sticking to everything you touch and feeling like you are underwater.  But I digress.

Mostly this leads people to not think about water at all, even to take it for granted.
(continued)

...and bleed and bleed and bleed.

Buckwheat volunteers -
Tall as the mulberry (almost)
A two season story by itself.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ― Ernest Hemingway

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Once upon a time there was a person who wanted a thing.  After deciding to overcome obstacles and objections, facing down an adversary or several and achieving their goal (and reaping rich reward) they lived happily ever after.

Sounds pretty terrible right?  There's no information about 'who' so we can choose to love them or hate them, no details about why so we can decide if they are 'good' or 'bad', no 7th son of the king with no prospects, no simpering princess waiting for her emergency "rescue marriage", no faerie godmother, no goofy sidekick, no musical number, no evil stepmother, no magic... no story.  Maybe if we knew what the protagonist's goal was or what kind of adversary stood in the way?  Maybe the story isn't about whether it is a prince or a princess, not about the once upon a time or the happily ever after? Maybe it's the details that are important, the difference literally between a hackneyed formulaic cliche and an engaging narrative?  No maybe about it, I think. (continued)

Meet the Leftovers

The triumphant trio, the remaining few, the lucky living.  Whatever I call them, these three were slated for freezer camp long ago.

We've raised broad breasted whites like these for the last 2 years. 2014 will actually be year number 3 and every year so far I've said we won't raise them again, but there's something pretty awesome about getting 25lbs. of turkey breast from a single bird.

It may be hard to tell from these pictures, but these are monstrous birds. That's easily 120lbs of turkey "on the hoof".  The hens will dress out between 20 and 30 lbs each and I would be very surprised if the Tom was less than 50 lbs. Fifty. Pounds. Five-oh.

That's "will not fit in your normal-sized oven" level monstrous. (continued)

Meet the peeps!

Chicks, peeps, peepers, babies, fuzzy-butts... nuggets.

I'll be introducing you to all the animals here eventually, but I thought since I teased with a picture of the "hot wings" yesterday I would stick with them for now.

We don't name our animals (mostly) and if you've ever tried to keep 50+ poultry still for long enough to assign names (or even, say, count them) you'll understand that is as much from necessity as anything else.

Yeah, I call them nuggets, though there isn't much more than a mouthful to them yet. (continued)

Hot wings variety pack.  Some assembly required.

It's that time of year again.  Time to start the train that will end this fall with BBQ and buffalo sauce. 

It's not a stretch to go from chickens to hot wings but it does remind me a lot of the 4 variety multipack of boneless wings from The Hangar that was a frequent feature in the dorm at UMASS... now I'm hungry.

Sadly for me I'll have to wait 12 weeks before these boys are ready for the stove top and freezer.  The anticipation does improve the flavor I think, or maybe that's just the sunshine and pasture.

This year literally in this cardboard case, there are 52 Red Ranger broilers (male) and 26 Barred Rocks layers (female).  

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If these policies sound familiar to you it is likely because you are a fan of Jack Spirko's work at The Survival Podcast as these terms have been borrowed from those he uses with only minor modification by me.

Jack's rules lie at the root of a very successful online community and the beliefs which underpin them are those which I agree with.  Please consider checking out his podcast and the rest of Jack's work.