Rosebriar Farm

Farming can be a real pain in the butt…..literally

2011-01-28T18:37:00.001-08:00

Seriously, this morning at about 5, I dressed for work and made bottles for the calves. As I started to step onto the first step off the frost covered deck. My feet flew out from under me and I landed on my booty. When I hit my left arm had a quick pain then I felt nothing in it. My lower back near the booty was seriously hurting and I could not get up. Luckily I was ready for work so my ~~electronic leash~~ phone was on me. I called Jen and asked her to come help. She was kind enough to help me get up, without even the slightest laugh. She found me some Aleve while I fed the calves, looked at the swelling on my arm and even offered to take me to the doctor.

After I left for work much to my chagrin; Jen and the kids had a GREAT laugh at my expense.

My bottle calves are udderly confused.

2011-01-25T19:12:00.001-08:00

When a calf is on the teat, if the milk is not flowing as fast as they want or not flowing at all, they will push into the udder. This will cause the udder to release milk. This is also true with the bottle which normally means the nipple opening needs to be cut open a little.

Well today I went to feed the animals with the exception of the calves. It was not time for them to eat, I usually feed and water everything before making their bottles. Then I will feed them a bottle in each hand sort of resting on my leg in case they push into the bottle it will not knock it out of my hand.

This hold allows for the bottle to be knocked out of the hand when they nudge for more milk.

A more secure hold for the bottle, as it pushes into the body.

Brad and I feeding.

When I walked in the fence both calves came running over to me, I did NOT have bottles in hand. The larger of the two calves was walking in circles around me when the the smaller one ran his nose into the back of my left thigh and began nudging, repeatedly.

I believe he is udderly confused.

How much veterinary work should we do on our on?

2011-01-24T12:12:00.001-08:00

DISCLAIMER: While there are no gross photos in this post there is a gross description of a surgery conducted by Brad and me.
I have always given my dogs their vaccinations. These are subcutaneous shots: just under the skin. Like the shots we get in the arm.
Recently I bought a cow, that I later determined was sick when purchased, I learn how to give intramuscular shots, like the shots we get in the hip. In an animal you plan to eat these go in the neck muscle.
In the last two years of raising chickens, I have had to somewhat learn to be a chicken vet. When we had many little chicks and their legs were banded for identification, there was one who missed getting a band changed and the leg grew around the band. Brad and i removed the band, and doctored the leg until it had fully recovered.
When Lilly was attacked by a dog she had a serious cut on her back. Again my faithful assistant accompanied me with a in depth wound cleaning and regular treatments until she had fully recovered.
Well this past we we were at it again. The girls were feeding my dog when they let Duke out without my knowledge. After returning home from church, I went to check on my grandparents and Brad found we had an injured chicken and one missing. When I returned home, I found Brad setting in my recliner holding the injured chicken. He told me it was bad and he did not know if she would make it. When I saw the problem, I considered euthanasia, because he was right. But it was worth a shot…..Right?
She had a busted crop:

The “crop” is the pouch in the digestive tract where food is ground by rocks for digestion.
We went to my parents house where we could work in the garage, because this could get messy, I have new hardwood in my kitchen, and besides it was in the low 30s outside.
Brad helped me by taking care of the chicken until I could get all my supplies together. Then we began; the crop had to be cleaned out (this is like a person having their stomach pumped). Once the crop was cleaned, we had to suture the crop to allow her (hopefully) to be able to eat in the future. After about 6 stitches in the crop, there were only a couple of stitches in the outer skin because she needs a place for drainage to prevent infection. We placed her in a cardboard cat carrier with some bedding, she spent the night in the laundry room. The following morning Brad put her in the bus stop with the large animals to keep the roosters off of her. When I came home from work that afternoon she had flown out of the fence, when into the coop and laid a beautiful green egg, she appeared to be eating fine. We are now ready to remove the outer stitches however the internal stitches will have to stay. Unfortunately they are not the dissolvable type as I have limited veterinary supplies to work with.

OOPS!... I DID IT AGAIN! Britney Spears

2011-01-21T16:28:00.001-08:00

As you may well know in early December I tried my hand at a Bottle fed Charolais and it did not end well. Jen and I had decided a couple of things; 1) Wait until Spring 2) Buy in pairs. Well this week she was on Craigslist and found me some Holstein calves. Well we did half of our plan; I bought a pair. Let’s just hope I can keep these healthy.

Brad opening the trailer door. This little fellow is really good help.

Brad keeping an eye on one while I took one to the stall.

The larger of the two.

Starting to get comfy.

They found the water.

The smaller one.

Romeo walking off shaking his head…I believe he was thinking “Bulls, BULLS…How about a Nanny”

New Addition

2011-01-20T07:18:00.001-08:00

I have a really cool looking rooster (Mr. Darcy), I bought him over the summer, along with a hen which was killed by a raccoon earlier in the fall. He is of one of the smallest bantam breeds; Japanese Black Tail Bantam. These come in a variety of color but I prefer the white because the black tail really stands out. Poor fellow is so small he can not breed with any of my other bantams.

Mr. Darcy on the inside roost.

After searching Craigslist, I finally found him some company of the same breed.

While I was gone to pick them up, I asked Jen to run by the co-op and pick up a new feeder. However I learned a very valuable lesson when I brought these home. Expect the unexpected when you send a “city girl” to pick up farm supplies.

Wacky Wednesday!

2011-01-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

If a cow laughs, will milk come out it’s nose?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2011-01-15T18:43:00.001-08:00

I have know idea but I can tell you why they stayed inside for three days despite the fact that I would open their coop. Well lets open their door and see.

They HATE the snow.

Look the outside roost has not a single chicken foot print.

Wacky Wednesday… Super Hero

2011-01-12T17:30:00.001-08:00

Duke, the flying Basset Hound

Wacky Wednesday Appropriate for After Christmas

2011-01-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

“How can you kill something you raised?” well let me tell you

2010-12-30T18:45:00.001-08:00

That is a question I get by everyone when they find out I actually eat chickens and turkeys I have raised.

In a previous post I gave a brief explanation of how this is done I have made a few adjustments after a few processing's now.

Start with a building a fire; you will need this later.

Put a huge pot of water on to boil.

Get your bird.

Hang a rope from a tree limb.

Tie the turkeys legs together and hang him upside down.

This will freak him out for just a few seconds, then he will calm. This is my preferred killing position; they do not flop on the ground and bruise the meat.

Next take a super sharp knife and cut the veins on each side of the neck. Only the veins try to miss the fingers.

Give them a few minutes to bleed out.

Put the turkey in a wash tub and pour hot water on it.

I prefer this to dipping the bird, it seems to get the wing areas better.

Pluck the bird.

My photographer was pretty much grossed out at this point and pictures of removing the entrails would be too gross for some of my readers (and you know I’m politically correct).

Remove the entrails, neck, feet, etc. and toss in the fire along with the feathers.

Otherwise your help will get them. You don’t want them to get the taste of fresh blood.

That is Lucy, Sasha and Winston’s pup.

Once the bird is cleaned, soak in cold water to cool the temperature down.

Wrap in freezer paper, like the chickens pictured below

or put in the refrigerator and cook in two days as the turkey picture below.

Then kiss the cook!

ENJOY!

Wacky Wednesday…from the mouths of babes.

2010-12-29T04:43:00.001-08:00

The other day Brad and I were feeding the animals. When he walked up to the Pot Bellied Pigs Pen he said.

“Hamlet, this place is a pig sty, clean it up.”

Wonder where he got a statement like that……maybe I should have posted a picture of his room.

“You Ain’t Gonna Believe This” Mel Tillis

2010-12-27T17:48:00.001-08:00

It snowed in North Alabama on Christmas Day.

Headed out to do chores.

When you have a tractor and a snow in Alabama, you will have to pull at least one person out who has stuck their car in the ditch.

Samantha ( my oldest) after giving Dad a quick hand. Without a coat she was freezing me.

Rosebriar Farm K-9 Naughty or Nice List

2010-12-23T14:02:00.001-08:00

Winston – NICE – He found the lost pot belly pig.

Sasha – UNDECIDED – She had some cute pups this year, which all found good homes but she assisted Duke in many poultry murders and she should have been names Houdini.

Duke – NAUGHTY – He killed chickens and turkeys this year.

Wishbone (my dad’s dog) – NAUGHTY – She has killed more chickens than

Inexperience that ends with a Wacky Wednesday Quote

2010-12-22T05:53:00.001-08:00

So there are some issues with being inexperienced of the bovine species. I recently went in with my brother-in-law to purchase a bull calf or so I thought. It was later revealed to me, Wendy (Jen’s Sister) and I had made the deal Jon knew nothing of it until we owned a calf. And as you all (as if I have a bunch of readers) know animals at Rosebriar Farm must have a name, Wendy decided to name this fellow Standing Rib Roast and noted so in the ‘for” column of her check.

When I purchased the calf I was unaware he had a cold, which with the brutal weather we had come in the next few days made it much worse. He was walking around and eating fine, he had a small matted area around one of his eyes. In a matter of about three days this become a bunch of matted area around both eyes and he was having a hard time sucking a bottle, as he would suck, he would pull his head back and cough. Asking a cattle farmer friend of mine he suggested I try giving him some penicillin; an intramuscular (IM) shot in the neck (no need to damage a good steak with a puncture wound). Really if you don’t believe it look it up. Since this was a Sunday afternoon, I called another cattle farmer who might have some meds I could get until I could get some, I spoke with his wife and she told me he didn’t have any but I should call his brother who just happens to be a veterinarian. Much to my dismay he did not seem to care I had a very sick calf; said he did not use penicillin on large animals anymore, he had something better. I waited as if he would then suggest something…….after a long pause. I said “and” (keep in mind he has a vet truck with all the meds on board to make farm calls), he says come by the office tomorrow and we will discuss what to do. I hope you are reading this part with an irate tone as I will not take another animal to him.

Since then Dr. Steve Powers, where I take my small animals has recommended a large animal vet.

So the next morning I made a trip to Cagle’s where George Cagle helped me with my problem. He told me what he would recommend and sold me the necessary items and even told me if some of the items were not needed to bring them back. He was not out to make a few bucks on a sale, he wanted to help me get my calf healthy and keep me as a satisfied customer. For days we (Brad and I) treated this little fellow and each day we saw some improvement. And when I say treated I mean treated; IM shots of antibiotics, tube feeding with Bounce Back, a (Gatorade, Pedialyte, type) electrolyte replacement, as well a tube feeding regular milk formula for calves. This is similar to intubating a person except instead of finding the airway to the lungs you find the stomach.

Well a week and a half into this whole ordeal., when. I was at a company gift exchange when I get a phone call from Jen (ignore), I immediately sent her a text, “swapping gifts, I’ll call later, what’s up?”. As soon as I sent that I get a call from Sam, my darling 18 year old daughter (ignore), forward the same text message to her as a response. By the time the text message went out the phone indicated a voice mail had been received. I immediately check to message to hear:

“Dad, your Standing Rib Roast, is not standing……uh…..it’s dead.”

Wacky Wednesday

2010-12-15T04:47:00.001-08:00

Wacky Wednesday

2010-12-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

A Montana rancher got in his pickup and drove to a neighboring ranch and knocked at the door. A young boy, about 9, opened the door.
'Is yer Dad home?' the rancher asked.
'No sir, he ain't,' the boy replied. 'He went into town.'
'Well,' said the rancher, 'Is yer Mom here?'
'No, sir, she ain't here neither. She went into town with Dad.'
'How about your brother, Howard? Is he here?'
'He went with Mom and Dad.'
The rancher stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other and mumbling to himself. 'Is there anything I can do fer ya?' the boy asked politely. 'I know where all the tools are, if you want to borry one. Or maybe I could take a message fer Dad.'
'Well,' said the rancher uncomfortably, 'I really wanted to talk to yer Dad. It's about your brother Howard getting my daughter, Pearly Mae, pregnant.'
The boy considered for a moment. 'You would have to talk to Pa about that', he finally conceded.
'If it helps you any, I know that Pa charges $500 for the bull and $50 for the hog, but I really don't know how much he gets fer Howard.'

“Where’s the beef?” Little Old Lady from an 80’s Wendy’s commercial

2010-12-07T17:02:00.001-08:00

I know I have posted a picture of the little bottle fed calf Jon and I agreed to purchase. Well Monday evening I picked him up and moved him in, since I was working alone and trying to get him settled in the dark, I was unable to get any picture. He was on a feeding schedule of 11:00 am and pm. Well that's not going to work here. So, I fed him about a quart of milk replacer about 7 pm, to get him to his new feeding time of 5 am/pm. At 5 am he was as eager to eat as I was to feed him in 19 degree weather, I guess he was still adjusting to his new roommates.

With Maestro Coming out of the bus stop.

Brad, my helper, checking him out.

With Sally.

This evening at 5 pm he was HUNGRY!

That must have been good…he downed it quickly.

Still loving technology.

2010-12-04T21:01:00.001-08:00

Today I was looking at craigslist and saw the following ad:
We have baby calves for sale, still on the bottle for $75 OBO. If you are interested call me at 706-237-XXXX
or call/text at 706-313-XXXX. Can send pictures.
So, I sent a text message asking for a picture. Here was the response a good looking Charolais, bull calf.

I forwarded this message to my brother-in-law, Jon Waldron, explaining I should be able to bottle feed and wean as I am usually home during the month of December (not a busy month in the boiler business). I explained to the owner, I was discussing the purchase with Jon and it would take a little while to get back with them. Three or four hours later Jon got back with me and we worked out a good plan, as I was walking through the grocery store (texting) with Jen…Jon will buy the calf, I will take care of getting it, castrating, weaning, and then take it to his farm in Murfreesboro, TN. He will feed hay until the pastures are green, and when we are ready to slaughter…we will split the processing cost and beef.
Technology is great while Jen was purchasing beef at the Fresh Market, I was buying in bulk for next year.

Been preoccupied with Pop

2010-12-03T21:00:00.001-08:00

I have not blogged in a couple of weeks because instead of taking care of my farm I’ve been taking care of my granddad. Pop had a heart attack on November 21st, the day before he turned 84. He spent a week in the hospital getting stable enough for open heart surgery in which he had:

Maze procedure (to correct atrial fibrillation)
Quintuple (5) bypass
Mitral Valve repair

Pop did not become my Pop until 30 years ago, I was 9 when he married my Grandmother and he is the only granddad I have ever had. He had no children before he became a widower but he quickly figured out the role of a granddad to the point.
I have said many times IN THE FUTURE, when I become a granddad my goal is to be as good at it as Pop is.

Here is an idea of how funny and supportive Pop can be. When I get a new animal, I always show it to Pop (my granddad) in April, I had just picked up new chicks and stepped to show him and Granny. He asked why I did not get any ducks. I responded saying I did not have any water for them. In a very matter-of-fact tone he looked at me and said “dig a hole”.

So for the past two week the farm has some what suffered, I did make sure everything had food and water but Pop comes first. I have spent many hours at the hospital and enjoyed being able to be with him. It made me feel good tonight when I walked in the Surgical ICU to visit and the nurse said he had been asking for me.

Thanks to all the people who have been praying for Pop and please continue to do so, he had a serious surgery and is 84 it could be a long recovery.

Wacky Wednesday!

2010-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

A Turkey's Lament...

2010-11-25T09:42:00.001-08:00

When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of ..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin.
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
"Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink,
"And then comes the worst part" he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing".
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola,
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes,
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap,
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said "Christmas is coming..."

Borrowed from a fellow member of http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wacky Wednesday

2010-11-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Starting today I will be posting a ‘Wacky Wednesday” post.

This will be a funny or wacky something related to farming.

ENJOY!

Check out these chicks

2010-11-23T04:32:00.001-08:00

I’ve been ~~talking~~ writing a lot about Thanksgiving coming up, lets switch gears a little. Here is a series of pictures of some cute little silkie chicks. I found these locally from a breeder and wanted to add to my silkie population to one day be able to breed my own. The two adult chickens are Scarlett and Rhett they are currently raising these; they will soon be on their own but they still need the adults to keep them warm at night.

Here they are on the first time out of the nursery, it was a warm afternoon.

I think the picture above is awesome, dad is making standing watch as other big chickens are nearby.

They love bread left over from meals or the concession stand.

And

Of course I had to save the best for last.

Check out this little fellow, smiling for the camera.

Have I come full circle?

2010-11-20T20:00:00.001-08:00

According to the free dictionary http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/come+full+circle
come/go/turn full circle: if something or someone has come full circle after changing a lot, they are now the same as they were at the beginning .
I have mentioned my Great Uncle Hoolie before in my blogging, he is the person who planted the crazy idea in my head to be a farmer. I used to visit his farm as a child and he would teach me things about cattle, tractors, equipment, etc as well as let me play. His son John Glen, my cousin was one of my best cousins growing up we would spend hours playing on the farm. Well last night instead of going to the football game Maddie ( my third child), Chris, and Cassidy (John Glen’s second and third children) all spent the night with my Grand Mother. This morning I was out feeding my animals when they all three walked over from Granny's.
Take a look.

Maddie and Cassidy with a turkey feather.

Cassidy petting Lilly.

Cassidy petting Bunniculla and Chris and Maddie looking at the eggs that were collected.

Cassidy collecting eggs, she washed then and carried them to her mother.

Chris hand feeding Sally. The leash is because she was being walked by Cassidy to get fresh green grass.

Kenzie and Maddie showing them the pigs.

Feeding the pigs, bread.
This was so much fun watching them play on my farm. It meant a lot to me.
So let me explain this again: I played on my Great Uncle’s farm and today his grandchildren played on mine.

Giving Thanks Party.

2010-11-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

I read Jen’s blog and saw the Giving Thanks Party hosted by Lynn over on The Vintage Nest. While there are many things I’m thankful for, let me start by first quoting Brad Paisley

“But remember I’m still a guy”.

FRESH TURKEY

While he is in the field today he will be on my Mother-in-Laws table on Thursday.

Until you try it you don’t know how good it is.

“Things that make you say hmm.” Eddie Murphy

2010-11-16T16:52:00.001-08:00

Just because you have a hobby farm does not mean you have to have things like this inside your house.

This was a gift from my parents, along with 3 chickens. Granted my birthday is in August, I have been looking for a place to put this since then; still at a loss.

Some new creatures

2010-11-15T06:53:00.001-08:00

This has been a big weekend at Rosebriar Farm.

On Nashville’s Craigslist I found a lady giving away some pot belly pigs; this always makes me wonder why? Are they mean?, Are they escape artists?, etc. In this particular situation they live in Hillsboro and the husband commutes to Murfreesboro, everyday to work. They are depleting the animals and selling the farm. I wanted the Holstein steer however they have plans for him to move to the freezer. I did pick up one female pot bellied pig, she is about 1-1/2 yrs old and weighs about 125 pounds. As with most of my animals Jen gave her a literary name; Ophelia (Hamlet’s Lover). How fitting.

Hamlet (left) Ophelia (right)

We also took the opportunity to pick up another turkey because Tom’s days are numbered, literally. Unless the Governor calls (my cell phone will be off, just in case), he is scheduled to die the evening of Tuesday, November 23rd.

The new turkey (left) and Tom, Thanksgiving dinner 2010 (left).

But wait there’s more.

As, I mentioned before most of our pets have literary names, this young lady however came with a name. It could be considered a literary name if you think back to first grade to the Dick and Jane books, the younger sister’s name was, Sally.

Sally has sort of a sad story, she was one of a set of triplets, whose mother died at birth. The other two received most of the colostrum , from the mother before she died. Sally is a runt, she is now seven months old and only about half the size of her siblings. That may have worked out best for her; she is too small to slaughter and also to small to breed, therefore we were asked to take her for a pet.

So here is our new lamb, Sally.

Sally meeting her new friends, Romeo and Maestro.

Newest construction, on the farm

2010-11-13T18:37:00.001-08:00

Recently the goats moved into a fenced in area and stopped their roaming. The week they moved in the pen from the back porch of the chicken coop, we had rain forecasted later in the week. Here is a “bus stop” I built for them to get in out of the weather.

The 4x4 posts are cemented in the ground because a goat will butt any object, 2x4s around the top, the top and sides are covered with the same tin as the roof of our other farm structures. This is green tin that was given to me by a friend, the roofs of everything are green. It has a roof and walls about 3-1/2 feet high this will keep wind and rain off them directly. They have two bales of straw loose on the ground to lay on (and eat). I did not want it to be completely enclosed because our summers are really hot and our winters are not all that bad.
The next thing they needed was a place to play, before they could go into the woods and play on fallen tree. They also liked to play on things like feed containers, the back porch and of course the picnic table. These were the areas, where they played that were not approved by ~~upper management~~ Jen. Here is what I came up with hint: it was mentioned in the last post as an idea but here are pictures.

That’s right, a wood pile. They love it, you have never seen kids play king of the hill, like Kids (young goats do), they are so fun to watch.
Their other toy is the feeder I purchased for them, but they have now figured out it can also be a place to wrestle over food; at the time of this picture Romeo was in control. When I walk in the pen if one of them is in the feeder, I will spin it like a merry-go-round!

Thanks for stopping by and comments are always appreciated.

I need your help....

2010-11-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

When Jen agreed to let me start my ~~midlife crisis~~ lifelong dream, of having a hobby farm, she put one stipulation. Under no circumstance is it allowed to look like a north Alabama Redneck Farm. It has to look presentable.

Having been to many farms in order to acquire animals, I have seen some really neat looking farms and I have seen some that I felt like I needed a shower just for stopping by. Here are a few photos I have obtained from google that we would not deem acceptable for the look we are after at Rosebriar Farm.

Now where I need your help is I am wanting my farm to grow but I have to do this on a limited budget. Seeing as I have to do within a limited budget but don’t want it to look like a redneck convention. I need you ideas of ways to increase the size with real cost savings ideas.

As you can see in some photos I have created the antique looking coop with recycled lumber from an old unpainted house.

I have made changes to the run since this was taken; this was a temporary fence.

My roosts were made from tree limbs...

For my goats a place to play I have created a wood pile from a tree a friend cut down, I do not have a picture but a pile of wood looks natural in a field.

Come on followers give me you ideas, and send a link to others you think could help.

The new fad in owning animals, but you can’t have a rooster...

2010-11-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

I was speaking with someone last night, who lives in town and was wanting to know about raising chickens. It appears raising chickens for fresh eggs is the new “in thing”. For those poor unfortunate souls that live in town, you can not own a rooster. I understand the reason because they crow, but dogs bark; enough of that or I will get on a soap box.

Roosters have a purpose, they protect the flock. I recently was taking some food scraps to the chickens, it was pomegranate (pictured with the cooked turkey on the last post) , something we do not use often. The hens all stayed away until Big Dawg (Rhode Island Red)took the first peck and made a sound then the girls dove into them. There is a hawk that nests across the road on another hobby farm, when the hawk is circling, he will make another sound and all the girls will go either in the coop or into the woods, which ever is closest. I have written before about Rhett (Silkie) he raises chicks; currently Scarlett is taking care of a 3 month old Americana who was stepped on by a goat and had broken bones, thus walks funny. Rhett is currently taking care of three 5 week old silkie chicks.

There is also another very valuable reason to have roosters because extra roosters are made of chicken. Not those things packed full of hormones to grow to processing size in 6 weeks. That is one of the reasons we raise our own.

These big fellows were about 6 months old when they were processed. Yes that is quiet a bit older, but what does that mean? You probably don't want to fry them, but anything else is a go.

Nana (my mother-in-law) took one and made fresh dumplings, WOW. Without hormones these fellow averaged 8 pounds a piece; after processing. That means the same way you would get one in the grocery. Have you every found an eight pound chicken at the store; didn’t think so. If you did, it probably cost quite a bit, especially if he was organic.

Everyone has asked what have you been feeding them. Mostly nothing, they find their own food; besides, we do not have a lot of bugs, ticks, etc. Chickens take care of them. They do love their food scraps, popcorn, fruit, etc as well.

Is he strutting his stuff or strutting for stuffing?

2010-11-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

While our tom is starting to show some size I’m still not convinced he will be ready to eat in 21 days, therefore he may get a last minute stay of execution. This is only going to be the case if I can find another organic raised turkey big enough to ~~kill~~ process by Tuesday, November 23rd.

Process on Tuesday, go thru rigor on Wednesday, and cook on Thursday, and they never see the freezer.

Before you decide to call PETA on me let me further explain:

You know this looks good!

This was one of my farm raised turkeys of from last year.

And besides I’m a member of PETA.

P-people E-eatingT- tastyA- animals

The title of the post will be at the end…you have to read the story first.

2010-11-02T04:52:00.001-07:00

Have you every wondered why I named my little farm Rosebriar Farm?

Could it be my love for roses?

Well you see, I have 31 rose bushes (but who’s counting), I have even managed to start one of my own. That was a milestone for me, it was like a kid getting a new bike for Christmas when I realized I had started my own bush from a root of one I had transplanted months before. This is no easy task mind you, EVERYONE has to go buy their bushes either as really small plants or in larger pots from a nursery.

Jen and I also have a few plants that mean a lot to us. She has a small Lemon tree, still in a pot on the back porch that was kind enough to bear its first lemon this year. I have a plumeria, that was purchased for $6 in Hawaii in 2006, when we went to Wil and Holly’s Wedding. I often joke of this being a $10,000 plant that came with an 8 day Hawaiian vacation. Many of the family member bought back similar sticks (plumeria cuttings); we work so hard at keeping this tropical plant alive it now has 9 braches that produce flowers. Each year it produces more we now get about 100 blooms from June until just before the first frost, when it is relocated to our bathroom to live for the winter, where the steam of the shower provides a green house effect for it. By the way NO ONE else in the family has every had theirs bloom; I’m not bragging (well maybe just a little) just stating facts. Thanks to Laura “Ninnie” Bevel, she is where I acquired my green thumb.

We have a cute little fruit garden which consist of the following: blackberries, blue berries, raspberries, strawberries, plum trees, peach trees, and some roses, of course. This is all contained in a fence to keep the chickens from eating the berries. The cute little goats Romeo and Maestro have been free roaming since they were kids (pun intended) , they sleep on feed storage boxes on the back porch of the chicken coop. Well we all know what kids grow up to be ~~DAMN DEMENTED GOATS~~ teenagers.

The other day, I had walked outside to check on something, when I walked back into the house and slammed the back boor where everyone in the house came running to see what the problem was, as I scream at Jen to post of craigslist I have two Damn goats to give away or find me a fondue recipe and I really didn’t care which. As she looks at me, she see me holding a green lemon (mind you lemons are not ripe until they turn yellow.) She says “I take it YOUR goats broke my lemon off the tree?” Well no joke I sure as heck would not pick a green lemon, I told her it was not that they broke the lemon off the tree but the way they did it. They climbed onto the plumeria pot (2-1/2’ diameter) to eat the leaves, it turned over and broke a limb and the lemon. This all happened on a Sunday afternoon……fast forward to Monday.

After work Brad and I moved everything: 5 trees, 3 roses, and about 20 fruit bushes (all with thorns mind you) out of the fenced fruit garden since the chickens will have no interest until spring when the berries begin to bloom. You can come help me build a fence this winter, if you would like. We finished under the headlights of vehicles, as this took about 4 hard hours of work.

Guess what we moved into the fence? Yep that’s right the GOATS!

Since then I have had to build them a climbing toy (a HUGE pile of firewood) and a shelter similar to a bus stop kids use in the north while waiting for the school bus.

Why?

All because Jen did not want to try Goat Fondue! (the title)

Boys Don’t Play With Your Food

2010-09-20T19:53:00.001-07:00

A “hobby farm” is defined as going broke playing with animals therefore you have to learn to cut costs where you can. Last week I stopped by tractor supply to pick up a couple of things and found a mineral feeder marked down from $150 to $100. Now you ask what is a mineral feeder; well it is a cattle feeder for minerals to be left in the pasture. So what is so neat about a mineral feeder it is designed to turn in the wind where the rain will not fill it with water and destroy the minerals.

Now I know you are wanting to know why a guy with no cattle needs a mineral feeder. Because goats need to eat and they don’t mind playing with their food. Because they are short they can’t stand and eat out of it like a cow could. They have to stand on their back legs and place their front legs feet in it. This causes it to spin and watching them learn to use it while it was turning was quiet comical but they quickly figured it out. The last picture shows Romeo head butting the top after it hit him when it turned. Today I was out with no camera around and Romeo was standing and eating while Maestro was standing in it to eat.

It was a good deal and their feed stays dry.

Kids with Kids …

2010-09-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

No, this post is not about teen pregnancy, it is about Kids (children, of all ages) playing with my kids (young goats) and other animals. While my farm is really small compared to many, it is mine and I enjoy ~~playing~~ working on it and also sharing it with others.

Lauren and Alyssa petting Mr. Darcey

Brad acting goofy with a RIR hen.
Brad with Big Dawg

Close up with Big Dawg

Maddie with a young chick

Kenzie-Grace with a new chick

Lauren petting Lilly (she was more timid than Alyssa)

Brad and Maddie picking up a shipment of chicks at the post office
Kenzie-Grace with a new born beagle pup (our first litter)

Kiera (my niece)cooking an egg from her chicken.

Me with Duke

Romeo and Kenzie-Grace

Romeo begging me to be petted

Alyssa and Romeo

Brad and Maestro

Me and Hamlet

Me and Hamlet

Brad and a young turkey



Odessa (my grandmother) and a baby rabbit

The smiles on the faces explain why I love this so much.
And one last picture which was not taken on my farm. me and Bill the Nave Mascot, at the Army vs. Navy pep rally last year.

Sequatchie Cove Farm

2010-09-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

For the few of you that actually read my blog, I would like to give you a tour of Sequatchie Cove Farm from the guy's perspective. If you want the Southern Belle’s perspective check out Jen’s version.

Before we get into the tour, we invited ~~friends~~ family to accompany us. Connie, my mother-in-law, Lauren a young lady who attends church with us and Alyssa her 2-1/2 year old little girl. As Jen so eloquently put it I looked like a grandfather with Alyssa, hummmm well I do love her like she is mine.

Believe it or not this is where they grow shitake mushrooms, It has to be Oak or a similar hardwood. They are stacked, drilled with holes stuffed with sawdust infested with the mold spores. The log is soaked in water to boost the spores growth. These were in a well shaded area. I thought this was really interesting I had seen mushroom hunting (on TV) in the northwest, but never really though about farming them.

While my photographer only captured one there were about 6 beehives. The bees are very useful in the production of their flowers (see the photo below) and Mr. Keener said the honey “wasn’t bad either”.

We have seriously considered honey bees. We sometimes get fresh honey from my brother-in-law in Nashville however, he sells so much getting ample free sample jars is getting harder.
They had a large flock of chickens, of various breeds, which are purchased locally. They get about 3 dozen eggs (mostly brown, a few white and some green/blue) a day but they have the same problem I do. If you let chickens free range the will not always lay their eggs in nesting boxes. I had chicken hiding her eggs in the end of a fallen tree, when I found them there were 17 eggs. Because of this I get 12-15 if the coop is closed, when I let them free range I get 9-12.

Pictured above are many of their hens. Below is Mr. Keener and I walking, he is carrying egg baskets.

Here is a quick peek at my eggs and basket.

Next we found the cattle.

A couple of young cows, These are Jersey/Devon crosses. The Devon is an interesting breed, the cows (female) have horns as do the bulls (male). Sorry, my photographer failed to capture this interesting fact. Jersey is known to be a milk cow, Devons are multipurpose (meat, milk, working).

While we were there it was milking time, while they do not milk by hand, they have to express some milk after cleaning the teat before attaching the vacuum.

Here is the milk in the vacuum chamber just below the cows udders before it goes into the tank. Now if they do not sell milk where does it all go. The creamery (cheese factory) of course. Because it is a clean room, we could not go in but here is a photo.

He are the sheep, they are one of the meats they provide.

If you have never had lamb, I strongly encourage you to try a recipe from Fiddle Dee Dee; Braised Lamb Shanks.

This recipe can cause fights between siblings and could even lead to spousal abuse, if there are not enough pieces. Jen and the kids almost ripped my are off one night because I wanted the last piece.
I really hope you enjoyed the farm tour and encourage you to check out Sequatchie Cove Farm online or in person.

Quick Update on Lilly

2010-09-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

At the end of July I posted on Lilly being attacked, She was in really bad shape but I use a really bizarre method of doctoring on her. I let nature take care of most of it. I just wanted to give a brief photo update of her now that all is well.

You know she is all better when you pick her up and hear “wracccccccck” that really weird squawk she makes. Then she just sits there and lets you pet her, loving every minute of it. Alyssa (a little angel from church) petted a chicken for the first time you can see Alyssa was concerned and needed help deciding to really touch her. Lilly was herself and let everyone pet her, you can even touch her beak and she just sits there.
She takes the fear out of petting a chicken for the first time.

How do you know if you are accepted as a farmer?

2010-09-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

Growing up when I went to the co-op with my Uncle Hooley, he was treated as a regular there. That told me they recognized him as a farmer; it was only a hobby for him, he was a welder for DuPont. He passed away earlier and in his eulogy, in addition to be being a grandfather, dad, etc, he was called a farmer. Again showing me he was accepted as others as a farmer.
1-1/2 years ago, when I began Rosebriar Farm I purchased my first feed and supplies at Tractor Supply because of their location. I asked another hobby farmer at work if there was a local store to get cheaper supplies. He referred me to Cagle’s, it is in Bryant but I pass it on my way home but had never really paid attention to the store.
On a much smaller scale than my Uncle Hooley, I had that first accepted farmer feeling a little while ago. I stopped by the local feed store.

Cagle's Feed & Farm Inc

31245 Al Highway 71

Bryant, AL 35958

256-597-3372

As I parked a young man asked what I needed, I told him and my truck was loaded before I made it into the store. Since I do not carry cash, I handed the gentleman a debit card, and believe it or not, I actually had money in the bank. He asked debit and I said Yes. The card would not run, he asked if he could run it as credit because they had been having trouble with the machine. When he ran the card as credit it still would not work. He then opened a ticket book and began writing, as he explained the machine must not be working and he would just put the feed on a ticket. He said you can just pay it the next time you are in here. I told him several times how much I appreciated it. His only response was that is how we take care of our customers.
Like a little child, as soon as I was far enough away to get cell reception, I call Jen and said “I believe I have been accepted as a farmer”.

What a handsome fellow

2010-09-10T08:49:00.001-07:00

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to Mr. Darcy; he is a Japanese Black tail Bantam. Not only is he beautiful, but so sweet. All of the other roosters are jealous of his tail. He seems quite proud of it himself.

Unlike most of my chickens he is very photogenic. He will sit wherever you want him for a picture. Here are a few photos from a photo shoot we had the other day.

The picture below is an example of how wonderful he is he sat there and looked straight into the camera.

My wife has convinced me to step out and join a "linky" party and signed me up. My house isn't full of barnyard decorations, but you don't need it when you have the real thing. I am joining the "Barnyard Bash" @ Happier than A Pig in Mud.

My how quickly they grow up…..

2010-09-02T14:00:00.001-07:00

Here are a few then and now pictures of the animals around the farm.

Hamlet at one week; old (Christmas 2009)...

Hamlet in the Spring...

These were the pics of the goats e-mailed to me when I asked about each of the fellows before purchase.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW:

Hamlet and Romeo having a shoving match.

Look at those horns (Romeo)! Maestro has no horns, he was disbudded (the horns were stopped from growing at just weeks old).

Hamlet now weighs about 75 pounds and can lift that or more with his nose.

Maestro and Romeo ~~working~~ climbing on the bush hog.
While they are growing up, they are more funny to watch now.

“Do right because it is right, not because you are compelled to.” James Warren

2010-07-30T14:43:00.001-07:00

I am a graduate of South Pittsburg High School, class of 1989 and EVERY morning we heard the above quote until Mr. Warren retired at end of the first semester of my senior year. Well my neighbor just recently did just that as my dad offer to pay for the ~~replacement chickens and turkey~~ fresh food feast of Wishbone. Here is what I purchased in the designed chicken category I lost a couple of frizzle bantams and replaced them with Japanese Black Tail Bantams. We bought a rooster and a hen just under a year old and some chicks
along with a couple of Aracuna chicks, if they are hens they will lay green eggs. I also purchased a young bronze turkey (3-4 months) about the same age as the one I lost.
Incase you are wondering about Lilly; she has no signs of infection, no more maggots, and is eating and drinking normally and most importantly when I open her cage (still in isolation) she meets me with a squawk as she always has. When he was in the worst shape she would not squawk when picked up which was really out of character for her. She loves to be held and petted but is vocal.

How fresh should chicken be?

2010-07-28T06:10:00.001-07:00

I have often heard it said that fresh food is the much better than processed food that has bee in a package for no telling how long. Where now I raise the question of how fresh is too fresh? If you travel up the road from me you will find a young lady, who likes fresh chicken…VERY fresh. As a child I bet you were told to “clean your plate” and if you have children I bet you have also made that statement.
This is a case where she did not “clean her plate” and the Jones’ household is so glad.
The young lady I’m speaking of is Wishbone, a dog my dad rescued from the pound. She did eat several chickens and a young turkey but she left Lilly severely injured.
Lilly is a feather footed bantam, who has a great demeanor, you can pick her up and hold her, without being pecked. She will patiently sit on eggs for the required 21 days and protect the new chicks until they are ready to live on their own.
Having been an EMT, I have worked on a few people. I have doctored on dogs and cats in my ALMOST 40 years, but since the establishment of Rosebriar Farm, I have had to learn to doctor on chickens. I by no means consider myself an expert but if you have many animals a trip to the vet for everything is not affordable.

Here are some picture of where Wishbone attacked Lilly and the areas where Brad and I, have had to try to keep Lilly from getting infections that could eventually kill her. We must be doing ok because Lilly is getting better and I getting back to her friendly self.

New on the Farm

2010-07-07T09:51:00.001-07:00

Last August Jen posted [Just Look!] on Fiddle Dee Dee, where she shared with you about my father-in-law getting me a female Beagle, Sasha.

She has also posted {Talkin' Turkey} where you can see the highlight of Winston’s (Jen’s male Beagle) day is chasing turkeys. Well he obviously chased more than turkeys because last night Sasha checked into the Jones Labor and Delivery ward.

She was given a clean crate, clean towels, and a little classical (soothing) music, and the lights were turned down. I will now share photos of her three little ones.

A1 but not the steak sauce

2010-05-24T17:32:00.001-07:00

Every farmer needs and A1 farmhand, I would like to introduce you to mine. I have made several posts about the girls doing various things around the farm but as Brad mentioned to me the other day, I have not posted about him much. This is because while the girls do things like 4H, Brad does the routine work around the farm.

Here is some of the items he routinely does:

Opens the coop in the morning where the chickens can free range
Closes the chickens and goats up in the coop at night
Water
Feed
Get cages ready for new birds or ones that need to be isolated because they are broody, hurt or sick
Help with moving growing birds to new cages
Catching “Wishbone” and taking her back to the neighbor’s house before she eats chickens
Checking on hurt chickens to determine if they can be saved or have to be put down

He recently learned to drive the tractor and today he took the tractor and cut a path to and from the barn when we used the tractor for some other work.

Here are a few pictures of Brad hard at work....

Define a “farm”

2010-05-20T14:18:00.001-07:00

Merriam-Webster defines a farm as “a tract of land devoted to agricultural purposes.”

BUT

I believe there is a little more to it; you have to actually raise something. It may be wheat, corn, beans, bovine, horses, chickens or something, but does this really do it. I thought so until Tuesday when I realized to be a true farm that raises animals you have to go one step farther. If all you do is buy animals and raise them you are well on your way to being a farm, but I really believe you have to go just a little farther. About 3 weeks ago Scarlett, a white silkie, whom I have written about before went “broody”; she was ready to sit eggs. She has done this a couple of times before but lost interest after just a few days. The second time I gave her baby chicks, I had purchased to raise; to which she was a fine foster parent. Well this time I decided I would let her try, I gave her one egg from Lilly , a cute little feather footed bantam.

AND

Now we have our first animal hatched on our farm.

Lilly (above) Scarlett (below)

Here is Scarlet and the day old chick.

I’m reaching through the back door, holding the chick after Scarlet stopped pecking me and let me hold it.

So to Rosebriar Farm, Scarlet and Bonnie Blue: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One thing you must be able to do to be considered a farmer?

2010-05-14T13:29:00.001-07:00

In order to truly be a farmer you do not have to have thousands of acres, you do not have to have hundreds of cattle, or many bales of cotton but you must be able to drive a tractor. You may be asking why I’m bringing this up, but this was a task I learned at a relatively early age. Granted, I had an unfair advantage as I learned to drive a vehicle, with an automatic transmission, before I could actually reach the pedals. I learned to drive a dump truck with a manual transmission, when I had to put both feet on the clutch to get it down far enough to get the truck to start. To learn to operate the tractor I spent many hours riding on the fender watching what daddy did and then when I thought I had it he let me try it. This all seems natural since I grew up with a grandmother that owned an auto parts junkyard. I could run a tow truck before I could ride a bicycle.

Any why do I feel I need to share this information? Well a couple of reasons while our hobby farm is really small as we have:

1 rabbit

1 pot belly pig

2 goats (a pygmy and a Nigerian dwarf)

2 turkeys (a bourbon red and a bronze)

11 quail

50 or so chickens of many varieties

and

3 kids (the people type not more baby goats).

I have been trying to get the kids more involved as Jen and I want them to enjoy farming or as she refers to it my mid-life crisis. So this week as i using the tractor I decided it was time for Kenzie-Grace to learn to drive the tractor. So with no more delay here are the photos of her learning to drive the same 1974 David Brown 885 (an English tractor made by Case) that I learned to drive roughly 30 years ago.

I have 2 girls in 4H

2010-05-06T19:44:00.001-07:00

Kenzie-Grace and Maddie are in 4H and recently each had a project of building a bird house. I researched a few designs to give them some options where they would not have to turn in identical projects. I should have some pictures of the construction to share but Jen’s computer crashed and we lost the pics. Now that the projects have been judged and I have let them sit in their rooms for them to ~~admire~~ trip over as I procrastinated on hanging them for a month.

Here you go.

Maddie’s is a finch house; as you can see it does not have a typical hole. The bird goes into the triangle opening and drops down inside the house. The lag screws (silver dots) will be painted over with black paint, to keep from being an eye sore.

Kenzie-Grace chose to build a home for a woodpecker, black with large white polka dots. It hangs level however with the shape of the tree it appears to be tilted.

I did assist but the girls did their own measuring, marking, cutting nailing, drilling and painting. K-G received a second place ribbon and Maddie receive a participant ribbons but Jen and I were extremely proud because they did the work themselves. The hard work is now a part of our little farm.

This goat came with a name…

2010-04-17T20:09:00.001-07:00

Brad had asked for his own goat; I found this little fellow from an inquiry I put on www.backyardherds.com. I would like for you to meet Maestro, he is a registered Nigerian Dwarf, wether (neutered male). Romeo was not wanting to stay in his pen; he kept getting out and hanging out with the chickens. He also slept in the chicken coop at night. After Maestro moved in Romeo has not gotten out again. Both goats and Hamlet (my pot-belly pig) all live in the same pen.

If you would also like to have your own registered Nigerian Dwarf check out www.lilhillfarm.com when I’m ready for another they will be the first place I look.

When Maestro arrived at the house I turned him loose and just let he and Romeo find each other. There was a little head butting nothing major, but it was really cute. They are the same age (2 months).

Here is me showing Brad his new goat.

Since goats like to climb, and I live in an old auto parts junk yard, I put to good use a couple of wheels and tires, they are stacked for the goats to play on. You can see Maestro is trying to be king of the mountain, with Romeo on the lower level while Hamlet is desperately searching for something else to eat.

Much thought must be put into naming a goat!

2010-04-08T04:46:00.001-07:00

Jen and I picked up my goat (previously mentioned in You have to love technology…) and began to discuss a name.

She mentioned Shakespeare or Romeo since we have a Hamlet already.

Because goats are notorious for getting out I had to go along with the name of Romeo.

That way when we go to his pen and he is not there we can say

“Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Speaking of ideas…

2010-04-03T18:12:00.001-07:00

Look what my Cr~~azy~~eative wife has done with some of my fresh eggs.

She punched holes in the ends of them, and blew the egg yolks out.

She glittered some while……

Dyeing others, and then…she borrowed a chick to complete the photography portion.

For full details venture over to her blog.

http://fiddledeedee-jen.blogspot.com/

Where do your farm ideas come from?

2010-03-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

Martha Stewarts’ roost from http://www.themarthablog.com/

The above photos show each end of our roost.

As many of you may know from Jen’s blog, I have been out of service this week as I had surgery on Monday. I had a tumor removed and the right adrenal gland ( the tumor was attached to the gland), and since my gall bladder was only functioning 40% of the time, it was also removed. Any way, between medicated naps I thought I would show a small farm project that was an idea Jen found on Martha’s blog.

This is a roost the Jen thought my chickens would like. This project takes a little longer than think no because of the project but finding the right tree. You either need to find two tree with similar sized forks or find one tree with two forks that are a similar size. You will also need to find a tree with a long semi-straight section to be the cross section of the roost. After spending a good bit of time searching I found the perfect tree it had both forks and the cross section. That kept from having a lot of waste.

Also in back of Martha’s picture you see a couple of ladder type roosts she had created for her chickens. I built one similar and it is on the inside of the coop; this is one of the preferred places for my ladies to sleep.

While I did not have any instructions, it was self explanatory. Each end in about 12-15” deep with a little concrete to secure it.

I would have never thought of going to Martha Stewarts blog for farming ideas but my lovely wife reads a lot of blogs and will recommend some for ideas that I usually find useful.

Foster Parenting

2010-03-21T19:15:00.001-07:00

Scarlett and the late Capt. Butler, may he rest in pieces.

Last spring Jen purchased two silkies from Tractor Supply; they turned out to be a hen (Scarlett) and rooster (Captain Butler) . Later in the year she purchased another rooster (Rhett) with a much better temperament thus Captain Butler made his final appearance in the post entitled “First Processing” and Rhett moved in with Scarlett. We plan to breed these to hatch some of our own silkie chicks. Silkies are known for being good brood hens (will hatch any eggs). Scarlett has become broody a couple of time but being so young has not stayed on eggs for the required 21 days plus she did this in the winter, when they are hard to keep warm.

Recently I purchased 4 frizzle bantam chicks (4 weeks old) and 6 easter eggers (1 week old) that were all about the same size. In the past when we moved some younger chicks into the coop we had let Scarlett tend to them as a foster mom but we were a little concerned on how Rhett would react. With much hesitation: we elected not to put these in a brooder box but instead placed them in a cage outside that is now known as the “Nursery”. Much to our surprise Rhett immediately began to help Scarlett with raising the chicks. After dark as the evening begins to cool, if you look in the nursery, they will raise their wings letting you see all ten of the chicks. Once you have had the chance to see them they will lower their wings and protect their foster chicks.

Scarlett, Rhett and the foster chicks

Many people have told me you MUST keep young chicks under a warming light starting at 95 degrees and drop it 5 degrees a week until the temperature is at 70 degrees for them at a minimum. That would be 6 weeks provided the outside temperature does not drop below 70. I do not completely agree with that as I believe that animals have natural instincts that help them survive; I believe we as people try to complicate their lives way too much. In this case, I have never put these chicks under a light and they are all doing great living with their foster parents.

Thanks Scarlett and Rhett.

Now to quote ever info-mercial “but wait there’s more!” Today when we checked on the nursery, we noticed one of the frizzles had been picked on. She had had some of the feathers pulled from her tail area and was red and swollen. This will happen sometimes as the chickens try to establish the pecking order; even at a early age. The best way for this to heel is isolation, we have had a few to go through this process. Since this chick is so young we decided to put her in the house with some of the chicks I bought earlier this week at TSC these are just about 5 days old. She has taken to the 5 day old bantams as if they were her chicks. She is sitting in the corner with the bantams under her wings. It is so cute as she is still a little chick herself but since they are younger she is trying to be the big sis.

Frizzle chick and bantam chicks

“Now you know the rest of the story.’ – Paul Harvey

First processing…

2010-03-12T18:05:00.001-08:00

Some of the chickens I purchased last year were referred to as straight run (indicating you do not know the sex). Some breeds are especially hard to tell until they either lay eggs or crow. Because of this we had an excessive amount of roosters, which tend to fight for dominance and do not give the hens a break. I have even had a couple that decided they would be aggressive toward people. I devised a plan to fix this problem….hmmmmm…yep, you guessed it the plan is dinner.

The four roosters ranged about 5 months to 1 year old, a little too old to make good fried chicken but not to old for Mrs. Jones to use make chicken salad and real chicken broth for soups. The boiling of the chickens will allow the meat to be tenderized.

I am not your typical southern boy and did not grow up hunting, so slaughtering and processing animals is new to me. Last Thanksgiving was the first time I had ever processed turkeys. As with anything I do not know how to do, I did my research thanks to www.backyardchickens.com and I also found a mentor who had previously worked in a chicken processing plant (during her college days); Connie Watkins, my mother-in-law. We also had assistance from Kenzie-Grace with some of the processing; I could not believe how much of this she was willing to participate in. Just as with the turkeys, we processed the 4 chickens.

Here are the steps of the process we used (sorry maybe next time we can have pictures):

As they came out of the cage I tied their legs together with a string.

They were hung by their legs on a shepherds hook. They will calm down in just a couple of minutes.

Next I held the head in my hand and gently slid a sharp knife across the jugular vein. They will flop a little but by hanging on the shepherds hook they do not bruise their meat by flopping on the ground.

After about 5 minutes they should be through draining.

Scald them briefly, to loosen the feathers or skin (we elected to skin these).

Then cut off the feet and head.

Pluck as clean as possible, there may still be tiny pin feathers (almost looks like hair on the wings).

Cut out the vent and remove the insides (save if you like fresh chicken livers and gizzards or dog food).

If you are going to skin them now is the time.

After you have them cleaned well, take a piece of paper lit like a torch and singe off all the tiny hair like feathers.

Then wash thoroughly in cool water, dry and package in freezer paper.

Mark with a processing date.

FYI, if they had name do not write the names on the outside of the package; it may gross out the rest of the family.

You have to love technology….

2010-03-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

Jen introduced me to craigslist where I can look for useful things for the farm without having to get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and spend all day at the flea market blowing money. I have been wanting goats for a long time and last week I found a few that interested me. We want to get a young one where we can handle it and work on developing a calm temperament. So last week I sent out a few emails to the folks that had goats available. This one guy did not impress me because he wanted me to take it at three days old; I would really like for it to be weaned.

As you may know from reading Jen’s blog http://fiddledeedee-jen.blogspot.com/ I travel quiet a bit with my job. Tuesday I found out I needed to fly to the D.C. area for a Thursday meeting returning on Friday. Thursday, I received an email on my blackberry with a picture of a young goat that I had inquired about. I forwarded the picture to ~~the home office of Rosebriar Farm for a purchase order~~ Jen for her blessing. Later i sent the gentleman a response stating I would like him to hold the goat until weaned and I would agree to purchase it.

I thought you would like to see the new fellow and maybe give me ideas of a name. It is a boy so no girly names. It is awesome being able to have technology at your finger tips that allow me to add to the farm while working out of town.

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

2010-03-10T16:52:00.001-08:00

Audley’s version “Give your in-laws eggs you have fed them for today. Give them laying hen and you feed them for a lifetime.”

I have given my in-laws a hen that actually belongs to my nephew Jon Tristan (hence the name JT for the hen), along with two additional red sex link hens, and one Rhode Island Red hen. They also have "Big Dawg", (Brad’s pet rooster) on loan as they have just completed a small coop and run. Big Dawg is on loan because, I did not have a rooster I would give them as I had four I wanted to keep (for breeding purposes) and four that needed to be processed for food (aggressive).

Any way, earlier this week Billy and Connie had four hens and a rooster move to their house. Just as planned, the following day Billy was able to collect three eggs from his four hens.

How did Ben Franklin help the modern hobby farmer?

2010-03-09T18:03:00.001-08:00

For the hobby farmer to have time to get all the work done on the farm in the winter months means doing a lot of work in the dark.

photo from http://www.memeticians.com/2008/01/an-homage-to-the-original.php

Ben Franklin’s idea of daylight savings time is a true blessing for us. After the time changes this weekend I will have more daylight to work on getting my garden ready and trying to prepare a pasture for cattle this summer.

Thanks Ben!

John Denver is a liar…

2010-03-03T15:35:00.001-08:00

In Thank God I’m a County Boy John Denver sings “Well, life on the farm is kinda laid back” boy is he a liar. It doesn’t matter how you feel, what all you have going on with the kids, church, work and friends there is always work to be done on the farm. I have had some serious issues with some part of my digestive track, to the point there are some days I can not function. On the feel good days I have to make up for the days I could not get anything done. Anyway enough “belly aching” on with the update.

Jen had some serious issues last year with my Free Ranging Chickens indulging on her fresh vegetables and fruit. This year she asked if I would build a fence to protect these items; I assembled my crew and here is how it went.

First we set the post about 15” deep.

Next, we poured concrete to secure the posts.

Then we added the woven wire. We used “field fence” this has small openings on the bottom and larger openings on the top.

We also installed a gate with similar wire openings. There are additional supports around the gate for increased strength.

Here is a picture of the additional posts for increased support of the corners. Also included in the picture is a new peach tree. Looks like we are a long way from a fresh cobbler. Aw Shucks!

Thanks for all the help from Maddie, Brad and Kenzie-Grace the project is complete.

Quote from “Little Rascals” the Movie

2010-02-22T18:51:00.001-08:00

As I have mentioned before I have a pot bellied pig (Hamlet) who was born in mid December; he was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. I also have a Basset Hound pup (Duke) that was born the end of November; he was a Valentine gift from my wife, girlfriend and lover.

To quote Stymie “You only have a once in a lifetime friend, once in a lifetime.” That is what I think every time I take Duke out the the field. He runs straight to Hamlet’s pen and they will rub noses through the wire, waiting on me to open the pen.

Once Hamlet gets out they play

and play

This last picture is priceless, they are having a chicken scratch snack at Hamlet’s place.

I am so SPOILED!

2010-02-12T19:52:00.001-08:00

In January of 2008 I purchased a Basset Hound from a pet store in Atlanta. In November of that year he was outside and a stranger was walking down the road. Our neighbor said he let out a low howl and took off after the stranger, as the stranger crossed the road with Aristotle in hot pursuit, he was struck by a car. Despite the attempt of Dr. Randy Smith to stabilized his flail chest and deflated lung; he died. Since then I have been wanting another Basset; there is something about this breed that is absolutely adorable. If you don’t believe me as my friend, Angie who recently purchased one (Daisy Mae So To Much) commonly called “Daisy”. They are both spoiled at this point. Today I asked Angie for the phone number of the breeder and tonight, I have a new puppy.

Duke of Rosebriar, will be his registered name but on the farm he will simply be known as “Duke”. He is 11 weeks old and from tip-to-tip his ears span 19 inches.

A new addition

2010-02-09T18:32:00.001-08:00

My Mother-in-Law has been at it again; giving me crazy ideas. She suggested that I raise quail, so I began my research. I have a wonderful place on the internet to gather information www.backyardchickens.com I found Mike or as I know him fishman65 (screen name); he lives in Flatrock, AL (20 minutes from me). He sold me 10 quail for $20, then threw in 1 additional quail and a couple dozen quail eggs. They are about 6 weeks old and since then we have had a couple of eggs laid.

Sunday morning, Brad (my son of 9) decided he would have scrambled quail eggs for breakfast. He cooked his own eggs, and did a really good job!

We soon plan to purchase a small incubator and try our hand at hatching to increase our flock. This will allow our flow to continue while relocating a few of the quail to the grill. Yum!

How it Started.

2010-02-07T20:13:00.001-08:00

Above – one of the original eight three week old chicks on the day we bought them.

Below - “Big Dawg” one of the original eight; he is rightfully named as he is the leader of the flock.

Since about the age of twelve I have dreamed of owning a farm, I believe this began when my uncle John “Hoolie” Bevel would ask me to look after his small cattle farm when he would go to National Guard Summer Camp or on a family vacation. Jennifer and I had been married since 1995 and she has heard many stories and dreams of me owning a farm.

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 we went to the flea market in Collinsville, AL where they have a large section for livestock. I started very small, with the purchase of 8 Rhode Island Red chicks, and a small cage to house them. Being afraid of failure, I had spent many hours reading and studying how to properly take care of chickens. I wanted my farm to be a success and research is the way I had planned to be successful. A year later I have now raised 2 turkeys, that were slaughtered for an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner. I have about 40 chickens of various breeds, a couple of rabbits (pets), and a pot bellied pig (Christmas gift from my wife’s sister and husband).

The next logical step was to now name our farm, as we realized this was working for us. I have always had a true love for flowers, this started in early childhood while spending time with my great grandmother, Laura “Ninnie” Bevel as she had a green thumb. She could take a dying plant from someone and in a matter of a few weeks have it revived and ready for you to take back. My favorite of all flowers are roses; I can’t say a rose because there as soooooo are so many varieties and I love the most of them. I currently have around 15 rose bushes around my home therefore the most logical name would include a rose as a title. Our farm has been named “Rosebriar Farm”.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll enjoy your trip around the farm.