Mother's Day and Farmers Markets

Feels like Mother's Day on our farm as our mama hens have been very "motherly"!  I wrote about the distress one turkey hen displayed; now there's a second mama that just won't give up on finding her lost babies.  She hatched 15 chicks last Friday that my husband gathered up to put under a heat lamp in the garage bathroom.  She was so unhappy that she attacked him and, later went after one of our dogs but no serious injuries. We moved a flock of three week old chicks into a pen with a gate so we let her in with them thinking she might settle down.   She walked around and through all 23 chicks but knew none of them were her babies so she walked out.  I marvel at that maternal instinct.  We'll have to take our neighbor some chicken eggs as an apology for all the noise these turkey hens are making.

The garlic is enjoying the spring weather as the temps are warm mid-day and we've had some drenching rains.  Some plants are over 2' tall but height just depends on the variety.  They will start to separate and bulb pretty soon.  I'm looking forward to selling this summer at the Gorge Grown farmers market as I enjoy seeing returning customers and making new friends.  I've been saving recipes featuring garlic all winter to share as our recipe of the week.  I've had to buy garlic from the supermarket to test the last few as we're all out of our own bulbs.  I'm careful to see where the garlic comes from as most sold is from China but some is from California in our market.  Not too local but closer than China and I hope they're paying a fair wage to their workers.  It's so hard to know the answer to these and many other questions when you can't talk to the farmer so, hurray for farmers markets!  There will be one opening soon near you. Join me in supporting those hard working folks. 

What a Spring, what a rollar coaster!

The temp is finally warm enough to melt last night's snow - yep, snow.  It's not unusual for us to get a killing frost mid to late May but snow is unusual.  The wind has been blowing fiercely for days and it makes me out of sorts.  Being outside is difficult and we have chicks who need to be protected, but the wind has always made me feel cranky.

All but one of the six turkey chicks mama brought down from the woods are doing well. Mama was so distressed for so long after we took them from her that my husband gave her a chick back.  She promptly took it out in the woods and, within a day, came back without it.  At least she's stopped crying, and we had another turkey chick unexpectedly hatch in the incubator.

We also had five chicken eggs hatch and  the chicks seemed to be doing fine in a brooder that is in our living room. We were watching them just because new babies are so cute.  Suddenly, three of them died with 10 minutes of each other.  That's a new one for us.  The other two survived the night and the more time that passes, the more we can feel that they'll do fine.  I'm usually pretty matter of fact about life and death on the farm but these babies are playing on my emotions.

Maybe it's the wind.  My dad passed four months ago and I've also had him on my mind for a couple of days.  It's amazing how many short old handsome gray haired European men look like he did as I "see him" a lot around town.  I miss him.

I'm going to stay out of the wind and try to do some spring cleaning.  Maybe a little organization and vacuuming will restore order to my mind and the farm.

Can't have too many babies!

Happy news tonight as one of our mama turkey hens brought us 6 brand new babies.  Well, it wasn't her intention to bring them to us but, since she was showing them off, we scooped them up and put them in a brooder.  She's very distressed and her calls tug at our hearts but we know from experience that predators will take their toll and she'll lose most of them.  She had her nest up in the woods, stayed with it for four weeks and hatched all but two eggs so she's done a very good job.

The 15 chicks we ordered from the hatchery (plan B) arrived on time.  Those plus the first 3 a turkey hen hatched make 18.  One of the babies died (17), plus these 6 make 23 chicks.  There are still two hens sitting and we think one is in the process of hatching as she's all puffed out instead of sitting tight like the other hen.  Hopefully, we'll have a lot of turkeys to choose from when it's time to butcher in November.

Tomorrow I'm teaching two workshops at the Gorge Grown Food Forum in White Salmon; one on raising backyard poultry and one on canning.  I'd love to take a couple of these chicks to show off but they're just too new to be without a brooder for a whole day.  Besides, they're really noisy calling for their mama!  I was also going to take equipment as an example but that's the last of our extra lamps and feeders.  Pictures in a Powerpoint presentation will have to do.  One interesting note - White Salmon zoning doesn't allow backyard poultry so I've got a little information to help change the city father's  minds if folks are so inclined to ask for a zoning change.  Every backyard ought to have a chicken or two in my opinion!  Happy birthday, baby chicks.