Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Time to grow up

"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
The chicks featured in the previous post have been promoted to the great outdoors. It was time. The brooder tanks were getting quite crowded and they were starting to fly.

Moving them outside serves several purposes. The most obvious being that it gives them more room to roam. It also puts meaning to their scratching in hopes they will find creepy, crawly things in the dirt. Their feed trays have been put away and food is spread on the ground morning and evening. After they eat, they spend the remainder of their time scratching & searching. (Incidentally, the rich, dark yellow yolk is a by-product of those creepy/crawly things.) In the meantime, they are introduced to the big guys (see, hear, and get used to each other without actually being together).

The brooder room remains open all day with a heat lamp glowing constantly. Those who are not sporting enough feathers can still find warmth. Eventually, they will learn the routine of being out and about during the day and in the henhouse at night. That, however, is still a lesson in progress. At first, none of them knew they should go in at night. One would think they would remember the heat lamp, but not so. We had to literally carry each one into the brooder room and place them under the lamp. More and more find their way each night, but there are still a few that need assistance.

In three to four weeks, they should be completely feathered and ready to make the big move to the henhouse.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The broody hen experiment

"Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me." Psalm 142:6
Remember the two hens that unexpectedly decided to brood? (You can read about it here.) This little guy is the lone survivor.

The chicks started hatching on schedule (May 3), but there were only five of them. They seemed to be quite strong and lively. Mrs. Maran was a good mother: very protective, teaching her babies to scratch, etc. Then one day everything changed. There was a hen of another breed (Miss Wyandotte) sitting in the box mothering the chicks. All chicks, that is, but one - and Mrs. Maran kept it close by. We pulled the chicks out of the box so they could be with Mrs. Maran, but Mrs. Maran cruelly rejected them. So, they went back in with their foster-mother. Each day started with fewer chicks. One-by-one they were found on the ground lifeless and no longer breathing. As an attempt to not lose them all, we put the lone survivor in the brooder tank with the chicks from the hatchery. Our guess is that if Mrs. Maran was not allowed to mother all of them, no one else could either. And the chicks were caught in the middle.

Hens were created to foster new life. If it were not for broody hens, chickens would have been extinct centuries ago. In our opinion, it would have worked beautifully if the broody hen had been isolated with her batch of eggs. For now, no more broody hens allowed! We'll try again when we can separate them from the want-to-be-but-aren't mother hens.

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

MHf bush hogs

"And as for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample." Isaiah 7:25
If you remember, this month's newsletter showed DGF Summer munching in forbidded lands. She figured out how to escape the allotted area in return for thicker grass. The area she chose will be planted with fruit trees this fall so we decided to let the ladies do the prep work for us. Eric strung an electric fence along the driveway and let them have it at. Not only are they mowing for us, but fertilizing, too! We don't think they're complaining too much.

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Friday, May 8, 2009

Your sleep will be sweet?

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
Unless there's a storm coming. Or several storms!! Many times over our NOAA weather alert has proven to be a great asset. However, last night it must have alerted us half a dozen times. And not all at once, mind you, but all through the night.

However, as good as NOAA can be, the cows are better. Our sleepless night started around midnight. The cows in the neighbor's pasture were making horrible cow noises that resembled honking geese. Our bull took the command in responding which set us on alert. You see, some of the cows next door are in heat. And when our bull responds, it usually means one thing: "Hark! Somewhere there is a damsel in distress. I must help her." Great! Does our bull have to be a hero in the middle of the night? Out of bed & venturing outside, we find him properly constrained at home. Apparently the cattle were just jittery about the pending storm. Back to bed.

Out of bed every hour or so just to shut off and listen to the alert. Then came the distant roll of thunder and sparks of light in the sky. Out of bed. It's 3 am. Clear a path in the barn to pull in the vehicles (even the tractor). Move the bull and two older ladies into the pasture with the heifers so they have overhead protection in case of hail. Back to bed. Lie awake realizing what hail could do to the garden. Push that thought aside because there's nothing large enough to cover the garden, anyway. Out of bed several more times thanks to the alert. Out of bed again - what? It's morning? You've got to be kidding!

Tonight we are clutching the last part of this verse 'til our knuckles turn white. "Your sleep will be sweet." "Your sleep will be sweet." Hope you have a restful night, as well.

(PS: If you're up for a challenge, try moving black cows in the middle of the night!)

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Our journey begins

"But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." 1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12
How does this verse pair with the simple starts of the garden? Quite nicely, actually. It describes the life-style we hope to attain: sustainability from the land. Sustainability can only be attained through daily physical labor. Which, in turn, lends itself to a quiet life because how can we attend to our own business if we're always in someone else's? And working with our hands fosters a simple satisfaction like no other.

After 12 months of vision and labor, Morning Harvest farm is starting to show definite signs of sustainability. Cattle decorate the pastures, chickens decorate everything else, and the produce is thriving. Before you know it there will be meat on the grill, veggies in a salad, and fruit on the ice cream. Care to join us?

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Monday, May 4, 2009

Welcome!

Thank you for reading the very first post for Morning Harvest farm. The goal with this blog is to keep interested parties informed about current happenings on the farm. Entries will be posted at least weekly (maybe a bit more often).

For the truly curious, check out the blog we had when we lived in Seattle. The MHf blog will follow the same format because the Lord God can be found everywhere! Once I (Paula) started finding Scripture for daily events, it then became a challenge to find a verse for every situation we encountered.

How to convey our faith through our business was puzzling until the blog came to mind. Read it as often or as little as you like. Either way, we trust the content will keep you informed and entertained! Feel free to leave comments anytime!!

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