Life Is Rough
July 24th, 2006 by Northern FarmerToday we started and finished baling this years oats straw, now all that’s left with that is to haul it all home sometime. As always the rains are missing us and it just keeps getting dryer and dryer. Can’t do much about the pastures and fields but we’re trying to fight back out in the gardens. We can’t quite keep up with them though. Oh, what a couple of inches of rain would do around here. Next year, eh.
I was reading an interesting article in the new Small Farmer’s Journal about hatching out your own chickens like in the days of old and that was a good article. The writer is talking about how they used to do it in east Tennessee in his younger days. It was done totally with a few settin hens and some slick management. They hatched about five hundred chicks every year for their farm. The part I like the most is when they hatched they gave about fifty chicks each to pre selected hens to take care of and the broody hens were put right back on some more eggs, always moving and working with the hens at night in the dark. I guess that’ll fool them! I’m really glad to have such a good article on hand now for reference. I know here we have a few hens in the henhouse that have been brooding all summer. Loyal gals! There’s so many ways that worked so good in days gone by that are in such danger of being forgotten that words of wisdom such as that article should be treasured.
But here on the farm we bought another hundred and fifty chicks and they came Saturday morning, plus some turkeys last week. The chickens in the chicken tractors are doing fine now that we predator proofed them better with a surrounding mat of hardware cloth laying flat on the ground. Live and learn. There’s just something about raising poultry that I really enjoy. I can’t tell exactly what, but it relaxes me. I know a lot of folks wouldn’t like working in the back yard and garden with a bunch of chickens and a goose running around but what can I say, I like it and I don’t have to impress anyone. That has got to be one of the biggest and greatest things about this way of life, not having to impress or follow any trends. Don’t have to keep up with the Jones’s. In fact I figure they aren’t keeping up with me. I know a lot of folks probably envy Gilbert and wish they could trade in their thousand dollar parrot for him but, no such luck. Some folks got it and some don’t.
And speaking of keeping up with everybody, it sounds like things ain’t going as rosy as the big thinkers have been telling us it would. Land prices are starting to come down, there’s hundreds of unsold homes in new developments a little ways away near the closest thing to a city by us. Mortgage foreclosures are rising rapidly around here, the job market is tightening up quick here from what I hear tell. Now I wonder about what them liars, I mean realtors, will be saying in a while to the folks they swindled, I mean talked into buying overly inflated real estate and promised that it would keep going up forever and in a few years they could cash in and sell it and be rich. Hmmm? But seriously, it’s shaking bad here, although good or bad, that might depend on your point of view. There’s folks here that were making about seven hundred a month house payments and now they jacked up to twelve, fifteen hundred or more a month. And the credit card juggling is starting to fall apart. But, ain’t none of my business, because those folks must be a whole lot smarter than me, they’ll figure it all out, I mean look how successful they are, compared to someone that wears ripped up clothes, floppy, dirty hat, makes his kids work, egad! What kinda hick am I?
Oh well, I guess I’m left in the dust again by the “modernsâ€. It feels so crude to have no debts to worry about. I even paid cash for the banjo, could of put it on easy payments like a good person would. I don’t know, we sure are doing something wrong here, when we hear the economic news and rumors we could care less and less. While others are figuring out how to juggle finances, worrying about careers, I’m scratching my head trying to put together a plan to hatch out five hundred chicks using our own hens to do the work. Isn’t life rough?
July 24th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
I haven’t gotten my new SFJ yet, now I’m looking forward to the hatching article that you mention. We got 50 chicks recently to expand our laying operation and have lost almost 20 in the first 3 days! We’ve raised lots of chicks before and this is the worst we’ve ever done. Best we can figure is that the post office was too cool for the chicks and they caught a chill. Heard from others that sometimes the Postal folks keep the chicks out on the loading dock no matter what the weather cause the peeping annoys them! What ever happened to good old common sense?
July 24th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
Tom,
Not to be the contrarian, but I’m sorta’ glad about land prices holding steady - seein’ as I need to get be a bit more than what we have here, for starters. In a way I’m lucky, since the area I’m in has got a whole lot of city folk interested in the town. BIG “doin’s” as they say, artsy folk buyin’ up property & land prices jumpin’, even got a Mall Wart store coming in Jan. ‘07! Wahooo! Now before you think I’ve lost my mind, not so, just lookin’ for a bigger fool for this home is all. Where we’re headed there’s cheap land and few folks. Also, we’ll shed that heavy mort-gage (death pledge) with a little “cash on the barrel” for the property.
Now, I know I don’t know nothing, neither, but hey what’s one expect from a “Chicken Man” anyways? Wife and I were out back this morning, sippin’ coffee watching the hens run back & forth - laughin’ with each other, stare-n’ at the corn, thinking ‘we’re just two peas in a pod - home-grown!”
Supose I ought see about that banjo, might give this southpaw some finger skills.
Regards.
Ps. Don’t supose I’ll be pulling a “Gilbert” out of a hat anytime soon…but if you come across a ‘golden goose’ I’ll show you a real neat “Disappearing Trick” ::Wink::
July 25th, 2006 at 3:44 am
Brent,
Ah, another SFJ reader, alright! I don’t like getting chicks from the post office and most of the time don’t. Get them from the co-op but they stop getting deliveries in the begining of July. Sometimes those post office folks act like it really hurts them to have some chicks peeping over in the corner. To bad we couldn’t mail hogs, then they’d learn what lifes all about!
Scott,
I hope you all can cash in and get out! More power to you! You’ve already passed the test when you can sit in the yard with a bunch of chckens running around, That’s how it is here. Plus a goose. Then if you have a banjo yet, well, life is good!
Tom
July 25th, 2006 at 4:00 am
Chicken raising is good for some laughs too. I had a hen that needed some doctorin’, so I had my teenage son watch the rooster while I grabbed it. Well, the hen squawked and the rooster came running. My son half grabbed the rooster and the struggle started. I don’t know who finally won, but when it was over, both were struttin around talking trash (I think the rooster was talking trash, he was cluckin’ up a storm), my son was straighting up his hair while the rooster was doing the same to his feathers. It was hilarious. My son was getting a little peeved I was laughing so hard.
No rain here in N. Alabama. Corn is done. My great OP experiment, I planted some for seed and some for feed. Looks like I’ll be lucky to get enough seed out of it for next year. I’ve been hauling water for a month now. Good thing goats don’t drink much (I think the chickens are drinking more than the goats…)
You lucky dog…. I’ve only got three more payments on the Old Standby. Good thing I bought the cheap one, the dust clogs the comb
As always, you make my mornings.
Brad
July 25th, 2006 at 6:20 am
What type of banjo do you have?
July 25th, 2006 at 6:47 am
Tom,
I can’t agree with you more! I have been “lurking ” around here for a while but figure it was time to say hi and give a round of applause. I really enjoy your posts, especially since they always seem to voice exactly what I feel. It is so satisfying to look out the window in the morning to see fields of grain, gardens and livestock running around and know that we don’t need to go begging at the door of government or big corporations for food, energy or entertainment. God provides all of those things much better anyway. Chris S.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Brad,
I can just see the scrap with that rooster! Ah, the memories eh. I can’t even imagine living without them critters.
No rain here either even though the radar has rain all over the place in the state. It is so dry and hot! Corn is trying to hang on but I don’t know, this has no mercy. The thunderstorm that was bee-lining in from Fargo seemed to split when it got here again. Oh well.
Thanks!
Jonathan,
It’s just an Austin that I picked up at the local music store for around four fifty. A good starter banjo, especially when you figure that’s about as far as I’ll ever get with it. But I have fun with it and that’s good enough for me.
Chris,
Thanks for jumping in here, I tell you I really like it when people do! Just make yourself at home! When I read someone that comments and has the same thoughts on stuff as I do, well, it does wonders. I can never figure out what folks see in the modern way of life, gives me the shivers even thinking about it. This here lifestyle can’t be beat and when it’s all said and done I’ll be one satisfied person. Don’t have to look back and wish we lived different. I thank the Lord everyday for opening my eyes, or maybe giving me a swift kick in the behind, and leading us into this way of life.
Thanks!
Tom
July 25th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
What kind of hick are you? MY kind of hick. It is so good to know there are other hicks out there.
I am also interested in hatching out our own sometime. My eight year old says he wants to start a hatchery. I figure we ought to jump on his dream and help him form a career in the field of raising good chickens. I just love it that my kids express dreams about farm life and that God has opened doors to allow us to start helping them acheive those dreams now. It is so cool. So we are real hicks, my kids won’t go to college, but will be building careers in hatching chicks, raising hogs, making soap, stone ground fresh flour breads. Oh, I can hear them calling me idiot now. What know college? Aspiring to be bumpkins. You got it. When the economy has crashed and they need food, I will just smile and say here ya go. Fresh food chemical free from country bumpkin hicks, no less.
July 25th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Yes, for those grammar fanatics no was written as know on purpose!!
July 26th, 2006 at 3:34 am
Christina,
Well, if I’m your kinda hick that’s good enough for me! I figure being a hick like this is an important position in society, you know, somebody’s got to do it so I’ll just jump in and help out the big picture.
That chicken hatching thing is really interesting, being it was from someone who did it the old ways. Like I said, I’ll remember that article and work on it this winter on the blog here, Lord willing, and be set up next spring for hatchin them little buggers out.
Oh, almost forgot, I’m very particular with grammer on this blog as you “no” so, (ahem), get with it
July 26th, 2006 at 3:49 am
Can a hick from Mo , drop in here and say hi!
and tell ya have a great day!
friend
July 26th, 2006 at 4:00 am
Jan,
You bet! Have a great day from northern hick, I mean farmer!
God Bless!
Tom
July 26th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Welllll Gollllllllyyyyyyy.. Sounds like a hick convention forming good buddy
July 27th, 2006 at 3:37 am
Patti,
It won’t be walking in mud, I can grant you that.
Well, I know most folks don’t figure I’m up to snuff on the modern ways and styles, and they’re partially right. But it’s because I don’t want to be. And I get a funny feeling I’m not alone. So today, this morning, when they are heading for that super career that makes them so much better than everyone else, us folks, even if some are heading for their career, look at the day differently. Man, what a feeling to be excited about every day, eh, to get out and do what you want, to be with the critters. The heck with modern depression and that stuff, there ain’t no time to think about that between working and Praising Jesus! Those modern folks just can’t understand what us folks are doing, not following like sheep to the slaughter. So have a good day down there and I hope the rains have blessed you this year. Now I’d better figure out what hick job I’ll be doing today
Tom