Getting Ready
March 27th, 2008 by Northern FarmerIts kinda getting into mud season here. I don’t know what it does down south, but up here in the north mud season can last for weeks and that even with very little moister. Has to do with the frozen ground unthawing slowly and very little evaporation. Drive over something a few times and all you have is slime mud. So needless to say this hampers the movements on the farm somewhat. Its to the point that I can’t haul out manure, figuring I may never return from the field. No need to give one’s self extra work and misery. So we just tough it out for a few weeks. The most important barns got cleaned out a couple weeks ago so they’re in good shape. But today I hauled out a dozen loads of swill from a corral where the cows stand waiting for me to feed them. I don’t feed with cows around me, would never make it. I have them gated off, fill the feeders. Get ready, then open the gate and make sure your no where near their path because life would be shortened considerably if in their way.So that corral, after holding them away from me all winter during feeding had about a foot and a half of swill manure in it. It was even slowing the cows down and would have been impossible for me to even attempt walking through. This condition happened relatively fast, it wasn’t around up until the last few days. They don’t live in it or anything like that. Its just that’s where they stand waiting for me to feed them, day after day, week after week, month after month. Then everything instantly freezes and that’s where she stays, no problem at the time. So today I hauled out quite a few loads of swill with the dump wagon and instantly the real ground underneath was drying off. Them cows sure seemed shorter in that corral when I let them in because the was still a foot and a half of hard pack snow under some of that stuff. But the skid steer was able to tear it out and load er up. So that miserable spot is no longer miserable and should stay good till next winter. Another small job out of the way.
Basically this time of the year that’s what happens around here as far as jobs go. Nothing else a person can really do, I’m talking working in a field or something. Too slimy to go out in the woods and make a little firewood, no need to tear up the sod out there when there’s no important need to. Can’t do too much around the yard without tearing that all up. So in the evenings I’m busy just catching up trying to get things done before I can’t do anything anymore in the house. But this year for some reason I’m really optimistic out here! Might have something to do with the fact that even with back to back disasters we’re still in relatively good shape around here, yup we sure are. Back in the dead of winter I was getting a little bit down but all it takes is temperatures to rise above freezing and this farmer starts feeling a bit excited about the coming year! Things are falling into place, things are more and more ready and soon it will be vacation time! Well, that’s what I call it, sitting in the field all day long! I just love it! Getting a field all worked up and planted. There’s always that hope that it’ll be a good crop. And most of the time it does turn out that way.
There’s some chicks to order one of these days, I wasn’t going to, but the youngest daughter wants to raise a big batch and who am I to say no. Teaches life better than any school, and also teaches disasters and reality. But I have that soft spot in my heart for anyone that wants to work. I know that work is a four letter word nowadays, but as far as I’m concerned its one of the most important things.
1 Timothy 5:8
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Yup, good old fashioned work! Seems like nowadays folks figure they’re just a bit to good to get their hands dirty. But as far as I’m concerned work is a great blessing. To wake up in the morning and to be able to do something useful for yourself and family. A while back on my Healing Waters blog I was writing about farmer preachers and the subject greatly interested me and still does. How it was almost the norm years ago for the local pastor to be a farmer. Work hard supporting the family, taking care of all the day to day farm jobs and then get out there and preach when the preaching needed preaching. And as far as I’m concerned there should be a return to that. I’m sure not totally, but a significant percentage sure could be farmer preachers. But take runaway inflation, tighter energy supplies and all that goes with it and there might have to be a return to some good old fashioned common sense. Now this ain’t to get most regular preachers mad at me, but I do believe a man of God does a bit better job preaching when he’s been putting in some hard days of real work. There’s so many of these modern preachers that have no sense of reality. They don’t know what disaster is like except for when the deacons are mad at them or something. But not reality. On the other hand I know quite a few preachers, bless their hearts, that are starting to do stuff more and more on their own, planting big gardens for their family’s food, raising a few critters, and there’s some that have gone back to farming while remaining a servant of God. Warms my heart! I’d be willing to bet that they’re sermons have a bit more common sense in them. It always gets to me when I listen to a preacher talking about “the sheep” and other agrarian lingo in the Bible but are too high class to go near any critter on a farm. I know we ain’t supposed to judge so I won’t but I have my reservations…..
Work, that four letter word in the world and also in the modern church. I wished I had a dollar for every letter I get from some preacher asking for money that comes in my mailbox. I figure I could take this whole readership out for a steak dinner, and this readership isn’t all that small. On the farm we ain’t planning our vacations, we’re planning our crops and calf crop. Getting ready and its exciting. Then spring thru fall even with all that work there always seems to be plenty of time to get together with the saints from church for evening visiting or Sunday meals. And that is without a doubt one of my favorite things, to be chowing down on some good home cooking talking faith, family and farming! To any folks reading this from the big city rest assured that I’m telling it straight here. This is our life and a better one I could not imagine! And if that ain’t enough I was talking to various folks about having an old fashioned camp meeting this summer. Just throwing the idea out there for like minded folks in the region. There again, faith, family and farming. Shoot the bull, get some old fashioned preaching, some good food, maybe some old fashioned gospel music, ah…. well I can dream can’t I?? But what ever happens things will be good out here. This is the only way of life for me.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hi Tom
It’s snowing here again in Michigan, but we just ordered 50 partridge rock chicks today. Due to arrive April 21st or 22nd. Can’t wait! We only have a small piece of property right now so we can’t get too crazy, but it’s been awhile since we’ve had chickens so we’re really looking forward to it. Hope we get some broody hens out of the deal.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I think you’ll love the Partridge Rock breed, I know I do! I’ll be hatching out a bunch of our own and might just buy a few more for some different blood. been thinking about getting a different breed with them, some old fashioned breed. Now I don’t know why and I might be half crazy, but the eggs from the Partridge Rocks seem to taste better than the ones from the regular layers we had before. Almost all the egg customers are saying the same thing too. There’s just something about them, they’re great! Oh, and by the way, you should have real good luck getting broody hens from the PR’s. Them girls go broody! Besides the controlled natural incubation I’ve wrote about I’m gonna take some hens and let them in an area of the yard that has piles of RR ties and other stuff, let em do what they want and see if we get a few hens that appear with some nice batches of chicks. Don’t like to keep all my eggs in one basket so to speak, just love to fool around with different things and different methods.
Think spring over in Michigan!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Hi Tom!
Thawing out here too, have to haul manure in the morning while the ground is frozen, by noon it’s too greasy! Having one of our best thaws in years, warm days and freezing nights with no rain, a good thing with all the snow we’ve had. Went to the auction barn yesterday, didn’t buy anything (the veal buyers were getting all the calves), day old holstein heifers were going for $3 to $5 a pound. This next week we have a farm show to go too, another trip to the auction barn to try and buy calves and we get to go pick up our seed at the seed warehouse we buy from. Tonight we went to Tractor Supply and picked up an assortment of chicks and ducklings (got the itch today), I guess spring is finally here!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Tom,
While we’re on the subject of chickens what are you feeding your birds? Do you mix your own feed or have it mixed or just buy regular stuff? We’re gonna put ours in a chicken tractor when they’re old enough, but we’re taking a good look at all our feed options right now.
That’s good to know about the hens going broody……..that’s why we chose this breed. Looking forward to those fresh eggs!
March 28th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Hey Brent!
Your doing it right with the slow melt. I was doing that too, but now I’m a little leary on going out even in the mornings, the reason being I was out there the other day with the Bobcat on the frozen field and all of a sudden flop, down I was in muck. Luckily I was able to back out using the loader as a pry to push me out. So at this point no matter what the weather I have to stay put until some acres dry off enough to go on safely. I was thinking about getting a few ducks around here too. Might just tag them on the order at the co-op when I order some chicks.
John,
Now if your talking just some Partridge Rocks it sure ain’t as important as broilers for example. Just get em started good and those birds will pretty much thrive anyway you do it, unlike broilers.
The last couple of years I’ve had to buy starter as much as I hated to. That’s the result of the severe droughts. But once we get back in the saddle here and the weather returns I use one hundred percent our own feed and rations. I’ll think about our rations during chores today. Really, I’m pretty flexible when it comes to rations. When a person isn’t going for “factory” production and you’d settle for five or ten less eggs a year from a hen there’s tremendous opportunity to use just about anything for a ration. Sometimes I think beginning homesteaders and farmers get a bit to overly technical and concerned when it comes to this stuff. Always remember, chickens and other critters have been with man since the beginning and all these fancy rations have only been here a few short years in comparison. But I’ll let you know in a bit what we use. Gotta go look what’s written on the wall of the chicken coop, that’s where I keep my recipes
March 28th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Hi Tom, Chicks, Work, Mud sounds like spring. I look out the window and it is snowin. Enough already (actually we need the moisture real bad). After last Spring I thought I would never say that but it is a brand new year and brand new things are a happenin
Work. I believe many people hate work so much because they don’t know how to do it. Sure, everyone can work but they don’t know how to do it so it is enjoyable. The Amish have it down to an art. They socialize while workin. Talkin, laughin, jokin around and all the while workin. If ya do it that way ya can get alot done (I know I’m preachin to the choir here). Slow methodical work with some socializing mixed in is a recipe for fun work. Work is a blessing. Of course it goes a whole lot better if your workin with like minded people. What is really fun is get a person that is kind of alergic to work and work them into that scenerio. Then sit back and watch. Before ya know it they are havin the time of their lives.
Talk to ya soon.
Guy
March 28th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Morning Guy!
Sunny out and calm this morning, just a little below freezing. Just cold enough to unroll hay on the ground without waste.
Your hitting the nail on the head as far as the work ethic and all of that. You get folks working together all the time, laughing and joking, talking important things, solving problems before they happen and all of that. Top that off with a Christian work ethic and it can’t be better! I look back at some of the jobs we do around here, working as a family, and sometimes with church folks helping and they are some of the best memories we have! Funny, that won’t register with the regular world, having a good time working. But its reality out here!
March 31st, 2008 at 7:52 am
Hi, I just wanted to say I enjoy this blog. We are novices on the farming scene, but trying none-the-less.
In the deep south, we don’t have to dethaw! We just go from uncomfortably cold (for us Southerners) to unbearably hot and humid. As a matter of fact, our snow this year fell for a few hours and melted right off. I don’t think anyone lost any power or anything.
Where are you ordering your chickens from? What’s different about a Partridge Rock? We just ordered the meat-and-egg combo from MMcMurray. We have lost 6 layers already from some weird thing. Our broilers are thriving though!
We slaughtered our first turkey a few weeks ago. He’s still sitting in our freezer waiting to be eaten. We ground it because he was older.
Anyway, thanks for listening….
March 31st, 2008 at 10:57 am
Morning Mama Ant!
I tell you, sometimes I wish I was down in your area! We’re getting a pretty good snow this morning and it looks like the rest of the day around here. A heavy wet snow, (on mud). But so far I’ve been able to complete all the chores without any problems. About novices on the farming scene, I figure I’m still one, because there’s no way anybody is ever going to learn anywhere near it all. Its almost a practice, everyday a person has to figure out the cards that have been dealt that day.
I bought my base flock of Partridge Rocks from McMurray Hatchery. I had really good luck with those birds so all I can say is good things about them. About the only difference between a Partridge Rock and many of the other breeds that are more common is they still retain allot of instinct, such as going broody and such. Plus the hens are really friendly and nice to look at. Just my idea of an old fashioned farm chicken!
Around here I used to raise turkeys, but I tell you, it don’t take many turkeys for us to have too much! I think I gave away over half of the butchered birds. I can only eat so much turkey. That said, I love turkey once in a while but to me its one of those foods I can get tired of, fast, unlike pork or beef.
And I thank you for commenting and I’ll be taking a look at your site from now on!