They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Things don't always go smoothly on the farm. Just when our ducks were getting used to being pasture ducks. Just when they were getting the hang of laying eggs in the duckmobile, so the crows couldn't get at them. Most of the time... Just when egg production was starting to go up again after the… Continue reading Duck Setbacks
The farm is such a remarkable place! Things just grow out of the ground, all over the place. You just have to know where to look, And keep your eyes open, And you can pick up all kinds of cool things Just growing right on the ground.
We have been noticing a problem in the pasture with the onset of hot weather. It is the presence of flies. Deer flies, specifically, but there are many varieties of fly out there. They love poop, especially cow poop. They also like landing on warm, sweaty surfaces, and in the summer, there is no warmer… Continue reading Pasture Ducks
Last Monday we culled the roosters and drakes. This really should have been done at the start of Autumn, but, hey, we get to it when we can. Roosters and drakes eat feed, but they do not lay eggs. Therefore they are an economic drain instead of a resource. We really only need two roosters… Continue reading Culling the Flock
Fair week is fast approaching. Last Thursday, the 31st, we finished up our stock making process. Monday we roasted the carcasses with carrots, celery and onion. Then added water with a dash of vinegar and some salt, and set it to simmering. We kept an eye on it for a couple of days, topping it… Continue reading Duck Stock
Squash is continuing to grow up the sides of the trellis, while buckwheat grows up against the other side of it. And kids wander through the middle of it. That color on Seppi's face is "war paint." A.k.a. cherry juice. It helps him be more fierce. Very small raspberry harvest this year, but we are… Continue reading Garden Update
We salted and hung five wraps of duck prosciutto on June 3rd. We came back from our Tennessee Travels on June 18th, so I checked on the Prosciutto, June 19th. Initial weights were written on the tape attached to each breast, but I did not record them here so I will have to check on… Continue reading Duck Prosciutto, Part 2
Caution. This post is about where food comes from. Proceed accordingly. The meat ducks reached a healthy (and hefty) 8 weeks old, averaging 8.4 Lbs (this might be a slight overestimation, as they sometimes bounce around in the bucket while being weighed). We ordered 20 ducks from Meyer hatchery, they shipped 21 on April 7th.… Continue reading Processing the Meat Ducks.
Our egg ducklings are now three weeks old, and the weather is nice and warm. We are moving them out of the brooder! By the bucketload! They will be locked in the duck-mobile for the next couple of weeks, though. They are too small to be running around without overhead cover. They are just snack-sized… Continue reading Moving the Egg Ducks
We are moving into the last week of raising this crop of meat ducks. They are averaging over seven pounds now. God willing we will be butchering some of them on Thursday and the rest on Saturday. Why is Ellie so cranky? "Because you made it too hot out here!" Ellie is not the only… Continue reading Meat Ducks: Getting big!
Little Farm in the Big City 