Turkey Coop

Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 7:57 AM

We've just received a shipment of 15 turkeys chicks from McMurray's as part of a trial turkey coop.  Some friends of ours are trying to raise turkeys to see if poultry raising is for them.  We decided to go in on a shipment together because the local feed store is a little unreliable on when and how many turkeys they get in in the spring. 

Our friends have taken 5 live ones to raise themselves, and 4 will be purchased from us after they're grown and processed.  The other 6 will either be grown for our freezer or we may be able to give some of the chicks to some other friends of ours.  We bought the white kind as they look better when dressed.

More Land - A Lesson In Contentment

Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:35 AM

I think it is human nature to always want more of a good thing.  Land is no exception.  Most of us that have some want more.  It might be for hunting, agriculture, or just to have more room to breath.  It's the "grass-is-always-greener" mentality.

I have struggled with this from time to time.  I'm happy with my 7.61 acres, but oh if I could only buy that plot next door or that one across the street.  We could have horses or an orchard, etc.  In the end that all takes money, and that's something I'm too cheap to part with easily.  I struggle sometimes seeing people that own hundreds of acres because it makes my place feel so small.

However, I only have to think back about a year to put things into perspective.  When thinking about how much land we wanted or could afford, I can remember feeling very different.  All I wanted in the world was to be able to live in the country.  I didn't care if all I could find was a 2 acre plot as long as I was out away from town.  I wanted enough room to have a house, garden, some chickens, and maybe a goat or two.  We got much more than that.  We got 7.5 acres with so many extras.  I can remember just being so excited when we closed on the place.  After living in a small neighborhood, it felt like I had SOOOO much room.

I also have to remind myself of our goal in homesteading - growing our own food.  If all you're looking to do is provide a substantial portion of your family's food, you don't need all that much space (depending on your family's size).  It's amazing what you can do on this small a farm.  Could I ever quit my job and farm full time on this much?  Probably not.  But given what we set out to do with our land, it has worked out beautifully.  We could feed our family 100% on what we grow here if we had to.  We'd have to do without somethings, but we could do it.

Although I could do more with 100 acres, 7.5 is plenty, and is just small enough for me to properly take care of.  It may not be big, but it's all we need, and I never want to cease being thankful for it.  Will I ever buy more land?  Maybe.  But the important thing is finding contentment with what God has blessed you with.  If I never buy another square foot of land, I can still find contentment here.

Weird Broody Hen

Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 6:56 AM

Have you ever wondered why people use incubators so much?  Probably not.  I mean, why not just have the hen sit on the eggs and hatch them?  Do I have you curious yet (the chicken in the picture sure looks curious)?  Probably not.  I'll tell you anyway.

The "broodiness" (instinct of a hen to sit on her eggs and try to hatch them) has been bred out of most chickens.  It's an undesirable trait.  The egg industry does not want chickens trying to hatch eggs and getting mad when you take them.  So only breed the ones that aren't broody.  Besides, incubators are much more predictable and controllable for the hatching industry.

Well that lands us in a dilemma because we lost one of our best hens this week to a weird occurance.  We purposely chose breeds that are more broody because we wanted to be able to have our hens hatch eggs when we needed more chickens.  If the hen does all the work hatching and raising the chicks, it takes a lot of the responsiblity off of us.  So far we have had no luck.  The first hen to go broody ate all but three of her eggs.  The second one changed her mind and got off of them.  The third starved herself to death.  That's right.  She sat on her eggs so diligently that she wouldn't even get off to eat (which they're supposed to do once a day) and literally starved to death on her eggs.

I was floored.  The survival instinct is the strongest one of all.  I know chickens aren't especially smart, but how could it just allow itself to starve when food was 3 feet away?  We're not sure if maybe it thought it couldn't get out of the nest box, but if it would have even tried, it would have realized it could.  I think the instinct is still in there, but it's so muddled in selective breeding that they can't get it right in their head.  DW is not discouraged and wants to keep trying.  I'm fine with that.  Lord knows we've got plenty of chickens.

My Week Off

Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 10:00 AM

I took off a week from work this week because I have the time and the lull in activity at work so I seized the opportunity.  Far from a week's vacation, I took the time to get a lot of nagging projects finished.  I didn't work myself to death and could have gotten a lot more done, but hey...I'm on vacation here!

Here's a list of the things I was able to accomplish this week:

• Installed about 15 ft of  PVC in order to run water to the pig pen.  Now we don't have to constantly have the hose draped across the yard.
• Installed new automatic waterer for the pigs.  Now we have absolutely no need to set foot in the pig pen.  That's good since they're just getting to that stage where they like to wallow in the mud (mixed with other gross substances).
• Mowed the pig pen
• Weeded the whole garden, and I mean the whole garden.   Up till now I've been just doing a little here and there.  I actually had time to weed the whole thing.  Now a few days rest before they spring up again.
• Burn the brush pile.  I had to wait until it wasn't windy (a rarity here) but I finally got it done.
• Paint the eaves.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first painting they've had since the house was built in 1990.  They needed it bad.
• Went to the hay man to buy a few more months worth of alfalfa hay.  Man that stuff is expensive!  I only give it to the one milking cow as she's really the only one that NEEDS it.  The others have as much coastal hay as they want and plenty of green grass/weeds to eat.  The hay went up quite a bit per bale this year.  The farmer I buy from said not only are gas prices hurting him, but fertilizer is $1000 per ton this year.  That's up from $350 per ton last year!  I wanted to buy round bales because they're about 30% cheaper but he said he sold out of them in 2 days.  His next cutting is in 3 weeks, so maybe I can get some more then.
• Took Chloe (our not pregnant and not milking cow) to her new beau (a friend's bull).  Since we've had so much trouble getting her inseminated, we figured we'll try the old fashion way.  A not pregnant and not milking dairy cow is about as useful as a paperweight, and apparently very unmarketable.  I take that back, she has been a good heat detector for our other cow and makes manure.  I guess she's not totally useless.  I love that cow, but she makes an expensive pet.
• Mowed the lawn (o.k., actually DW did that.  She really wanted to so I had to let her.  Driving the riding lawnmower is only fun for the first 30 minutes or so.)
• Planted more watermelons and corn.  You can never have enough of either of those.  We're not so good a raising corn yet, but we're learning.

Back to the weekly grind.

Let's Try This Again

Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 11:18 PM

We have tried and failed to get Chloe AI'd.  Our difficulty mostly lies in not being able to detect her heats.  The vet gave her a cocktail of drugs that are supposed to make her cycle so he can AI her on a certain day.  It didn't work.  So our next idea is to try it the old fashion way...a bull.  I don't prefer the method because I've heard of bulls injuring cows, but nothing else is working so here goes.  A very generous friend of ours offered to put Chloe in with her bull.  This is a shot of me loading her Friday morning.  She was not happy about getting in the trailer and I discovered that a more gentle and coercive approach works better than brute force.  We delivered her successfully to her new beau, so we're hoping in a month or so she'll be bred.  The bull is a Murray Grey, which I've never heard of, but they're supposed to be more docile and breed low birth weight calves.  Fingers crossed.

Our friend mentioned that she's a little on the heavy side, and that may be contributing to her difficulty in getting pregnant.  She's totally right.  Chloe has always been a big girl, but she's gotten fatter over the last 9 months not being pregnant or milking. 

10 Acres Enough - More Wisdom

Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 6:49 AM

As I continue to read through this book, I am still finding good tidbits of wisdom. 

I again read what care this man took in making his wife happy out of his selfless duty to her as a husband.  When searching for some land with a house on it he remarked:

"I was determined that she should be made comfortable from the start, not only because she deserved to be made so, but to make sure that no cause for future discontent should arise.  Indeed, she was really the best judge on this matter.  She knew what the six children needed; she was the model of a housekeeper.....while her judgement on most things was so correct, that I felt confident if she were fully satisfied, the whole enterprise would be a successful one.  I was unwilling to take a single step in opposition either to her wishes or her judgement.  Indeed, I had long since made up my mind, from observation of the good or bad luck of other men, that he who happens to be blessed with a wife possessing good sense and good judgement, suceeds or fails in life as he is accustomed to consult her in his business enterprises.  There is a world of caution, shrewdness, and latent wisdom in such women, which their husbands too frequently disregard to their ruin."

Concerning hardwork and diligence:

"I have long since discovered that most things of value in this world come to us only as a result of diligent unremitted labor.  The man, even upon ten acres, who is content to see around him only barren fields, scanty crops, and starving animals, does not deserve the name of farmer.  Unless he can devise ways and means for changing such a condition of things, and cease ridiculing all propositions of amendment that may be pointed out to him, he had better be up and off, and give place to a live man."

And my favorite:

"The fragrance of a fat and ample manure heap is as grateful to the nostrils of a good farmer, as the fumes of the tavern are notoriously attractive to those of a poor one."

I'll share more I come across.

Preggers?

Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 6:27 AM

The pregnancy lab test for our cow Pumpkin came back this weekend.

And the verdict is......BRED!!!   YEAH!!!

She's bred to a low birth weight Angus that we will raise for meat.  Sometime around December 16th we should have another calf.

A Frugal Wife

Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 6:23 AM

A frugal wife is truely a blessing.  I have told my wife this repeatedly in our 6 years together, and thanked her for her frugality.  It is amazing how much peace-of-mind it gives a man to not have to worry about his wife overspending, buying things we don't need, and feeling we're on the same team financially.  This all assumes, of course, that the husband is a wise financial steward.  A frugal husband is equally a blessing to a frugal wife.  Regardless, the case with most one-income families is that the wife runs the home and her prudence and frugality in the things she buys is CRITICAL in keeping the family on track financially.

For my birthday my wife bought me a book called "10 Acres Enough", by James Miller.  It was written in 1864 by a man that made the transition from city life to country life.  His success in starting a small family farm could probably not be mimicked today because the playing field is not level.  Back then, small family farms were extremely prevelant and could compete fairly.  Today, mega-farms can out sell and underbid even the most hardworking small-acreage farmer.  There is a niche in the "organic" market that could be exploited, but I digress.  The main reason I wanted this book is because the author explains in elegant words why he made the move to the country and the joy and peace it brought his family to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

When reading it yesterday, he commented on the blessings of a frugal wife, and put it so well that I had to share.  My wife had me read it to her twice, it was so good.  When discussing how hard life was in the city because of his indebtedness to lenders, he wrote:

"Besides the mental anxieties [my debts] occasioned, they compelled a pinching economy in my family.  But in this latter effort I discovered my wife to be a jewel of priceless value, coming up heroically to the task, and relieving me of a world of care.  Without her aid, her skill, her management, her uncomplaining cheerfulness, her sympathy in struggles so inadequately rewarded, as mine were, I should have sunk into utter bankruptcy.  Her economy was not the mean, penny-wise, pound follish policy which many mistake for true economy.  It was the art of calculation joined to the habit of order, and the power of proportioning our wishes to the means of gratifying them.  The little pilfering temper of a wife is despicable and odious to every man of sense, but there is a judicious, graceful economy, which has no connection with an avaricious temper, and which, as it depends upon the understanding, can be expected only from cultivated minds.  Women who have been well educated, far from despising domestic duties, will hold them in high respect, because they will see that the whole happiness of life is made up of the happenings of each particular day and hour, and that much of the enjoyment of these must depend upon the punctual practice of virtues which are more valuable than splendid.

If I survived that crisis, it was owing to my wife's admirable management of my household expenses.  She saw that our embarrassment was due to no imprudence or neglect of mine.  She thus consented to severe privations, uttering no complaint, hinting no reproach, never disheartened, and so rarely out of humor that she never failed to welcome my return with a smile."

Don't you love the way they spoke back then?  It was so much more poetic and sophisicated.  Anyway, I couldn't have said it better myself.  Not only did his wife take care of their family, but she did it cheerfully, and that is a great Christian example for all of us.  My wife excels at that, and I often find myself trying to imitate it.

I'm also taken aback at how glowingly he talks of his wife and how much he cares for her.  The modern feminist movement would have us believe that most marriages back then consisted of nothing more than tyrannical husbands ordering there wives around and having no regard for her happiness.  On the contrary, there is great love in this man's writings.  He later writes:

"I had always loved the country, but my wife preferred the city.  I could take no step but such as would be likely to promote her happiness."

He goes on to describe how, through his study of farming and agriculture, he was able to show her the value in changing venues and careers, and it wasn't long before she was on board.  Husband and wife working as a team, selfless towards each other's needs and working together to make a family thrive.  An example for all of us.

So to all you wives and mothers out there who work so hard to keep our families afloat through your selfless frugality and sacrifice....

Thank You.

"In Vitro" Chicken....Yummy!

Posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 9:05 AM

If you haven't heard the news, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is offering a $1 million reward to the first scientist to create and bring to market "in vitro" meat.  What is "in vitro" meat, you ask?  It is meat grown in a laboratory from animal stem cells.  The contest stipulates that the product marketed must look and taste like chicken, and be safe for human consumption.

The motivation for PETA is that, despite their big push in recent years to convert the world to vegetarianism, they have seen little progress.  (Supposedly the ad series of scantily-clad actresses promoting vegetarianism didn't work)  Frustrated by their failure in getting Americans to kick the "meat addiction", they have come up with this idea.  If meat can be grown in a lab, with no need for the animals to suffer, then it could be a viable solution.  They seek to put an end to several practices, such as (according to their website):

• Chickens drugged to grow so large they often become crippled (That is false.  Chickens are given no drugs, other than anti-biotics.  They become crippled because of their fast growth rate, but this is due to selective breeding, not genetic manipulation or drugs)
• Mother pigs are confined to metal cages so small they can't move (Likewise, untrue.  Yes, they are put in very small cages, but they can move.  Usually they choose not to because they're so large and lazy.)
• Fish are hacked apart while still conscious (This is true.)

Don't get me wrong, I don't promote making animals suffer.  I think it's cruel and you should not prolong pain or death beyond what you can control.  I recognize there are unfortunate aspects of mass production of meat.  That's part of the reason we grow our own meat right here.  But I also think animals are for food, and have no problem eating them.  I'm not going to give up meat, so I'll at least improve the lives of my animals while they're alive.  My cows get good grazing and don't have massive amounts of grain fed to them.  My pigs have a 2500 sq ft pen to play in, lots of yummy scraps, and affectionate attention from us.  My chickens are free-range and can scratch and hunt for bugs all day to their hearts content.  But in the end, they're food, and they're being grown for a reason.  We do it as naturally as possible because it's good for them, which is in turn good for us.

I'm just curious how receptive the American public is going to be to laboratory-grown meat.  The majority could care less about the suffering of chickens and could only be convinced to eat it if it was A LOT better for you than real chicken, or cheaper.  That's the problem.  It's liable to be no better for you, and more expensive. 

Sorry PETA.  I think you've got a flop here.

Have You Ever...?

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 9:32 AM

Copy and post on you're own blog.  What have you done?  I've borrowed this from another blog (with permission) and added a few things myself.  The bolded ones are things I've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
42. Had amazing friends
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
26. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

151. Seen a bear in the wild

152. Shot an animal

153. Fallen out of a tree

154. Eaten a grasshopper

Ham and Bacon

Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 at 11:03 AM

These are our two new pigs.  I took the kids to "the pig man", as we like to call him, and let them pick out which ones they wanted.  They only cost $25 each!  Pork Chop, our last pig, was $40 because she was a bit older.  They are both girls and are 6 weeks old.

The white one (a Yorkshire) is named Bacon.

This brown and black-spotted one (a Duroc/Berkshire cross) is named Ham.

We kept them in the dog carrier in my shop overnight because we had a cold front blow in last night, and I didn't want to take the chance that they'd get sick or die.  We bought two this year because they grow better if there's more than one and my in-laws have offered to buy some of the meat from us.  In about 3.5 to 5 months, we'll take them to the butcher.

Mmmm......homegrown bacon and sausage.  Good stuff.

Fingers Crossed

Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 9:01 AM

We drew blood on our cow Pumpkin today to send to the lab for pregnancy testing.  You'd think they'd just create some cow pregnancy test similar to those available for humans to buy.  Oh well.  This test is cheaper than having the vet come out for palpation.  It's only $2.25 per test plus shipping. 

It was SOOOOOO much easier to draw blood from Pumpkin than it was from Chloe.  We finally gave up on her.  We wasted 3 needles, 4 vacutainer tubes, and a lot of time on trying.  We're also convinced we're wasting money trying to get her AI'd.  She's not milking and we have some friends who have offered to run her with their bull.  That we be much easier than trying to detect her heats.  We'll probably send her to the bull in the next couple of weeks.

We should know about Pumpkin in the next 4-5 days.  Fingers crossed.....

Tractor Fever

Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 8:04 AM

I've got it bad.  Since I can remember, I've always wanted to live in the country and have my own tractor.  Part of it is those wonderful memories of my grandfather taking me for rides on his tractor on his farm.  It just fits in with the whole farm experience.  When we moved out here a year ago, we didn't have the money for a tractor.  Actually, we did, but that had to be spent on a full-sized van since we were about to outgrow the minivan.  Priorites.  We needed the van, not the tractor.

I've still got the itch though. 

I did buy a riding lawnmower, as I can't mow a yard this size without it.  I did also buy a trail mower (http://www.swisherinc.com/44_trailcutter.asp) because I couldn't mow our pasture with my riding lawnmower.  It was a good compromise.  They both do the jobs I need done and were a sound purchase.

I've still got that itch though.

I'm a cheap man.  I'm not about to go out and spend $25,000 on a new tractor.  I've looked through some websites, and have determined that I can buy a nicely refurbished, older tractor with a front-end loader and shredder (mower) for around $7000-$8000.  The money still isn't there, but even if it was I wouldn't buy a tractor yet.  I'm too practical.  Why buy a tractor when I've got a 1 year-old riding lawnmower and trail mower that do the job?

I figure in about 5 years my trail mower will be needing replacement and I'll have the money for one.  Hopefully my riding lawnmower will still be kicking (I bought a good one) and I can use the tractor for mowing and other heavy work.  I'm patient.  I can wait.  But some day, I'm going to see something like this sitting in my yard....

Incubator Costs

Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 10:19 AM

Here's the list of items and their cost to make the homemade incubator.  If it's labeled as "free" it means I already had it on hand.

• Styrofoam cooler - free
• Plexiglass - $4
• Plywood top - free
• Lamp kit - $7
• Thermostat - $6
• Thermometer/Humidity gauge - $14
• Hardware cloth - $8 (for a roll I only needed a little from)
• CPU fan - $10
• Power transformer for CPU fan - free

Total cost = $41

Repost - Homemade Incubator

Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 11:08 AM

DW has been itching to hatch some new chicks from our flock, but none of our hens have gone broody long enough to hatch any. We decided to try and make a homemade incubator out of an old styrofoam cooler we have laying around. It has no lid and a big chunk taken out of one side, but we figured we'd give it a shot. We can always get a new cooler cheap if we need to. After reviewing some websites on homemade incuabators, this is what I came up with. (99% of this is taken from other people, so don't be impressed with my ingenuity)

I cut some hardware cloth and shaped it to create a raised floor to put the eggs on. A pan of water is put underneath it to maintain proper humidity.

Next I wired a lamp socket to a thermostat and mounted them to the side of the cooler. The thermostat will cycle the light on and off, keeping it as close to 99.5 degrees F as possible.

Next, I wired a small fan for a computer CPU to a transformer and mounted it. The fan circulates the air throughout the incubator for more even heating. This turns the incubator into a "forced air" type instead of a "still air" type. Forced air incubators have better hatch rates.

Lastly I added a digital thermometer and bag of water. The digital thermometer is a cheap one from Walmart that measures inside and outside temperature and humidity. The probe for the outside temp will be placed in between the folded over water bag. The temperature of the water bag best simulates the temperature inside of the eggs, which is the one we care about the most.

Since we don't have a top for this cooler, I cut a top from plywood. I also cut a small viewing window and covered that with plexiglass.

I have no idea if this will work, but it's worth a try. We tested it and found the setting that holds the water bag within one degree of 99.5 degrees. The thermostat cycles on and off just like it should. When we have enough we'll add eggs and wait 21 days. We tested its capacity and it will hold 17-18 eggs.

I'll post again when we've set our eggs.

Homeschooling/Homesteading Correlations

Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 9:44 PM

I've noticed that a lot of people on homesteadblogger homeschool (including us).  So I'm wondering what you all think:  are homesteaders more likely to homescool, or are homeschoolers more likely to homestead and why?

My theory is that a lot of people who homestead are trying to live a more simple, less worldly life.  Part of homesteading is wanting to live less like the "mainstream" and more slow-paced and fulfilled lives.  Consequently, homeschooling families cite those as reasons they want to homeschool as well.  We want to spend more time together as family, growing in our relationships, and less time in front of the TV growing large posteriors.  I'm sure there are PLENTY of homeschooling families that don't homestead.  I just think the two naturally go together, so a correlation is not surprising.

Anyway, just curious about your thoughts. 

Some other correlations I find interesting...many homeschooling families are Christians...many Christians homestead...many large families are Christians... many large families homeschool...

Anyone care to weigh in?

Nasty Weather

Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 8:05 AM

We had a very nasty storm roll through our area last night.  I have to say it was one of the strangest storms I've ever been in.  It started out windy at about 10 p.m., which I knew was coming because the weather man had told us.  I also knew there was some chance of rain.  At about 12:45 a.m. my wife and I awoke to intense wind and driving rain.  The weirdest part was that there was so much lightening, but no thunder.  About 15 minutes later the hail and thunder started in, and I mean BAD.  It got to the point that my wife and I were discussing whether we should get the kids up and get them into the center of the house.  The power was out, and we had no idea if there was a tornado in the area.  We kept looking out the window, but what are the chances we're going to see a a tornado through the driving rain.  Before we could decide, it all just kind of stopped.  The wind continued blowing, but it died down and there was no more rain and thunder.  Weird.

At about 3 a.m. I woke and started getting worried about whether the animals had faired badly or not.  I'm glad I did.  All was well except that one turkey in our chicken tractor was dying.  The chicks (about 3 weeks old) were huddled in the corner for warmth, but he was laying out alone, soaking wet and obviously bad off.  I took him to my shop and put him under the heat lamp, hoping he'd recover.  Those darn turkeys are not cheap.  I got a pleasant surprise this morning when I checked on him.  He was up and moving and looked as healthy as could be.  I'm sure if I'd have waited until morning he would have been dead.

I was also surprised to see this morning that our new trampoline was no where to be seen.  It just vanished.  I took a quick drive around our area before work, and sure enough it was hanging off a neighbor's fence 300 yards away.  It had rolled through my his pastures leaving little parts of itself as it went.  Luckily it doesn't seem to have damaged any of his fences.  It's pretty trashed so I doubt I'll be able to repair it.  I'll have to go get it after work.

What is Margarine?

Posted on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 8:58 AM

Did you ever wonder how margarine is made?  You know, the stuff that’s supposed to taste like butter and be healthier for you?  I couldn’t help wondering because if it’s not butter, then what is it?  This is what I found:

First, margarine is made from vegetable oil.  Along with using high pressure and high temperature to remove the oil, hexane is used to remove the last bit.  Hexane is a carcinogen (causes cancer), and is mostly removed later on, but trace amounts remain.

Second, the oils are steam cleaned.  This kills any bacteria, but also destroys any vitamins and anti-oxidants that were in the oils.

Third, the oils are then mixed with finely ground nickel, which acts as a catalyst for the hydrogenation process.  Nickel is also a carcinogen.

Fourth, the oils are again put under high temperature and pressure, and hydrogen gas is introduced.  The hydrogen atoms are forced into the oils.  This turns the oils from a liquid into a semi-solid.  This semi-solid pretty much takes the form of a grey greasy substance.  Emulsifiers are added to remove any lumps.

Fifth, the grey grease is steam cleaned again, and bleached to turn it white (after all, who wants to eat grey margarine?). 

Because you now have a lump of stuff that has practically no nutritional value or taste, synthetic vitamins and artificial flavors are added.  A natural yellow color is added to make it look like butter.  Until the 1950s, margarine had to be white so people wouldn’t mix them up.  Now people don’t know the difference.

So which would you choose…a bleached, colored, artificially flavored greasy lump…or….nice fresh, lightly salted butter right from the cow?  I know what I’d choose.  In fact, I don’t know if I can ever eat margarine again.  Yuck!

Farm Tour II - The Barn

Posted on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 10:24 PM

One of the reasons we loved this house when we first saw it was that it had so many of the things we wanted to build already in place. As stated in my previous entry, the old emu pen was perfect for a garden. No need to erect our own fencing and it already had water running to it.

 

We put a lot of work into it, but it was less (in time and money) than building our own barn. It's made of metal, so it should last a long time.

What's In The Ground?

Posted on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 9:45 AM

So we've finished all of our spring planting.  For the next two months we'll just weed and water.  Here's a list of everything we've planted.  Keep in mind that although the seed is in the ground, we might not get all of this to grow.

Herbs (I don't pretend to know what half of these are for)

• comfrey
• peppermint
• spearmint
• calendula
• chamomile
• lavender
• cilantro
• basil
• majoram
• echinecea
• burdock
• thyme
• parsley
• plantain
• anise
• dill
• chives
• chickweed
• dandalion
• savory
• motherwort
• st. john's wort
• lemon balm
• fennel
• caraway
• marshmallow
• feverfew
• rosemary

Fruits and Veggies

• strawberries
• peas (snow, snap, & english)
• corn
• potatoes (red, yellow, white)
• buckwheat (just as a green manure crop)
• onions (purple & white)
• bunching onions
• carrots
• garlic
• lettuce
• spinich
• nasturshums
• leeks
• kiwi
• peanuts
• cayenne peppers
• jalepenos
• bell peppers
• tomatoes
• watermelon
• cantelope
• grapes
• cucumbers
• pumpkins
• beans (3 types of bush beans, 1 type of pole bean)
• gourds
• blackberries
• squash
• zucchini
• broccoli

Wow.  That's a lot when you write it out like that.  Can you see now why I let my wife plan the garden?  I'm just the manual labor.