Poultry Plans

Okay so I was dreaming about hot chicks the other day.  For those of you with dirty minds, I was thinking about the kind with feathers - as in poultry. I do hope I didn't crush anyone's fantasies...

Anyhoo, I decided its time to start the flock planning for the new year.  Last weekend I did a head count and came in at 29 hens, 4 roosters, 1 Blue Slate Tom Turkey, 1 Bourbon Red Tom Turkey, and 1 Bourbon Red Turkey Hen.  And last, not least...one lonely female Pekin Duck.  Hey, she lays an egg nearly every day, so she gets to stay. Most of the others will be headed toward the freezer over the next several months.  Hence, the "plan" to add to the flock.

It looks something like this...

Two scheduled hatch dates - March 1st and April 5th.  All eggs are going into the incubator because my hens suck at doing the job themselves (I won't go into details unless someone asks). I currently own and use the Farm Innovators Model 4200 Pro Series Incubator and have excellent results with it.  It's great for hatching forty or less chicks. So that is the way I do it.  Oh, and I schedule the hatch dates on the weekends because I like to be home to watch. I can't help myself.  I'm like a kid at Christmas! Now for the goal...

Hatch #1 (March)                 Hatch #2 (April)
25-30 chicks                         25-30 chicks
1-10 turkeys                         1-10 turkeys

Why so many??? Some for the fox, some for the hawk, a few for the weasel.... and the rest for me!

How cold is it?

It's ten degrees out as I write this post...

 



Not that I'm complaining. This coming Tuesday they're predicting a high of -2 degrees.  And the overnight temp for Monday is supposed to be around -13.  Negative 13 degrees...  It definitely sounds negative to me! The water pump in the barn has to be thawed out every morning.  Ice has to be removed from the water buckets. This has been the routine for about two weeks now. To add to the misery, the wood pile is beginning to run low.  If my estimations are correct, and it stays this damn cold, we should run out by mid February.  Note to Self for next year - stock more wood.

My main goal for this weekend is to get the two heat lamps hooked back up in the barn's aisle-way, which will keep the barn above freezing (and the animals), the water pump running freely, and as a bonus, prompt the chickens to start laying more frequently.

Even though it's colder than $#!T! I prefer, I still manage to find a little beauty in it all during my drive to work in the mornings.

Stay warm my firends...

Affirmations

Today's post isn't really about "farm" stuff, but rather a way to get the farm in the first place.  Yes I know, it takes money to buy a farm, unless you were one of the lucky ones who inherited the family farm from your parents, who inherited it from their parents, and so on.  I didn't inherit my farm.  And I'm glad for that actually, because I can only imagine that having a farm handed down to you from your parents creates a whole other set of expectations and issues that I'm not certain I would want to contend with. Or maybe not.  I can't really say, I suppose.  Anyway, back to "getting" your farm...

Aside from money, it also takes desire, and a plan. I am a true believer in affirmations and goal setting, or as another way to put it, "write the shit down and make it happen."  When I was looking for a farm, I had a firm list of criteria for the kind of house and property I wanted.  So I made a list that looked something like the following one, and my search began.

• Newer house that didn't require any upfront repairs, with in-law suite, or something that would suffice as an in-law suite
• A good-sized house - 2300 sq. feet or more
• A water feature on the property (creek, river or pond)
• Fenced in pasture - ready to put horses on
• A nice barn with at least 6 stalls
• A minimum of a three car garage
• Relatively flat pastures
• Some woods
• A nice, big covered porch
• A walk-out basement
• A fireplace
• A huge eat-in kitchen with room for an island
• Commute distance from my job of an hour or less

So what happened?  I found the property with all those things and more, and I got it!  But it also took one year and forty-eight days to close on the property!  It was a "short sale" and banks are slow. And there was a lot of negotiating. But I wanted that farm damn it; so every day I would take out a picture of it, visualize myself owning it, what animals I would have running around on it, and what vegetables I would grow in my garden. And I believe that much of getting my farm was due to the constant daily affirmations and visualizations (and a TON of paperwork and patience).  Two good books on this subject are "It Works" by RHJ, and "Write it Down, Make it Happen" by Henriette Klauser.  I own these books myself,  and refer back to them often to reinforce my belief in their theories.  Now get going and get yourself a farm!

Farm Goals

I'm not one of those people who enjoys "flying by the seat on their pants" so to speak.  That sort of thing could give me hives. Okay, I admit, lots of things give me hives...

Seriously though, I like to believe that I have some control in the direction of my life. So every year in January, the control-freak in me likes take time to plan out a list of things that I want to accomplish over the next twelve months. 

Here is the list (in no special order) of Mon Abri Farm goals for the New Year.  According to "Goal Experts," if I put them in writing they stand a higher chance of being accomplished.  So let's test that theory.  If we hit them all it will be a small miracle. But hey, miracles do happen, right? I'll post updates on our progress as the days pass.  Wish us luck. A lot of luck.

Goals for 2013

1. Sell $1,500 in farm-related products or services
2. Get a chest freezer (donations welcome!)
3. Hatch out 80-100 new baby chicks (for meat and eggs)
4. Sell some chicks
5. Plant and sell Pumpkins and gourds for the Fall season
6. Plant 4-6 fruit trees
7. Plant 3 pine trees
8. Build an outdoor arena (the goal I desperately want to be able to cross off the list in 2013!)
9. Save enough $$$ to build a second barn with 10-12 stalls
10. Establish / Create a logo for the farm and have a sign made for the driveway
11. Build a road-side produce stand / or run a Sunday only, mini-farm market
12. Get the rows and trellis put in to start a small vineyard
13. Construct 1 or 2 hoop houses to extend the gardening season
14. Keep the goat from eating everything

Did I mention it's a little cold here?