Life cycles haven't been more apparent to me than right here on the farm. You see life everywhere, but also death. Living in the city certainly puts certain things at a distance - especially where our food comes from, what goes into growing it, what suffers and what benefits. Here, it's all right in front of you, and you have to deal with it, not someone else. As I would expect, we have plants that don't make it. I'm used to that living in the AZ heat! Hard as hell to keep things alive during the summer (but with things I've learned lately, I think i'll fare better next summer). But what I didn't foresee were the animal deaths. We ended up with 5 roosters in our young flock of laying hens. Well, we have no need for them. They were great as "packing peanuts" for the hens during shipping, had great appetites for slugs, and were convenient back-up alarm clocks in case our electrical ones broke. Once it got to the point that they were constantly trying to mate with the hens (who would always squawk loudly in protest - I don't blame them, it looked a bit violent!) it was time to send them to "the great open pastures in the sky." We put them in individual holding pens until the big moment. The farm owner, two farmers, and one neighbor all helped to kill and process the roosters. I happened to be off that day, and frankly wasn't up for it. I know I couldn't stomach participating, but I want to at least observe and see how I do. In August, the current laying hens that are no longer laying will be slaughtered. I plan to be there for that. I may try to participate, we'll see! Anyway, the roosters' organs were inspected by the owner, and deemed healthy. Not sure if this was out of curiosity or to determine whether they could be eaten. There were three kept for the farmers to eat, along with some organs - hearts, livers and gizzards. Nothing went to waste. The feet were boiled for stock, and anything not consumed was put into the compost pile. Yesterday, we brined the meat, and cooked them in this "egg" grill thingy - how apropos, haha...or strange? They had great flavor, but kind of chewy. It's funny...normally I prefer to eat pasture raised chicken and beef - healthier for the animal, human and Earth. But this time, with the roosters we raised on the farm, I felt a little uncomfortable eating them. I know exactly where they came from, what they ate, how they spent their days, and that they were humanely treated...but I still felt a little creeped out eating them. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I knew them when they were alive - kind of like pets. It definitely would be easier to be a vegetarian if I was around the animals all the time like I am now. Much harder to eat them when you knew them before as living creatures. Talk about gaining a whole new perspective!
Not only were the deaths of the roosters difficult to face, but random chicken deaths have been much worse. We've had two die recently, and we can't always be sure of the cause. One of the young hens was found in the morning, after uncovering the tarp that protects their coop at night. No apparent reason - no cuts or bleeding. I was the unlucky one to find her, and no other farmers were out on the farm yet. I am pretty squeamish when it comes to dead animals, but I had to get her out of the coop. I had to talk myself into it, repeating "it's just organic matter, just a chicken, it's not gross, just organic matter..." while reaching in, picking her up by the neck and trying not to look directly at her. I immediately set her down on the ground, and tried to gain my composure. I am such a wimp, haha! I looked around, hopeful that another farmer would be walking up at any moment. No such luck. I couldn't leave her there on the ground either. I grabbed a nearby bucket, did my mantra, and placed her in the bucket. That way I could carry her to the other side of the farm without touching the little lifeless body. Thankfully the farm manager took it from there, burying the chicken in a sawdust pile. That was a rough morning for me! After that, I realized two things: when it comes down to it, I may be capable of doing more than I think I can; and I am not cut out for real farm work that requires dealing with dead animals! :)
RANDOM HAPPENINGS AROUND THE FARM:
The swarm of bees have visited the farm two more times now. I guess they still haven't found the right spot for their hive. I think that some of our bees must be part of that swarm because we have less bees in our hives than before. Not sure what is going on, and no one else seems to either! It is a learning experience. The farmer who was managing the bee hive left about a month ago, so now it's up to us to figure it all out!
The deer are pretty clever about sneaking through our fencing. We continue to see evidence of their presence, aka:poo, but don't always see them actually within the farm. Part of the fence was patched up with chicken fencing today, but we used all we had and it isn't enough. Unfortunately, due to budget restraints, we are limited to what we have on hand - which is plastic deer fencing. Sounds perfect, right? It isn't called "deer fencing" for nothing, however....the deer must be in cahoots with the bunnies because they both have this all figured out. The bunnies chew holes in the plastic fencing, the deer somehow see these holes and push through them which rips into a bigger hole. How do I know this? I saw a deer in action! The pesky deer crouched near the ground, where the hole was, and pushed its way right through. I walked toward the deer, and it found another hole to exit through. At least I could see where they were getting in and out! Still waiting for our "Elmer Fudd" to reduce the bunny population, and now deer too. I don't want to be around for any of that! :(
Things we are harvesting: raspberries, salmonberries, thimbleberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, radishes, turnips, beets, arugula, lettuce, onions, kale, chard, peas (shelling, snow, sugar snap) edible flowers (nasturtiums, violas, arugula, borage, thyme, calendula, lemon verbena) herbs, kohlrabi and summer squash.
Lots of plants are flowering right now, and the farm is beautiful! I will add more pictures soon, but we have roses, nasturtium, violas (johnny-jump-ups), snapdragons, stattice, sunflowers, calendula, gerbera daisies, peonies, lupine, bleeding hearts, poppies, amaranthus, zinnia, strawflower, and other varieties that I can't remember! It's so nice to see all the color everyday :)
