The Bovine Bugle

A snowy Thanksgiving for farm creatures great and small (and proud)

The snowfall late yesterday afternoon and evening left us five or six inches of snow on the ground. With more forecast for tomorrow, Thanksgiving, all the skiers and deer hunters are ecstatic. It makes things a little sloppy around the barn with snow on top of the unfrozen ground, but it wasn't too bad this morning feeding round bales and handling the manure.

The animals take the change of weather in stride. The heifers being overwintered outside in the pole barn were munching hay at the round bale feeder while snowflakes from a passing flurry swirled around them.

The chickens surprised us by wanting to come out of their coops and into the snow once the doors were open. The younger hens followed Rooster Cogburn across the lawn and, of course, right to the bird feeder which Karen had filled this morning.

One reluctant older hen spent the night under one of our decks. She must have gotten caught there when the snow started yesterday afternoon, and then didn't want to cross the snow-covered ground to go back to her coop for the night. We'll be sure to get her out from under there today.

Turkey sales have been excellent. One more person is stopping by this afternoon to pick up her bird. That will bring the number of birds sold to about 30. That leaves 18 in the freezer, some of which we may sell at Chistmas time and the rest we will have to use throughout the year. It's nice to think how many families will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday by serving one of our turkeys. It's encouraging to see people making a choice for locally grown, organic food for their families because they think it is the right thing to do.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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A snowy Thanksgiving for farm creatures great and small (and proud)

The snowfall late yesterday afternoon and evening left us five or six inches of snow on the ground. With more forecast for tomorrow, Thanksgiving, all the skiers and deer hunters are ecstatic. It makes things a little sloppy around the barn with snow on top of the unfrozen ground, but it wasn't too bad this morning feeding round bales and handling the manure.

The animals take the change of weather in stride. The heifers being overwintered outside in the pole barn were munching hay at the round bale feeder while snowflakes from a passing flurry swirled around them.

The chickens surprised us by wanting to come out of their coops and into the snow once the doors were open. The younger hens followed Rooster Cogburn across the lawn and, of course, right to the bird feeder which Karen had filled this morning.

One reluctant older hen spent the night under one of our decks. She must have gotten caught there when the snow started yesterday afternoon, and then didn't want to cross the snow-covered ground to go back to her coop for the night. We'll be sure to get her out from under there today.

Turkey sales have been excellent. One more person is stopping by this afternoon to pick up her bird. That will bring the number of birds sold to about 30. That leaves 18 in the freezer, some of which we may sell at Chistmas time and the rest we will have to use throughout the year. It's nice to think how many families will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday by serving one of our turkeys. It's encouraging to see people making a choice for locally grown, organic food for their families because they think it is the right thing to do.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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A Cathedral of a Chicken Coop!

I stopped in to see Sylvia Peletier the other day. We built a chicken coop for her this spring, and I hadn't seen her in quite awhile. I had stopped once to finish picking up left over building materials and to drop off a layer box that I had built for the coop, but no one was around that day. I wanted to see how they had finished the coop and how the chickens were doing.

Sylvia, as always, was so happy to have company and she was just bubbling over with excitement about her hens. Her husband, Ron, and her grandson, Josh, had done a wonderful job painting and trimming the chicken coop. The yellow paint job that Josh had done made the coop look so bright and cheerful. Ron had put up the layer box, but the hens were still getting used to it. After seeing the Cadillac version of chicken coops, it made me feel bad for my hens back home. It's a good thing my hens didn't see the Peltier's coop. They'd refuse to lay in their coop ever again!!

It made me very good inside to see how much enjoyment Sylvia was getting out of her chickens and chicken coop. She showed me all the pictures she had taken of her chicks as they were growing through the spring and summer. For all the challenges she faces just getting through her daily routine, I hope the gift we gave her this spring has brightened her day in small way. And I hope she is enjoying the eggs!

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

Left: Sylvia, back in the spring when this project started.

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There and back again: A Hen's Tale

The funniest thing happened today. Karen had a phone call from one of our raw milk customers. Lynn told her that they had a hen hanging around their house that had suddenly appeared a few days ago. They didn't want it, so could they bring it over to our farm. Karen said sure, we'd be happy to give it a home. Lynn's husband, Ricki, came over to the farm about 6:30 with the hen inside a small animal transport cage.

As we walked down to the barn to put the hen inside for the night, I told Ricki that one of our chickens had gone missing a few days ago. It was a hen that roosted in the apple tree in front of the barn, but we hadn't seen it for a few days and there was no sign of a struggle suggesting that another animal had killed that chicken. Ricki took the hen out of the cage, and I made sure to look at the legs of the hen. Sure enough, on one of the legs of the hen was a plastic band that we had put on her two years ago. The hen that had showed up at Lynn and Ricki's house 2 1/2 miles away was our missing hen!!!

I burst out laughing upon the realization that it was our hen. Ricki asked me if I was sure, and I said absolutley. We then checked to see the last time he came to get milk. He had been here four days ago. While he was filling his milk containers, the hen must have flown into the back of his pickup. Once Ricki started for home, the hen must have been too frightened to fly out and had gone for a ride all the way to Ricki's place. I thanked Ricki for bringing her home and for solving the mystery of our missing hen. The hen seemed glad to be home, and her buddy who she hangs out with was glad to have her back, too. Before going to bed I checked the apple tree, and she was back in her usual spot.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Not so happy a night at the chicken coop

After one of the long days spent at the boat workshop, we heard a commotion at the chicken coop housing the older hens just as we were going to bed. By the time we got out there whatever was bothering the hens had left but the girls were still pretty upset. The next morning we counted the hens and found that there were two missing and there were feathers scattered around outside the coop. We suspected a racoon since I had seen one around at night, and the opening that the culprit went through was a loose spot in the chicken wire under the peak of the roof.

We tightened up the wire and hung a light on the coop, and that evening waited to hear if the chickens would sound the alarm. The animal came back, but couldn't get into the older hens' coop. By the time Ben and I got out of the house, we heard noise in the young hens' coop. I shone the flashlight inside and the racoon was still there.
It had already killed two of the hens we had started this spring. So, unfortunately, Ben had to shoot the racoon to keep it from doing any more damage. The racoon had entered the coop after prying up the screen stapled over one of the windows.

I didn't know racoons would do this kind of thing. It reemphasied what wildlife professionals are always saying, that wild animals are not cuddly,cute pets, and that they are dangerous and could hurt you so give them their space. We have lost poultry to foxes and skunks, and now I know that racoons are capable of doing the same thing, too. Noah was pretty shook up, but was glad that his rooster, Rooster Cogburn Noah, was okay.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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The latest scoop on the coop

Above: Son Ben and brother Steve hammer away at the frame to the rapidly rising chicken coop.

I thought I would give an update on how the building of the chicken coop for Sylvia Peltier is progressing. (See entry Mary 25, 2005) Ben, Steve, and I spent an afternoon at Sylvia's house and we made some great progress on the project. In a few hours we had the walls up, plumbed, and anchored, and we had the framework of the roof done and ready for the steel roofing material. We put the wheelchair ramp in place, too, in case Sylvia wanted to check our progress.

Sylvia, and her husband, Ron, watched our progress on the building along with Sylvia's service dog, Odie. When it was time for us to quit, Ron arrived back from town with cold drinks and cree-mees (that's what we call soft-serve ice cream in my neck of the woods) for everyone. Again, they couldn't thank us enough for doing this project for them.

Yesterday, I went down to start putting the roofing steel on, leaving a note for Ben to come along once he got home from school after morning exams. I had half of the roof on when I had to quit because of the rain. I was soaked, and I had to borrow a couple of towels from Sylvia to put on the car seat for the ride home. I met Ben on the way home, and he turned around and came back. If the weather cooperates, we'll try to do some more this week. Sylvia's chicks had gotten too big for the one box, so Ron attached a second box and made a doorway between the two.

Below: Sylvia and guide dog Odie patiently await the completion of the coop.


Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Why did the chickens cross the road? To get to their summer house and green grass!

Today was moving day for the meat bird and laying chicks (and Noah's rooster, of course). Space was getting pretty tight in their pen, and they were definitely old enough to go out and the weather conditions were great for starting them in their summer digs.

We first took the laying chicks and rooster out of the pen, put them in a cardboard box, and put them in their new home. They all huddled in the corner furthest from the door, not quite knowing what to make of their new surroundings. With that group situated, we backed up the lawnmower and trailer to the window located behind the pen holding the meat birds. Noah and I handed all 70 birds out the window to Karen, and she placed them in the trailer under the plywood covering. Slowly we drove across the road and into the pasture where the portable shelter, or "chicken tractor", was set up for the meat birds. Soon after placing them in the shelter they were waddling around, nibbling at the grass and finding where the grain feeder and waterer were located.

Seeing the chickens out on the lush, green grass in the sunshine and fresh air helps me see why the meat and eggs from these birds is so much better tasting and so much better for you than birds raised in crowded confinement operations. The same goes for the milk our cows are producing now that they are out grazing. My oldest son, Ben, commented on how much better the milk tastes when the cows are on grass. The milk has a sweet, fresh taste and has a rich, yellow color. Too bad we can't graze year 'round.

Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Chicken "coop" for the soul

Son Ben begins constructing the frame for one
chicken coop wall.

Over the weekend, my brother, Steve, and his girls and my boys and I started building a chicken coop for someone we know. It"s sort of a community service project for Ben, one we came up with after visiting a customer of our farm's products.

We were delivering beef and eggs to Sylvia Peltier. She and her husband, Ron, have been buying our products for some time. Sylvia has severe rheumatoid arthritis and is wheel-chair bound. During our delivery, she once again talked about her wish to have chickens in the yard in back of her house. Her daughter had given her some money for materials to build a chicken coop, but the cost of hiring a builder was holding her back. As Ben and I headed home from Sylvia's house, I mentioned to Ben the idea of him and I and a few other people building the chicken coop for Sylvia and Ron. He loved the idea, as did Karen, and it would help Ben fulfill some required community service time for the National Honor Society.

We first got the okay from Ron to do the project. He was really touched by the idea. And when we told Sylvia she was so excited she couldn't stop thanking us. Over the next few weeks the project took shape. My brother put together a material list. Then I worked with a friend of mine, Mike Lemnah, who works for a local lumberyard, to price out the materials. Mike, with the blessings of his boss, sold us the materials at a discounted price and also donated 3 windows for the building. The materials were delivered just before the weekend, and we set to work Saturday morning.

Big brother Ben and Uncle Steve help Noah do some hammering on the coop frame.

Between Saturday and Sunday we probably put in 6 hours on the project. We are building the chicken coop in our farm utility building, and then we will dismantle it, truck the pieces down to Sylvia's (about 10 miles away) , and put it together in her backyard. Hopefully by Memorial Day the building will be up and standing behind Sylvia and Ron's house, almost ready for the 6 laying hen chicks that Sylvia has started in a large cardboard box in her home.

One wall of the coop is up by the end of the weekend.

Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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About those chicks we bought earlier...

A reader had a question on the blog about Noah's rooster and the baby chicks. The reader wondered what breed of meat birds we were raising, how long did we raise them until they were proccessed, a what type of pasturing setup did we use for the meat birds.

The breed we buy is a white-feathered bird called Heavy White Cornish. I haven't tried any other breeds yet. I asked another organic farmer what type of meat birds he raised, thinking he would be one who would raise an heirloom breed. He said he raised a similar breed to mine and that they did as well in a grazing setup as other breeds touted to be better than the ones we used.

In the past, we raised the meat birds for 9 weeks before they were processed at Adams Turkey Farm in Westford. The past two years the birds have averaged a little over 5 pounds after processing, with the smallest bird being around 4 pounds and the largest bird weighing 7 1/2 pounds. This gives us a good variety of sizes, and often if we do sell some of the meat chickens, we have demand for the smaller-sized ones first. This leaves the 6 and 7 pound birds for us, which is fine when you are trying to feed three hungry, growing boys.

Finally, our pasturing setup for the meat chickens. We built ourselves a "chicken tractor" out of PVC pipe that is 10 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 3 feet high in the center. Two thirds of the top of the shelter is covered with a tarp, the other third has chicken wire covering the opening and can be opened easily to feed and water the birds. The sides of the shelter are covered with chicken wire. This "chicken tractor" is moved around the pasture, normally twice a day, to fresh grass. This keeps the birds supplied with plenty of fresh grass and with a nice, clean living area. The design of the shelter also gives them plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Once the chicks are well feathered, around 3-4 weeks of age, we place them in the chicken tractor for the next 5-6 weeks. Once we put the birds in the chicken tractor, we will be sure to send pictures along to show just what it looks like.

Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Noah gets his rooster, along with 80 baby chicks

Today the day-old chicks arrived at McCuin's Farm and Home store in Highgate. More than a month ago we had ordered 70 meat bird chicks, 10 laying chicks, and 1 rooster for Noah. Noah wants to raise baby chicks, so we'll see how that all turns out. As soon as morning chores were done, Noah dashed up to the house to get the truck keys so that we could head down to "Uncle Owen's store" to pick up our order.

Donna, Owen, and Noah's cousin, Jason, boxed up the chicks for the ride home. The boxes were set inside the truck, right beside Noah. Tiny "peep, peep, peeps" muffled by the closed boxes could be heard all the way home. Noah and I unloaded the chicks into the waiting freshly bedded pen. We filled the waterer and grain feeder, and made sure the heat lamp was hung just right to keep the chicks nice and warm. "Fort Chickie", as Noah was calling the pen holding the chicks, was all set for now.

We checked the chicks several times through the day. They seemed to be settling in just fine. In about three weeks, after the chicks are well feathered and the weather has turned warm for good (it was 18 degrees here this morning), we will put the chicks out in the moveable shelter so they can enjoy the goodness of the grass and sunshine.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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