With the arrival of Spring it’s time to shake the farm blog out of its Winter dormancy. As we start year two at Buckland we have lots to be thankful for, and much to be hopeful about as we start the growing season. My blogging goal is a biweekly update for CSA members and other interested parties who want to keep abreast of what’s going on “up on the farm”.

Garden Field In Winter Repose---Time To Wake Up!

The fields finally dried from the snow melt to where they could be worked with the tractor, so I got to it on the first day of Spring 2011.

One Pass Over The Field With The King Kutter

I started out with the field mower on the back of the Massey-Ferguson. It’s a beast and frankly the thing scares the daylights out of me. Maybe because the manual states flatly that more people are killed each year in field mower accidents than by any other implement that hooks onto the back of a tractor…

A Turn Around The Field With Disc Evens Out Last Seasons Beds

I evened out the raised beds with the disc harrow, and then out came the plow. Last season as a total newb I had no idea what I was doing. This year I’m still a newb, but a year of experience indeed makes a difference.  Neighbor Lester Resau dropped in last Fall and pointed out a few things about my tractor, and his advice was taken to heart. So this year the Massey has a new leveling strut to give full range of adjustability on the 3-point lift arms, and a pair of nifty stabilizers to keep implements centered behind the axle. Thanks, Lester! Carrie’s going to make you a pound cake as a small token of appreciation.

Plowed Field--Now The Race Is On Against Pernicious Weeds

After 48 hours of rest, the field gets disced again, and then beds will be raised. Should be planting peas by Saturday (!) Along with good advice from Lester, the Massey is also in fine fettle due to the Spring tuneup I did, and also the water pump replacement brother Mike did last Fall. Thanks Mike, she’s running like a top!

144 Genovese Basil Seedlings-Off And Running

Our tomato and pepper sets are being started in the fine greenhouse facility at Goodness Grows, where Dawn and Rob Custer are holding forth in their Revolutionary-Era farmhouse, the rest of our indoor starts are being seeded now. Basil, like US Army Rangers, leads the way.

Brooder Box, Prepped With Love By Liz Hardy

5 Golden Comets + 5 Amber Sexlinks

We’re amping up egg production this season, so ten pullets came home (golly they’re cute!) with me to join our nine adult hens and our rooster. Phase two of the expansion is due in April, details to follow.

Purdy Likes To Keep An Eye On Things From His Fence Perch

Purdy is maturing nicely and is a good rooster, not too rough on the hens and exhibits good vigilance. I’d probably think of him as a great rooster if he didn’t live in the formidable shadow left by Mysterio. We’re glad to have him.

Flopsy, Mopsy, Annabelle In Surgical Recovery Suite

Our soon-to-return-to-the-barn kitties went to see the cat-fixin lady on Saturday (thanks for helping out, Liz) and they’ve been quietly recuperating since. I think they’re near ready to retake the farm. I propose there be a new law, namely that every use of the term “free kittens” be followed by the actual price, in this case “free kittens, only $240.00″.

The Barn Is Open For Pond Viewing

And in keeping with the change of season, the barn has been tidied up and opened for business. Still provides one of my favorite farm views…okay for now, that’s the news from Buckland.

Kind of a misnomer, it’s candy to us but food to our friendly honeybees outside. After attending the January meeting of the Allegheny Mountain Beekeepers Association last Friday I concluded, with the help of my bee mentor, that the kids would likely need some help to get through the winter. The extended drought this year made it tough for startup hives to set enough stores for the winter.

Of our three hives, one did very well and probably has enough honey to hit Spring 2011 in full stride. The second is doing OK but the third is definitely having a harder time. All three queens are alive and laying, that’s the good news. So, we set out to make winter provisions. Carrie cooked sugar and water in a 4:1 ratio to ~230 degrees F and stirred as it started to cool. At about 180 degrees we poured  the mix into the inner covers of the hives. When I reinstall them in the hives this puts sugar within easy access of the bees, who are staying in a cluster keeping the queen warm.

Hot Sugar Goes Into Cover

Stirring To Help Set The Candy

Starting To Solidify...

Hive Inner Cover With Bee Candy

I adjusted the hives to place the inner covers directly over the bee clusters and with a little work, the kids will hopefully get all the energy they need to come through the winter strong and ready for action. We’ll check in two weeks or on the next warm (a relative concept up here) day and repeat the process if they have eaten what we put out this time. It’s the least we can do for the hard working bees of Buckland.

Flopsy Is In The House

Who’s that black and white kitty on the futon? Not Buck…Flopsy filled out an application for the position of house cat, and we’re giving her an “interview”. I’m not sure. Neither is Carrie. Buck is unimpressed, to say the least. Kaya isn’t taking sides. Yet. What do you think, Does Buckland need another inside kitty, or should Flopsy return to the fold of barn kitties?

This winter is shaping up to be quite nippy–the day after Thanksgiving the wind came up and temps went down below freezing, and we haven’t seen the mercury go up over freezing much since then. The hard freeze settled in earlier than we had hoped and it made a few things, like planting our 50 apple trees, a bit tougher than we’d planned. But through a little perseverance and a lot of hacking at the frozen surface of the field, we got the apples in. We’ll have to see in Spring how well we actually did when we count the survivors. It’s said that planting a tree is a hopeful act–well we’re hoping times 50 out here and aiming for 200 more in the Spring.

One of our most popular activities here in Winter is keeping water out for the pigs. Generally, we can get by with two trips a day carrying water, as they have about 6 hours between water in their bowls and ice in their bowls. I think I can safely say now that pigs have a whole different set of tools to cope with the cold. But they can’t get by without water, so we do what we need to to get the precious hydro out for them.

Being a sensitive sort I had to satisfy myself that they were OK out in the woods even when it’s 5 degrees F and 30 mph windy. So the other evening I suited up and went to try their dens out for warmth and comfort. First up was casa de Lance and Amy, a first-generation Buckland Farm pig den. It’s made of wood pallets and faced with straw bales, shaped like a T. Well, it was plenty cold but Lance and Amy work on a different thermometer, so while I settled into their den they were out on the slope hanging around in the breeze. They were curious as to why I was in the den so they came to take a look, but lost interest and wandered back out.

What Are You Doing In Here? Did You Bring Any Apples?

I'm Outta Here-Next Time, Bring Apples

On to the upper piggery and its den, a second generation den shaped like an L. The kids were out when I got there, but after I settled into their place they started to head in for bedtime.

Having A Bedtime Snack

Nod, First In To Bed

Characteristically, Nod  shuffled in with a grunt and headed for the back corner. He plopped down and that was it for him.

Winkin Comes In Next

Winkin headed in next, he’s quite a sociable fellow, and was full of chatter and looking for some scratches and rubs.

Nod Claims The Corner, Blinkin Settles In Next

Blinkin picked his way through the crowd and settled in next to Nod, and put a big nose print on me. He’s like that.

Winkin Decides To Be A Lap Pig

Winkin decided to colonize my lap since it was still available. He does a good impression of a beached whale.

Bo Makes His Entrance

Once everyone was settled, Bo came in and asserted his primacy (he is the boar after all).

Bo And Blinkin Vie For Lap Space

As Boar, Bo Asserts Privilege And Takes Coveted Lap Space

Having ejected Winkin from the lap space, Bo settled in for his slumber while Blinkin slowly moved in from his side. Winkin is pretty easy going, so he relocated further into the den. We were all pretty cozy at that point when I realized we had a little problem—Bo was laying aross my leg and I couldn’t get out from under him. He wasn’t moving, so I pinched his tail and thumped his bottom but to no avail. After a half hour he shifted enough I could get my leg back and head in. Temperature was 9 degrees F outside the den, 58 degrees F inside. So I now rest assured that the pigs do just fine in their dens, no matter how frightful the weather seems to me.

Welcome To Our New Rooster

And lastly for now, I want to put out a big Buckland welcome to our rooster. It’s been a tough month here with losing Mysterio and some other problems we had on farm but have since resolved. Dawn and Rob at Goodness Grows donated him to help try and get our flock to regroup, and we’re hoping he continues to settle in. No bird can replace Mysterio, but we’re happy to have this new rooster and hope the girls accept him and restore some order in their system. OK for now, that’s the news from Buckland.

Mysterio On Guard

I came home from a day off-farm on Sunday to discover that Mysterio had suffered a grievous injury.  No one saw it happen but at dusk WWOOFers found him in the yard and placed him in the coop. He had been attacked and his back had been broken.

While I was hopeful that Mysterio would eventually recover from the injuries he received during the previous dog attack on November 16, he had never really gotten back on track. His injury had limited his speed and range of motion, and the loss of so much plumage made it so he couldn’t really keep warm as winter weather arrived. Anybody who has suffered orthopedic trauma knows how cold aggravates the injury. He had not been able to range far with the hens, and never recovered his ability to service them. He wasn’t any longer able to defend the flock, or himself.

So Sunday night I set him near the heater in a straw bed with water and food and hoped he’d be able to stand next morning.  Monday morning he was alert but paralyzed and wasn’t eating or drinking, so the decision to put him down was an easy one. But the walk to the woods with him cradled in one arm was the most difficult action I’ve had to take in a year on farm. Life and death happen here, sometimes by design and sometimes by happenstance. I suppose it doesn’t pay to get too attached to your animals but I loved my blue-legged rooster with the black cape, and it won’t be the same without him providing boisterous attitude and plenty of hearty crowing. It’s pretty quiet at Buckland today. OK for now, that’s the news.

Potatoes Are Dug, Salad Picked For The Pigs, But These Two Are Just Getting Started

We get a lot of visitors to Buckland, which is how we like it. We enjoy sharing our space and seeing others discover the things that make our farm a special place to be. And everyone who visits seems to automatically look for how to pitch in, and help get things done. We can’t overstate how much we appreciate that, but some people go beyond being good company and helpful friends; they are the Heroes Of Buckland Farm. Two that immediately spring to mind are Jessie and Brooke. The other week they swept through Buckland, and in addition to being fabulous company at dinner they proceeded to dig 5 rows of potatoes (no mean feat), make salad for the pigs both large and small, and then rolled up their sleeves and got to work pig wrangling.

Fruit of Their Labor

I don’t know how many of you out there have ever tried to move a pig, but it’s a process fraught with complications. Pigs are dense, slippery, agile, and easily spooked. Their personality seems to run towards contrarian. If it’s their idea to do something, fine. If it’s your idea, forget about it. And if it comes down to it, a scared or belligerent pig has a number of weapons both offensive and defensive to deploy.

The task at hand was to move Winkin, Blinkin, Nod, And Bocephus from the barnyard to their new piggery in the woods. We knew they’d be happy to be there; equally we knew they’d protest the move every step of the way. After a brief strategizing session, there was nothing else but to get to it. So we started with a little treat for the kids-fresh grass salad.

Ready To Wrangle

Salad Snack For Pigs Before Moving

Bo Is A Healthy Eater

Then it was one pig at a time into dog crates for the move. Some combination of cajoling, food treats, muscle and fortitude got the job done. With Brooke and me hoisting the crates into the truck and Jessie riding in the back soothing the little beasts with apples and positive thoughts, we got the kids moved in ones and twos. As soon as they got sight of their new place in the forest, all the unpleasantness of crates and pickup truck beds was quickly forgotten.

Journey Complete, We Unload Pigs At Their New Site

Winkin Checks Out His New Home

New And Improved Pig Den

A multitude of thanks to these two, they really are Heroes of Buckland Farm. While I’m on the subject, I should mention this class of heroes includes our very own Kaya, who has now twice thrown herself into action with no regard for her own safety in defense of our beloved chickens. In the face of a sudden attack on the flock Kaya stopped the carnage by confronting the murderous canine and putting herself between the flock and the predator, who outweighed her by about 2-3 fold. She’s really proved her worth and earned her place on the honor roll.

Kaya, A Hero of Buckland Farm

Not heroic but still a farm favorite, Buck continues to grow and mature. He looks good in his winter coat and we always get a kick out of his antics. It would be great if he could find it in his heart to be a little nicer to the new barn kittens.

Give Me Steak, Human!

Barn Kitties Left to Right: Annabelle, Mopsy, Flopsy

In all the fun of moving the young pigs, we didn’t forget about our heritage team, Lance and Amy. We’re feeding them heavily to set them up for wintering over, to which they do not object. OK for now, that’s the news from Buckland.

Amy Would Like A Little Belly Rub

Missing Tail Feathers, Ass Half Bitten Off, but Alive!

Mysterio, having made it back alive, has continued to mend to the point we feel his survival is no longer in question. His mobility remains limited, and he has yet to resume his roosterly duties with the hens because he can’t mount them properly. We, and they, are hopeful he gets back on track soon. Having seen how quickly things can go badly we labor somewhat  under the cloud of waiting for another shoe to drop. The neighboring owner of the dog who attacked was notified by the dog warden and promptly came over to take responsibility. He explained how he thinks the dog got out, and told me he plans to fence in their kennel area in hopes of avoiding another attack. He offered compensation for the hens. All good and well, and we’re glad to see him take unequivocal responsibility. His dogs are English Pointers, and he says he wants to avoid them getting shot, but he’ll understand what happens if his dogs are on the property killing our birds.

Which leads to the matter of flexibility. It’s usually considered a positive thing, and it’s a valued characteristic here at Buckland. Inflexibility rarely serves well on most matters (like, US China policy from 1949-1972, Pharaoh’s response to the biblical plagues, etc) So on further consideration an inflexible policy of shooting dogs on sight won’t serve Buckland well on the matter of dog incursions. Hence the new policy on such matters: Proper response based on individual circumstance and reserving all options. Thus, if Mrs. Pumphrey has her driver stop on Morral Rd to take in the exquisite view, and Tricki-Woo the Pekingese leaps from the Rolls and charges the property, our response will probably be that of stern looks and admonitions, and perhaps a kleenex to wipe Tricki’s nose. The motivated dog in search of a chicken dinner will probably be met with a response considerably further along the force continuum.  OK for now, that’s the news from Buckland.

What do they all have in common? They are—Hard To Kill. Everybody knows about Segal. Jean suffered a horrible bike wreck earlier this year, complete with multiple fractures, collapsed lung and other fun stuff. You’d hardly know it to look at her now, unless you asked her to raise her arms (you’ll be able to lift them soon Jean, hang in there).  Now to round out the trio Mysterio dragged himself into the coop from wherever he had holed up after the attack. Carrie found him this morning. After breathing a sigh of relief, the relief turned to dismay as the extent of his injuries became clear. He apparently managed to keep his head and neck out of the dog’s mouth, but his leg is badly damaged, and he has puncture wounds in his back and midsection. Bare skin shows around where he took the worst of the biting. We’re keeping food and water near him so he doesn’t have to range to eat. I’ll be heading into town to get him grapes and other high water content foods in the morning in hopes of staving off dehydration. The hens are huddled around him helping keep him warm. That’s all we can do, besides hope for the best. OK for now-that’s the news from Buckland Farm.

Today was a rough day on Buckland Farm. A neighboring dog got on farm and attacked the fleet, killing two of our beloved hens.  Mysterio is missing, assumed to have been KIA.  All indications are that he took on the dog in an attempt to stop the attack, but a 80 pound dog proved to be too much for him. The attack sequence started feet from the house with a hen being assassinated. Mysterio intervened in the back yard, probably trying to protect the hen behind him who was the third one killed. At that point Kaya got the dog at bay until Carrie got on scene. Problem being Carrie didn’t have a gun. The dog apparently decided the situation had gotten too hot and headed home. I was in the back meadow finishing up the second piggery when Carrie got to me with the news.

First Hen Casualty

Site of Mysterio's Stand

Second Hen Casualty

RIP Mysterio 21MAR2010-20DEC2010

I’m very sad about the loss of our beautiful chickens–they were really a part of the Buckland Farm family. We appreciate Kaya’s intervention-she’s proving to be a capable guard and doubtless stopped the loss of several more of the hens. Mysterio, as I knew he would gave the last full measure of devotion to his hens. If there was a Congressional Medal of Honor for chickens, the review board would be considering his case shortly.

But I’m also angry-at the irresponsible dog owner who let this happen. And I’m angry that that irresponsible behavior has to result in a new policy of shoot on sight for dogs who stray on property. Take a moment and raise a glass to Mysterio and the two hens lost today. We already miss them.

 

 

Carrie's Still Out Looking For The Pot O' Gold

We’re enjoying a run of warmer-than-usual-for-the season weather here at the farm, and trying to take advantage of it to ready ourselves for what’s sure to come next. With no freeze yet, and none imminent we’re still pulling from the garden and may even get some of the late lettuce and peas we planted a month ago. We were being optimistic about the timing, and maybe that will pay off this time! Last weekend a batch of people came up to visit and help out—we had Amy and Bonnie, Liz S. with her dog Chunk, and saw the return of our original WWOOFer Spring along with four of his mates from Penn State (is that booing and hissing in the background?). Farm friend Ed came up in the evening for a visit as well, and we all had a pleasant night under the stars. Spring & Co. split and hauled firewood, and weeded a few of the upper garden beds. Amy and Bonnie prepped beds, planted garlic, and transplanted 33 asparagus plants that managed to get a foothold in spite of the drought. Now they’re (the asparagus, not Amy and Bonnie!) in trenches nicely buried and watered in and we’re happy about that. Ed promised to donate hard-neck garlic from his stores and I’ll be picking that up this week and getting it planted. Thanks to everyone for making it such a productive weekend!

We’re feeling fortunate to be able to live on our own farm, and trying to take a little time each day to appreciate the setting. In spite of the 7-day a week nature of the work, and the ups and downs that come along with it the rewards really seem special to us. There are a very few conveniences we miss from being in the megalopolis (like edible pizza), but I know I’ve landed in the right spot when I look around every morning before the day’s work starts.

View West

View East

View North

View South

Morning Coffee In The Barn

Annabelle-One of the New Barn Kittens

Mysterio and Hens Take the High Ground

And there has been quite a bit going on with the animals here since my last post. Buckland Farm has slaughtered its first hog! This is a huge deal for us, and brings about a lot of mixed emotions. Bobby led the way and after we thanked him for his hard work  he went for that last ride and came back as product. I know we gave Bobby the best life a pig could have, and we did our best to respect his sacrifice. Half of him went to the Resort for a locavore dinner event and we have been working with the rest of him to hone our skills with pork.

We Don't Wonder What's In Our Sausage-It's Bobby in There!

Lance and Amy are still living the high life out in the woods, and will soon be joined in an adjacent piggery by the new team for 2011. Winkin, Blinkin, Nod and Bocephus have joined us here at Buckland Farm and are learning the wire down in the barn while we finish their woodland area. Bocephus is a boar while the others are barrows, so when Bo gets of appropriate stature we’ll be trying to breed Amy. We can’t wait to expand our operations in this exciting new direction!

Lance and Amy Share a Meal in the Woods

Winkin, Blinkin, Nod, and Bocephus

OK for now–that’s the news from Buckland Farm.

View Into The New Piggery

It’s been a busy couple of days here at Buckland. After completing the new piggery we were left with the daunting task of moving the kids out into the new area. Easier said than done, as it turns out (somehow I knew that would be the case). Our first attempt was based on the simple food motivation approach. We got pans of tasty treats together, dropped the electric fence and off we would go! Except even with the wire down, the kids knew where the boundary was so it took a half hour to demonstrate that they could walk over the line without a shock. Amy and Lance bought in to the concept but Bobby is a doubting-Thomas at heart, and he wasn’t having any of it.

Electric Wire Is Down-We Try To Walk The Pigs To The Den

Bobby Wants To Know Where The Wire Went

OK-we figured two pigs moved was better than none, so off we went minus Bobby. Things were going great, sort of and relatively speaking, until halfway around the pond our helper dog Kaya ran from the rear to the front of the procession, turned the pigs and they were off like a shot back to the old enclosure. Thanks Kaya! Oh well, she’s a cattle dog, not a pig dog.  Not that she’s any good with cattle either…

Mike And I lead Lance And Amy, Kaya Brings Up The Rear

Much consternation, as Cooper would say. The kids were excited and a little tired out from the first go around so we put the wire back up, gave them some apples for a treat, and we retired to the porch with a beer to consider the options.

Bright and early next morning, we had constructed a pen out of wood pallets in the trailer and decided we’d lure them with food into the pen and drive them over. We abandoned our efforts to get pictures because the whole scene was a bit too hectic and mayhem prone. Lance, always the most handsome and intrepid of the pigs, went for it first. And with some corn and a few apples in the pen he was happy as could be to drive to the new piggery. One down, two to go. Back we went and Amy was next up. She had seen Lance head out and probably heard him munching on those treats, so with a modicum of coaxing in the pen she went. She enjoyed the drive over and was delighted to be reunited with her old pal Lance. Two down, and one big Bobby to go.

Well it turns out Bobby is one stubborn pig, and on top of that he just doesn’t care for change. Status Quo works for him just fine. We put his food in the pen and he looked longingly at it while making no effort to go up the ramp. Coaxing with apples? No go. Using fence sections to herd him up the ramp? Try 300 pounds of Bobby heading the other way on for size. After an hour or two of this Bobby, Mike, and Dan were all exhausted and called it a day.

Well, each new sunrise brings yet another opportunity on the farm to make an ass of yourself, and Mike and I weren’t in the mood to be skunked by a pig-headed pig like Bobby, so back we went to it. We enlisted Carrie, who got on one side of a fence section with Mike on the other while we moved him towards breakfast, which was halfway up the ramp. We let him start eating and slowly moved the food a teensy bit farther up the ramp. Mike and Carrie kept the fencing up tight against his rear while we inched him forward until we reached the goal: four trotters on the ramp. We knew he wasn’t going any farther up that ramp by himself, and this was going to be our only shot at it, so Mike and I dropped the fence, grabbed the bottom of the ramp and heaved up on it for all we were worth.

Well old Bobby saw the writing on the wall and he was backing off that ramp, now raised a few feet off the ground, fast as he could go. It being now or never time, we gave it all we had and there went Bobby, ham over jowl rolling down the ramp into the pen. Squeals of indignity pierced the air, but I didn’t care. He was in! The rest of the ride over was uneventful, but I swear when we got there Lance and Amy gave me a look that could kill–”What the hell is HE doing here?” it said. All’s well that ends well I say-now at long last our pigs are where they are meant to be and this looks to me like a big part of the future here at Buckland Farm. We can already see, as Salatin put it, pigs expressing their essential nature to forage, root, and dig and thereby be as content as possible.

Lance And Amy Take A Break From Foraging To See If I brought Treats

Self-Watering Setup-Even Bobby Hasn't Been Able To Dump It

The New Den-They Love It!

Foraging In The Woods Above The Den

Amy And Lance-Two Peas In A Pod

Lance Showing Fine Tamworth Physique

Lance Rooting For Something Tasty

That's My Girl! Amy Eating Poison Ivy

Bobby, True To Form, Lies Down On The Job

We’re as pleased as can be with this accomplishment, and now we feel we have the blueprint from which to build the pig operations in hand. OK for now, that’s the news from Buckland Farm.