Tag Archives: chickens

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Wild Critters dine and dash

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Living in the wild one must expect losses from wildlife looking for a fast meal, right?  WRONG.  Now to get this through the wild critters heads may take a bit of encouraging or is it discouraging?   Either way the latest task is to get my chickens off the menu of a weasel or mink or whatever the nasty little creature is that has been raiding my-MY henhouse!  The nerve!

This all began a few days ago when I found 2 of my pullets dead and blamed my sweet little (well not so little hen for pecking them).  As some of you may recall I also had a chick with a severe injury to the neck that required stitching the skin back in place but more on that in a bit.  I really did believe that it was the hen so I removed her and the rooster to other living quarters and thought the problem was resolved as nothing happened to any of the sweet young birds over the course of the next 2 hours.  Our friends Robin and Dan came out and we were discussing life on the farm and Robin pointed out that now is the time the wild critters will be looking to feed on my not so wild critters.  Oh the possibility is there I thought but noooooo not MY precious and cute chickens.  That night something DID strike again this time getting 6 of them!  Mad as an old wet hen I drug the carcasses out one by one and examined them and sure enough some wily creature had sucked the blood right out of them!  This means war!   So doing what any rational person would do I immediately apologized to my hen Henny for accusing her of such an awful thing and called Robin.  After teasing her about her wild critters getting my not so wild critters (those who know me will understand I deal with anything tragic by way of humor) she became as mad as I was and said we’re gonna trap that little sucker-or something along those lines and said I will call my son, get some traps and Dan and I will come out this afternoon!   Now you have to understand Robin is a spitfire of a woman all 5 foot 2 or so and a big gust of wind would blow her away but she has gumption.  She is as crazy as I am about the outdoors and is very well versed in everything Alaska.  I am so fortunate to have her as my friend and mentor.  Robin and Dan arrive and I am up to my elbows in cheese-yep more of that story to follow but lets not get sidetracked.  They have traps, bait and more importantly the knowledge we are lacking to catch the beast or beasts that dared trespass and dine on my fowl.  After getting Mike educated on the ins and outs of trapping they joined us for coffee and Robin brought us some blueberries and strawberries she had picked and froze last summer and some canned salmon I have already earmarked for salmon patties on Friday.  Robin came in and immediately got acquainted with my little chick Stitch so named because it took 6 stitches to put the poor thing back together.IMG_3404 IMG_3401

After 6 tiny stitches he or she (not sure which) is as good as new and is making itself quite at home in the cabin. I do believe it thinks it may be a dog as it follows us around and insists on being the center of attention.

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Well, Robin and Stitch found mutual friends in each other and stitch even sang to her. Yes the silly chick coos and sings-not Robin!  It was Stitch singing!

This week has been one of those weeks.  Our 4 wheeler blew the water pump and we are looking for parts, the chicken ordeal rattled me and it seems as if I am constantly moving yet getting nowhere. It is times like this I reflect upon a quote from Mother Theresa which goes something like this “I know God will not give me anymore than I can handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much”. This too shall pass but I am thankful during these times for my faith to carry me through.

It is the time of year that I everything is moving forward and I of course with an already overloaded schedule have to begin my crafting.  In the last 2 weeks I have made soap, Instant cocoa mix with goats milk powder, Lip Balm and with the goats producing milk it is cheese making time once again.  Yay!!! I do love making cheese but since I use old recipes and do things the old ways it is very time consuming.

Goats milk, Coconut oil and Honey Soap
Goats milk, Coconut oil and Honey Soap

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Soap Curing
Soap Curing

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Lip Balm made with Organic Coconut oil, Beeswax and Grapeseed oil
Lip Balm made with Organic Coconut oil, Beeswax and Grapeseed oil

The soap must cure for another 3-4 weeks and then it will be available for purchase.

All of our products are  made with natural ingredients and we use organic materials whenever possible.

If interested in soap, lip balm or goat milk hot cocoa mix message me for more details.

I will leave you all this evening with pics of my goat milk cheddar fresh from the press it is almost perfect except my new oak pressing plates I burnished to seal and it left a couple of charcoal colored spots on the wheels but that shouldn’t effect the taste.  to finish  drying, then waxing and finally the aging.    I will let you know how it tastes in 2 months after it has aged properly.

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Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar Cheese

l pray you are all safe, warm and blessed beyond measure.

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Busy days at Two Moose farm

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It’s been quite hectic here at Two Moose as of late. New pens to build as babies being born, new inventions to build and use and the crafting time has begun.
We completed the weaning shed and pen (much to the dismay of little Racer and Etta who would have prefered staying with their momma. You will see in the video what Racer thought of penning him in!

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The Turkey Tractor is complete also and the turkeys have found it quite to their liking.  My daughter thought it would be great fun to play different calls to them and see what they would do.

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Of course no one can be left out on the farm and roosters especially as they have to be in the limelight ALL the time as you can tell from prior videos the voice their opinions frequently.

The goats are our biggest source of entertainment here at Two Moose.  They never cease to amaze me with their antics. Here is Bella who was ready to be milked. When I refused to acknowledge her as it was still hours away from milking time she proceeded to crawl into the feed pan and begin bleating very loudly at me.

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The test tap I did on a Birch tree last week is finally showing signs of the approaching run.  There are a few drops of sap making a show but not enough to tap the other trees yet but soon.  My soap I created last week is aging nicely and although unscented has a beautiful clean scent about it.  I will be putting the website online shortly and the soap along with leather crafts, hot cocoa mix made from powdered goats milk and many other items will be available for sale for those of you wanting a little taste of Alaska I will have the Birch syrup available as soon s the run is complete.

Life here is about constantly moving forward and work is a big part of our lives but there is also time for learning and fun.  The children have been working on school work but their best education I believe is seeing how providing for the animals is returned by what the animals provide for us.  Cati has become quite proficient at milking and loves the goats as much as I do, Caleb is all about the rabbits.  He enjoys feeding them and can tell you which rabbit is due to have babies.  He also is a great hand at splitting firewood.  Cami is our little get it done girl who makes sure every creature has adequate bedding and with her sister Cati they are the ones who monitor the pens for cleanliness.  I still have to assist but am proud they love the animals as much as I do.

We did take a trip to the beach the other day where the kids enjoyed playing with a friend from town and they also gathered a bunch of coal for our cookstove.  Simple things mean a lot to us and a couple hours of beach time gave everyone a break from the daily routine.

Its getting close to chore time again so I must go but will try to post a bit more frequently.  I will leave you with a picture of my favorite view and a prayer God blesses you with health and happiness.

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Update on our chicks

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Sadly I have to tell you all of our chicks died.  It was a good fight though and I believe that had they been from another producer they may not have made it as far as they did.  Ideal poultry already answered my message and let me know they would be replaced.   I did inform hem that I didn’t believe it was their fault but still they tell me they will replace them.  What a great company!

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The ugly side of raising animals

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Today was one of those days for sure.  As most know I had issues with the delivery of baby chicks and lost most but there’s more to the story of how my day went.

Little Racer had the unfortunate luck to be born a little boy goat.  Boy goats (Billys) are foul smelling creatures as when they mature they pee on their heads to attract the ladies-I am so glad that is not a human thing!  Eeeeewww!!!!  Not wanting or needing another billy goat I have decided little racer will be sold for either a companion wether or for meat depending on the buyer. In order to have him no longer a hormonal male as he gets older (and to avoid the stink) he must be castrated and that is exactly what happened today.  Dear hubby held the squirming little guy and I did the ugly deed.  Moments later he was back out running and being his obnoxious little self and still wanting to follow me around so musn’t have been as difficult for him as it was for me.

Many are probably curious as to how to raise baby chicks without electricity to run a brooder.  In the old days they would simply leave in a box behind the woodstove but I have devised a system that allows them to stay at a more constant temp and is easier to regulate.  I use a pot of hot water covered with a large stainless bowl turned upside down then  placed  in the middle of a rubber water trough and the chicks can move closer or further away depending on what is comfortable.  I then cover half the trough to keep heat in and leave the other end exposed so if they get too warm they can move.  The water temp to start off with is about 105 degrees Fahrenheit.  This will last about 3 hours as it warms the bottom of the tub also.  Every three hours reheat the water.  Decreasing by 5 degrees a week until they are fully feathered out.  A lot of work but no one said off grid was going to be easy.

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Every life is precious

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Very sad day today.  I had ordered 25 barred rock chicks and they were supposed to arrive yesterday but got mixed up in Anchorage  and weren’t delivered until today.  They were all froze except for 2 that made quiet little peeping sounds.  Ice was in the box if that will give you an idea of how cold these little things were.

Many people have a preconceived notion that farmers feel nothing for their animals and that could not be more untrue.  Every life is precious.  Just because we eat animals does not mean we devalue their lives, it simply means we value them for their purpose and yet believe their lives should be spent in relative comfort until the moment of their demise.

Not being one to ever give up I refused to believe that the end is always the end-There has to be one more chance.  So I said a prayer and decided to thaw them out before I gave up.  After many hours of thawing I now had 7 chicks that were breathing and chirping yet very weak.  Still not ready to throw in the towel I mixed corn syrup and water and began feeding them one at a time.  I have lost 2 more but knowing I gave it my best shot made their passing much easier on my heart.  I don’t know what will happen but I do know that live or die these precious little babies if they pass will have been warm, dry and nestled in the palms of someone who loved them if only for a short time.

Yes life and death on the farm is a daily event but even though losing animals hurts I pray I never lose the compassionate side of me for that would be a tragedy.  There are already too many in the world who are uncaring and unfeeling.