A Murder Most Fowl

Chickens are funny little creatures. Unlike cows and sheep, chickens are omnivores, a fact that injects a whole new set of considerations when they are raised on the farm. While it is rarely their first choice, these little guys have no qualms with eating their peeping peers when they are compelled to (Just look to the left at the family resemblance to their ancestor Tyrannosaurus Rex. Who are you calling chicken?). Cannibalism is such a concern that the industrial food system now burns off chicks’ beaks in order to prevent it, effectively removing their ability to eat anything but processed feed for the rest of their lives.

This, like all problems on the farm, comes down to management. Cannibalism is a function of stress. Either the birds are living in a population that is too dense, they are not getting enough nutrition from their feed, or they are bored. If you picture an industrial chicken house where birds are packed into a constantly lit space (sometimes in cages) with stagnant air filled with fecal dust and then fed an assortment of medications and hormones dusted with whatever commodity feed was cheapest that month, you can see how this could be a serious a problem.

However, the real mystery is why it would show up on little ol’ Early Bird Ranch.

(Warning: ShaeLynn thinks I should warn you that what follows is a poultry murder mystery that's not for the faint of heart.)

On Monday, Shae came running in the house to get me because she saw a turkey running around the uphill brooder with a severed chicken leg in its mouth (We have two brooders- the uphill and the downhill. The difference in elevation is a foot or so, but it helps us to have names to call them by.). Right away we started looking the chick that the leg belonged to, but we couldn’t find the body. This to me pointed pretty clearly to a potential predator problem, and we went about setting trap after trap and plugging hole after hole, but we quickly learned this wasn’t going to do anything.

Like any good mystery or horror story, we realized the shocking truth that we were on the wrong track…effectively we learned that "the call was coming from inside of the house!"

At first, and just to be safe, I decided to give the chicks some extra protein in the form of some ground beef we had in the house to see how they liked it. I have been varying their diet with goodies like fruit, weeds, and grass clippings whenever I can. How they reacted was the first clue that something was not right.

The lower brooder chicks accepted the treat calmly and happily and finished their pieces after slowly investigating them first. The uphill chicks literally were leaping off the ground to catch the pieces of beef before they could hit the ground and then chasing each other in order to get even a tiny bite.

I immediately got on the phone to order some beef liver to supplement their feed with. Liver is fantastic because it is rich in protein, fat, and has an amazing load of vitamins and minerals. I’ll skip to the end because this post is quite long already and say that any and all signs of cannibalism disappeared in less than a day after we started giving the chicks a slice of liver in the morning. However, we were still scratching our heads over why only one brooder would be showing signs of nutritional deficiency. The brooders are identical in construction, proportion of turkeys to chickens, total population, feed ration, and every other variable we could think of. At least that was the case, until I stopped thinking like a methodologist and started to think like a farmer.

The other day I was talking about all the great benefits of the liver as I was proudly spouting off all the benefits of the extra Vitamin B12 and riboflavin the chickens were receiving now. Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that the composting floor of the brooders provides those same nutrients with all the flora and fauna that thrive in it…once it begins to compost. In a rush I started to investigate the floors of the brooders and amazingly there was a distinct difference between the level of decomposition in the uphill brooder and the lower brooder. What is so striking about this is that the cause of this difference looked inconsequential to even our trained eyes just a few days ago.

The bedding for the brooders came in large part from a generous farmer up the road that does a lot of lumber work. His bedding was new and clean and looked and smelled great. However, two trash bags worth (less than 5% of the total needed per brooder) came from a trip Shae and I took to a recycled lumber yard during our first few days here, and the stuff had to be scraped off the floor and separated from all the dirt that had accumulated under it over the weeks it had spent on the ground. So here’s the part that would make Inspector Poirot proud: those two bags went into the lower brooder.

So amazingly, while the compost in the brooders really aren’t supposed to get going until the second or third batch, just a dose of old rotting wood shavings in one brooder inoculated the bedding to an extent where there was a significant enough nutritional difference to make one brooder an Eden, and the other…not.

I don’t want to get too high and mighty here, but as a big fan of compost and sustainable agriculture I am not surprised in the least that composting is a keystone in how to solve our nutritional woes and take us one more step away from the brutal chick-eat-chick world we’ve created.

P.S. We are happy to report that only a single chick was lost cannibalism. We check these guys 5-6 times every day and with the help of our specially designed hospital pen, we were able to take any chicks with injuries out of the general population and let them heal in peace. They are now back in with all the others and doing great.

Polyphase Farm- The Farm of Many Phases

Without missing a beat, we have moved on to phase two of our adventure. Our next objective is to build the mobile pasture shelters that will house our chickens out in the field. This phase is a bit more of a race because we need to have them done by the time these chicks are large enough to leave the brooder. This means that we have anywhere from 2-3 weeks, and as you may have gathered from the previous post, even a couple hours can make all the difference!

We have budgeted a bit of time for recreation, though. Yesterday Shae Lynn, my father, and I went out to a remote part of the ranch to test and fine tune the aim on one of the farm’s rifles. With only a tin can as a target it was hard to get a feel for how the rifle shot because my dad and I kept missing it completely…that is until Shae Lynn, or should I say Ms.Bullseye stepped up. Without missing a tick, Shae put hole after hole in that can and all with a sly smile and lady-like modesty that came with the cool remark, “Oh, this is nice, it isn’t one of those guns that hurts you when it jumps.”

We have also had a time to get some projects done at night now that we don’t have to monitor the temperature in the brooder every hour. Last night I got to finish up some prototype nipple waterers for the brooders. The $2 bucket waterers we’ve been using have been fairly successful at getting water to the chicks, but they are a bear to change and keep clean and get all of the bedding around them wet. The nipple waterers will let us change the water outside of the brooders (which are only about 4’ 8” tall) and will stay nice and clean for the birds. They are definitely worth the extra money.

Last, I want to give my sincerest of apologies to you all. It has come to my attention that my last blog post completely neglected to make any sort of joke about the farm’s name and the unexpected arrival on Tuesday (instead of Thursday) of our 400 chicks. Although, I wrote the post in near total exhaustion, there is no excuse for missing that opportunity. While we are recovering well from the surprise, a ranch by any other name, though, might have been nice.

Farming on a Schedule

Goodness gracious.

Farming on a schedule is a bit of a joke.

Tuesday was a scheduled as a leisurely day when we could finish up the wiring on the brooders, get the roofs on, and just do what had to be done so we were ready when the relatively small batch of 100 turkeys arrived on Wednesday.

Well, things in agriculture are pretty bad at staying within rigid human time frames. Instead, on Tuesday morning right as I was starting what I trust would have been a lovely breakfast, the post office called to let us know that our 400 chicks had arrived. What resulted was the closest feeling I can say I have felt to sheer and utter shock.

Shae and I took a deep breath and burst into a sprint to begin doing whatever we could so we could house, feed, and keep warm 400 newborn chicks. 48 hours early is pretty darn early and we had budgeted to use a substantial chunk of that time to prepare ourselves. We ended up having to split ourselves into three teams with Rodney and I picking up the chicks from the post office, Shae rigging a temporary brooder in the living room that could house the chicks until the outdoor brooders were ready, and my father picking up last-minute supplies in Half Moon Bay.

The noise that 400 chicks make in a house is unbelievable and we spent two hours fussing over the design of our impromptu brooder to get the temperature just right. What’s great is that chicks let you know pretty well how they’re feeling. The biggest danger is that if they get cold or scared, they will crowd into corners and when that happens chicks can get suffocated or crushed. However, this behavior did let Shae and I know when we hit the sweet spot in regards to their brooder's heat levels, because almost immediately after making some final adjustments, the chicks began walking around, playing, and eating.

The final brooder preparations are a bit of blur in my memory already, but it took me, my father, and John from Santa Cruz a good chunk of time to finish them up, while Shae, Janina and her daughter, and John’s mother watched the chicks in the house.

Everything ended up going pretty well. The brooders are warm and safe and my last minute addition of a reptile thermostat has been effective at maintaining the temperature and keeping the energy costs down. Even with having to wake up several times during the night to make sure the heat was still on, I’d say that this has been a great experience so far... even though this is officially only Day 2 of batch #1.

Here we go.

Fruitful Family Farming

This post was written on July 19:

The gravy train is still yet to arrive, but the feed truck showed up today with the very first shipment of my farming career (sadly a whopping $1,200 bill came too). We are continuing to rush in order to get ready for the Wednesday and Thursday arrival of the 400 chicks and 100 poults, but one BIG item is now off my to-do list. We were so lucky to find this producer too, it is exactly what we want. We’ve gotten a few people giving us questioning and even judging looks when we tell them we are not certified as organic, but to us, the largest gains in the quality of life for the animal, the care we give to the land, and the health of the food we produce comes from raising chickens outside where they belong.

We don’t want to produce food just for the rich. I think that the cost of organic certification has gone beyond the actual costs and now the price includes a good chunk of government red-tape and trendy hype. For Shae and I, giving the chickens plenty of wild grasses, bugs and fresh clover to munch on as well as a natural feed free of genetically-modified ingredients, synthetic hormones, and pharmaceuticals, means our pasture-raised Early Bird Broilers (good name for a product, don’t you think?) are a going to be a delicious, healthy, and affordable option for families and individuals who want real food that’s worthy of their table.

I realize that reads just like a marketing pamphlet, but that’s why I love farming. I don’t have to switch on a “marketing” switch in order to talk to customers. The pride and enthusiasm comes free with the territory.

The farm’s staff has continued to grow this week. Because of a bit of over-zealousness on my part, I may have given myself a hernia during a particularly fast-paced and long day. To keep us on track (and provide a wealth of emotional support) my dad came up early to help out on the ranch. So all together it has been Shae, Shae’s Uncle Rodney, my father Alex (in the blue jacket to the right), and me working an average 11 hours per day with pretty regular visits from our friend John from Santa Cruz. That means that in one day we can accomplish what would take me more than a regular corporate working week to do alone. And what’s awesome is that everyone feels useful because out here we good at everything from electrical wiring to financial management. As such, every age and background has something they can teach and it’s even helped me to connect with friends and family (including those who haven’t visited the farm yet) as though I am meeting a whole new side of them.

I can’t think of a profession that values more the natural diversity of skills and experience that exists in families and circles of friends. What a blessing.

Brooders

With ten fingers and only a few splinters I am happy to be typing that the construction yesterday went tremendously well. The brooders are just about completed and all of the heavy designing, problem solving, and moving/placement phases are done.

We started yesterday at 8:30a with the intention of getting just one brooder out in the field and ended around 8:00p with the second brooder out in the field too and nearly 75% completed. John (as featured in previous posts), Rodney (Shae’s uncle), and I just powered through the day. I was beyond impressed by our efficiency and the tireless joviality we enjoyed, that is, until we crashed and fell asleep immediately after dinner.

I am deeply moved by the kindness of those who have come from everywhere to help the farm with their hands and their advice. We got a lot done yesterday, but I also learned more about construction than I ever have before. I was inspired by the excitement of those who also believe that good food is worth struggling for. I wish I could throw in a couple jokes to temper the seriousness of my gratitude, but I am too achy for that. Basically, I owe a huge debt to John and Rodney. I’d still be out there working on the first one if it wasn’t for them, and the skills I learned will have an effect on all of the farm’s future structures, animals, and even customers.

Thank You.

Birthday Update

Today is my birthday and I couldn’t ask for anything more than what is here right now. We are at the beginning of a grand adventure… and I am old enough to ask for my birthday cake after breakfast.

Things are speeding up on the ranch; we are down to seven days until the poults (turkeys) show up and eight days until the chicks show up. Yesterday Shae and I purchased recycled lumber for the brooder from our neighbor Jim (he lives 20 miles from us). We were expecting that we’d have to drive to Santa Cruz to rent a truck from the Home Depot for $80 + gas. However, for $20, a half dozen eggs, and some fresh baked orange muffins, Jim was nice enough to close up his shop for a bit and deliver the wood for us. Construction begins tomorrow; so barring any typing finger injuries, you can expect some very proud progress reports from me soon.

On Monday we went into Redwood City to get some official business done with the county. The ranch is now officially registered and we are legally operating as Early Bird Ranch. However, far more importantly, Shae and I picked up a marriage license (Here she is on the right already waiting for me at the end of the aisle!).

I promise your invitation did not get lost in the mail! We are living on beans and rice and right now to make sure the farm has a good chance to succeed and the simple truth is that we can’t afford or take the time to plan a wedding. We will likely take a day in the next two weeks to get the official marriage carried out by the county, but the reception (watch for the invitations) will be sometime in Spring or Summer of 2011.

I was seriously worried that our financial position would push the marriage back a year, but luckily I was able to give Shae some pretty speech about economics and insurance rates and convince her to marry me as soon as possible. The fact is I’ve been trying to get her to marry me since I met her, so the sooner the better!

All Work and No Play

Contrary to popular belief, the modern farm life includes a good chunk of time spent partying. Yesterday the land trust run by our friend Janina, which helped us lease the farm, hosted a launch party on the ranch. It was a blast.

In one fell swoop, Shae Lynn and I got to meet all of our neighbors (in the agricultural sense, we quickly learned that neighbors can live about 10 miles away) and made some amazing friends. San Mateo County and Pescadero are incredibly diverse in terms of agriculture. The people we met were absolutely fascinating. The history of this town and area alone could keep us occupied for decades, but the current projects going on around us are really exciting too. There are numerous business and personal ventures being undertaken by our neighbors that include organic vegetable and fruit CSAs, educational programs/camps for city and suburban kids to learn about farming and food, farm tourism programs, and an ever-growing slew of pasture-based livestock enterprises. The spirit of innovation is certainly alive and well here, and we are flat-out inspired by what we can learn from everyone around us.

The whole day was packed. We spent the morning doing chores and finalizing the design for our brooders. We plan to start construction next week and our friend John from Santa Cruz was kind enough to come up an hour before the party to review the design and see if we could economize it in any way. Of course, though, our innovative conference room/bedroom facility (the picture on the right), left some things to be desired.

In terms of the brooder, we are pretty happy with our designs. We’ve spent a few days in salvage yards and recycled wood dealerships, and we think that we can cut our price of construction down by about 40% just by using recycled materials. Shae Lynn has even taught herself to use Google’s drafting program SketchUp so we can see our designs in three dimensions and easily make those innovative changes that come to us at 3am or during lunch.


All of this planning work is crucial because as we scale up, any inefficiency in our designs or our work habits will get passed on to consumers as higher labor costs in our food prices. At this point, most of you reading this know us personally and have probably heard this, but our long-term mission on the ranch is to provide the most affordable and accessible food we can that adheres to our personal and agricultural ethics (That sure is a mouthful!). We certainly respect the work being done by upper-end gourmet producers, but for us the most important work we do is that which gives customers more choices for where they can get their food. Normal families that have to choose between a $26 organic chicken and a $4 super-market industrial one will usually err on the side of being able to pay their mortgage.

Transitioning

It’s been a wonderful transition to life on the ranch. We’ve had a great time getting to know our neighbors and getting moved in. Our top priority, though, is to build the brooders that will safely and warmly house the chicks that will be coming in less than two weeks! We have been brainstorming and drafting our designs every chance we get. The three big issues that must be balanced are warmth, cost, and rats. The brooder needs to be a warm haven for our chicks that keeps predators out, but doesn’t bankrupt us in the process. Shae Lynn and I have become regulars at the Home Depot in Santa Cruz camping out in the aisles, sitting on lumber dollies, and pricing the materials for our different designs (not to mention eating lunch in our car in the parking lot). It helps a lot that my suspenders make me look like I work there. I’ve even helped a few customers find what they are looking for and I am really hoping to make manager by the fall.

The peepers are doing well too. The five of them have been giving us four eggs per day and we were able to get rid of a bad egg-eating habit in one of them by giving them all more calcium in their feed (oyster shell) and checking for eggs every hour or so to make sure the lady-in-question didn’t have a chance to become a repeat offender. Their portable shelter and solar-powered electric perimeter net have kept them safe from the coyotes that live on the ranch each night so far. On our first two nights I had to leave bed five or so times to check on them, but last night I slept like a rock.

As for our living arrangement, Shae Lynn and I will be warm and comfortable in the ranch’s main house for the next few weeks until we can get either a trailer or a yurt set up somewhere on the ranch. The house we are in now, though, is like a museum of 1970s architecture and style. The orange and brown shag carpeting is outdone only by the light-up picture of San Francisco and the gun racks built into the wall. The house was being renovated right before we arrived, and it’s been a fun adventure to run from room to room because one bathroom has the working sink (this is also where we’ve been washing dishes), one has the working toilet, and the last has the working shower. Frankly, though, seeing the chickens happy and feeling the way we do when we wake up and see the land we’ll be working makes it all really enjoyable.

P.S. Thank you all for the comments in the last post! It's really nice to hear from you all. For everyone who is interested we are at 4900 Cloverdale Rd., Pescadero, California. Our mailing address, though, is P.O. Box 293 in the same city and zip code.

First Day on The Ranch

Yesterday was our first day on Early Bird Ranch and it felt great. We arrived on Sunday from San Diego after a long and tiring drive through fourth of July traffic, but we were instantly recharged when we laid our eyes again on this beautiful land.

Enough cannot be said to thank our friend Janina and her non-profit landtrust PLANT! for helping us find and afford this land.

Before we could begin unpacking, we had to get our five lovely laying hens (still known affectionately by their baby names as 'The Peepers') out of the moving truck and set up in a paddock in the side-yard. They proved to be wonderful travelers. Aside from a couple attempts to jump out of their house and explore when we’d stop at gas stations to refill their water and feed, they stayed cool and calm for the whole ride. Impressively they took to their surroundings almost immediately and they’ve already given us three eggs and begun earnestly munching on the weeds and bugs in the yard.

As for Shae Lynn and I, we are trying this morning to get our tools and clothes unpacked as quickly as possible, so we can begin building the brooder houses for the 400 chicks and 100 turkey poults that will be arriving in 15 days! We have our work cut out for us, though, to make sure that the structures are not only warm, but safe. The ranch has a healthy assortment of four-legged and winged neighbors that would be anxious to snack on any unsecured chicken nuggets that might get out.