Peep Show

More new arrivals on the farm. 300 of them, to be exact.

The meat chickens came today. As you can see by the photos, they come in boxes in the mail. The postmaster in Kinsman called a few minutes after 7AM to say they were down there and driving him crazy! We ran right down to pick them up.

There were 2 boxes, each box divided into quarters; they are crowded but that helps them stay warm enough. The peeps are shipped the day they hatch; the chicks are still digesting their yolk sacs which provide them enough nourishment to survive for 72 hours. Luckily for us, we live close enough to the hatchery that our chicks arrive the next day, so are usually in good shape.

We had their new home already warmed up. The brooder is a hood-shaped affair that we’ve seen called an Ohio brooder or a hover brooder; it’s up off the ground a few inches so the chicks can run under if they’re cold and run back out when they’re warm enough. We have it hung from the ceiling on chains so it can be raised easily. You can’t believe how fast the little chicks grow!

The big circle around the brooder contains the peeps. We like the circle set-up because if the peeps get too cold from a draft or frightened by a shadow (meat chickens are very fussy!) they will all run to a corner, pile up on top of each other and smother the ones on the bottom. With a circular brooder there are no corners to hide in.

The waterers are automatic; they’re actually sitting up on a silverware divider with a piece of screen over top so the chicks can hop up, hang on, and get a drink out of the dish.

As you can see, they get right to the eating and drinking, which is a good thing. They’re busy skittering around, chirping loudly if they don’t like something and were very quiet and content under their brooder when I checked on them before bed last night.

New Arrivals

It's springtime so you expect new arrivals on the farm. After all, spring is a season for rebirth.

In a grass-based operation like ours, we want our animals to be born in the spring when the weather is more predictable, the ground is warmer and the grass is lush. This does require planning and careful management. It also makes for a very busy season!

Our first arrivals were not born here though. We've been having trouble with coyotes attacking our sheep the past few years and Aaron and a neighbor who also raises sheep have been looking at guard animals to protect the ewes from predators.

After quite a lot of research, consultation with the vet and numerous phone calls we acquired these two.

On the right is the baby donkey; she's about 9 months old. On the left is the mother donkey; she's 6 years old and is expecting another baby, we think.

The female donkeys or jennys as they're called, are supposed to be better at protecting a herd of sheep than a male (jack). We've been gradually introducing them to grass; donkeys, like horses, will overeat and founder. They're in with some sheep we're going to butcher; Aaron was reluctant to mix them with the ewes in case it upset the ewes which are very close to their due dates.

So our first arrivals are here. If you have any ideas for names, we're open to suggestions!

Easter Cheese

Another Easter food tradition in my family is “cirak” or Easter cheese. This traditional Czechoslovakian Easter delicacy is not really a cheese at all but rather an egg-y, custard-y essential part of most Eastern European tables.

My grandmother, who came from Slovakia as a young woman of about 20 years, always made this to serve with ham and kielbasa at Easter-time. Somehow it fell to me to keep up this tradition, long after both my parents and grandparents are gone.

Cirak is sliced thinly and served cold on sandwiches or with a slice of ham. It doesn’t taste anything like cheese—a surprise to my husband—but the few times I haven’t made it, my brothers have questioned why not.

We still follow another Slovak tradition of having our food baskets blessed at church on Saturday morning before Easter. Baskets are lined with cloth and packed with the foods that will be served for breakfast on Sunday morning or the Easter dinner. These usually include ham or lamb, paska (a traditional Easter bread made with raisins) and dyed eggs. You can read more about the tradition here. It’s a lovely custom that fewer and fewer people participate in; when we take our baskets to church now we linger and remember those members of our parish family who came so regularly and are now no longer with us.

My cirak will be especially delicious made with the eggs that are so golden now that the hens can get outside to eat some grass and look for bugs. Whatever your traditions are, we wish for many blessings on your family.