Home on the Hill

To get to the tractor!  Scratch for delectables, feel grass between their toes,  build up those drum sticks, fertilize the field - lot's of reasons really.  And they are all important to building a plump, chemical free, juicy, tasty freezer filling chicken. Need I say more? Here's the Chicken Motor Home.  They quite liked the ride down the road, over the gate, and into the pasture. The Chicken Tractor: the pile of wood is just waiting for the wood storage balcony to be built. Always great to sit around and admire our handiwork after the project is done! Last night we stood on the balcony transfixed with the light show surrounding us. Spectacular against a backdrop of dark purple. Great streaks of energy criss crossing in mesh patterns.  Walls of light.  The darkness punctuated by sizzling bolts seemingly giving Joseph's mountain some primordial shock therapy. Acupuncture by lightning.  A blood red glow low to the Southwest,  not the ...

Just finished the summer version of the Turkey Palace.  It's set in about a quarter of an acre behind a stucko wire fence. They sure seem to like it.  Next year were considering a Turkey Tractor, a mobile big enough to cart over our pastures. While Jo was in Britain some erstwhile volunteers and I whacked about 60 chickens.  Most of them Cornish Giant meat birds that we grew in a Chicken Tractor, ala, Salatin.  Thing I've learned: Lots of help is required Water temperature = 147 and it's critical A prewash speeds the process First time I've tried that on such a scale.  Went so well were about to do it again with another fifty.  Astonishing birds.  I have never seen anything grow so fast.  They are delicious also.  We had our first one three meals ago.  A nine pounder.  We let them grow a little large.  This was a load of hay, 100 bales that Brother Tom and I pulled into the yard.  It's waiting for the ha...