Unexpected Homestead Updates
We had a couple of extra roosters in the flock that needed to go. Rooster butchering is always an exciting and somber event around here and this time Stewart had the boys play a more hands-on role.
I am happy that they know where that chicken soup came from, that they see the whole process. It seems a much easier transition into the knowing as a child versus the knowing as an adult.
And that brothy soup was delicious. We butchered two this time and I decided to try oven-frying the second. Despite the fact that I overcooked it a touch, it was delicious.
We have somewhere around a dozen hens now in the flock. We’ve had chicks grow into layers, lost pullets to hawks, and lost chicks to who-knows-what. We are definitely interested in expanding the flock, but for now things seem to be working well.
Recently we have been getting more eggs than ever. We had an all time high of eleven found in the laying box the other day. It’s always exciting to share the egg count for the day!
The very first rooster we started with 2.5 years ago injured his foot to the point of no return. We nursed him a bit, separated him from the punk teenage bully roosters, but in the end he was suffering too much. It was hard, but letting him go seemed the right thing to do.
The bed we planted next to the cabin is sprouting up nicely. Lettuce and collards and a few other random things are making their way up.
I had very little expectations of a garden this spring. A new baby means I’ve got other things I have to be doing and I prepared myself for the fact that Stewart’s health might be the other limiting factor. So, for the very first time, that usual spring “hope” I feel in regards to the garden was tempered by a very real knowing that what is meant to be will be.
And I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if Stewart didn’t plant the entire pallet garden in greens and herbs and other delicious things. It’s early still and we could definitely see another frost, but for now I’m just waiting and watching with a baby in my arms.
I found your page while looking for fermented veggies. I have been lurking ever since. I think we are not far apart in Texas. I hope hope we do not get more cold weather this year, that would be so terrible! We put corn, tomatoes, okra, onions, lettuce, herbs, green beans, black eyes peas, melons, squashes and cucumber in the ground yesterday. After all the money and work that went into planting. I would cry if we lost them. Our house is in the south of urban Waco in an area named Beverly Hills, thankfully our town is a little relaxed than Waco on keeping chickens. We have 6 hens and also have been getting great eggs lately.
I totally agree with you that it is easier for children to learn where there food comes from than for adults. We are the same way here on our farm. Death and animal processing are not forbidden topics. They have not helped with the actual butchering yet but my oldest is only 4…so in time. I also believe teaching children how to properly care for animals destine for food teaches them to respect and be thankful for their food and the animals. Much to some people’s surprise there is a lesson of compassion and understanding of why not to waste in the butchering of animals for food. Thanks for the great blog. I really enjoy reading.
I lived on a farm in east texas many years ago and I think it was very good for the children to learn how life really works. my husband would not let the kids around when he slaughtered the rabbits because some were also pets and he didn’t want the girls to cry. they did help cook and knew what they were eating though. the chickens were different. the kids were much more interested in how they were prepared. I am retired now but I enjoy your blog so much. keep up the good work raising your kids the way you want and think is best. they will be better for it when they are adults.
My kids also help with butchering, or at least watch. And odd that this topic came up here today, because we were just discussing it in the car (animal death in general, at least). We just lost a cat to a highway accident. He was just missing for a week and then I finally saw him on the side of the road. I always tell my kids when a pet dies, and I always ask if they want to see the pet. Now that my kids are older I love that we can discuss really in depth how they feel about it, and today, after I showed them the dead cat, I mentioned that I am still kind of freaked out by dead animals, and I’ve always thought it was because my parents never exposed me to death- when my pets died they lied to me about it. So I asked my 7 year old how she felt about dead animals- did they freak her out? She was like “no, that’s silly.” It only reinforced the way I’ve dealt with it. And they’ve dealt with a lot in their short lives- they were in the room when our long time house cat was put to sleep, they’ve helped me butcher and cull chickens and turkeys, I ran over Izzy’s favorite cat last fall, and one of our dogs died from heart failure during a car trip while laying right next to my daughter. And they have taken it all in stride.