The following is a bit of a rant, so I'm sorry if I come off a little strongly!
But I really hate chicken wire. I have wasted so much money on hundreds of feet of the stuff, and I wish I could go back in time to tell myself to save my money.
The only wire worth using is rabbit wire. It's called welded hardware cloth in the store, and I get the quarter-inch holes whenever possible. Half-inch holes are OK, too.
The main problem with chicken wire is twofold:
First, it is very weak and flimsy. It can tear while you are trying to put it up. It can break when you attach anything to it, even if it's just more chicken wire. It is easily broken through by predators, or even just dogs.
Secondly, the holes are just too big. Mice, rats, and snakes saunter right through the openings in chicken wire. Then they eat your eggs and leave their mites and parasites behind in your coop. Baby chicks can get their heads caught in the openings, and trust me when I tell you that TERRIBLE THINGS happen to birds whose heads are stuck in chicken wire.
So if you are planning a chicken project, let me strongly encourage you to avoid chicken wire. Welded hardware cloth is what you want! It is stronger, will last longer, and will protect your flock so much better!
End of rant.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Brahma Chickens
Our favorite heritage breed on the ranch are the Brahma chickens. They are fat and friendly, and tolerate the extreme high and low temperatures of the Chihuahuan Desert very well. They are also beautiful birds with feathered shanks and feet. They come in three colors: Light, Dark, and Buff.
According to oral history, the Brahmas that we have today are descended from English stock that the Brits had brought over from India in the late 19th century. Specifically from the Brahmaputra River area in modern-day east India and Bangladesh. This is why they tolerate heat so well.
But despite originating in a very hot climate they also tolerate the cold very well, thanks to their feathered legs and small, pea comb, which is not as susceptible to frost bite as other, more prominent combs.
They aren't profuse layers, like your more common leghorns. During the spring and fall they will lay up to one egg per day, but usually just one every other day. The eggs are medium weight with a light brown shell.
Brahmas are considered a dual-purpose breed, because they have a heavy body. Roosters weigh up to ten pounds, and hens up to eight. But unlike the modern commercial breeds that are designed to put on a lot of weight very fast, these birds grow slowly and aren't mature until they are eight months old. For comparison, a Jumbo Cornish x Rock is ready for the frying pan in just two to three months.
Before the modern, jumbo-sized birds were bred, Brahmas were considered a very good option for farmers wanting eggs and meat from the same bird. But now that we have gargantuan breeds that can be butchered much sooner (which means more tender meat), this wonderful breed has fallen by the wayside and is now considered a rare breed.
But for a small family farm like ours, the Brahmas are a wonderful part of our ranch. They are a great choice if you want your birds to be more like pets, or if you have children running around. And like most heritage breeds, they are great foragers, which can help keep bug populations down and lower your feed bill.
According to oral history, the Brahmas that we have today are descended from English stock that the Brits had brought over from India in the late 19th century. Specifically from the Brahmaputra River area in modern-day east India and Bangladesh. This is why they tolerate heat so well.
But despite originating in a very hot climate they also tolerate the cold very well, thanks to their feathered legs and small, pea comb, which is not as susceptible to frost bite as other, more prominent combs.
They aren't profuse layers, like your more common leghorns. During the spring and fall they will lay up to one egg per day, but usually just one every other day. The eggs are medium weight with a light brown shell.
Brahmas are considered a dual-purpose breed, because they have a heavy body. Roosters weigh up to ten pounds, and hens up to eight. But unlike the modern commercial breeds that are designed to put on a lot of weight very fast, these birds grow slowly and aren't mature until they are eight months old. For comparison, a Jumbo Cornish x Rock is ready for the frying pan in just two to three months.
Before the modern, jumbo-sized birds were bred, Brahmas were considered a very good option for farmers wanting eggs and meat from the same bird. But now that we have gargantuan breeds that can be butchered much sooner (which means more tender meat), this wonderful breed has fallen by the wayside and is now considered a rare breed.
But for a small family farm like ours, the Brahmas are a wonderful part of our ranch. They are a great choice if you want your birds to be more like pets, or if you have children running around. And like most heritage breeds, they are great foragers, which can help keep bug populations down and lower your feed bill.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Heritage and Heirloom
Sustainable farming and ranching relies heavily on heritage breeds of animals and heirloom varieties of plants.
Often you will see the words heritage and heirloom used interchangeably, for both animals and plants. The meanings are virtually identical.
A heritage breed is a traditional breed that has been raised and improved slowly, over time by pre-industrial farmers.
Similarly, an heirloom variety plant has been produced the old-fashioned way, with farmers selectively raising plants with the characteristics they want or need. Again, this is a pretty slow process.
In both cases the characteristics breed true, meaning that the defining features come back every generation.
Hybrid animals and GMO plants will not have the same characteristics in the second generation, so ranchers and farmers have to go back to the suppliers every year for new stock and seeds. This is an added expense as well as a dubious process.
When every farmer produces the same strain of corn or the same breed of chicken, we are playing a risky game. Blights can wipe out harvests and we also risk losing those heritage/heirloom varieties forever. Diversity is an important feature of our food that we are losing to the industrial food system.
Often you will see the words heritage and heirloom used interchangeably, for both animals and plants. The meanings are virtually identical.
A heritage breed is a traditional breed that has been raised and improved slowly, over time by pre-industrial farmers.
Similarly, an heirloom variety plant has been produced the old-fashioned way, with farmers selectively raising plants with the characteristics they want or need. Again, this is a pretty slow process.
In both cases the characteristics breed true, meaning that the defining features come back every generation.
Hybrid animals and GMO plants will not have the same characteristics in the second generation, so ranchers and farmers have to go back to the suppliers every year for new stock and seeds. This is an added expense as well as a dubious process.
When every farmer produces the same strain of corn or the same breed of chicken, we are playing a risky game. Blights can wipe out harvests and we also risk losing those heritage/heirloom varieties forever. Diversity is an important feature of our food that we are losing to the industrial food system.
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