# TiltingWindmillsFarm Journal (Part 3)



## TiltingWindmillsFarm (Apr 23, 2022)

***TRIGGER WARNINGS***



There is something romantic about homesteading... something nostalgic about the idea of stepping down off one's porch to scatter palmfuls of grain to over-eager chickens. Even to those with no history or experience with farm animals, there seems to be an innate drawing to this way of life. We create fantasies, we re-imagine a childhood holding tight to floral apron strings, of sitting on kitchen counters as freshly picked tomatoes plop into mason jars, of wooden cutting boards recently dusted with baking flower, of licking the last bits of batter from the mixing bowl. These images cause such a feeling of hearth and home that backyard farming has increased exponentially in the last decade.



And homesteading is not limited to just rural areas. More and more suburbanites are farming -- as is evidenced by their endless array of youtube videos. There are hundreds of homesteading books, magazine articles and news stories. Big box farming stores have moved into every neighborhood, right to Starbucks and Target. Towns proudly declare themselves "right to farm" communities; wearing the title like a badge of honor. Even cities and colleges are accepting Backyard farming as a new call to action and creating their own urban agriculture programs. In fact, I recently read that over 20% of the world's food is now grown in cities.



Growing up with horses, sheep, ducks, rabbits, and pigs, you might presume, correctly even, that my pull toward backyard farming was particularly strong. And while farming was the destination, looking back, I was equally motivated by the journey; of walking away from a distinguished yet exhausting career. My daydreams were uniquely fixated on my neighbors, people I barely knew even after living decades in the same house. People I waved to on my way to work or when returning home. People whose names I did not know, instead referring to them by their kids, their dogs, or by the car they drove.



How could I be surrounded by so many people and yet feel so isolated and alone?



As I sat at work, my daydreams were of laundry drying on a long, linear clothesline. The line had to be attached to wooden posts or maybe a corner of the house on one side; my fantasy absolutely did not want include of those square aluminum drying umbrellas. It had to be a real clothes line. Crisp white towels were anchored to a cotton rope with wooden clothespins. They had to be the wooden ones - and they had to look used; not dirty but not sparkly new like right out of the package.



And the laundry waved gently on a late spring breeze, but in slow motion- like an action sequence in Jon Woo movie. I was desperate to bury my face in those towels and gluttonously devour the smell that only clothes dried outside in the sun have. The only smell I ever coveted more was the scent of my children as a newborns.



My desire for sun dried towels was almost primal.



I wanted pies cooling on my windowsill. I wanted a garden with a crooked gate and a farmers' sink in my kitchen. I wanted a homeschool classroom in the dining room with a long, table made of reclaimed wood. And I was desperate to connect with my neighbors.



For some reason, I saw my neighbors as an integral part to my farming plans. Or maybe I just wanted to be integral to their lives. Regardless, these proximate strangers were critical to my fantasy. I had little doubt I would soon be passing fresh eggs and goats’ milk over my backyard fence. I could already imagine the squeals of delight from the recipients of my homemade butter and cheese --and of course, for the holidays I would give out the soaps and jellies I had made.



Yes, I could become the most beloved resident on our street.





*** Next Posting(s) April 30th


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## Alaskan (Apr 26, 2022)

You have a great writing style...

It would make things easier though, if you kept your entire story on a single thread... so keep replying here...  

Otherwise it is too difficult to follow along.


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## TiltingWindmillsFarm (Apr 27, 2022)

Thank you!

I was wondering that exact thing when I was posting... 

How would I keep it in the same thread? Just post a reply?


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## Alaskan (Apr 27, 2022)

TiltingWindmillsFarm said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I was wondering that exact thing when I was posting...
> 
> How would I keep it in the same thread? Just post a reply?


Yes, exactly


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## TiltingWindmillsFarm (May 1, 2022)

I am a nerd

Like a HUGE NERD

I look up and research everything – and NOT Facebook Research…. I mean like real, peer reviewed research conducted by PhDs at prestigious universities



So, when I decided I wanted a few chickens and a couple of goats, I did my research. I double and triple checked my local laws, ordinances, and zoning. I even wrote to my town to double check my results… TWICE.



Everything was all clear.



I had been contemplating getting meat chickens for a month or two when I experienced a serendipitous trip to Tractor supply



You see, I was already concerned about where my food came from. I was already worried about how my meat was treated during its lifetime. And I was already worried about the sustainability of meat.

Let me interject here to say I love meat. I crave bacon and sausage and could eat them daily. I love a good burger, winter pot roasts, hot dogs on the 4th of July, and southern fried chicken. I love BBQ ribs, Thanksgiving turkey, and even lamb with mint jelly. There is a running joke in my family that I take A1 sauce on every flight just in case the plane goes down. If I need to resort to cannibalism, I want to be prepared.


Even with this love of meat, I recognized my family ate too much of it. The research is pretty clear that raising animals for meat is not great for the environment (many would argue that it does not end well for the animals either but that is a different story). While alive, the animals use a lot of resources (water, food) and their waste gets into our ground and water. To transport animals for processing (a polite way of saying to “kill them for food”), takes gas and puts emissions into the air. Packaging the meat puts more materials into the environment. Then I, as the consumer, need to drive to the store to buy the meat, using more fossil fuels.

And even with all those great reasons to stop, eating meat is not going away this generation. Domesticated chickens are about 4000 years old. Domesticated pigs are about 9000 years old. Domesticated cows are over 10,00 years old. Humans are not going to “kick” the hamburger habit anytime soon. So, I decided that if my family wanted to eat meat, we needed to do so in a more responsible way. And that meant raising it myself.

I read a lot about raising and eating meat chickens and was surprised to learn that the modern broiler (meat chicken) is really a new an invention over the last 70 years. Here is an article https://firstwefeast.com/eat/2014/10/how-did-modern-chickens-get-so-damn-big

Or this video 




These chickens are bred to grow a big as possible, as fast as possible and only live 10-12 weeks.

Essentially, they are born to be eaten.

My adventure starts at my local tractor supply store that was selling live Cornish-cross chicks. It was the end of March and the end of chick days? How do I remember? The chicks were marked down to 10 cents a piece. I remember thinking of all the time, energy, and resources used to get those chicks to the store. 3 weeks of heat to incubate them. Shipping them to the store. Feeding and heating them at the store. All for my dime.

I asked an employee if he could help me with the chicks. He needed to get a manager. While I waited, I tried to do the math to figure out how many chicks I needed. If I raised the chicks for 6 weeks, they would weigh about 4 pounds each. That 4 pound chicken would yield 1-1.5 pounds of meat. Divided by the 4 people in my house, each chicken would provide four servings of .25 - .38 pounds each (4 oz to 6 oz). As I scratched out my sums on the back of my electric bill, I paused when trying to figure out the proper serving size. I knew that .25 was ¼ pound and I knew McDonalds served Quarter pounders so I guesstimate each chicken would yield 4-6 servings. So, one dinner and maybe a sandwich I figured. Well, that wouldn’t go far.

There were teenagers crowding around the chick cage now too. They paid me no mind. I was just some chubby, middle-aged lady digging through her purse. They had a plan. They were going to buy a bunch of chicks and release them in their high school. I immediately envisioned these little guys getting trampled underfoot. As the store manager walked up to us and asked who needed help, I blurted out “I’ll take them all”. The teens walked away deflated.

There ended up being about 35 chicks. This becomes an issue later but at the time, in my mind, I had enough chickens for 4 people to eat 35-40 meals. That was just over a month of dinners. That didn’t sound like much, especially since these types of chickens are infertile and the next “Chick Days” was months away.

The manager started scooping them into a box. I remember thinking how tiny they were. The last one was tough to catch and I probably would not have remembered him at all -if he had not been purple. I learned it was an antiseptic spray for injuries; the other birds had picked on him. No wonder he was so good at not getting caught now, PRACTICE! The manager assumed we didn’t want him but I couldn’t leave him at the store all alone. We took him home too and he got his own box. My son named him Mr. Poopy Butt after a character on Rick & Morty.


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## TiltingWindmillsFarm (May 1, 2022)

My family took to homeschooling and homesteading like nothing I could have imagined. By day two, I knew it was for us.

Previously, mornings had been vicious battles. There were no winners. It was a contest of multitasking. Of brushing one’s teeth while tying shoes, of eating breakfast while packing a snack, of putting on a jacket while simultaneously searching for a permission slip.

My husband and I each dropped off a son and then headed to work. We both rushed home just to get 90 minutes of family time before bed.

Now, we woke up on our own. We did lessons and housework. We cooked and tended to our new flock. The kids and I lived in sweatpants. We took walks. We took naps. In many ways, it was like the pandemic lockdown – without the illness. Meeting the expectations of others just wasn’t important.

My husband still went into his office but now he could drive during non-commuting hours; sleeping later and cuddling with us; coming home later but with a shorter drive and now able to spend as much time with us as he wanted.

I was AWESOME

We added to our flock with 3 Pekin Ducklings. When we went to pick them up, one didn’t look right. He walked funny – not regular duck funny – but like he had a broken leg. A teenage boy had raised them for a project and he told me the duck had been born that way. He asked if I wanted one or two ducks? We couldn’t leave the 3rd there by himself. We took all 3 and named the one that didn’t walk Marshmallow.

Now, clearly those of you reading thus can see that I am kind of a sucker. I may be telling myself I am “farmer” but no farmer would take the sick, injured or deformed animals.

This brings me to an issue about veterinary care. With our pets, many of us spend outrageous amounts of money on veterinary care. However, with farming, there is no way to spend that kind of money on each animal. Does that mean that animals suffer? How do we decide when an animal gets Veterinary care instead of caring for them ourselves? Is caring for them ourselves a sign of neglect?

In my own experience, the internet has articles on just about every farming issue. Additionally there are tons of educational videos on-line and people willing to provide newbies with sage advice. There is no way a farmer could afford to have every animal receive only veterinary care. This is why many veterinarians teach farmers how to do procedures. Experience is also a great teacher. A farmer on day one looks nothing like a farmer after 10, 5 or even 1 year. Over years of work and experience, farmers learn how to treat illnesses, birth poorly positioned babies, and treat most injuries. Calling the veterinarian is left for major issues only. -

Marshmallow and his kin came home with us in early May, just as our baby chicks got their feathers and were moving outside. They had free range of the fenced in back yard during the day and at dusk, everyone was locked up safe. While the other ducks ran around, Marshmallow kind of dragged himself from place to place. He still ate and drank and swam. He still used the whole backyard; It just took him longer to get places. We started “helping” Marshmallow by picking him up and putting him closer to things. When we put out food, we moved him closer and made sure he got his share. When we filled the pool, we moved him to the ramp so he could go for a swim. I say “helping” in quotes because we don’t ever really know what animals want, right?

People tend to anthropomorphize animal and apply their own desires to them. Maybe Marshmallow hated being moved. Maybe Marshmallow was pissed when other ducks watched him eat. I don’t know for sure – but we did the best given what we knew.

As with the things I didn’t know, I did my research. I learned about Splay leg and Spraddle leg and Niacin deficiency. I got advice on splinting his leg. I even did physical therapy on this duck. Marshmallow was a good sport about it – mostly because of the treats.

Many people told me to put him down. To euthanize him. But I didn’t have a reason to. He wasn’t in pain as far as I could tell (I know animals hide it well – but he bebopped around the yard and swam with his siblings). He seemed happy and so I felt that he was welcome to stay. I also felt that I was teaching my children and important lesson about those with different abilities – How they were still valuable. Again, this isn’t a “true farmer” mindset, but I thought it was a good mom lesson.

From all of our handling, Marshmallow became very friendly. He started to hang out in the house.

A lot.

Often I would find him sitting on a towel on the sofa watching cartoons. Sometimes he was in the sink or bathtub. He also came for car rides.

One of my favorite photos happened when I went through a Taco Bell drive through. Marshmallow was on my lap. The woman at the window asked if she could take a photo. I agreed and then took a photo of her taking a photo.

So, after all the love, care, and research that went into caring for this animal, it really hurt when a neighbor filed an anonymous complaint of animal neglect. Even after explaining everything I had done, I was still ordered to take Marshmallow to see a veterinarian.

Fine

I tried to stay positive, Maybe the veterinarian would have some other ideas I could try.

I found a local vet who treated ducks.

I paid the $75 office visit fee.

She took a 5 second glance at Marshmallow and said “his leg is deformed”.

Yeah, Thanks

“He probably has other medical issues that are not visible”

Great

Finally, the veterinarian says I need to go to the feed store and see if they could recommend a different kind of food for him. I explained all the research I had done and what he was currently eating.

“No”. She was adamant. “Go to the store that sells duck food. They will make sure he is on the correct food”

Fine

I drive to the feed store,

Needless to say, the 15-year-old working at the feed store was able to show me the aisle where duck food is kept, but not much else.

I was a bit insulted that the veterinarian considered this person an expert while ignoring most everything I had to say (and she was not very nice to me)

Anyway, this is how I spent ½ day, $75, and began my career of crime


NEXT POSTING MAY 6th


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## Mini Horses (May 1, 2022)

Ahhh....chicken math!   By now I hope you realize that these chicks will be more than the 4# you used to figure all this.   Yeah. When they get about 10 weeks, butcher or they just die.  It's true.  Heart attacks probably.  With so many, you'll have a couple days of butcher and process time.  So take largest first.  I know that sounds reasonable but, you'll find out.🤭

Let us know how this goes.    You aren't alone in such adventures.


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## Mini Horses (May 1, 2022)

Can't wait for a Marshmallow update!    My vets are farm and exotic animal person's ( zoo).  They would advise what, more than where, and help me continue to help the duck!  🤫


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## animalmom (May 1, 2022)

Ducks need niacin, aka B12 and you can buy brewers yeast for that need.  You don't need much especially with just 3 ducks, like maybe 1/4 teaspoon.  I raise Muscovy ducks (and yeah before someone gets smart, I know they are perching waterfowl... but it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and is quiet unlike a duck) and use brewers yeast.  I add it to the chicken feed I give them and they are healthy happy campers.  Brewers yeast is a dry powder and you just mix it in with the chicken feed.  I use chicken crumbles.

I also add diatomaceous earth to their feed.  I think it helps keep down the flies during hot weather.  The duckies don't mind.


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