Old Otter Holler Farm

Hatching Chicks with an Incubator

To rejuvenate the chicken flock here at OOHF, we have used two methods in the past - let a hen go broody and hatch a clutch, or order day old chicks from a  hatchery.  Both methods have worked, but had their obvious downsides, namely the cost if ordering and the lack of control over the number of chicks if relying on a broody hen.  This time, we decided to try our hand at incubation.  After purchasing the incubator and egg turner, we set aside about a dozen fresh eggs every day until we had about four dozen.  The eggs were kept in the house at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and moved several times a day to keep the yolk from sticking to the side of the shell.  Once we had enough eggs to fill the incubator, we set it up and let it run for a day to make sure we could keep the inside temperature at 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once satisfied with the temperature setting, we removed one the ventilation plugs on the cover and poured some water in the bottom of the incubator to add humidity, then inserted the eggs into the egg turner holes making sure to place the pointed side down.   Because the egg turner moves so slow, we marked an "x" on top of a couple of eggs to make sure the turner was in fact working.  Once everything was in order, all we had to do for about 21 days was make sure the temperature remained constant at 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit and that there was water in the bottom of the incubator for humidity.  At about the 18th day, we turned off the automatic egg turner, removed the eggs from the turner, and placed the eggs on the screened bottom of the incubator.  This step is important since it allows the chicks to roll the egg as they struggle to free themselves.  Sure enough, our first two chicks emerged from their shells on the 20th day with several more chicks trying to peck their way out.  Each newly hatched chick will be kept in the incubator until they are thoroughly dry.  Once dried, we will remove the chicks from the incubator and place them in the brooder with a  heat lamp.  It is important to keep the lid on the incubator and keep it running for several days past the 21 day hatch period since some chicks may hatch a bit later.  Once all the eggs hatch, I'll follow up this post with details about how many hatched, the survival rate, and any thoughts I might have about this method of increasing the size of the chicken flock.

 

   

Culling and Rejuvenating the Chicken Flock

Saturday was a beautiful and productive day here at OOHF.  With the help of several of our brothers and sisters from the Summers County, West Virginia chapter of the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club, we butchered eight three-year-old plus Buff Orpington hens that had stopped laying, at least reliably.  It was quite an experience for the group since most had never butchered a chicken before.  We began the day by setting up all the equipment and gathering all the supplies we needed for the task.  Once we were ready, I gave the group some quick instruction on each step in the process and turned everyone loose.  To my surprise, everyone did an excellent job and had a good time doing it.  Not only did this help us out here at OOHF since we were feeding and taking care of hens that were not producing, but it gave the group a chance to personally connect with our local food system while educating them on self-reliance.  Best of all, we donated the chicken to the club to make chicken barbecue at an upcoming fundraising event where we'll all get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Culling these eight birds reduced the size of the flock to 12 hens, which are still reliably laying eggs.  The next step in the flock rejuvination process will be to introduce new Rhode Island Red and Buff Orpinton crosses to the flock in about four weeks.  We are currently incubating 45 eggs, which are scheduled to begin hatching late next week.  This is the first time we've used an incubator and it has proven a challenge to keep the temperature at 99.5 degrees Fahreheit for nearly 21 days with the wide swings in temperature between night and day this time of  year.  The chicks will spend their first three weeks or so under a heat lamp in the brooder, then we will integrate them into the existing flock.  If all goes well, the new chickens will be laying eggs before Christmas!

New Puppy Invigorates Old Dogs

Over the years we've had anywhere between two and four farm dogs at any one time who play an important role here at the farm.  Although they are not trained working dogs (e.g. for livestock), they keep all kinds of critters  away from our gardens, orchard, henhouse, and beehives as well as bark when someone approaches the farm.  They even bark when a vehicle pulls up to the main gate to the farm, which is 1/2 mile away from the house.  All of the dogs we've had came from the animal shelter, or were on their way there.  Consequently, we've never had a "pure bred" dog of any kind and we wouldn't have it any other way.  We've been really lucky with the dogs we've had so far and have never had a dog that did not fit in with the harmony of the farm, although we have had a few that had "issues", but nothing that we could not overcome.  In order to have harmony at the farm, the dogs must get along with cats, stay out of the garden and flower beds, provide security, get along with livestock, be obedient and friendly with non-threatening people, and love kids.  So far so good, however, we have not had any of the breeds of dogs that are known for aggression or have bad reputations.  To date, we have had dogs that were mixes of Boxer/Great Pyrenees, Blue Heeler/Australian Sheppard, Black Lab, and some unidentified mixes...possibly Chow and Collie.  Currently, we have three dogs whose ages range from 11 years old to seven.  As these dogs grow older, I have noticed they do not always "patrol" the orchard or accompany me around the farm like they used to as I do farm chores.  So, to breathe some new life into these old dogs we added a puppy recently who is now about five months old.  This dog was part of a large litter of puppies that was discovered near the railroad tracks not far from the farm.  The parents were both strays and to the best of my knowledge all the dogs were placed in homes, including the parents.  The puppy appears to be a Beagle/Australian Sheppard mix and will most likely be the smallest dog on the farm.  At first, the old dogs avoided the puppy for obvious reasons; it was irritating, obnoxious, wanted to play all the time, and basically in the way.  Over time though, I've noticed the older dogs have warmed up to the pup and are now busy training him on the ways of the farm and being a dog.  As time goes on, I see him accompanying the older dogs on patrols farther and farther from the house and even see him exploring on his own in the woods, albeit not far from the house.  The best part about the puppy though is that he seems to have invigorated the older dogs to play, be more active, nurturing, and visibly friskier.  In fact, not only are the older dogs happier, but the puppy has enriched our lives providing hours of entertainment, laughs, smiles, and pleasant warm feelings that only a little puppy can do.  Dogs rule!

Needy Individual and Local Family Turn Down Free Chicken

We raise two types of chickens here at OOHF, dual-purpose (meat and eggs) birds like Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds, and meat birds such as the Cornish-Rock crosses.  We raise the dual-purpose birds mainly for their eggs, but also because we can butcher them at the end of their laying lives and have a decent size bird to eat.  Currently, we have about 10 fat Buff Orpington hens that are three years old and need to be butchered.  Since we already have 25 meat birds in the freezer from last fall, which is enough to last us a year, I decided to offer these birds to a local family who was on government assistance (food stamps, medical card, heating oil, and who knows what other assistance).  I told them that I had these chickens and that they could have them to butcher.  I even offered to help butcher them.  Guess what...they declined the offer.  Actually, they never actually said they did not want them, but since they did not contact me again in reference to the offer, I took that as a "no thanks".  Can you believe this!  Here is a family that is collecting government assistance, presumably because they can't support themselves, yet declines a generous offer to fill their freezer with high-quality meat.  Maybe if I butchered the chickens, processed them, vacuum sealed them, and delivered them to their house they would accept, or maybe they prefer their chicken in nugget form.  I don't know how else to respond to this.  To make matters worse, this is the second time I've offered up these chickens free to people I thought were in need.   The first offer ended just as the second offer...no response.  Then there was another time that someone contacted me and wanted to buy a few hens to let free-range before they butchered them.  I told them I would sell them the hens for $3.00 each, which is a real steal.  Guess what...they never called back either despite going on and on about what a good deal that was.  So, I guess I'll keep these birds around until spring, butcher them myself, then have a party with chicken as the main dish.  I know of two families and another individual who will not be invited.  Unbelievable!

Chicken Butchering Day at OOHF

OOHF had another successful chicken butchering day on Saturday, October 22, 2011.  We started gathering equipment and supplies around 8:00 AM in the morning, sharpened all tools, built a fire to heat the water, and were ready to begin butchering chickens by 11:00 AM.  This year's participants included three people from OOHF and five people from Big Branch Farm located near Alderson, WV.  In total, the group butchered 30 chickens (24 Cornish-Rocks and 6 old laying hens) in a little less than three hours, which is a record here at OOHF.  In return for Big Branch Farm's help, OOHF will travel to their location in a couple of weeks to help butcher about 30 of their meat birds.