Monday, January 11, 2016

Decisions and Consequence

We are standing by a decision we made.


We bought this farm with its one big flaw, it is on a fairly busy highway. We decided it had far more to offer than we could walk away from because of the traffic.  That was decision one and we have not regretted it for a second. This farm is perfect for us and we find more and more to love about it every day. Even these past few frosty days when we deal with ice and frozen water. It was the right decision.

We decided to get the poultry in the fall to get a head start on raising the birds we want and getting them to laying age and the table. We  knew this would entail  more feed than getting them in the spring. It was the right decision and we love how the poultry is doing. We have the time to observe them grow and decide which ones we want to keep.

We also decided we wanted pastured free- range poultry. We want the poultry to live as close to natural as possible. They will be healthier, we will have better quality meat and eggs and the added joy of having them with us gives us mental well being far more than penned chickens would. This was a conscious decision we took and we have had to face the consequence of that decision for the first time.

The day before yesterday the three biggest Tom turkeys were hit by a truck on the road in front of the house. We went out to get firewood and there were feathers everywhere and we could see one of the Slate carcasses on the center line. It was horrible. Ralph got the three birds off the road and we decided to salvage what we could, they were still warm and the accident must have just occurred. A Chocolate Tom was out by the garden and he had obviously been hurt but was walking toward the yard. We had heard the Guinea hens screeching like crazy but they do that quite a bit so we had not paid much attention. I cannot say I was stoic and did not cry because I did. I love my animals a lot and enjoy their antics. My very favorite Tom "Black Feather" was killed and he was going to be our breeding tom. He would sit on my lap and always seemed to show up to gobble at us. He was an excellent specimen, with good heavy bone and clear true Blue Slate Color, he was going to be a  big bird and that is what we were looking for.

The man who hit them came back to apologize, he had been pulling a trailer and was simply unable to stop. He was white faced and you could tell he felt terrible but there was nothing he could have done.

Ralph and I saved the meat we could and now I can say that it will be nice to butcher one of these birds properly because even as salvage there was a lot of beautiful home raised turkey meat from these birds. It is beautiful quality meat, rich in color and so much nicer than anything we have gotten from a store. We know it has no chemicals, hormones or injected water...it is as turkey should be, natural.

The rest of the turkey's were simply lost yesterday and wandered around most mournfully. Then late in the afternoon the remaining Tom's started to work on the dominance thing. Today they are more normal and seem to be out in a group as before. The injured bird after we washed his wounds is feeling better to day and is eating and drinking on his own. 

We talked about the accident a lot and we knew it was a risk we would take when we did not fence the front yard. The poultry is going out front less and less as we transition them from the Utility building to the Tobacco barn, the tobacco barn housing lets them go out to the back of the farm and the large pasture there. Once they are fully installed in the barn they will have little need for the front yard at all and we notice this already as fewer and fewer birds come out toward the house. 

Are we going to fence the front of the farm? Are we going to change our plan for truly pasture raised poultry, no we are not. We love to see them go where they want. They ramble as they please and eat what they want. They get exercise and and have unlimited access to grass and old bales of hay. Lots of shelter and patches of Johnson grass to hide in. They are healthy and vigorous, just what we expect of poultry that is not confined during the day and can forage much as wild birds do.

We want our birds to have a full and happy life...for so  many reasons. They are happier, way healthier and they will be better eating. Healthier for us. The anguish we felt at this accident was not totally unexpected, it was a risk we were willing to take. The birds that were killed had a marvelous life. Maybe short but it was full of bug hunting, treats like squash, cabbage, cracked corn, canning leftovers and the odd cookie that they snatched! They loved the chives and dill and ate all the peppermint plants that nothing will kill.

We have made our decision and are sticking to it. It is the right way for us to have our poultry. As the flock ages and the chickens start having chicks and the turkeys have their first poults their lives will be more out toward the back of the farm and yes its own set of hazzards. We can deal with the consequence.

God bless you all and be well and safe.



16 comments:

  1. A fence across the front might keep unwanted things out, as well as keep the birds in. Just a thought. I hope the meat tastes as good as it looks.

    Fern


    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Fiona!! I'm so sorry, I'm grateful the man stopped and cared too! So sad!! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd respectfully suggest you rethink this decision. Irrespective of the turkey's lifestyle, please consider the driver who swerves to avoid a turkey or other livestock and rolls their car and is critically injured or loses their life. You certainly have every right to raise your birds in as unfettered a way as possible, but a fence at the road is for the safety of innocent drivers, not the birds. And, in today's litigious society it's not farfetched to envision a scenario where you are sued for not keeping your livestock out of the road and lose the farm in the courts. The laws that require farmers to keep their livestock out of the roads are for public safety and imagine how you'd feel if a terrible accident happened because a turkey was in the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a very good point. We were discussing it earlier and are adding the litigation worries to the list of pro's and cons. Somehow I still think of escaped livestock issues as only related to large animals and not poultry.

      Delete
    2. That's an unfortunate aspect of livestock ownership - the courts wouldn't care if it were a 1 ton bull or a couple of chickens... if domestic animals are the cause of financial loss (wrecked car) or injury because they weren't kept from a public area (road)it's the owner's responsibility. Just something to consider....

      Delete
  4. Yikes! We also live on a busy state highway and are not fenced. Our poultry mainly stays in the back on their own accord because their housing is in the back. But the predator situation is bad all around so... I feel for you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm sorry that happened. I am surprised that the man driving the vehicle even stopped. I don't think many people today would have bothered to do so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When we found them there was no one in sight...but about 20 minutes later a pickup pulled into the yard. The driver had taken his trailer home, unhooked and then made a point of coming back. We were surprised, your right most people would have just kept going. This community keeps giving us more reasons to love it. Ralph shook hands when the man left and they agreed it was nice to meet but we all wished in better circumstance.

      Delete
  6. I'm so sorry for your loss of your turkeys. And I greatly respect the man who came back! That is pretty much unheard of!

    You may seriously want to consider penning them. They will wander anywhere they want even if it is around moving vehicles. We have to lock them up when moving equipment or expecting someone. They have no fear of anything... including predators. Turkeys are unlike chickens or waterfowl. Ours also have netting over their pen to keep them in when we are using equipment otherwise they would all be in danger since they would fly out to see what is going on. Only two of the hens run free with the chickens but the minute there is a car or we come outdoors they come running. We are in a learning curve with them, too, but I think they are my favorite fowl.

    Again, I'm sorry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Ben Franklin was right....these birds should have been the National bird :). The FedEx guy loves them and all the Amish roofer's talked to them. Their need to know everything is a problem! They are just so curious and social.

      Delete
  7. Oh, I am so sorry that happened. If it were me, I would fence off my property. Keeps unwanted critters and people out, too. Yes, people are sue happy nowadays. It was decent of that guy to come back and talk to you...don't see much of that nowadays, for sure. Here, we have open range, but we don't want our animals killed either, so we use fences. Glad you were able to save some of the meat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have learned a lot from this, some good some bad. We did find out there is severe rock along the bank by the road...big flat layers by the way the picket bar stopped about 8 inches down.

      Delete
  8. Oh I am so sorry. Fencing protects the animals and yes I think that is a good decision. Hug B

    ReplyDelete
  9. how about fencing just te front for a long way. cheaper and stops access to the road.

    up here we have coons and coyotes here in the city. i keep our cats indoors because of traffic so they are also safe from coyotes, but i know people who have lost cats to coyotes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love how you think things through and analyze them in reference to your goals. That is so important, I think, because in the long run it keeps you on track.

    We have quite a bit of road frontage too, with local traffic. We ended up planting a row of leyland cypresses, but it was more for privacy. That was a good decision for us because we get a lot of gawkers passing by, and unfortunately, some of them like to throw things at our animals.

    ReplyDelete
  11. We're not supposed to get emotionally attached to our "livestock", but I do, and so I'm just not good at raising animals for food. I know. It's silly. So sad about the turkeys.

    ReplyDelete