Sixty bales. That will do for a start. Straw is for bedding. Hay for feeding. In a mild winter like we had last year I did not need as much straw as the animals preferred to hang around outside. But we have calves due earlier next year so we need plenty of clean bedding on hand.
The straw is stored where the peahens live, so they were allowed out for a run. The grapes are looking good so I must not dally this morning, I need to get the pea hens back into their Peahen Palace before they find the grapes and eat them all up. They had a lovely day out yesterday though. Another month or so and then they are free again.
These naughty piggies, who were grazing in a field near by, saw me working with the broiler chickens and staged a break out. They lay on their bellies and one by one wriggled under the fence. Over to the ark they ran and played ring a ring a rosy around the little chickens house, grabbing the tarpaulin and shaking it as they ran around. The chicks went mad with fright. The sheep took flight and both the dogs were running to and fro not sure where to start the round up.
It took some time to sort everyone out and get them back where they were meant to be.
Daisy and Sheila watched from the sanctimonious height of mature behaviour and gravely shook their heads.
The chicks immediately forgot what had gone on and went back to eating. They are suddenly quite big birds. They have one month to go. I still think that raising chicken on grass for the freezer has to be the easiest and cleanest food enterprise so far.
The last two nights have been quite cool. Though we have had a very cool summer all up so I am not alarmed. The warmth will return. Summer is not over yet.
Have a lovely day.
your friend on the farm, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
59 responses to “Straw sent up the Clatter Box”
I think your September challenge might have been easier if you’d had chickens to eat – that will certainly be something to look forward to a month or so from now! And all that lovely clean straw makes *me* want to use it for bedding! 🙂
I know i should have waited and had an october challenge! But it is information gathering, i have to think bigger! c
Celi, it’s been really eye-opening following you through this challenge. If ONE human (and a not overly hungry one at that) needs to grow so much food to meet all her needs, what does it say for all of us collectively as a species? x
We eat too much. As a species that is what i think. However i have also found that i am doing quite well on what is in the garden, all those lovely pastas, gnocchi tomorrow, home made ice cream, and bread. Steak pies and greek salads (but without the olives) I think we are living very well, I certainly am not hungry.. c
Good wholesome food doesn’t make you fat. It is the packaged junk food that ruins our bodies!!! Physical work requires good food. You eat very well!!! All farm people do. Unless they bake too many homemade doughnuts and caramel rolls of course!!! LOL But we do burn it off!!! 😉
We are very healthy too…fresh real food is economical and healthy! Fast food is a heart attack waiting to happen for those who eat it. It is expensive and doesn’t even taste good if you know how good real food tastes! I find that I am not always hungry when I eat food I grow and prepare at home. I truly enjoy what I eat! I never get food poisoning and I know that is prepared in a clean environment. Good for you Celi…I love to read your blog!!!!! 🙂
i do agree, wholeheartedly, i have not eaten processed food in years now and am a nice shap, the shape i was meant to be, not thin just nice and alarmingly healthy. real food is the way to go and is cheaper to buy than packaged pseudo foods.. you are right about is burnng it off though.. where is your farm Mere? c
I don’t know about you, Celi, but I will have withdrawal symptoms when those piggies go.
It is all part of being part of the Farmy, we will go through it together.. thankfully.. c
Those piggies look innocent as new born babes 🙂 Love the rooster photo with the sun pouring in on him, and the lovely chookie staring straight into the camera. Thank you for sharing, starts my day off with a smile.
They start my day off with a smile too! c
On this chilly morning I took advantage and put on the oven to make a huge supply of sun dried tomatoes. In a few hours after the oven did its work I froze the treats in individual batches. These make the best snacks. I also use them as a pasta sauce.
Freezing them sounds like a good idea, i have had two bags of dried tomatoes go off already! Such a waste! c
Great on pizza and bruschetta too! When I make my Eggplant Parmesan I use sliced fresh garden tomatoes in my layers!!! It is so delicious! I grow heirloom Bianca Rose!!! Flowery and flavorful! No bitterness. I used to grow heirloom Black Beautys, but the Bianca Rose is far superior in flavor!!! Will be doing the same! Love sun dried tomatoes!!! Yum! 🙂
You could write a children’s book. Celi, on those piggies. Bet those peahens enjoyed being out but I hope they stayed clear of your grapes. I hope your weather today has been better than ours. It’s been about as dreary a day as we’ve had in quite some time, without so much as a drop of sunshine all day. I just hope it clears by Wednesday, that’s a traveling day and rain will only complicate matters. Have a great night and say “Hi!” to Your John for me. 🙂
Our John says hi straight back, he is so pleased to have met you! I hope you don’t get rain on your travelling day, it can be such a bore.. c
Oh of course…I didn’t think about how big those naughty pea girls are!! 🙂 I take it they aren’t afraid of the bobble headed owls either!
PS. I’m with you on the summer thing! I can’t even say the F. word yet! Hah!!
The F word!! brilliant!! i know i said to john i am not sure that the bobble headed owl is a natural predator of a peahen. But so far they have only loitered around the bottom, but they can gobble a fair few from there too. c
Bottled our elderberry wine this afternoon! Excellent!!!! Tomorrow we bottle one carboy of the white! Followed by another carboy. Last we bottle the red!!! All set for a cozy winter by the fireplace!!! 🙂 Hubby makes beer! He is getting quite good at it! LOL My last hummingbird left for the long trip south. I miss them already! Loved watching their antics outside our bedroom window!
Life on the farm is never boring! 🙂
all of a sudden i have been seeing hummingbirds in the garden, do you think they are dropping in on their way south? They are loving the anemones and the honeysuckle. i never thought of them as topping up on their way through.. hmm.. maybe i should plant for them.. what do you think.. c
Love your photos!! You are having a wonderful time and it shows! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Oh dear ~ I can imagine the noise: dogs on the outside, piggies having SO much fun showing their power and the poor chooks in the arc wondering what next! Terribly funny actually if you don’t have to cope with it there 🙂 ! A tick for the straw: another thing ‘done; the chooks will be meaty and the cornfield suddenly looks a wee bit sad! Nope, can’t imagine beheading 50 chickens in the yard either 🙂 ! Hope you had a good day . . .
Your description of the piggy breakout was so funny and I think chookies are very resilient and soon recover from most situations. Lovely pictures as always and I also do not like killing a chook. I am here in the lounge most days loving your photos and your wonderful way with words. Joy
Daisy and Sheila were wondering how Miss C was going to take care of the madness afoot!
My son grew some winter rye to feed our chickens this summer. We are finding that the straw from the rye is a far superior bedding material than the shavings we have always used in the past. We are amazed at how much cleaner, sweeter smelling, and easier to clean the henhouse is. Your straw looks like nice bedding.
The chickens have grown so fast! The pigs make a career out of naughtiness it seems.
As always, I love all the photos, but that closeup of the young chicken staring at you is just…*beyond*! 😀
Oh, the rooster in the barn is so dramatic. Looks like it should be in a grand epic novel.
Those piggies – still chuckling over their terrorizing the chicks.