Comments for Small Farm Life

Comment on Wall, shelf, rotation and debris by Jan

Jan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:06:19 +0000

Actually, I think Gertz’s exact line was….”I gotta go, Julia – we’ve got COWS!”

And you’re right – the metaphor line is classic.

Comment on Backyard chicken advocates take up the cause in Iowa City | GazetteOnline.com – Cedar Rapids, Iowa City by Dale

Dale — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:33:03 +0000

having a few chickens in the back yard is not going to leave a mess as bad as the geese do in the parks and along the river . better listening to a few chickens then the dog across the street bark ever time she goes out side. i lived on a farm most all my life chicken shitt is a great fertilizer good for flowers and garden and your grass. sell the chicken shit sell the eggs eat the chicken how could you go wrong.

Comment on Famous chickens and The Spendid Table by Gill Pollard

Gill Pollard — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:36:54 +0000

I happened across your blog and I was looking at JM Hatchery awhile back and was glad to get some more input on there chickens. I currently have chickens that are a buff orphington / game rooster cross and they seem to be just wild enough to survive free range around here. Their birds really sound good so I will try some when the weather gets a little warmer. We tried a couple cornish cross as a test and they just couldn’t handle the environment. I think some of my young roosters were more like pheasants the way they could fly.

Comment on Sites I read: Hunter Angler Gardener Cook by Mia

Mia — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:41:27 +0000

Fritz,

If you enjoyed “Caught in the Middle,” you might be interested to know the Richard Longworth now has a blog called “The Midwesterner” at http://blog.globalmidwest.org. He writes on many regional topics, including agriculture and rural issues.

Thanks!

Comment on Time to talk turkey by Fritz Nordengren

Fritz Nordengren — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:28:31 +0000

Duane, you ask a great question and I take the easy way out. I have a family that processes mine for me — which is great for friends and family. If I expanded to commercial sales, even with some on-farm exemption, I think I would opt for a state or USDA inspected facility — but there are few of them in Iowa any more. a 1 – 2 hour drive is the best I can find.

I do plan my bird’s trips to “freezer camp” in cooler fall weather to make it easier to chill the meat after cleaning and also to reduce the amount of flies and other insects.

I have seen a “mobile” poultry processing trailer that sells new for around $100,000. It takes a lot of chickens at $1.50 – $2.00 each to make that venture and investment pay off.

I do have USDA lockers near by – but they don’t process poultry: only beef, deer, and other larger scale meats.

Comment on Time to talk turkey by Duane Keys

Duane Keys — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:29:57 +0000

I would love to learn more about how you process them, procedures, fixtures, etc…

Comment on Labor Day Snapshot: Bob’s Barn by Who are you? | Small Farm Life

Who are you? | Small Farm Life — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:48:09 +0000

[...] were sitting at Bob’s barn, catching up on stories from the week when a local woman dropped off her car for some work. She [...]

Comment on …it was uphill, both ways, in cardboard shoes by Vicki Ellis Griffis

Vicki Ellis Griffis — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:05:30 +0000

This is so cute. Keep up the good writing!

Comment on Q & A With Mark Van Roojen, a Philosophy Professor and Cabin Builder – Times Topics Blog – NYTimes.com by An update from Maine and talk of barns | Small Farm Life

An update from Maine and talk of barns | Small Farm Life — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:30:25 +0000

[...] I look forward to his notes, ideas, challenges, and sharing the world of a small cabin life. So, as I wrote earlier, what do you call a colleague / friend / email correspondent / blog buddy? “Neighbor” [...]

Comment on Saying Grace by Famous chickens and The Spendid Table | Small Farm Life

Famous chickens and The Spendid Table | Small Farm Life — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:56:54 +0000

[...] My Sunday mornings include listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper and The Splendid Table®. Sunday’s episode included a discussion of “french chickens” sometimes called “Freedom Rangers” or “Colored Range” chickens – the chicken breed I grew this year. [...]