Barberpole Update: Still No Worms

As of June 15th . . . . Still no barberpole eggs in our fecal counts and also all of our ewes are showing very "red" eye membranes.

This is the first year that I have seen our sheep act so very happy and crazy midway through our worm season. Last night they were running circles around the pastures and leaping into the air with joy. Bunny hops to the barn were not uncommon:)

Our lambs are growing so huge this year!!!!!

The Waller study from Sweden is working here on our farm - we are also adding some supplemental copper this spring.

I will keep all of you informed with regular updates . . . . Please e-mail if your have any questions.

violetjwillis@yahoo.com

Shearing Sheep - Mark Shears a 20 year old Ewe

Our neighbor - Bob McCallister, has a ewe that Mark has shorn for the last four years now. She was over fifteen when Mark first sheared her and she is close to twenty this past weekend. As a shearer to our local "small" flocks in Washington county, Maine - this is his favorite shearing job. This old girl is probably on her last Maine summer as she is suffering from severe arthritis - but otherwise she is in quite good health.

Here is a photo of Mark and the ewe nearly shorn:





I am so proud of Mark. When shearing a very elderly sheep - the skin is so very, very thin. Mark sheared her with just a few very superficial nicks. Bob's old girl will now have a very comfortable summer:)

How I Got Rid of Barberpole Worm . . . .

I think I have finally done it . . . . Eliminated this pest on our farm.

We finally sheared the last 16 ewes over this past weekend and every single ewe had membranes that were very, very red. The only ewes that were even slightly off this color are my milky girls who send everthing to the lambs (boy the lambs are sure getting big this year too).


The secret is this . . . . This past winter I wormed with Ivermectin - three different times. I sent some fecals during spring lambing season in to my vet - no barberpole eggs found. First membrane check with shearing - well you know what I have found:)

I think I have done it. The only problem is - you need pastures that are exposed to temps close to 0 degrees farenheight in the winter. Any state south of Pennsylvania probably cannot replicate this study "Towards the Eradication of Haemonchus Contortus From Sheep Flocks in Sweden, P.J. Waller et a., Veterinary Parasitology, 2006".

I will be doing this once again this winter as we are adding another ram to our farm and I just want to "be sure" .

We will be offering our first "Shepherding Workshop" this fall where I will go over my study and results regarding Barberpole in great detail. I will also give my own perspective on minerals and Icelandics - they need so much more than the average sheep:)

I have one Great ram lamb left for sale as breeding stock - he is the grandson of Pumpkin and Noison. Very, very healthy like mom (who is 1/2 leader sheep) and very, very fine fleece like Noison. So far he has an easy going temperament too. His color is solid Moorit. All the rest I am going to keep (the ewe lambs) and the rams will be sold as meat.

Our Heritage Meat Chickens - Silver Laced Wyandottes and Farm Store Update

Our first batch of around 50 wyandotte chicks were just put out on pasture last weekend. They are beginning to grow very well. The above photo is what our Wyandotte newborns look like.

We started collecting eggs from our breeding flock in March and set the eggs in both of our incubators on April 1st. I have two Brinsea digital incubators that work extremely well. The incubation period for chicks is around 21 days. Wyandottes are ready for processing at about 12 weeks of age. They will weigh in around 3-4 pounds dressed out.

The flavor of the meat is more complex that the standard meat bird (Cornish X's) used in pasture flocks as well as the factory farm setting. My foodie friends describe the flavor as reminiscent of a game bird in both texture and taste. The fat on our birds is pretty much non-existent. If there is any under the skin - it is a very dark yellow/orange color. This reflects not only the bird's food conversion genetics but the bird's diet rich in greens and insects.

Here is a Wiki link that describes the chicken breed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyandotte_(chicken)

This bird is a heritage breed and is listed in the "Ark of Taste":

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/wyandotte_chicken/

Now for an update on our Farm Store: We will be opening on Friday, July 2nd. Our first pick up for the buying club will be on that day too. Participating farms include: Tide Mill Organic Farm, Olde Sow Farm, and Udderview farm. I will not be assessing a percentage fee for each member order per week - only a $25.00 yearly membership fee is required.

(All availabilities will be posted on this blog and orders can then be e-mailed to me by Tuesday of each week.)

Our carpenter, Lester, finished the restoration of our Ell just yesterday. He did a great job. It was a difficult job to piece Sheetrock around the exposed beams - because of our home's age none of our walls are square. I really wanted the post and beam structure to show - esp. since it dates to 1767. Lester did a beautiful job.

Now Mark and I will be busy cleaning, painting and finishing floors over the next few weeks. Then we can have our store inspected for our food license (whew). Since it is raining today I will be working on both the membership form and my press release. I also have a few items I need to send our artist who is drawing up our farm logo.

We are very, very excited about the store. . . It has taken us four years to get to this point and we are so happy to be offering healthy, nutrient dense food to our local community - year round, with the addition of our hoop house this fall.

Buy local . . . . eat well,

Violet

Store Bought vs. Farm Raised Eggs

We first started raising chickens for eggs when our son was three years old (2002). Our first chicken breeds were the Dorking and Dominique chickens. The hatchery we purchased our chicks from threw in a "free exotic chick" which later turned out to be an araucana rooster - whom we named Caesar.

When our first eggs started arriving we noticed a Huge difference in color and taste.



You can see the difference in the yolk color - the lighter yolk at the left is a store bought egg and the one on the right was laid by one of our "pasture raised" hens.

The darkness of the yolk is due to a high concentration of omega - 3's picked up from the grasses and bugs the chickens eat. The egg on the left tastes bland and the egg on the right is loaded with flavor. Don't be fooled by the eggs at the grocery store that claim to be high in Omega-3. These chickens are still raised in a factory shed with very little room per bird (even if the package says "cage free"). The only difference is the feed. The birds laying "Omega - 3" eggs contain fish protein. These eggs always taste slightly "fishy" to me.

If you have the chance and never have done so - stop by a farm that advertises that they raise "fresh eggs". Better yet, become a member of a Local Buying Club that sells locally raised meats and produce (hopefully you also live in a state that allows the sale of raw dairy). Raising your own chickens can be fun too. About 6 hens will provide enough eggs for a family of four,
Meat birds will be the next topic on this blog . . . .

The Lambs are here!!!!

My leader ewe - Pumpkin was the first to go a week ago. As of today we have four sets of bouncy and healthy twins on the ground and over 16 ewes to lamb. This should go on until the end of May. These first sets of twin lambs are exceptional this year due to Lenny.





Lenny was our fastest growing lamb last year. His fleece is to die for - a very unusual shade of moorit with the mouflon pattern and so, so soft. I never had to worm him last summer and only needed to do so during the stress of weaning from his mom Helen in the fall. He is a very bright boy with an easygoing temperament. Lenny's twin girls out of Liz are showcased in the new blog photo. Sugar is the black/grey ewe with the faintest sugar lips the other sweet spotted ewe is unnamed as yet.

Elena's boys came next. Wow was I in for a surprise here. This is the first year that she has thrown me really, really chunky boys with thick, hairy legs - they look like clydesdale feet! Elena is out of a Mjaldurson and a Rektor daughter.



Manon gave birth when Mark was building more brooding pens for the turkey and duck chicks. It was super noisy in the barn and I did not notice Manon was in the barn and in labor until Declan noticed she was laying in the darkest corner of the sheep pen. Her water bag was already out and in minutes she gave birth to two gorgeous black/grey ewes.



Tolkie and Pepper are going to go any day now . . . .

Finding the Farm - Part 3

On a long Thanksgiving weekend in 2006 we came back to Downeast Maine.

Our real estate agent took us around to two farm properties that we had picked out. The first had lots of land (mostly swamp), a nice view of the ocean but the house was not really what we were looking for and contrary to the listing - did not have a restorable barn. The second had 36 acres of land that was perfect for raising sheep but the house was close to a busy road. I knew when I stepped into the third house that this was our dream farm that we had talked about for many years. The 200 year old cape was filled with light from the afternoon November sun. Most of the restoration work needed was mainly cosmetic. The huge timber framed barn was still in relatively good condition on the inside and the land was perfect for animals - a long narrow parcel that is nestled between two main roads. The land gently slopes down to a year round stream with many feeder springs nearby. Over 100 heirloom apple trees are on the property. This was the farm we had been waiting for.

Four years later we have settled into our life in Downeast Maine. We are blessed with two healthy children and livestock raised on fresh ocean air and lots of Maine sunshine. The summers are never too hot and the cold winters allow for snow to stick around for longer than a few days. Our farm is slowly growing as we clear land for more pastures for our sheep and poultry. Everything we do here is sustainable from hatching turkeys and chickens from carefully selected breeding stock to raising sheep on 100% pasture and hay. All of our vegetable gardens are fertilized from our own compost and seed is saved from year to year.

This year the farm will go "public" and open our farm store - opening day is May 28, 2010. Our farm store will sell Icelandic fiber, yarn, pelts, chicken, eggs, turkey, produce, cut flowers, forced bulbs, and orchids. We will also be hosting a weekly buying club for products such as dairy, seafood, pork, honey, berries, cheese etc. A large hoophouse will go up this fall so we can grow produce year round. Eventually, time permitting - shepherding classes/workshops will be added in the fall.

We are very excited to bring our products into our local food marketplace. We are very passionate about local agriculture as it provides food security and promotes healthy eating. Hope you enjoy the blog and looking forward to all your comments.