13SEP08

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

A little late with the post, but better late then never.

The only day available to work on the farm this past weekend was Saturday. Donald spent the full day cutting hay in the pasture, raking it, and bringing up 5 loads. Then he cleaned out the turkey pen and laid down more hay.

The plan was to clean out the chicken pens and hen house as well, but the turkey pen took more time than anticipated. Hopefully the chicken pens and hen house will get cleaned out this week and new hay put in.

Still averaging about 20 eggs per day, but they are still small. We are beginning to realize that they may stay small.

Until next time, blessings from Baker Heritage Farms.

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment" Proverbs 12:11

13SEPP03

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms:

If you are considering raising turkeys, we have some advice - research them first. Raising turkeys is a lot more work then raising chickens, and involves a lot more time.

Turkeys like to perch at night, the higher the better (they go higher as they get older). Our turkeys are kept in a pen where there are numerous trees for them to perch in. Good for the turkeys, not so good for us. Due to the shape and size of the pen and the size of the trees, there is no way to keep them from flying down from the trees and landing outside the pen. In addition, they can fly onto the gate or their loafing shed and fly outside the pen. As a result, we have to conduct "turkey roundups" at least three or four times each morning and several times each evening, depending upon the weather. While they will normally follow us back to the pen, we get some that like to go the opposite direction, and then we get to chase them around in circles (usually when there are only one or two out). Turkeys also tend to be messier then chickens. Overall, they require more time and labor.

If we decide to continue raising turkeys, we would most likely be forced to confine them to a smaller area, which could affect our "cage-free, free-range" objectives.

They are, however, interesting and fun to watch, and will keep you amused with their antics.

Chickens are doing well. We are averaging about 20 eggs per day and the sizes, while still varying, are getting a little larger.

As soon as the weather cools a little, we are planning to clean out the pens and put in new hay. We have been having hot and humid weather with little wind (unusual for us) and are getting more flies as a result. Hopefully totally cleaning the pens will help.

Until next time, blessings from Baker Heritage Farms.

"The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." 2 Timothy 2:6

13AUG26

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms:

Summer is back ... our nice weather is gone (for now).

We are still in the learning phase of our farming venture. We have now learned that turkey's are not easy animals to control, especially when you have chickens as well.

Our chickens are truly "free range" chickens. While they are in a pen, they are free to come and go, and come and go they do. They are now flying in and out of the pen and we essentially let them come and go as they please. This makes keeping turkeys a problem. They want to, and do, get out. Unfortunately, turkeys and chickens do not mix.

Every night we have several turkeys get out several times before they finally nest in the trees. And every morning, we have to conduct a turkey round-up, again, several times.

Chickens are doing great. We are getting over 20 eggs each day now. We are not selling them as we are not candling them so we cannot grade them. We have not decided if we will or not. We are comfortable knowing that they are not fertilized as they do not get near Red (he won't let them even if they wanted to, they are not his girls). Still waiting for the eggs to get to full sized, then we may start grading and selling them.

Sometime in the past several weeks we lost a chicken. We think she got down into the woods. We cannot count them at night as some are in the hen house and some are not. The one that got away probably did not get put to bed one night and was dinner for one of our wild neighbors, or a hawk or eagle got her.

We have a turkey in isolation. Tiny was either born with, or acquired a defect shortly after arrival, and her legs are deformed. She apparently injured a foot the other day and was being picked on by the other turkeys, so we have her isolated. She is in the pen but is in a separate cage where, hopefully, she will recover.

Donald brought more hay up for the chickens. Saturday he put two loads in the chicken pen and today we all went out and changed their nests. They are now keeping their nests clean so we probably will only add hay every couple of weeks rather than changing it out. He also gave the turkeys some of the old hay as well as some of the new hay. It is a distinct advantage being able to go down and cut hay when we need it (though it was still wet this time). Of course, the disadvantage is that it has to be manually raked, which is a chore.

We are still working on the future of the farm. It was suggested that we work on getting some fruit trees planted. This appears to be the next logical step. Donald has essentially decided that we will not be able to run a full farm operation next year due to a lack of manpower and work requirements; however, we will have a kitchen garden. This actually works well into our education process. It will give us an idea of what we can do with proper soil preparation and time planning, using time saving techniques as much as possible.

Still need to get the tiller repaired. We have not been able to bring it up from the production field due to the amount of water still on the field. Hopefully we can get the truck and trailer down there to get it picked up, otherwise we will strip it where it is and try to get the parts we need and repair it where it sits.

Nothing else new down on the farm. Things will be slow for the next month or so as Donald has several work deadlines he needs to meet.

Until next time, blessings from Baker Heritage Farms.

"A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops." Proverbs 28:3

13AUG19

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms,

Good morning to all of our friends and followers. It has been absolutely gorgeous here in eastern Oklahoma the past few days. Unusually cool weather has added to the vast differences in weather conditions we have experienced here this year.

Donald was down with a nasty cold this weekend so there was not much work done on the farm, other then daily and weekly maintenance of the chickens and turkeys. He did get the chance to get some mowing done. He mowed the property in town (the first time this year he was able to get to it before it got real bad) and finally got our yards mowed (they were beginning to look like hay fields). There were still some areas of both properties that he was unable to mow due to standing water from all of the rain.

As we continue our farm planning, we realize that we have actually learned a great deal since we started almost two years ago. Our first learning experience was with our test garden last year and our second, and most recent, learning experience was with our poultry operations this year. We are currently using what we have learned to establish revised short and long term farm plans. As we consider what we will do in 2014, it seems that the best idea is to use our original farm plan as a foundation, and rewrite our overall plan.

We have decided not to formally "sell" our eggs this year, though we will be asking for "donations" towards feed. We have calculated that production costs are approximately $3.50 to $4.00 per dozen eggs. We are currently generating between 18 and 20 eggs per day and going through a 50 pound bag of feed every three days. One 50-pound bag of feed runs approximately $16.00 (depending on where we buy it, which depends on their inventory). This does not include grit, water, or labor. It also does not account for the initial start-up capital.

Our turkeys are quickly growing up and the Tom's are starting to strut their stuff. They are quite enjoyable to watch, and will follow you around.

Every morning they are out of their pen, but are usually fairly easy to roundup.

Red, our rooster, is very good at keeping us informed of what his hens are doing (or even when the turkeys or other hens are not behaving).

And even the hens get out, but we generally let those that escape free range during the day.

All-in-all, the farm is doing well. Still a lot of catching up to do, but that is what winter is for.

Until next time, blessings from ...

Baker Heritage Farms

"Farm like you are going to live forever and live like you are going to die tomorrow." Unknown

13AUG11

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

Yes, as normal, we are running behind on our posts. Actually, we are just running behind. It has been a very busy two weeks around here, unfortunately, most of the busyness has been non-farm related.

Adam started working this past week. He is working at the OK Foods Heavener chicken processing plant. Not the most enjoyable job; however, he seems to enjoy it and we hope he can gain useful knowledge for the farm operation. He is working 10-hour days and is pretty worn out by the time he gets home.

Donald is currently working both a full-time job and a part-time job. He had originally set aside Friday's and Saturday's for farm work, however, he was offered an opportunity that he felt he had to take, and now he only has Saturday's for the farm.

School is starting back up so school shopping for the children took priority last weekend for everyone but Donald. The weather finally cooperated for a few days and Donald was able to finally get some of the work done that has been on hold due to weather.

A week ago this past Friday Donald was able to go into town in the afternoon and mow the grass on the property there. It was touch and go for the entire time, but he was able to get that job completed. Then Saturday the weather continued to hold and he was finally able to cut hay. He took the tractor down back and cut and raked hay. He was able to bring 5 full bucket loads up to the house for the chickens and turkeys, who were in need of some fresh hay.

After bringing up the hay, he spread it in the main chicken pen and the turkey pen. He also cleaned the hen house and put a combination of hay and pine chips in the nesting boxes and on the floor. The chickens like the hay a lot more than the pine chips so we will be converting them to all hay. That work took up most of the day.

This weekend was a loss due to other commitments; however, Donald did do some work in the office, though he is still way behind.

Debbie attended her last Beginning Farmers and Ranchers class and has now graduated.

Debbie's Graduation Certificate

It is an all-day affair to keep the Turkeys in their pen. They have moved up the trees to higher (and stronger) branches. Unfortunately, the branches stick out over the fence line and they fall out of the trees onto the wrong side of the fence. This past Saturday they were all out in the front yard, but sometimes they even get into one or both of the chicken pens. They are also flying out just to fly out. Rounding them up is fairly easy provided they feel like cooperating.

Look Ma - I am outside (and you guys are still inside)

The chickens continue to get out, but we generally allow them to roam the yard. We are not as concerned about them as we are the turkeys as they (the chickens) tend to stay close to the pen.

Hey guys, why are you in there?

We are now getting over 20 eggs per day (average) from the chickens. They are still small, but getting bigger.

Now all we need to do is get our yards mowed and start getting more hay for the chickens. With 20/20 hindsight, it is probably better that we stopped working on the production fields for awhile. Something would have to give.

Until next time, blessings to all from ...

Baker Heritage Farms

"He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." Proverbs 10:5

13JUL27

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms:

Well, it has been a wet week, with Friday delivering about 5 inches of rain throughout the day. We have still been unable to bring hay up for the chickens.

It seems that our Fire Ants thrive on rain. Last year we did not see many mounds around the farm, but earlier this year they started showing up again. Now, they are all over. We can only presume that they like the moisture the rains bring.

Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicte)
Courtesy of OSU

Why are we concerned about Fire Ants? First, they hurt when they bite. They are small and tend to attack you in great numbers, and you do not need to be standing on their mound (of course, it is hard to stand anywhere on the farm right now without standing on one of their mounds). Second, the feeding on the young tender growth by fire ants occurs through the year, causing damage to soybean crops, citrus, corn, okra, bean, cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, potato, sweet potato, peanut, sorghum, and sunflower crops during critical times of growth. They can even move into your house if there is enough rain. Prior to the heavy rainfall Friday, we had isolated problems with them in our house, but Friday they started coming in droves.

A good percentage of the south is quarantined due to the Fire Ant population. The items quarantined include live plants, hay, soil, firewood, soil moving equipment, and unprocessed plant products. The southeast corner of Oklahoma is still in the quarantined area, and LeFlore county is the northern most portion of the state that is under the quarantine.

The problem at Baker Heritage Farms - we are following organic standards and most of the control methods require unapproved chemicals, so we are just living with them for now.

Due to the rain, not much work was done on the farm this week. The turkeys are proving to be a handful. As they grow, they fly higher into the trees at night to roost, and some of the higher branches spread to the outside of the fence line. We are finding the majority of the turkeys outside of their pen each morning. While they are fairly easy to roundup and get back in their pen, they are starting to fly into the chicken pens, which is not good.

We are currently trying to come up with a solution; however, with the size of the pen, its location in the trees, and the configuration of the fence line, we are facing an uphill battle.

The chickens still have their escape artists, but they are not so bad. While we are afraid the turkeys will get into the woods behind the house, the chickens tend to stay close to home. We are currently looking into enclosing the chicken pen with shade cloth, using PVC piping to frame the cloth.

With all the rain, we have wasted a lot of feed. Even though the feed is under cover, it still gets wet, either from blowing rain or wet birds. The chickens are very picky and will not eat wet feed (and it is not good for them as it starts to ferment quickly). The turkeys are not quite so bad. We are looking at ways we can build low cost feeders that will provide cover, keep the feeders further off the ground, and provide full-time access.

We are also looking at converting the little barn into a hen house. It is only a couple of feet away from the current hen house and it will allow us better control over the nesting area (as well as keeping it dryer). It will entail cleaning out the big barn and moving some of the stuff from the little barn to the big barn.

We are getting more eggs as each day passes. Debbie is now using them for baking so we will see how that goes. Once we have an ample supply, we will start sharing them with others before actually selling them (right now they are still to small to sell).

Donald and Debbie went out and picked up more chicken feed today (250 pounds) as well as poultry grit. The chickens are going through a 50-pound bag about every 4 days. Fortunately, the turkeys do not go through as much.

Until next time, Blessings to All from ...

Baker Heritage Farms

"We can't all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." Will Rogers

13JUL21

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

Ahh ... The incredible, edible, farm fresh egg ...

Farm Fresh Eggs

By Saturday, we had 10 edible eggs from our chickens (one was not edible as it was broken), and Saturday evening Debbie and Donald celebrated by enjoying a dinner of fried potatoes and eggs ... farm fresh eggs.

After about 4 1/2 months, our chickens are finally producing. While it generally takes 5 - 6 months for them to start producing, many will start earlier. Our first batch of eggs were very small, requiring 4-5 eggs to meet the needs of what three eggs will usually meet.

Our Silver Laced Wyandotte's can produce up to 200 eggs a year. With 22 chickens, that could be a whole lot of eggs. The eggs are pale (or soft) brown or tan (tinted) and have a very full flavor.

The chickens and turkeys have been keeping us busy. Between feeding, watering (they eat a lot of feed and drink a lot of water, particularly in the summer heat), and keeping them in their respective pens, they are turning out to be a very busy part-time job. If you are not planning to sell eggs, fertilizer, meat, or chickens, 3 - 4 hens should suffice for the back-yard farmer.

While the chickens tend to stay around the pen when they escape, we cannot say the same is true for the turkeys. If you have woods nearby and inadequate roosting in the turkey pen, you will most likely find your turkeys abandoning the pen in favor of the woods. Ours love to roost in the trees. They also tend to fall out of the trees, and are apt to fall outside of the fence line. They also love to fly and several get out at a time. We are fortunate to have trees inside the pen, but we are concerned that they may find the woods more attractive, so we try to get them back in as soon as we know they are out.

This weekend was a loss. The chickens are in need of fresh hay, both in their yard and for their nesting boxes (they apparently rather lay their eggs in the soft grass under the copse of trees in their extended pen, then in the harsh pine shavings in their nesting boxes). Donald planned to go down to the pasture and cut hay Saturday to bring up, but as he was preparing equipment Friday afternoon we were hit with a severe thunderstorm that dropped over 1.5 inches of rain ... so much for getting hay up Saturday. On Sunday, he again prepared to go down and we started getting pop-up thundershowers. We do not want to take a chance putting wet hay in the chicken coop, so he decided to once again postpone cutting hay. Hopefully we will be able to get some cut early in the week.

As he could not cut hay, he spent Saturday morning in the barn working on cleaning it up and trying to get it more organized.

Brenda, Donald's sister, is interested in raising alpacas, so she is doing the research to determine the feasibility of raising them here in Oklahoma. We have looked into this in the past, but have concerns about how they will do in the humidity. If it is determined that they can do well with the humidity, we will look at them as part of our livestock operations.

Until next time,

Blessings from Baker Heritage Farms

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." Proverbs 12:11