Let The Plucker Construction Begin

Kyle and I began construction of our Whizbang Chicken Plucker. We haven't completed the project yet, but still I can't speak highly enough of Herrick Kimball's instruction book. The clarity of the writing and the detail included are far superior to that of any other technical reference I have ever used. I can confidently say that this book is written so that anyone who wants to build a mechanical chicken plucker can - regardless of skill level.

The white barrel in the photo is a used food grade container that I purchased for $10 from a local farmer who stockpiles both plastic barrels and steel drums. The electric motor in the foreground is really a bit oversized for the plucker. I'm guessing it's a 2 HP unit and Herrick recommends a 3/4 HP motor, but the price on this one was right. I picked it up at a local dairy farm auction back in the Fall for $7. The Jersey cows were going sky-high at that particular auction and I missed out on a complete set of milking equipment that went for a little over $100. Well, so it goes.

We completed the frame in a couple of hours today. I'll post a picture of it after we get her painted up and looking pretty. I wouldn't be surprised if Kyle wanted to paint some racing stripes on it, or more likely, mount some sort of cannon, machine gun, or catapult to the side of it.

We have been mulling over what type of chicken to raise this spring/summer. Somehow the Cornish X Rocks seem a bit freaky, but I'm attracted by the short growing period and meatiness of the bird. We welcome your advice if you have any recommendations or cautionary tales.

Grafting Apple Trees

Valentine's day marks the time of year in this part of the country to take care of your tree pruning duties. It is also a good time to propagate fruit trees by grafting cuttings (scions) to harvested root stock.

I went back to our apple grower friend Mr. Smith's house this past Saturday to collect the cuttings that I would be grafting. The weather was getting colder so I opted to wait a few days to graft the cuttings. This is not a problem if you wrap the cuttings in a plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator. On Tuesday the temperature was around 50 and quite pleasant so I left work a bit early to pursue more fruitful responsibilities. With the help of our three year old little man, I was able to get the job done in only twice the time it would have taken me alone. I wouldn't have it any other way.

There is actually nothing very technical about this process. I used modified cleft graft technique that is described very well here. After cliping the top of the root stock to expose the green core and cutting about a 2" slit in it, simply whittle the scion to a taper the same length and wedge the two together. I finished the job by wrapping each graft with electrical tape - sticky side out. That helps to prevent damage to the delicate bark.

The root stock that we harvested a couple of weeks ago was collected by using a shovel to cut the volunteer shoots that are sent up by a mature tree. Typically the root stock is about the diameter of a pencil. Keeping that in mind, I collected scions in that same diameter range. The reason you want to do this is so that the cambium will line up on both sides thereby improving your odds of a succesful graft. This picture shows how to line up the cambium on one side when the diameters of the root stock and scion are different.

We'll know later this Spring if the grafts took by taking note of which scions start to bud out. If they don't take we'll keep the living root stock and try again next February.

Keith

Snow!

Even a little bit of snow is exciting in southern middle Tennessee. And we actually had a bit more than a dusting this weekend. It was enough to see a number of snowmen around the area, and to have snowball fights. Good thing about our snow is that it's often great for building and balling, since the temps are usually not very cold. Makes for a beautiful snowfall with great big flakes, too. Just beautiful. And the small amounts mean we don't have piles of dirty snow along the sides of the roads for weeks; we get to enjoy it for a short while (if we get more than a dusting), then it's gone. Personally, I'd like the certainty of a good snowfall or two each winter, but we don't have that. I seem to be in the minority on that wish, anyway. Besides, I'm where I want to be and where the Good Lord has seen fit to bless us; I'll take the weather as He sends it.

We had friends over Sunday after church--our pastor, his wife and two kids, and another family of seven. The kids had a great time playing an airsoft/snowball version of Capture the Flag after lunch. Then Keith hooked a sled-type glider to the Mule, set down some rules and took one of the young men for a test ride. Then the 11 kids--no, 10; our 3yo didn't sled, but he did ride in the cab of the Mule--spent the rest of the afternoon taking rides around the pasture. The evening service was blessed with some damp clothes that night.

Mary Susan

Worthy??

I feel that we need to post on this blog more often, but then I read some of the agrarian blogs and feel that we are haughty to think that we have any right to even try to be in a league with them: we are at such an infantile stage in our agrarian life, and have so little to write of interest or worth! And it feels like we are moving so slowly toward our dreams. And yet, here I am, writing!

We knew when we began to develop an agrarian dream that we would, indeed, have to move slowly. Everything takes money--any new enterprise requires capital. Plus, we have to live. And the need for money means the need for an income, which means Keith goes to work 5 days a week. And that slows things down, too. So much of the work that has to be done around here at this point requires Keith. We are truly blessed that he is such a jack-of-all-trades, but the speed (or lack thereof) of progress is a bit frustrating, yet unavoidable.

However, now that I think about it, it was not long ago at all when we first heard of sustainable farming and Christian agrarianism. And when I look at what we have done thus far, maybe we're not doing too badly. And truth to tell, it's the future that we're doing this for. Not necessarily our future, but our children's. I pray that they will have families that are able to work and play together all day everyday! I would love for my sons and future sons-in-law to work side-by-side with their sons and grandsons; with their entire families! To shepherd their families in all of life's situations as they arise--not over a phone or hours later, but at the time and place of the situation. And to teach them diligently when they sit, when they walk, when they lie down, and when they rise up. That is the way it should be.

Mary Susan