FRIENDS AND FACEBOOK

NEVER underestimate the power of Friends and Facebook. I surely won't ever again.

Look above at my 2 posts written just on my Delilah's Dairy page.  7.6 thousand views. and over 600 shares of the posts. ( i had two more on my personal jojo page). 

This is what got Thatcher home. EVERY single view. Every Share.

One call received on Sunday said they saw a white dog on 180th and orange blvd. After all the posters i was done putting up, i just felt the need to go look out there. Possibly put up another poster. Just in case. I put it on the stop sign at 180/orange. Seemed ridiculous at the time.

I get a call today from a girl who sees a dog out in the middle of Corbett ( 67,000 acre preserve). She says he is on the main grade- she just left there. And likely he is still there. I asked her how she knew to call. She mentioned the one sign i put up that was a remote location. She saw the poster at 180/orange.

I've always believed in serendipity.  If the first friend hadn't called, who saw my posts, I likely would never have found Thatcher.  A domino effect of events.

Never underestimate the power Facebook has. Or what your friends read. 7,000 people did not respond to my post but they read it. And shared it. It doesn't even account for twitter or this blog, and its power too. 

:) 

Thatcher is home.

love you!

#BringTHATCHERback

HE's GONE!

H E   I S  G O N E

B R I N G  H I M  B A C K !

I'm not sure who i'm yelling at, the universe or a person.

I just want him home.

#bringTHATCHERback

Farm Fresh Eggs

We have been selling eggs as a business add-on to the dairy, for about 4 years. I've been raising them for fun and myself for decades.  Our hens are from various breeds. Mostly heritage breeds, though I do have a few leghorns remaining from my very first hens. Dominiques, Langshan, Black Astralorp, Jersey Giant, Auracauna's, Americana's, Rhode Island Red, Copper Black Marans, Buff Orphington's. They're all so different that it makes caring for them so cool. I love the variety in their personalities, what they lay, and the breed standards. 

One of the things that is different among them is their eggs- The colors, size, and sometimes how many they lay in a week. Some will lay once a day. Some once every 3 days. Whatever they do is fine with me. We don't force it. In the heat of summer they ALL lay less. When they molt they don't lay at all. In really crappy weather they also decrease. When they get broody, another decrease. When introducing new chickens or stressed, they have 'off' days just like the rest of us. It's not a business where one can say we will always have X number available daily. Daily it changes. That's the beauty of it. It's real. IF i was selling for production only I'd have leghorns. But then what fun is that?



There are 40 laying hens. 10 more on their way to start laying. 10 of the 40 are over 3 years old, they don't lay every day. They only lay consistently in their youth. The window of them laying everyday is about 2 years. They start laying at 5 months. Some of the rare breeds 7 or 8 months. I've still not seen an egg from my 6 month old Buff's or Copper Maran's. Oh well.

All hens are truly free range. We don't lock them up at night. Thatcher, my GR. Pyrenees keeps them all safe. He's out there right now barking at something. He sleeps with the goats, the hens roost in the barn eaves above, or in their coop, door open.  Because they aren't locked up they truly are free range. I do feed them in the mornings- an egg layer mash. Its high in calcium. Other then that its what they find thru the day. Winter months there is less forage, therefore less eggs. Summer months they're fed less and forage more. Sometimes i give them their shells back to them. They get treats periodically. They are little dinosaurs. They will eat anything!

Eggs are gathered in the mornings at 8 am and then again 8 pm. I try to pick them up before the crows come and steal them. If I get to the eggs before the crows, an easy 2 dozen a day... If the egg is too big for the crow to carry off they eat it right there. They are brazen. 40 hens does not equal 40 eggs. I've never collected in one day more then 30 eggs. And that is a rarity. It's just one of those things about the heritage breeds.


Once collected they're brought into the house and put straight into the cartons. Eggs are not washed. There is a natural coating the hen puts on the egg called the 'bloom' or its also called the 'cuticle'. It will keep out the moisture and any bacteria. This is why I will not wash eggs. They stay fresh longer if you don't. Once washed they must be put in the fridge. And the countdown begins. An egg not washed can last a month on the counter. A washed egg in the fridge starts going bad within a week or two.  Don't wash the eggs till you are ready to use. And there is no need to refrigerate. It's your option. But this is how they leave here. Once in the fridge they can sweat when taken out. Wash immediately.

COLORS

Hens lay all types of colors, and sized eggs. They can range from giant grade A sized to small brown. I've found that the yolk is always the same size. Sometimes the color of the yolk changes from hen to hen, and breed to breed. I'm not convinced that what you feed is why they're so orange in color. I think its within the breed, health, age, and then what they eat. I don't feed any yellow foods, like corn, cornmeal, or anything that would create this increase in color. Its all the hen. The Americana hen I have here lays beautiful blue/green eggs, her yolks are consistently less orange then for example my buff colored hens who lay buff colored shells. They all forage the same. Eat the same. I think its genetic. 

You might also notice the egg yolk will sit tight in the 'egg white' when first cracked. Another sign its a fresh newly laid egg.

The shell of the egg comes in all kinds of colors. Brown, white, yellow, buff, brown, speckled, blue, green, pink, olive, army green. It really is amazing what each breed can do. There is no difference in quality based on the outside color of the egg. The shell is thicker then store bought. In the beginning I had a bit of a learning curve to crack them a bit harder, and not end up having to scramble them all the time.

It is always, recommended to crack each egg in a bowl before putting all together. There are hens that are new and learning to lay, older that don't lay much. There are roosters on the property. All eggs are collected daily but reality is mistakes can happen. Oddities do happen.  And there just might be one day, you'll crack an odd one....This is real. Its life. Because they are so fresh sometimes people think the chalazae is an embryo. Its the rope that holds the yolk. It will disappear at day 2. If you find this fuzzy opaque string  coming from the yolk,  it means that egg was that mornings or yesterdays lay. The embryo will not start to form in any fertilized egg for at least 2 days under consistent 90˚ temperatures. But oddities have and do happen. Crack eggs in a separate bowl.

Egg cartons can get expensive. Always save and return cartons. Paper only. The styrofoam type cartons are undesirable for the environment. They don't break down easy. For markets they can't be used. If they have writing on it, can't be used.

The best thing about all this is raising them. I love each one though don't name them all any longer. Only the ones that sneak in the house and decide they would rather be house pets. Like these three below.

A good article to read more about not refrigerating eggs:
http://io9.com/americans-why-do-you-keep-refrigerating-your-eggs-1465309529

Good site that shows the egg parts:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/info/chicken/egg.shtml

Good Doggie!

Rare on the couch. Thunder!!

Ahhh my Thatcher! He's coming up on 2 years old and what a good boy he is. I was trying to tell someone in a few words what makes him such a special dog, breed, livestock guardian (LGD), but was having trouble keeping it brief. So, here goes a few reasons:


Two and half years ago I awoke to missing ducks. Lots of them over the course of a few weeks. It was awful when I finally found them.  Or should I say parts of them strewn all over the neighbors back area near the canal. Knowing then it was time to get a livestock dog, but what, from where? It just so happened another friend had picked up a livestock dog from a working farm and breeder who mixes Great Pyrenees and Anatolians.... and so it began.... Me and Thatcher.

Rare times in the house. He spent the first year of his life outside. 24/7.

This is Day 1. Took this picture and promptly put him outside with the goats.

Luckily, there were 3 newborns in a stall so I put him with them. They were separated by a small dog fence. Which I was sure couldn't be breached. By morning, I found Thatcher and the three newborns snuggling and knew he was a good idea.

From 1 to 4 months Thatcher was just plain fun. He was introduced to every animal and then some. Ducks, chicks, pig, goats, dogs, rabbits, parrots, chickens, guinea hens, horses. Each animal taught him how to behave.  Especially Prissy. She is by far the top dog on this homestead. When he got too big for the kids, I put him in with the junior doelings. When he got to playful, I put him in with the mini horse and the bucks. When he was just bad, I put him in with the senior does. Each group taught him something. The senior does can be pretty mean and especially unforgiving. He took it all like a champ. Never ever have I seen him retaliate, but just lay down and relinquish to the goats. I have some big girls here. He took it all with a patience and stride another breed of dog would not. I knew then he was pretty special.

Thatcher at 4 months. Playing with Prissy. Even today at almost 120lbs he still treats her sweetly and gently.

Thatcher meeting willow. Willow is a house bunny and lives in the garage.

There were definite times where he was a problem. At 7 months, Thatcher felt all food was his. His alone. And he and Old Man got into it on occasion. It had to stop. It became problematic. Feeding everyone separately and the extra work was taking it's toll. I wondered if the charm of Thatcher was wearing off. Old man was an un-neutered male. Thatcher still un-neutered. They ended up working it out. Today, I free feed. Thatcher can sit patiently and watch while Oliver and Prissy eat. It just has to be after he is full. And yes, Thatcher is now neutered. It did mellow out his food issues. It also saves me money when they gauge their own food amounts.

The only other issue I've had is keeping up with "I'm ALPHA" not him. This is not so much a problem but extra work and time, and thinking. For instance, all animals can jump on the bed when I sleep. NOT THATCHER. I have to be more strict with him. He must not force his way into an area, he must wait. He can't jump up on you EVER. We've had our moments. We've come to a concise agreement. I'm the boss. But I can tell he doesn't always like it. Though I'm a benevelent beotch, he concedes. He will not though, if doing something he thinks important, to come when called. I've conceded that this will likely never be... So I wait. Patiently till he's run his rounds, sniffed that tree, peed on that strand of grass. It is his domain. And who am I to tell him to not do his job.

Thatcher at 11 months. And still growing....

 At about 1 year he was tall enough and strong enough to jump, climb, shimmy over fences.  At 1 year and 3 months I'd had enough of that, and we put a new 5 ft. no climb fence up in the back. It worked. What he climbs is the horse fencing, like a ladder. That will have to go. Pretty but not safe to keep him contained. He does like to roam. His territory is the 5 neighboring properties. And although at the moment all happy to see him, in the future must stop. As well the pond. He loves the neighbors pond. Dangerous. Gators. I have noticed though he stays out of the canal. I wonder why, did he meet one?

Must have water for him to sit in at all times. We've gone thru 3 pools.

Trust me! There are times when I want to ring his neck. I never have. But I know HE knows what I'm thinking. and he thinks it's a game to try my patience. But he concedes and we move on. He is by far the smartest dog I've ever encountered. The breed books ring true with stories of these masterful fighters. Benevolent leaders. Thinking dogs. In the beginning, I was truly worried about constant milk traffic on the property and his response. As long as he is allowed to be there to let them in, walk them up, and get to do his thing, all is well. Anytime I've locked him in the house? nightmare.

Yes! He can shimmy into this window.

Delilah and Thatcher playing with a visitor.

 And true to form as the books and articles say, this breed loves children. LOVES CHILDREN. If a child is on the property, he takes the same stance as if it was one of his goats. He follows them around. Sits with them. And generally just plays guardian.

Thatcher' name obviously was a nod to Margaret Thatcher. I wanted a dog to rule with an iron fist. Although, he's just turning two come November he is coming into his own. I'm hoping no other new habits crop up. If they do we'll deal with them as they come.  I feel comfortable leaving newborn goats in the barn, chicks running freely, and haven't lost a duck or any animal since he got here.

Till I can fix the other half of the perimeter fences, and because of the heat, he comes inside during the day. I noticed he stays put at night. Guarding. Doing his job. And when I go out to work the goats he comes with and does his thing. He is the boss. And I'm thankful to have him. I sleep better at night knowing he's out there. Now that Old Man is gone, I'm even considering starting this process all over again. Oh lordy!