The Sifford Sojournal

Our journal of what we pray is our sojourn of life along the narrow way, even the old paths, submitting to the Bible as a light unto both.

Category: agrarianism (Page 4 of 19)

Young 2022 Turkeys Freeranging

Young 2022 Turkeys – Update I

September 6, 2022 / / 0 Comments

With the chicken mommies hatching out a 2nd group and 3rd group of turkey chicks, and them continuing on in the brooder barn, and them getting big enough it seemed to not only cause ruckus in the brooder barn, but also because it’s just better to get them outside as quickly as possible, it was time to graduate them to freedom, and life with the rest of the turkey flock and homestead!

This was going to be something of an experiment, because in the past we’ve always sent them out with their turkey mommy to lead the way, so we were hoping despite that that they would stay around the homestead and go into the barn at night.

Sadly, by this time, one of the young turkeys caught a disease or something, and eventually didn’t make it. šŸ™ And so, from the original 13, there were now 12, which we show in the following video starting with the day of the release, and then their adjusting to the outside world:

Today, they are all pretty much doing well. I believe I injured one’s leg when trying to manually round them up one night because they weren’t going into the barn (which they had been doing just fine by themselves up to that point), and it’s still limping. And another has something wrong with one of its eyes…maybe a small infection? Not sure, so they spend a lot of time in the barn, often together, although the limping one just a little while ago today was looking pretty weak, so I pulled it and put it in its own cage back in the brooder barn so it has unencumbered access to water and turkey (wild game) feed, which maybe being as small as it is it still needs. We do ask God He might grant them recovery.

But generally, the other 10 or even the eye one too roam around like they own the place, šŸ™‚ although we do still have to direct them a little into the barn at night sometimes.

But, we do thank the Lord for their continued general health and safety, and pray He might continue to grant that to them!

— David

2022 Goat Kids

Providence’s Perpetuation Provisions: 2022’s Goat Kids

July 25, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Well, the results of last year’s goat breeding time are in! šŸ™‚ God graciously granted 4 bucklings and 2 doelings, although there was another doeling, but she was still-born.

Here are some pictures when they were going to the kind gentleman who buys our goats:

Goat Kids 2022
Goat Kids 2022
Goat Kids 2022

Very sadly though, the Lord, as owner of the goats, decided to reclaim Annie, whose two bucklings are these last two pictures. Thankfully they were 7 weeks old when she died, so we didn’t have to bottle feed them.

Annie was also our little orphan from way back. Here’s a video of her and her brother Spot drinking off the bottles!

This is Hassie’s (Annie’s daughter) daughter (in front), which we’re keeping to replace Annie. We’re calling her Annalita, in honor of grandma. šŸ™‚

Goat Kids 2022

Goodbye Annie…we’ll miss you…

Annie and Her Kids 2021

Lastly, here’s the video of 2022’s kids:

We always thank the Lord for His gracious provisions, and for the milk, and we pray the kids do well for the new owner!

— David

3rd Round of 2022 Turkey Chicks

Providence’s Perpetuation Provisions: 3rd Round of 2022 Turkey Chicks & Surrogate Chicken Mommy

July 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments

With the surrogate chicken mommy with turkey chicks working so well, and with chicken hens again being much more easy to handle, and with another turkey/chicken mommies set sitting on turkey eggs in the barn, if they hatched, we’d thought we’d try to grab them and a chicken mommy and put them in the brooder barn to hopefully grow.

Here is the turkey mommy and the two chicken mommies in the barn on the eggs, and I believe even at least one hatched-out:

Mommies on Turkey Eggs in Barn

And thanks to God’s graces, they did hatch out several over a couple of days, and we moved one of the chicken hens and the youngins into the brooder barn, and along with the picture at the top, here they are, 5 in total!

3rd 2022 Turkey Hatching

And here’s their video:

As always, we thank the Lord for these continued provisions, and may He always glorify Himself in these things!

— David

2nd Round of 2022 Turkey Chicks

Providence’s Perpetuation Provisions: Surrogate Chicken Mommy to 2nd Round of Turkey Chicks

June 28, 2022 / / 0 Comments

After we had a turkey mommy accidentally hatch out a chicken chick, we discovered in the barn next to the north footer in the middle a set of turkey eggs being sat on by both a turkey and a chicken. Since the turkey mommy worked well as a surrogate to the chicken chick, I started to wonder if maybe a chicken mommy might make a good surrogate for turkey chicks, especially because a chicken hen is much easier to work with than the larger and stronger turkey hen.

Well, the little things started to hatch, and eventually the chicken mommy ended up near the big door across the barn to the east with the chicks under her, and the turkey mommy kind of hanging out behind her. So, it was round up the youngin’s and the chicken mommy and get them into the summer kitchen (now basically what is a brooder barn).

There were 6 of them, and we initially started them in a cage on the table, which you can see in the video below.

Then not long after, another turkey/chicken mommy group in the barn hatched out 1, and it was walking around on the hay stack next to them, and so we grabbed it and put it in with the brooder barn mommy, hoping she would accept it, and she did!

And then, another 1 from that same 2 mommies in the barn, and so it was off to the brooder barn.

And so now, there are 8 turkey chicks with their chicken mommy in the brooder barn all still doing great! That last one is a little tiny, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to make it, but it’s still going!

And, along with the picture above, here is another picture of them. However, the chicken mommy at this point seems to be losing interest in attending to them as a mommy, and has been jumping out of the caged run area, so we may just let her go soon, although we do like the idea that these mommies being there might protect the young from snakes:

2nd Round of 2022 Turkey Chicks

And here is their video:

We thank the Lord for granting these new little provisions, and for the idea and gracious success of a chicken hen taking care of the young turkey chicks!

— David

2nd Chicken Hatching of 2022

Providenceā€™s Perpetuation Provisions: 2nd, 3rd & 4th Chicken Hatchings of 2022

June 10, 2022 / / 0 Comments

After our first chicken hatching this 2022 came from a turkey mommy accidentally sitting on a chicken egg and hatching one out, the Lord has graciously continued to grant more chicken chicks!

This is group 2 for 2022. We usually put 12 eggs under the broody mommies, and she either hatched out them all, or close to it…I haven’t done a count yet, but there are quite a few! They are in the image above, and this one:

More of 2nd Chicken Hatching of 2022

And here’s group 3. She actually hatched out 5 more, but I think she ended up killing them as she tore apart her nest after she lost her broodiness. Sigh. But, she still has these 4 going strong!

3rd Chicken Hatching of 2022

And here is group 4. Originally, these eggs were under a mommy under our house. We grabbed her and her eggs and put them in the mini-chicken tractor shown here. However, about 5-6 days short of the 21 required, she lost her broodiness, and tore apart the nest, and sent eggs somewhat scattering. We even found one dead not-quite-complete chick, I guess perhaps just broken out of the shell by her maybe?

Anyway, we gathered up the rest of the eggs and re-set them in the nest, and tried putting on them other broody hens we had that weren’t sitting on eggs (we pull their eggs if we don’t have a safe place to let them hatch out chicks). Well, finally, I believe it was the 3rd mommy attempt which stuck, and she did bring it home, hatching out these 2 little ones! She’s still acting quite broody, but I have a feeling the other eggs are not going to hatch. And at least, her little ones are apparently figuring out how to drink and eat regardless:

4th Chicken Hatching of 2022

And lastly, here’s the video of all 3 groups:

As always, we are grateful to God for granting these new provisions, and we pray He glorify Himself through them, and that they might benefit others as well!

— David

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