It’s been a quiet couple of weeks on the blog because its been a busy couple of weeks on the Maronde farm. Nearly 160 chickens have gone from the mobile shelters to the freezer, twenty-five or so at a time. Every member of the Maronde family pitched in, from catching chickens, to dunking birds in the scalder and running the plucker, to diving deep in with the gutting process. Samantha at 11 years old is proving to be a champion gutter, working alongside her mother and helping the task to move ahead much, much more quickly.
Enjoy our latest video, where Bethany demonstrates how to take a chicken from the plucker to the chill tank.
Then, just a few days before the broilers were done; tragedy struck. A badger dug into the laying hen shelter and killed all but one of Samantha’s dear birds. What a sad, sad morning! We know that almost everyone who has raised chickens has a story of losing several or a whole flock to a predator, and it is very tough, especially when you have invested such time and energy (and money!) into these birds that were on their way to providing eggs for the family. Rosie is the sole survivor, and she has been joined by five others, graciously donated by a member at church. So, in almost no time, we went from nearly 200 chickens to one. We’ll carry six through the winter (plus, hopefully, a few ducks!), and then rebuild the laying flock in the spring.
Predator attacks are certainly devastating, I’m sorry to hear about your lost laying flick.
But ducks! I wholeheartedly approve of ducks. Are you looking into specific breeds?
The ducks are coming as a gift from a member of one of our congregations, so I don’t know many details yet, but I’m super excited!! Waterfowl is something that I have no direct experience with, so I’ve been researching and thinking on how to prepare for their arrival. We will definitely ask you any questions that come up as we welcome them to our little poultry flock!
Bethany, Thank you again for not only sharing yourself & your family with us, but also sending us home with one of these delicious, nutritious birds! After watching this video I only appreciated your gift more! We don’t know much about farming yet, but we jumped into *trying* to classically homeschool our kids when our 13 year old was just 5 years old and so we know enough to see how beautifully you & your family are using classical rhetoric (the positive sense of the term) to educate others in such essential life skills. Your rhetorical skills are far from “the clanging cymbals”…so full of love for your Savior, appreciation of His creation & love for your neighbor! I truly appreciate all of these attributes in you. May Jesus Christ be praised for His creation of you & your family! We hope and pray God will turn your sad losses (seed from dead plants) into even greater gain (living harvest), especially gain for His Kingdom.