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Waterfowl

Duck Predators: How to Protect Ducks from Weasels

duck-predator-weasel-in-field

Duck predators come in many sizes, but one of the duck’s most deadly predators is the weasel. Learn how to protect your flock from an attack and discourage these persistent duck predators from visiting your backyard.

Getting to Know the Weasel’s Hunting Style

When comparing a list of duck predators, weasels may seem small and unlikely to inflict much damage compared to a fox or coyote. A small member of the mustelid family, weasels are ferocious predators that can destroy an entire flock in one visit.

While they prefer to do most of their hunting at night, weasels also hunt at dawn and dusk and even attack in daylight. Before attacking a duck, these tiny, blood-thirsty predators dance, twisting their bodies and hopping about to confuse their prey.

Once the flock is confused, the weasel will pounce on its target, wrapping its long body around the prey to immobilize it before inflicting a lethal bite to the back of the head or neck.

Calling Card

Weasels will often destroy an entire flock in a night. Deceased victims will frequently be placed in a neat pile with the blood sucked out and the head and neck bitten off.

Behaviors

Like many duck predators, weasels are primarily ground hunters. However, if hungry enough, they are strong climbers and will scale run walls and trees to gain access to the coop or run. Often inhabiting marshlands and ponds, weasels are excellent swimmers and may attack ducks floating on a pond or stream.

Like many other duck predators, weasels also excel at digging under and gnawing at fencing and can squeeze through small holes to gain entrance to the coop or run.

A Weasel’s Habitat

Weasels thrive in many environments, including woods, farmland, and marshes, where they often live close to humans without being seen. They frequently make their nests in tree roots but will also nest in small crevices in marshland or fields.

Why Ducks?

Did you know? Backyard ducks are more likely to be attacked by a weasel than chickens. When left to float on a pond or stream, many domestic waterfowl find themselves an easy target for savvy predators like the weasel.

A Duck’s Self-Defense

Despite the popular myth that domestic ducks can avoid a predator attack by flying away like their wild cousins, many backyard duck breeds cannot fly. Being grounded puts ducks at a disadvantage to predators. While ducks can’t protect themselves from predators, flock owners can take many steps to prevent their flocks from being attacked.

Stay Off the Pond

Yes, ducks love water, but your flock doesn’t need a pond to stay clean, healthy, or happy. Many backyard ducks prefer splashing in a kiddie pool or stock tank in the safety of the run.

While most weasels attack at night, some may prey on unsuspecting waterfowl during daylight. The best way to ensure these cunning hunters don’t kill your flock is to avoid the pond, no matter how calm and inviting the waters may look.

muscovy-duck-in-protected-run

A Safe Coop and Run

Weasels are also among the smallest of the duck predators. With the ability to squeeze their tiny bodies through gaps as small as a quarter, chicken wire is no match for these fierce killers.

Protect your ducks from weasels by predator-proofing your coop and run. Cover the run sides and roof with a half-inch 19 gauge hardware cloth and attach predator skirts to deter digging predators. Leave no gap bigger than ½ inches in either your coop or run.

Coop floors should be constructed from cement or wood to prevent weasels from burrowing underground and gaining access to the coop.

Free Range Safely

Another way to prevent a weasel attack is allowing ducks to only free-range while directly supervised by an adult. Supervised free-ranging prevents many predators from trying to steal a duck.

Not only does supervising free-range time with your flock create a safer experience for your flock, but it’s also a great way to bond with your ducks.

Many duck owners prefer to free-range their flock. To do so safely, ducks should always be confined to the coop an hour before sunset and let out an hour after sunrise the next morning.

Deterring Weasels

Creating an unfriendly environment is one of the best ways to deter weasels on your property. Cleaning up weeds, brush, fallen trees, and spilled feed will reduce the chances of weasels wanting to take up residence in your backyard.

Weasels will often prey on rodents, so eliminating mice and rats on the property is also an excellent weasel deterrent.

Employing a few barn cats should help to keep weasel populations in check. Remember, feral and domestic cats can also prey on ducklings and ducks, so be sure to protect ducks from your feline friends.

Another weasel deterrent is to have a male dog mark around the perimeter of your coop and run. However, bobcat urine (available from feed stores and outdoor retailers)  will also work if you don’t own a dog.

While weasels are among the most deadly duck predators, attacks can be prevented when ducks are housed in a secure coop and run. Going the extra mile and avoiding ponds and free-ranging will significantly reduce the chance of a weasel attack on your backyard flock.

This article about duck predators was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Poultry

How to Protect Chickens from Hawks: 5 Strategies

hawks chickens
Shutterstock

How to protect chickens from hawks is something every chicken owner should keep top of mind, especially if your flock free ranges. Predators are an ever-present threat to every poultry owner. We worry about raccoons and opossums climbing walls and fences to get to our birds, snakes and squirrels stealing eggs, foxes and coyotes carrying off our hens. We focus so much attention on these creeping, crawling, slinking, running creatures that often we overlook the dangers that literally overlook us: aerial predators.

One huge group of aerial predators—owls—are mostly nocturnal and hunt when our birds are usually locked in their coops for the night (although some chicken keepers have reported having to chase owls away in the day). Hawks, though, prowl predominantly during daylight hours. With more than 15 species of hawk in North America, poultry keepers are bound to have at least one as a neighbor. Knowing how to protect chickens from hawks can ensure your birds don’t become fast food for these unwanted drop-in guests by following these suggestions to protect your flocks from hawks.

hawks chickens
Shutterstock

1. Round Up Your Roamers

Free-range birds might have the world at their feet, but these chickens are the ones most easily targeted by hawks. Shelter and safety are difficult to find on the range, while nature provides plenty of places for predators to perch and observe. Protect your chickens by creating an enclosure, or run, connected to their coop. A chicken run provides plenty of room to roam but also keeps chickens safely corralled and closer at hand. Bonus: Collecting eggs is easier because you don’t have to search your entire property. If a permanent run or coop is not possible, consider building a moveable chicken tractor. This keeps your birds in one location but still lets them enjoy your pastureland under protection.

2. Cover Your Runs

Chicken wire is flimsy and so makes a poor fence for a chicken run—ground-based predators can rip right through it—it makes an excellent overhead cover for your birds. The sight of a protective layer between it and your layers is often enough of a deterrent for a hawk, especially if the netting used is orange, which hawks can easily see. Those raptors that attempt to dive through the chicken wire become entangled in it, giving your chickens time to retreat to safety. Any type of netting serves the same protective purpose when covering a run. For maximum protection, make sure the covering is securely fastened.

3. Shine Some Bling

Reflective, mirror-like surfaces have long proven effective in spooking aerial predators. The North American Bluebird Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recommend these to minimize damage by birds, keeping them away from their intended target or from an area they view as easy pickings. Ready-made predator spookers can be found at Amazon and other online sources as well as at wild-bird supply stores, but it just takes materials such as old CDs or DVDs, reflective tape, or long strips of silvery Mylar to create your own. Install these high on your coop or along the top of your run’s fence line to create a shining deterrent to any curious hawks and other predatory birds.

hawks chickens
Shutterstock

4. Hide the Food

Several species of hawk, including the sharp-skinned hawk and the Cooper’s hawk, target feeders, not for the food offered there but for the birds that congregate to eat. To keep your chooks from getting picked off during the course of dinner, relocate your feeders—and waterers—so that they are inside your coops and not out in the runs. If there is no place inside your henhouse where these can be sanitarily installed, consider building a feeding station in your run. A covered feeding station will keep your birds safe while they eat and also provide a place for them to hide should a hawk pass overhead.

5. Bring in the Boys

The traditional role of a rooster, other than to help create chicks, is to protect his flock of hens. At the first sign of danger, a rooster will call out to his girls, sending them scurrying to safety while he stands guard against the threat, real or perceived. At times I’ve looked out the window and seen a half-dozen roosters, standing stock still in front of their coops’ pop doors, their heads craned skyward—and not one hen in sight. Usually a turkey vulture has been the source of alarm, but once a red-tailed hawk perched on top of our Orpington coop. The cacophony that this intrusion caused could have woken the dead. By the time Jae and I raced outside, the hawk had already taken off, undoubtedly quite displeased by the din.

Not every city, town or homeowners association allows for roosters, so check your local bylaws and ordinances before adding a rooster to your flock. Allow for a 30-day quarantine away from your girls to ensure everyone remains healthy.

As much a nuisance as hawks are to poultry keepers, it is crucial to remember that they are protected by federal law. The Migratory Bird Act prohibits anyone—even a chicken owner whose flock has been decimated by these raptors—from injuring or killing hawks or otherwise causing then harm. If you’ve taken the measures suggested here without positive results, contact your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office or your state’s department of agriculture to seek help in resolving your hawk situation.

This story about how to protect chickens from hawks was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Animals Large Animals

Body Condition Scoring for Cows

body-condition-scoring

Body condition scoring (BCS), if you keep cows, whether for meat, milk, or breeding purposes, is a tool to measure how well your nutrition program meets the nutritional needs of your cow herd and should be at the top of your livestock management checklist.

Farmers and producers have been using the BCS system for more than 40 years to indicate the amount of energy (aka fat) a cow has stored in its body. A score—1 to 5 for dairy cattle and 1 to 9 for beef cattle—is assigned to the animal based on a visual and tactile assessment of six different areas on the cow’s body: brisket, ribs, back, hook bone, pin bones and tail head. This information is then used to help determine the cow’s nutritional status and potential needs.

“While the technique of measuring BCS is relatively similar [in dairy and beef cattle], a body-condition-score-5 beef cow is not the same as a body-condition-score-5 dairy cow,” says Brian Vander Ley, DVM, a clinical instructor in the University of Missouri’s Food Animal Medicine and Surgery department.

Normal BCS ranges for beef cattle are above 4 out of 9, while 2.5 out of 5 is normal for dairy cattle such as Jersey cows, Vander Ley says.

BCS & Calving

Body Condition Scoring is particularly used in conjunction with calving, when more energy is required of the cow for lactation. By ensuring your cow’s BCS remains in a stable range, you’ll be assured that cows will perform adequately at calving, the calves will receive adequate antibodies through colostrums and cows will be ready to cycle and rebreed early during the next breeding season.

“In both beef and dairy breeds, cows experience phases of production that require more energy than they can actually consume,” Vander Ley says. “During these times, fat stores are used to provide energy until dietary intake can meet their demands.” A good example is during peak milk production.

As you continue reading about how to use the BCS to care for your livestock, keep in mind BCS is not the only tool you should use to monitor your cows. Your cows should also be evaluated individually—what is normal for one cow might not hold true for another. Young cows have a greater nutrient requirement because they are raising their first calf and still trying to grow. They likely need to be managed and fed separately from mature cows. Mature cows that are always thin might be an indication that they don’t fit your production system.

Putting Body Condition Scoring to Use

The nitty-gritty of BCS is all about figuring out your animals’ feed requirements. For example, if your farm specializes in grass-fed beef, you can use BCS as a tool to make sure animals are getting the required amount of protein and fiber from the grasses they consume. This is especially helpful during winter grazing or times of drought.

“The main concern associated with grass-fed cattle is the quality of the grass,” Vander Ley says. “Late in the growing season, forage that has not been previously harvested, either by the cow or mechanical means, will decrease in quality. … Translation: Cattle can have full bellies but still be seriously lacking in nutrients.”

If you determine by using BCS assessments that your cattle have too much or too little body fat, you can work on developing a more suitable feeding program, keeping in mind that each cow in your herd might have different requirements.

“Performing a nutrient analysis on your hay is a good way to start. You cannot tell the quality of hay by just looking at it,” says Kendra Graham, livestock specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. “Second, know the nutrient requirements of your cattle. You need to know the average body weight to know this—a 1,000-pound cow does not have the same requirements as a 1,400-pound cow.”

You can consult an extension agent, livestock specialist or nutritionist to help evaluate your feeding program and help you make diet-change decisions. It’s important to make any changes gradually, as problems can occur if a cow gains or loses fat too quickly, Graham says.

In a dairy operation, you might use BCS to make sure cattle have sufficient fat reserves to produce enough milk.

“Thin cows do not have the necessary reserves to cope with increasing lactation. As a result, they are more likely to be immunosuppressed and have impaired ability to maintain a healthy udder environment,” Vander Ley says. This means you will get less milk.

On the other hand, a fat cow—one with a higher BCS—is less likely to eat well after calving, meaning it will call on its fat reserves to produce milk, he says. Rapid fat use can lead to problems, such as ketosis and fatty liver syndrome.

By using the BCS system to assess condition, you will be able to effectively communicate your concerns to a veterinarian or nutritionist and adjust feeding programs as necessary.

“BCS is a great tool to help us separate out problems that may be related to nutrition from those that are not,” Vander Ley says. “While being a bit subjective, BCS is far better as an indicator of condition than two different peoples’ opinions of “thin.”

Common Evaluation Mistakes

It might take some time to get comfortable with making a BCS assessment, but that’s OK. Working with your veterinarian or beef or dairy specialist to learn the evaluation techniques will not only give you a chance to learn the scoring system, it allows you to help identify problems with your animals before they become a concern. As you begin assessments on your own keep in mind three common mistakes farmers make in BCS assessments:

Body Condition Scoring Mistake No. 1: Reading the hair—not the fat.

It’s easy to mistake the bulk around the pins, hooks or ribs as fat when it’s actually the cow’s hair. To avoid this common mistake, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln BCS scoring guide recommends assessing the cow when it’s wet. “When possible, it’s good to lay hands on the animals to appreciate the amount of fat cover in higher-BCS animals and the lack of cover in lower-BCS animals,” Vander Ley adds.

BCS Mistake No. 2. Looking for fat in all the wrong places.

Often instead of reading fat around bones and ligaments, farmers will look at belly girth, says Graham.

“Animals with a full midsection or [that are] very pregnant are not necessarily in the proper condition,” she says. “Focusing on the backbone, pin bones and hip bones can help make a more reliable assessment.”

BCS Mistake No. 3. Excessive assessments.

Farmers can often be dramatic in their BCS assessments, describing an animal as much thinner or fatter than it actually is. “The deviation that is close to desirable may be a little more difficult to assess initially,” says Shane Gadberry, PhD, PAS, professor of animal sciences at the University of Arkansas.

For more information on assessing the condition of your herd, visit the following links:

This article about body conditioning scoring

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Uncategorized

Growing Good Podcast #77: Lauren Manning, Arkansas rancher

 

In this podcast episode, Arkansas rancher Lauren Manning talks about responsible grazing, lessons learned from starting a grazing operation from scratch and financing to support a regenerative food system.

Learn how CrossFit — the popular fitness and lifestyle program — helped shape the focus of Lauren’s legal career, from civil litigation in California to agricultural law in Arkansas. An internship at an agri-food-tech venture capital investing firm further turned her career on its head, drawing her attention toward farming and ranching. After interning with Ozark Grassfed Beef, Lauren realized how rewarding it is to work with the land and animals. Hear about how Lauren uses all that she’s learned with hands-on farming experience to benefit her legal and financial work.

Lauren’s career is an illustration of her philosophy to follow your curiosity. She talks about how just showing up and continuing to show up has led to so many opportunities for her and how you can do it, too.

Lauren talks about her work as associate director of Food System 6, a nonprofit that is working to change how financing firms choose to finance agricultural operations. She explains how they go about encouraging underwriters to see agricultural output from a more holistic mindset and gives examples of what this uphill battle looks like in practice. She even talks about the new book, Food Inc., 2, in which she coauthors a chapter on this subject.

Get excited about a project that Food System 6 is working on to create an EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) bridge loan. This would allow farmers to apply for NRCS EQIP funds without needing the capital to finance their project upfront, which is a major barrier to small-scale farmers utilizing this federal cost-share program.

Switching gears from ag-industry details to on-farm details, Lauren talks about using the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program to finance her first farm: goats on the side of a rough hillside. Through telling her story, she gives her best advice for anyone to get started with grazing animals and purchasing a farm property in general. (Also see her advice in this article online.) Spoiler alert: Patience, mentorship and experience are central to future success — also buying used equipment.

Listen to the end to hear about Lauren’s current 35-acre property as she talks about pasture development, pasture-management for horses and the uncommon practice of rotational grazing for horses.

Episode links:

Lauren Manning on LinkedIn

Lauren on Instagram

Food System 6 on LinkedIn

Categories
Equipment

The Best Lawn Mowers for Different Yard Sizes

best-lawn-mowers
Photo by J. Keeler Johnson

The best lawn mowers for your yard depend in large part on the amount of ground you wish to mow. A mower that’s perfect for a quarter-acre lawn might not suit a 10-acre field, and a mower designed to quickly and efficiently handle 10-acre fields might be unnecessarily expensive if you have only two acres to mow.

Let’s explore the best lawn mowers for different yard sizes:

Lawn Mowers for Small Yards

At the small end of the lawn mower spectrum are hand-pushed reel mowers. They’re inexpensive and maneuverable. They don’t require engine maintenance because they don’t have engines. They deliver clean, healthy cuts to grass blades and can mow grass to very short heights if needed. But they can struggle if grass grows more than a few inches tall, so you’ll want to mow frequently. And since they’re small and hand-pushed, a quarter-acre is about the maximum area you’ll want to mow with one.

Stepping up, walk-behind mowers generate cutting power with a small engine. On self-propelled models, the engine also saves you pushing effort by providing drive power for the mower. If you’re ambitious, a self-propelled walk-behind mower might be suitable for yards up to half an acre in size. But the top speed is likely to be a modest 3-4 miles per hour, so mowing large areas can be time-consuming.

If you’d rather ride than push or walk behind your mower, a rear-engine riding mower or a lawn tractor is the next step up. These small riding mowers won’t offer much in the way of abundant power or fancy features, but they’ll reduce the effort you spend mowing an acre or two of land while staying relatively budget-friendly. Plus, you’ll get a wider mowing deck than a small reel mower or self-propelled walk-behind mower, reducing the time you spend mowing. A 42-inch deck on a lawn tractor will cut more than twice as much grass in each pass than an 18-inch walk-behind mower.

Mowers for Large Yards

While you could theoretically mow a five-acre field with a hand-pushed reel mower, it’s not a sensible use of time and effort. Even a small lawn tractor is undersized for such a large job.

If you have more than a couple of acres to mow, you may wish to step up your game with a garden tractor. A garden tractor is a lot like a lawn tractor, but more powerful and versatile. The mowing deck may be wider than on a rear-engine mower or lawn tractor, allowing you to complete your mowing jobs faster. You’ll be able to use other helpful attachments when not mowing, such as a snow blower. And a quality garden tractor may prove more durable and long-lasting than an inexpensive rear-engine mower or lawn tractor, an important consideration since you’ll accumulate a lot of driving hours mowing all those acres of grass.

But once you get to where you’re mowing four acres, five acres, and even more, you should consider investing in a zero-turn mower. These maneuverable machines can spin 360 degrees in place, making them ideal for mowing around obstacles and in neat rows. And the decks on the largest models can be spectacularly large, exceeding 100 inches. But perhaps the biggest advantage of a zero-turn mower is speed: they can mow at higher speeds than garden tractors (in some cases more than 10 miles per hour), reducing the time you spend mowing. Just be aware they’re not suitable for use on overly sloping ground since their steering relies on operating the drive wheels at different speeds, and if you lose traction, you’ll lose steering too.

Another option for multi-acre yards is to use a finish mower with a large tractor, such as a compact utility tractor. This can be a fine approach for mowing large, open fields, but you’ll sacrifice maneuverability compared to a zero-turn mower.

With so many options on the table, the best lawn mower for your yard size is definitely out there somewhere, just waiting to conquer all your mowing needs.

This article about the best lawn mowers for your yard size was written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Animals Poultry

10 Reasons To Keep Backyard Geese

backyard-geese

Backyard geese bring advantages to a flock. There’s a whole lot more to these opinionated birds than just their hissing and honking. If you haven’t considered geese for your homestead before, you may want to think about adding a few goslings to the farm.

1. Weeding

Geese make excellent weeders for certain crops. They are vegetarian birds (unlike ducks and chickens), and they have a never ending appetite for fresh greens. While you wouldn’t want them weeding your standard vegetable garden, they can be perfect picking around berries, bushes or small trees. Vineyards and orchards employ geese as weeders to great effect and, at the same time, save money on expensive, toxic weed killers and time and backache from hand-weeding.

2. Alarm Bells

Geese do have loud, often piercing honks. They will squawk at anything unusual on the farm, and this can be used to your advantage. If you’re worried about protecting your property, a goose can be more effective than a guard dog because they can’t be bribed or distracted. While they cannot fight off every predator, they will scare away many. People, especially, tend to harbor a fear of geese that will make them think twice before approaching your barn uninvited.

3. Eggs

Goose eggs are huge and delicious. Equivalent to about three chicken eggs, a single goose egg can make a great omelet for one or two people. Goose egg’s thick yolks mean that they hold a batter together and give it a deep, rich color.

While geese only lay seasonally during spring and early summer, their eggs will keep you well-fed for those months. They’re perfect for making pasta, and you can barely tell the difference in flavor as long as your geese have a fresh pasture-rich diet.

4. Meat

Not everyone is able to slaughter their geese in the fall, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded with a dark meat carcass that produces valuable fat. A roast goose is a classic Christmas dinner, and it is especially divine if you’re using your own fresh, pasture-raised goose. You can save the rendered fat for cooking later, giving many future meals an extra depth and tasty flavor.

5. Entertainment

The entertainment value of the sassy goose cannot be underrated. They are constantly curious, eager to stick their heads into whatever you are doing. Each goose has its own distinct personality, and few of them have the streak of meanness that is so often associated with the bird. In fact, most geese are docile and prefer to be snuggled by the person who raised them.

Geese are highly intelligent and emotional birds, and they prefer to bond for life. They are also creatures of habit, and watching their daily antics you can take comfort in the rhythm of each bath, grooming session and sunbathing nap.

6. Downy Feathers

If you do slaughter your geese, keep the feathers. Goose down is a valuable stuffing for pillows and comforters, and it is heavenly soft. It takes several geese to stuff a comforter, of course, but a small pillow can be made with just a few birds. You can also keep the longer, elegant flight feathers for decoration or homemade jewelry.

7. Guarding Chickens

Thanks to those loud honks, geese make excellent guardians for smaller fowl, like chickens. They can scare off and even kill many smaller predators that otherwise would bother your hens, and they are known to be great at spotting aerial predators. What a goose cannot fight off they will certainly alert you to, giving you time to defend your flock and your goose before disaster strikes.

8. Loyalty/Bonding

Backyard geese are some of the few birds that imprint if hand-raised. And nothing is more charming than an imprinted gosling. Young goslings will follow their caregiver around like a mother, running frantically should you move out of sight. This dedication persists into adulthood, when full-grown geese will still hurry over to say hello to their person and lavish them with soft, happy coos of affection.

9. Long Lives

A healthy goose who does not succumb to a predator will live to be 15 to 20 years old—and some backyard geese can live to be much older. This is something to consider when you first invest in geese—will you be able to care for them for their entire adult lives?—but it’s also an asset. You know you’ll have their companionship and dedication for their long, full life, and for much of that life you can reap their benefits as egg-layers and guardians.

10. Stately Appearance

It may not be the most important reason to keep backyard geese, but their stately appearance in the farmyard is always reassuring. There is something classic about the figure of a goose in the barnyard, watching over the chickens and resting itself on one leg, the other tucked up amidst its feathers.

If you already keep poultry, adding geese is fairly simple. As you thumb through hatchery catalogs, consider a few goslings to bring entertainment and assets to your farm or homestead.

This article about backyard geese was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Food Recipes

Fermented Fennel Recipe: A Tangy Transformation

fresh-raw-fennel-on-a- rustic-background
Adobe Stock by sabino.parente

Fermented fennel is a transformation of fennel like you’ve never tasted before. Fermented fennel is milder, yet still crunchy and is a great condiment to add to your dinner table spread.

Fennel is a very versatile vegetable that many enjoy growing in their gardens. It can be enjoyed raw or cooked. It adds freshness to soups, salads, stews, pastas, marinades and more. All parts of it can be eaten, the fronds, stalks, and bulb. The fronds have a bit more of a citrus flavor and the stalks and bulb have a mild anise flavor, which if you aren’t familiar with anise, you may know it as the flavor of black licorice.

Fermented Fennel Recipe

Yield: 1 pint

Ingredients

1 lb. fennel, thinly sliced

4 small fennel fronds

10 black whole peppercorns

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 dried bay leaf

2 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

2 pieces of orange peel, no pith

Brine: 2 tsp. coarse kosher salt mixed with 1 cup of water.

Instructions

Cut the bulb from the stem and reserve the stem and fronds off to the side. Place the bulb on its side and cut away the root end, discard. Wash the fennel and peel away any blemished or bruised parts. Stand the bulb on the root end and cut it in half. Lay the halves down flat and thinly slice the fennel into ¼-1/8” slices.

Wash fronds and trim off 4 or so to add to the ferment.

Pack the fennel into a clean pint jar, beginning with the garlic and peppercorns, then tuck the bay leaf gently on the side of the jar, so not to crush it and fill the jar with the sliced fennel and fronds. Add in the orange juice and peel.

Mix the brine ingredients together until the salt is dissolved and pour the brine over the produce until everything is completely submerged. Be sure to leave ½-1-inch of headspace from the brine level to the rim of the jar.

If you have a small fermentation jar weight, add it to the jar to keep the ingredients completely submerged under the brine. Remove any small pieces of food that float up to the top of the brine.

Clean the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to remove any food or brine from the rim. Apply the canning jar lid and tightly screw on the lid.

Fermentation

This is a 10-to-14-day ferment, or longer if needed. Ferment at room temperature, ideally between 60-75°F (15-23°C) and keep out of direct sunlight. Check on the ferment daily to make sure the brine stays over the produce. This is a crucial step in all vegetable fermentation, as any produce above the brine is prone to mold.

If the produce is above the brine, use a clean utensil to push the produce back down below the brine. Burp the jar daily – unscrew the lid briefly and tighten it back on to allow any built-up gas to release (and avoid jar breakage).

After one week, taste-test the fermented fennel to see how it’s coming along. It will likely need to ferment over one week unless the space you are fermenting in is on the warmer side. If the fermented fennel still tastes raw, allow it to ferment a few more days and taste test again until it obtains a tangy, fermented flavor. Transfer to the refrigerator once fermented to your liking, with the brine and all.

The fermented fennel will last nearly indefinitely however the texture and flavor will continue to change. Fermentation does not stop once refrigerated, it just slows way down. This ferment is best enjoyed within 6 months.

Fermented Fennel Side Notes

If you do not have a glass jar weight, you can improvise by using an easily removable small food-grade glass dish that fits inside the jar. Or, if you have a smaller glass canning jar that can fit into the mouth of the jar you are fermenting with, you can use that to keep the produce pushed under the brine.

If you are unsure if your water is safe for fermentation, you can boil it and allow it to cool to room temperature before adding in the salt to make your brine.

You may use fine sea salt instead of coarse kosher salt if you prefer. Just adjust the recipe to 1 1/4 tbsp. fine sea salt.

This fermented fennel recipe article was written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Poultry Waterfowl

Khaki Campbell: Duck Breed Profile

khaki-campbell-duck

Khaki Campbell ducks are one of the most popular duck breeds kept in backyard flocks. With their exceptional foraging skills and high egg production, Khaki Campbells are among the most self-sufficient duck breeds.

History

The only duck breed to be bred by a woman, the Khaki Campbell was developed by Mrs. Adele Campbell of Gloucestershire, England, who bred a Fawn and White hen to a Rouen Drake. She later bred these ducks to a mallard and then bred the original Cambells back to a Silver Pencilled Indian Runner, creating the first Khaki Campbells.

In 1929, Peter Fish imported the Khaki Campbell to his home in Syracuse, New York. However, the breed did not gain popularity in the U.S. until after the Vietnam War.

Today, the Khaki Campbell is one of the most popular ducks kept for egg production and pest control.

Khaki Campbell Characteristics

The Khaki Campbell is easily recognized by their chocolate brown feathering and upright stature. The head, neck, and bill are relatively long. Although the drake and hen’s plumage is brown, the coloring for each is quite different.

Hen

Khaki Campbell hens sport a green to black bill. Feet and legs vary from dark brown to black. The head, neck, and lower back feathers are described as seal-brown, while the rest of the body is covered in khaki feathers.

The eyes of both the drake and hen are dark brown.

Drake Ducks

Khaki Campbell drakes are beautiful in their bronze and khaki feathers. The drake’s bill ranges from olive green to orange, and the feet and legs are also orange. Sporting bronze heads, necks, lower backs, and tails with soft khaki feathers on their backs and undersides, Khaki Campell drakes are eye-catching beauties.

The breed is considered lightweight, with drakes and hens weighing between four and six pounds.

Production

Khaki Campbell hens are highly prolific duck egg layers, with each hen averaging two hundred and fifty to three hundred and forty white, cream, or green-tinted eggs annually. Females start laying between the ages of five and seven months.

As the hens age, egg numbers decline; however, most hens never cease laying. This characteristic gives them an advantage over other breeds, as many staggered-aged Khaki Campbell flocks produce eggs throughout the year.

Feed hens a well-balanced layer feed to ensure excellent production.

Drakes

While many duck owners don’t consider a drake duck’s productivity, Khaki Campbell drakes are vigorous breeders. If not kept in a well-balanced male-to-female ratio, they may accidentally injure females.

As a general rule of thumb, keeping one drake for every six to eight females is advised.

Lifespan

Khaki Campbells are relatively long-lived, with each duck averaging a respectable eight to ten years.

Health Concerns

Khaki Campbells are relatively healthy and hardy ducks. However, their high production can put them at risk for reproduction issues in drakes and hens.

Cage-Layer Fatigue (Osteoporosis):

Known as milk fever in mammals, cage-layer fatigue is a deficiency or imbalance of calcium, vitamin D3, and phosphorus levels. Symptoms include broken or brittle bones and paralysis. If you suspect your duck may be suffering from cage-layer fatigue, take her to a licensed veterinarian immediately for treatment.

If veterinarian treatment is unavailable, humanely dispatching the hen is the best way to avoid suffering.

Ovarian Cancer

Like many other high-production breeds, Khaki Campbell hens are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than lower-producing breeds. Ovarian cancer risks can be significantly reduced by providing proper nutrition and no artificial light to promote egg production.

Prolapse Phallus

With their high libido, Khaki Cambell drakes are at a higher risk of developing a prolapse phallus. This condition is extremely painful, and treatment should begin immediately. Drakes with a prolapse phallus should be isolated and taken to a vet for immediate treatment.

Khaki Campbell Temperament

The words that Khaki Campell duck owners use to describe this breed are active and nervous. While some individuals can be tamed as pets, they may not be the best choice for those wishing for an all-purpose pet.

Khaki Campbells are enthusiastic ducks who thrive on bug-catching and foraging. Hens and drakes are extremely active, so providing this breed plenty of room to forage is essential. Allowing them to help you in your garden will also make for happy ducks, as Khaki Campbells love nothing more than digging through a garden and looking for harmful bugs and grubs to snack on.

Adaptability

The number one thing that sets Khaki Campbells apart from other breeds is their ability to adapt to all climates. When kept in small flocks with numbers no larger than fifty to two hundred ducks, fed proper nutrition, and allowed ample space to forage, these ducks can thrive in deserts and rainforests. They can handle winter chills as low as 0° F. to summer heat over 100° F.

When it comes to adaptability, you can’t beat the Khaki Campbell.

The Khaki Campbell is a highly adaptable, hardy, and productive breed, making them one of the most well-loved ducks for backyard flocks and family farms. With their beautiful brown plumage and enthusiastic personality, what isn’t there to like about this breed?

This article about Khaki Campbell ducks was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe to Chickens magazine.

Categories
Recipes

How to Make Corn Tortillas: A Cinco de Mayo Treat

stack-of-homemade-corn-tortillas

How to make corn tortillas is a great skill to have. The arrival of Cinco de Mayo—the May 5 celebration of Mexico’s quest for democracy and freedom that commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862—gives everyone a perfect excuse to try this skill.  It’s so easy and fun that your kids can help you with it.

We adapted the simple recipe below from the Maseca brand of Masa corn flour. These corn tortillas are gluten-free.

Before you start, you’ll need to get your hands on a tortilla press to press out the tortillas. If you want to give it a try without a tortilla press, just roll out the dough on the counter sandwiched between two sheets of plastic to 1/8-inch or thinner. The tortillas should be about 6 inches in diameter.

Recipe: Handmade Corn Tortillas
Photos by John Ivanko

Yield: 16 tortillas

Ingredients

  • 2 cups instant corn masa flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1¼ cup water
  • 1/4 cup canola oil

How to Make Corn Tortillas: Preparation

Step 1: Mix flour, salt and water thoroughly for about 2 minutes to form soft dough. If the dough feels dry, add more water.

mixing-flour-and-water-to-make-corn-tortillas

Step 2: Divide dough into 16 equal-sized, hand-formed balls.

dividing-dough-to-make-corn-tortillas

Step 3: Line tortilla press with two sheets of plastic. The plastic keeps the dough from sticking to the tortilla press. A large Ziplock bag can be cut and separated works perfectly.

pressing-dough-balls-in-a-tortilla-press

Step 4: One at a time, place balls of dough between plastic and press until the tortilla measures about 6 inches in diameter. Lift the tortilla press once, and rotate the flattened dough a quarter turn clockwise, then push down on the press again.

turning-pressed-dough-in-a-tortilla-press

Step 5: Carefully peel the tortilla off the plastic, and place it into a medium-hot skillet or fry pan.

peeling-plastic-from-pressing-tortilla-dough

Step 6: Cook the tortilla for one minute or until lightly browned, then flip to cook the other side.

cooking-pressed-tortilla-dough-in-a-skillet

Step 7: Keep tortillas warm in a covered basket until the other tortillas are completed.

Step 8: Serve tortillas with refried beans, rice, black beans, shredded salad, cut tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and stewed pork or chicken. If you decide to make tostadas, let the tortilla cool before frying in oil to make it crispy. Tortillas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

serving-homemade-corn-tortillas-at-the-dinner-table

This how to make corn tortillas tutorial and recipe were written for Hobby Farms magazine online. Click here to subscribe.

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Farm & Garden Sponsored

Gravel Ain’t Cheap! Maintain it!

Among the many wonderful reasons we love “life out here” are the sounds: happy chickens and goats, birds singing, bees buzzing, and the sound of a pick-up truck driving down a big, beautiful gravel driveway. And it’s reassuring to know that gravel driveways are so cheap that you don’t have to worry about maintaining them. Wait…what?

Nope, gravel driveways aren’t cheap, and maintenance is crucial. Heavy vehicles and weather can leave canyon-deep ruts in your gravel, and weeds will destroy it. Tractors are a must, and we can’t control the weather. But we can control the weeds. Pulling them by hand lets you feel the satisfaction lets you hear that “pop.” But if you don’t get the entire root, you just make it angry. Instead of making them angry, make them dead with Barrier® Year-Long Vegetation Control Concentrate.

Barrier features 5 active ingredients to deliver unbeatable non-selective control that lasts up to a year. It controls listed grasses, vines, brush, and trees down to the roots, and Barrier kills broadleaf weeds fast. It’s ideal for driveways, patios, sidewalks – almost any location where you don’t want any vegetation to grow.