The Rooster did it...

He is why we do not sell rabbit kits around Easter.  OK maybe not directly, but he is definitely a symptom of a growing problem…him and three of his kind. 

I came to this realization one day after I noticed an entourage of children in bicycle helmets and one adult without a bicycle helmet rapidly pacing back and forth in our neighbors yard, just on the other side of the chain link fence.  Upon closer inspection I saw them chasing (quite unsuccessfully mind you) a young rooster…I latter came to call the rooster Brian.  Brian was a very spunky Americana mix roo who was very interested in introducing himself to my ladies on the other side of the fence.  I watched them for about 10 minutes; Brian went one way- the entourage followed.  Brian went the other way- the entourage followed.  Brian was cornered and decided it was time to bring out his secret weapon…wings.  Brian flew and one adult went screaming the other direction, the kids just cowered.

When I ventured outside to ask the painfully obvious question- “Whatcha doing?” the response was expected.  “One of your roosters got out and we were trying to get him back in your yard.”  Very thoughtful, very noble… but Brian wasn’t mine.  Brian was the result of a mission gone awry.  A secret operation from some unknown entity, someone who thought…they have chickens…they won’t notice another one…maybe they won’t notice that it crows and doesn’t lay eggs.  I have been here before…three times before now.  A memorable rooster was left in a conspicuous shipping like box that I unwittingly open up to see a panicked banty take flight over my neighbor’s house and down the street...way down the street and out of sight.  I was expecting a printer toner, not a rooster.  Ferris the Great came back that night, again hoping to woo my ladies.  I wasn’t upset, just annoyed.  I can’t have many roosters.  They don’t like each other. 

The very first two “surprises” were different, it hadn’t happened before and we were blissfully ignorant.  I had high hopes for these two orphans- they showed up on the roost late one night.  I did my nightly routine of counting the ladies and securing them when I stumbled upon a Copper and a White silkie.  They screamed, I screamed, my hens screamed, the barn cat just watched with a certain level of indignity.  Jack and Bobby Marley were a surprise, but they got along fine.  Jack kept to himself and slept in the open coop box courting Princess Buttercup and Ginger.  Bobby Marley kept to himself and being a white silkie stood like a statue next to an overturned white bucket all night.  I wasn’t clear if he thought it was like camouflage or his mother.   They didn’t fight until Ferris the Great showed up.

The funny thing is I take roosters from those who can’t or don’t want to raise them- no real questions asked, no judgment.  I try to do it the right way- find out about his history, lineage and health concerns.  Quarantine them and eventually introduce to the flock or my soup pot…whichever comes first or is agreed upon.  What I don’t understand is why people abandon them in our yard…without any reason.  I don’t hear about too many cows, horses, sheep or goats just being randomly left on someone’s porch or packed into a shipping crate and left by the gate(no it not an invitation).  You wouldn’t even know we had chickens unless you know us.  Of course they could have just flown the coop and followed their testosterone radar to our ladies.  Regardless, it raises other concerns than the obvious.  Is this a growing problem?  Do people understand the responsibility needed to raise livestock- especially in an urban setting? What would happen to our neighborhoods and local ecosystems if wild chickens were allowed to roam?  I know chickens seem pretty close to the wild, but they have evolved domestically to the point where most breeds wouldn’t survive well on their own…or would survive to well and destroy the native vegetation.   I do fear a feral chicken problem that would force the hand of politicians to decide where and how I can keep my chickens and other animals.   This same fear leads me to the tie into rabbits.

It is for the same reason we don’t just sell rabbit babies to just anyone and never around Easter.  I would love to take advantage of the sales boom.  They are so cute and cuddly that you almost forget that they are actually rodents and most people underestimate the needs of these furry livestock critters.  I fear a Rabbit Armageddon if ignorance prevails and Easter rabbits are released into the wild.  It is true that the local native wild rabbit populations only have a 1 in 1000 chances of reproducing with a domesticated rabbit, but nature has a way…and where a buck is released a doe is soon to follow.  Rabbits are much much harder to control in the wild, reproduce (ironically) like rabbits and are usually too smart to catch en masse- just ask the Woodlawn park zoo about their rabbit adventure that started with a rouge breeding pair released outside the zoo that nearly destroyed several of the protected exotic animals they work with.

So, I will be asked…perhaps 100 times this year.  The answer will remain to be no, unless you have done your homework and know what you are getting into.  I blame the rooster.

I am smarter than my phone…

OK, probably not.  But I used to be.  I recently have graduated (back) to a smart phone...leaving the peace and tranquility of my dumb phone behind me.  I used to have a smart phone…although back than it was just called a toy.  As many of you know I used to be the Chef for Microsoft Corp, they insisted on the latest technology (I know ironic).  I started out at MS many years ago with just a regular any old phone…although the technology was so advanced that one was a flip phone.  Yup no more having to touch that pesky end call button, just flip your wrist and you were on your way to being in the ranks of Captain Kurk with his fancy flip communicator.  Since I wasn’t leading any mission to seek out new life and new civilization, I stayed with my flip phone for nearly 7 years (it worked for Captain Kirk, it will work for me).  I was taken aback when IT called and said I was getting a smart phone.  I covered the ears of my flip phone…it was the right thing to do.  It was pretty cool though- sleek, very slim, very small buttons for my gorilla hands.  After 5 hours of set-up and 6 visits to IT, my smart phone was ready for action…but only 45 minutes of action before I needed to charge it for an hour.  After installing the extra life battery, my phone was now 1-3/4” thick and weighed about 6 pounds.  I had to tighten my belt when I put it in my pocket, but having a full 65 minutes between charges was worth it.  Over the years, I got fancier and fancier phones.  I am not sure how it happened, but slowly- gradually something changed.  My phone had become smarter than I was.  It told me when to eat, when to go places, what time it was.  I couldn’t function without it.  When I dropped it down the elevator shaft (another story I can share with you latter, but it had to do with my boss insisting that I use a belt clip for my phone) I simply had to go home.  My computer didn’t talk to me and I  would look pretty stupid walking around holding it to me ear (after all, it was more about the status symbol than the ability to download text emails in lightning fast 5 minutes each). 

When I finally left Microsoft for a leap back into family life, I left behind my smarter phone, my laptop, and everything else tied with fast business.  I wanted to start fresh.  I wanted to swear off the constant bombardment of technology and information and focus on family.  I bought a very stupid phone…a flip phone.  I even went as far as buying a burn phone so I wouldn’t be caught in any contract trap.  Then, I started Shoreline Farm Supply.  I insisted that I can do this the old fashion way…with nothing more than a really expensive computer, a cell phone and a GPS thingy.  I was once again smarter than my phone…I just didn’t know when to eat, where to go and I had to push a button to find out what time it was.  It was only after I accidently connecting to the web…apparently by holding my phone wrong…and then stayed connected for a very long time while my bill grew by leaps and bounds, that I realized that my dumb phone was still too smart.  Hence how it earned the label of a stupid phone.  Regardless, that phone has done me right for the last couple of years.  Customers could call me and I could call them.  I did learn that that’s not how business is done anymore.  Most of my customers were younger than I am.  Some are MUCH younger.  I found out that anyone under 35 was never taught how to use a regular phone or in some cases have even seen a dumb phone.  So…now I have a Facebook account.  I blog…sort of.  I send out mostly texts.  I decided that I had to buy a smart phone to manage everything.  I am not sure how smart it is…it keeps yelling at me instead of calmly explaining what I am doing wrong.  I finally configured the emails and visual voicemails.  Useful since you can’t read while driving and driving is 90% of what I do.  I have a Bluetooth to talk and drive…of course every time I turn it on it goes on and on about how I am supposed to use it.  (Really, it talks to me and reads off a paragraph of instructions every time I turn it on.  I just turn it on and leave it on the counter to go through its routine.  I shudder when I think of what will happen if it figures out I am ignoring it.)  Time will tell if I made the smart purchase.  Theoretically, I will be able to stay in touch and respond faster to customers.  I hope so, I did it for them.  I personally would like to be smarter than my phone again.  Maybe latter.

The critters need their greens too. Green Forage for your Chickens

Happy New Year!  January is a time when most people are considering what to do to past the time.  Seed catalogs are arriving in the mail and garden planning should be in the forefront of your thinking.  Your chickens and poultry have probably stopped laying (unless you use supplemental light) and the rabbits have slowed down their natural reproduction cycles.  It is easy to forget about green forage as winter really starts to set in to the Puget Sound area.  If you were capable to plant cover crops at the time, your green manure cover crops are in their full thick glory.  Time to clip them down a bit to stimulate growth and feed the resulting greens to the chickens, ducks and other poultry. 

Even though modern feeds boast a complete diet, forage is and always will be a recommended part of a complete livestock diet.  Green forage grasses and legumes are unsurpassed at providing antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are easily processed by poultry.  It also can reduce your feed bill by as much as 15% ifyou stay on top of it.  Adult rabbits benefit as well, but only in small quantities (juniors and kits are never allowed to consume so much moisture rich greens as it can lead to moisture loss through manure and even death).  If you have rabbits, consider drying them in a sunny location in the garage or shed.  Fresh dried grass and legume hays are very good for your rabbits. 

Didn’t plant any cover crops this year?  Look for other greens; UNTREATED and UNFERTILIZED lawn grasses are fine, comfrey, dandelion greens, wilting or molting garden greens are all acceptable.  While cleaning up the garden, remember the brussel sprout stocks and winter pea vines are great for the rabbits to gnaw on.   It is a great opportunity to keep the blood flowing, get you into the yard to identify last minute forgotten products, and give your animals a nutritious boost as they adjust to the cold months ahead. 

Shoreline Farm Supply carries a large selection of pasture grazing grass seed blends and single seed cover crops starting in early summer.  You can follow us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/shorelinefarmsupply), follow this blog or sign up for alerts on the website to be reminded of what and when items are stocked.

Shoreline Farm Supply- the Back Story.

My wife gave me two bible verses one day.  I am positive her intentions were not to point out my faults, but was reminding me of God’s calling for us.  So, one night as I crawled into bed, I noticed I had a post-it note on my pillow.  Written on it were two references of bible verses from Thessalonians.  Can’t say I ever read them before, honestly I had to look up where Thessalonians was. The verses were a warning about the dangers of being idle or lazy and hanging out with those that are.

1 Thes. 4 10-12

…we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you; so that you may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody.

2 Thes. 3 6-15

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If anyone will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living. Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing. If anyone refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Shoreline Farm Supply

About 6 months ago I was becoming frustrated with the availability of non-GMO, open source seed, good quality local feed for our animals.  It was nearly impossible to get.  What was available was filler byproduct feed from the large Agri-companies was very abundant and filled with stuff I wouldn’t dream of feeding my family.   I presented my wife with a thought.  We should open a feed store. I can’t remember what look she gave me or why she agreed.  I am sure she didn’t really know what she agreed to…although I didn’t know what I was getting into either.  About 5 months ago, we formalized the beginning of our new feed supply business- a venture my 8 year old is very proud of (she tells everyone my dad and I started a feed business).  My father joined us in this venture as well, a big step of faith for both him and me considering our challenged relationship of the past.  Staying at home with my two girls and continuing to push or responsible living series, this gave us the sort of needed flexibility in the workplace I needed.

Sourcing as much local, open seed source, sustainably farmed feeds seems like a simple good idea.  Not overcharging for it seemed like a good idea too.  The mission of Shoreline Farm Supply was hence defined.

The First Feed Run

With $500.00 and just enough gas to make a round trip my father and I made our first feed mill pick-up.  It was a grueling start, we had truck problems almost ran out of gas, and was hauling feed with my two young children and a dog on a 5 hour turned 14 hour adventure.  But we made a friend at the mill; Tom, the owner.  It wasn’t until 5 weeks later that we realized that we had a friend.  He was a hard nut to crack and eventually he came around to embrace our business model- cash up front only, we will never ask for credit…oh yeah…and we are a little bit out there.  He still probably thinks we are crazy.  After it was all said and done, we figured we made about $0.50 on the first feed run- if you don’t count the cost of the gas or vehicle repairs, don’t pay ourselves or reimburse ourselves for anything and add $400 in my dad’s money, but we did it.  Things have improved a little bit since then, although not much.

We have since cultured wonderful relationships with customers, farmers, mill operators, warehouse managers and family.  We are now talking about moving tons of feed versus bags.  We are supplying feed to hundreds of customers, helping out small struggling farms and families when we can and using good old fashion bartering and hard work where necessary.

I am not sure I am a good business owner, only time will tell.  I am sure that I couldn’t do it without my wife’s or father’s support.  Of course, when it comes down to it, we are only God’s stewards of what He has entrusted to us.  God willing, we will continue.