The eyes have it (2)
This is the second in a series of posts concerning the different dispositions and characters of various breeds of livestock. It goes without saying that individuals within breeds may differ from one another in this way but what we’re getting at here are differences in disposition between and among the various animal breeds themselves; the hardwired, rather than differential expression of personality. We believe that these differences are most freely revealed through the eyes, the gaze, and countenance.
We raise turkeys seasonally and have come to know them well. Like chickens, turkeys have some capacity for flight but spend the majority of their time ground foraging. Flocks are close-knit. Chickens range as a loose association with group members moving about, foraging, on their own. Turkeys, in contrast, range as a tight group. Their behavior as individuals is not nearly as frenetic as that of ranged chickens. Turkeys tend to pause often … I was just about to say that they tend to pause often, as if to cogitate … but that would have been a non-truth because I don’t believe that turkeys think much at all. They often gaze blankly as if to suggest that what they are trying to think about is percolating, ever so slowly, into the deep recesses of their consciousness. Once they have processed information they act, slowly. If you watch a group of turkeys for a time you might be lead to think that groups make collective decisions – flocks function as a committee. I’m not quite sure how, but individuals do communicate with one another in the decision-making process. In our experience males (Toms) can be belligerent with lots of bluster to accompany the attitude. Hens are quiet, quicker than the males (physically and mentally) and purposeful about their movements. My daughter has commented that turkeys tend to looking disapprovingly at just about everything. There’s something about their long beaks and the relation of the beak to the eyes which gives the impression that they are looking down their nose at you. Toms make a drumming or thumping sound which can be mistaken for sounds of disapproval, as if they’re commenting, Harumph.
If a turkey were to be transmogrified into human form the result would be a very large, bombastic, pompous, sort. This person would be generally quiet and when he did speak it would be to condescend. He would be more interested in talking to and interacting with close friends rather than in entering into open discourse with you or with anyone else outside his circle. Now that I think of it it’s clear that I’ve described Mr. Darcy from (the beginning of) Jane Austin’s, Pride and Prejudice. I would be quick to point out however that no turkey could hold a candle to Fitzwilliam’s sharp intellect. Finally, Tom turkeys will speak when spoken to … if you gobble at them, they are quick to gobble back; they don’t take insult lightly.
Next time you get the chance to watch a flock of Turkeys consider these characterizations.
Like this:
Flower power
The weekend weather was gloomy with overcast skies and river mist until early afternoon. To my surprise however, these conditions proved optimal for capturing the botanical riot which are the gardens surrounding our home. Old fashioned varieties of Poppy, Iris, and Columbine were at their showy-best. Clicking an individual image among those in the gallery will take you to a carousel view, ESC will bring you back to this post.
Like this:
The eyes have it
This is the first in what I hope will be a series of posts concerning the different dispositions and characters of various breeds of livestock. It goes without saying that individuals within breeds may differ from one another in this way but what we’re getting at here are differences in disposition between and among the various animal breeds themselves; the hardwired, rather than differential expression of personality. We believe that these differences are most freely revealed through the eyes, the gaze, and countenance.
Although egg layers and meat birds alike have some (limited) capacity for flight, these animals spend most of their time foraging on the ground. As such, they are exposed to predation by fox, racoon, and other denizens. Free-range birds are very wary. Notice the location of the eyes, widely set on either side of the head. These birds enjoy 300° of panoramic (monocular) vision and 26° of binocular vision; the former allows them to watch for predators (it is very difficult to sneak up on a chicken) while the latter allows them to act as one. In their ever elevated state of nervousness they rarely blink, and when they do, it is only for the briefest of periods. Chickens are always on the move. Ever watchful, they scan about, nervously, as they make their way through lawn, pasture, and meadow. They rarely rest during the day, and when they do they do so with their eyes opened and from a point which provides good vantage (such as high points of ground or low tree branches).
Hens watch for predators, other hens, and for the rooster. Roosters watch for predators and are constantly looking out for their harem. Hens seem to enjoy themselves in their incessant search for good things to eat; they rarely quarrel. A rooster, on the other hand, must keep track of and breed his hens, all the while working to protect them … a most difficult job, but a good rooster is good at it. Roosters, as perhaps you know, will quarrel with each other, sometimes to mortal ends.
If a chicken were to be transmogrified into human form the result would be a nervous sort, not easy to get to know. I don’t believe the transmogrified bird would be well read or a good conversationalist. The hens would be shallow, gossips, and prone to forming and belonging to cliques. They would be self-absorbed and very much concerned with status. Roosters would be rakish and might appear as Tom Jones did his heyday (or as the comic book character Moose from the Archie series). They would be well muscled, not at all cerebral, and quick to judge.
Next time you get the chance to watch a free-range flock, consider these characterizations.
Like this:
Sustainability
The other day I became involved in a conversation which concerned the unlikely, and unpredictable, rise of human intelligence. Given the fact of this capacity, my interlocutor and I considered whether this quirky gift came with strings attached? Does intelligence have concomitant obligations? In particular, we asked about obligations which relate to the environment.
It turns out that opinions on this question fall on two sides of a natural divide; one of these arguments is that because human intelligence is unique, we, as the preeminently thoughtful organisms on Earth, are the only ones capable of managing the Earth and its resources, and that is the sole justification needed for doing so. We should make selfish use of the Earth in support of our better ends. Those on the other side of the divide argue that because human intelligence is unique, we, as the preeminently thoughtful organisms on Earth, are the only ones capable of managing the Earth and its resources, and that is the sole justification needed for doing so. We should exercise these powers for acts of stewardship – we should use our quirky, unpredicted, intelligence to care for the Earth.
This lofty conversation then turned to a consideration of the term sustainability. I argued that the term was misused in the vernacular and had often been conflated to represent positive acts on behalf of the Earth, acts which would make the Earth a better place than it had been before. We have come to believe that eating lower on the food chain, wearing hemp sandals, and driving a hybrid vehicle are somehow ways in which we go about healing the Earth of the environmental damages we have wrought. Think of the definition of the word; sustainable practices utilize natural resources such that they are not depleted or damaged. And that’s just it. Sustainable practice, by definition, maintains the status quo, it doesn’t make the Earth any better. Sure, you could argue, that sustainable practice makes the Earth better by not making it any worse (that is, it does so in a relative sense) … but the realization that we’re not making the Earth any better in an absolute sense is a sobering point – and an important one. It should provide strong motivation to do all that we can to maintain this delicate status quo.
And why is there no talk of reversing environmental damage? Why are we resigned to only acting sustainably? Because we cannot reverse the damage done … not in one or in many human lifetimes. The most we can hope for is that we don’t make the situation a whole lot worse. What we can work toward and hope for is to slow the rate of environmental decline, and to do what we can to loosen the relentless grip of entropy. We need to somehow get the calculus which relates our needs and the pool of sustainable resources to break even. If we slow the rate of environmental decline to near zero we will have reached the ecological Nirvana of a truly sustainable system.
If we act intelligently, as a species, we might very well be around when Gaia finally arrives at the equilibrium state she will most assuredly regain, in time (lots and lots of time). The premise of my argument is that it will be the Earth herself which will drive the restoration. Our contribution must be to act responsibly by not making matters worse, and to simply stay out of the way. At the moment, it is my belief that the majority of us act individually, selfishly, and this strategy will guarantee that equilibrium will finally be reached only long after we are gone. Let it be our mission then, as a species, to hope fervently for and work tirelessly toward this lofty and laudable goal of sustainable, global, equilibrium. [The beautiful image above appears, along with its original content, at the website of NASA's Visible Earth program, here is the link to that site.]
Like this:
Lock the gate
The gate to which this latch is attached provides direct access to the undercroft of the barn. Although there is another gate between this area and the open pasture, this has always been the gate which had to be shut. I’m sure our kids have recurring nightmares of me asking … Are you absolutely sure you locked the gate? Although there are many gates around the farm, this particular question concerned only one gate – this one – and they knew it. I obsess about this gate, even though I know that no animal has ever left the barn through it (unauthorized, that is).
The reason I posted this photo is because the impression made by the pendulum-like motion of the dangling latch has always fascinated me. How many gate openings were required to produce the groove? Let’s see if we can’t estimate … we’ve been on the farm for 17 years (we installed the latch, new, when we arrived) … we’ll call that 6000 days. I would guess that this latch is opened, on average, 20 times per day (10 trips into the barn and 10 trips back out) … that’s 120,000 openings. The latch swings back and forth across the groove perhaps three times each time it is dropped – that’s 360,000 passes. The groove is about an inch deep. Let’s go metric … 2.5 cm (that’s 25,000 microns). So, each pass has removed a layer of wood just about 7/100 of a micron thick. Why do I enjoy doing calculations such as this?
To end on a more contemplative note … what stories might the latch tell if it could talk? It could recount anecdotes about shearing sheep, milking cows and goats, treating all kinds of animals, and sending some off to other farms – our local livestock markets – or to slaughter. It could tell of disappointments, outright disasters, and losses, as well as successes, joys, accomplishments, and lessons learned.
Like this:
Brrring on the warmer weather
Our weather has been up-and-down … at least in the literal sense of temperature. Daytime highs have been in the 50s and 60s but it has been the nighttime lows that have had us worried. Most nighttime temperatures over the last two weeks have ranged into the lower 30s and even into the mid to upper 20s. [Regular followers of this blog will recall that we lost a clutch of goslings to nighttime low temperatures during the first of these dramatic cold snaps.] Some of the fruit crop has been heavily damaged (apricots and plums), the jury-is-out on the peaches, and some crops came through with minimal damage or completely unscathed (apples, cherries, pears, and blue berries). It’s amazing how small variations in microclimate can make a real difference in surviving the cold. Although the apple blossoms on the left won’t win any beauty contests, others, such as those in the middle frame, are fine and many already show healthy fruit set.
Special talent
Indicating on my resume that I can bottle two lambs simultaneously with one hand, will, I am sure, get me far.
Like this:
Saturday chores
We often turn to one another and ask, ”What did we do today?” And then we’ll smile and respond together, “I don’t know but it took all day to do it.” The weekend was spent keeping up. Around the edges Joanna completed another shawl and did some spinning; I managed to make good progress on the much-needed hog run. I carry my camera with me when I remember; the gallery below comprises images captured while doing afternoon chores on Saturday. Clicking an individual image will take you to a carousel view and esc will bring you back to this post.
Like this:
Scratch n sniff
I used to use phrases such as Eat like a hog, This place looks and smells like a pigsty, and What a hog. Having raised hogs I now take exception to such sayings, because they are untrue; at the very least, the equation of hogs with filth is unfair. The animals shown below were born in early February and arrived at the farm in the middle of March; they will be moved to pasture shortly. The 15 X 15′ pen is in the undercroft of the barn – does it look dirty to you? Do the hogs look dirty? These are very clean animals indeed because hogs are in fact quite fastidious, if given the chance.
Let’s be plain, animals make mess … you and I make mess, and messes need to be dealt with (let us all thank those who, over the millenia, devised technologies which lead to the flush toilet). If you don’t clean animal pens regularly, or you choose to allow manure to accumulate – you’re going to have a nasty, smelly, mess on your hands. If given the opportunity, and a large enough pen, pigs will select and use a particular area of that space as a latrine. It is a simple matter to scoop the latrine once or twice each day and doing so renders the pen clean and relatively oder free. Raising animals on a small scale allows one to keep up. CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations, which may house as many as 2500 hogs in a single structure) are notorious for their stench and for emitting noxious gasses including hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and methane. Small, sustainable, hog operations make good sense. Here’s to a new view on the humane care of hogs and of porcine hygiene. As a final note, well composted hog manure makes exceptionally rich fertilizer for the garden.
Eggs and chocolate
I have posted before about double-yolked eggs and about free-range eggs … it would seem that I have an obsession with eggs. One day last week I collected the undersized egg on the right. Yesterday when I collected the double-yolked egg on the left I couldn’t resist setting up the photo below (with a normal egg for comparison). I suppose my daily visit to the hen house is something akin to the view of life espoused by Forrest Gump’s mother … it’s like a box of chocolates … you never know what you’re going to get.
Like this:
Farm cartoon
In celebration of the end of shearing for the year, the following might be appropriate. One of our daughters is, we think, quite the artist. She has always been particularly skilled at capturing expressions in animals. Her genre of choice is the cartoon; the one below was drawn more than a decade ago.
Like this:
Happy (belated) Earth day
Because the weekend forecast indicated that Earth Day would be rainy, we spent Friday and Saturday doing things like laundry, cleaning the pig pen, mowing and trimming the lawn, and checking on the bee hives. At day’s end, I took a walk with camera in hand – thus the image of goat kids and the dandelion. It has always impressed me (quite literally – the fact has always made an impression upon me) that one can predict the date by the timing of seed set in this ubiquitous weed. When dandelions are in flower it is the end of April. This is just one of many annual events that I am very much aware of. A contemplation of nature’s many cycles will be a topic for an extended post, another time. We all know that the Earth rotates on its axis once in 24 hours – and that a year represents its 365 day passage about the Sun. Many of us learned about the hydrologic cycle and perhaps the carbon and nitrogen cycles when we were in high school. But what of these Earthly cycles? Are they disconnected natural phenomena? Did you know that the Gaia Hypothesis argues that Earth itself is a living organism? If you will allow analogy with the human body, the interactions between and among the human immune, digestive, reproductive, and neuromuscular systems are paralleled, in the argument made by the Gaia Hypothesis, by interactions between and among the biosphere (the living part of the Earth (including you and me)), the hydrosphere (the Earth’s water), the atmosphere (the Earth’s gaseous envelope), and the pedosphere (the Earth’s soil layer). Although Earth Day will have come and gone by the time you read this post, why don’t you stop and take a minute to consider that you may, in fact, be a very small part of a much larger organism – Earth. What a thing to contemplate. If you are indeed a commensal or mutualistic symbiont (and, let us hope, not a parasite) consider that it is your responsibility, as an integral part of this super-organism (as integral a part as, for example, an individual cell would be to the proper function of your body), to work to ensure its health and sustainability. Happy Earth Day.
Like this:
Grounded
Because the rains are coming we both got into the garden today for the first time this season. I tilled while Joanna worked to prepare the raised beds for some strawberry replacements. She has always refused to wear any kind of footwear while doing this sort of work. She says to wear shoes would be ” … an insult to the soil.” She likes the feel of soil between her toes; and don’t you ever let her catch you calling it dirt.
Like this:
Adorabell
I thought I’d update you on Tinkerbell. She’s doing well and has been back on pasture with her mother, Margaret, for two days now. I’ve noticed that she has to work especially hard to keep up; not because she’s weak, but because she’s so small … her (very) little legs have to run two or three times as fast as those of any of the other lambs. The big question now is whether to register her as Pairodox Tinkerbell or as something a bit more formal, such as Pairodox Belle – in which case we would use Tinkerbell as her ‘barn’ name? What do you think?
Like this:
Chalkbrood
We did (bee) hive inspections over the weekend and found weird stuff on the bottom boards of each of our hives. The (very) strange material didn’t look quite like either mouse or bird droppings – we were perplexed. We had put newspaper around the bottom of each of the hives to help with winter insulation – we thought, perhaps, the bees had chewed some of this up, processed it a bit, and then deposited it.
We consulted one of the local bee gurus who diagnosed the material as evidence of Chalkbrood, which results from infection by the fungus Ascosphaera apis. What you see in the photo are the mummified bodies of bee larvae that became infected and then consumed (in part) by the fungus – these were then cast off as a result of hygienic behavior by the hive.
Apparently, fungal infestation of this sort may occur as a response to stress, and I think I might have been the culprit! As I indicated earlier, we plugged air spaces at the bottom of each of our hives with newspaper. I think I might have removed this extra insulation a bit early. We hadn’t noticed anything amiss with the hives over winter. It wasn’t until several weeks ago that I began to notice what I thought were perhaps mouse droppings in front of each hive. Anyway, I think I may have cold-stressed the hives when I removed the insulation. Under these conditions the larvae would have become susceptible to infestation by the fungus. Some have indicated that Chalkbrood may occur when hive ventilation is inadequate.
In any event, all of last week’s hive inspections were otherwise fine – the queens were producing brood (larvae) and good stores of honey were already accumulating in several supers. We’re going to assume that this episode of Chalkbrood has been self-limiting and is now over. Let’s hope.
