Archive for June, 2009
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Mystery Solved
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
When I got home from work today I took a walk around the pine grove where I met the fishers in the morning. Moving through the area I was able to identify the feathers, wings, feet, and bodies of about 11 of our birds. Suffice to say the other 4 are out there somewhere, also in pieces.
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Suspect: Fisher
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
For those unfamiliar, a fisher is a large member of the weasel family. They make their homes high up in trees and occasionally in burrows or rock cavities. Males can range from 7-20 pounds in extreme cases, while females are usually between 4 and 6 pounds. Fishers have large feet with five toes and retractable claws. They can rotate their back paws 180 degrees and climb down trees headfirst. Females have a range of about 10 square miles, while males have a range of up to 30. They are very capable predators, but despite fear mongering in the media pose no real threat to humans, I’ve been face to face with them a few times and neither party has ever felt very threatened.
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Empty Nest Syndrome
Monday, June 29th, 2009
I got up at 5:30 and hiked around the property to try and find any sign that could clue me in on what happened to our chickens. Nothing to be seen. No blood, feathers, sign of a feeding frenzy, nada, zilch. It’s a rainy morning here and I really expected that to drive them from wherever they must be hiding, but they seem to be staying put…
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They’ve Flown The Coop
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
A dark night in a country that knows how to keep it’s secrets, but at Sol Shine Farm two farmers are still searching for the answers to life’s persistent questions… specifically where are our chickens? Why didn’t they come home? If they were eaten where is all the blood?
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Sheep Shearing Day
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
I recently wrote an article for homestead.org about sheep shearing complete with some pictures from the farm. Here’s a link.
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Lazy Bed Potato Update
Monday, June 1st, 2009
At least we’ll have potatoes!