Free run, free range or just plain Free

   Caged, free run, free range or just plain free. You may be familiar with the first three terms, but “just plain free”? Raising livestock and poultry on a farm can be done different ways, depending on the facilities available, the inclination of the farmer and the market demand. Codes of practice in raising livestock and poultry are currently being revised and would also influence how animals are to be raised. But sometimes the animals take matters into their own hands (or hooves or wings).

    Last year we had a visitor fly into our farm. She was a lovely young Muscovy duck. Our two aged Muscovy drakes suddenly started to take better care of themselves, eating better, getting more exercise and grooming their feathers more. Their heads took on an Elvis Presley-style “pompadour” look.

    The female Muscovy eventually gave in to their charms, and in the spring she began to take on the nesting look and sounds – a bouncy waddle, puffed-and-fluffed up feathers, and a “ping” to her voice. We didn't know where she was nesting, but my husband found out on Mother's Day. She had hatched out fifteen babies on the porch above our deck. Glenn carefully gathered up the babies and brought them down a ladder to the ground below. Each time he went up the ladder she was waiting for him, attacking his head as he gathered more babies. Finally, she joined them on the lawn below, mothering them. We grew concerned as each day she would show up with one baby missing. It seemed that either a wild cat, or raven, or mink was snatching her ducklings. Out of desperation and with some encouragement by us, she started to sleep at night by our door, her wings gathered around her young ones. Five young ones survived – three males and two females. For quite some time they stayed each night by the door until they were big enough to fend for themselves. One day another female flew in to join them, and another male as well. I don't know where they came from. That is where the “just plain free” comes in.

    One of the challenges of “just plain free” is determining ownership. We did provide feed and protection to the ducks, but by the way they would go wherever they wanted I wasn't sure they belonged to us, or anyone. When the young ducks were big enough their mom spent a few weeks teaching them to fly. It was kind of a “OK, watch me do it, now you try” kind of trial and error. The mama duck would fly around the farm gracefully. Soon, the young ones would tentatively flap their wings and lift off for short runs, then longer ones. Sometimes they would fly over the ridge, sometimes into the neighbour's farm. One day I spotted a male and female looking lost on Port Washington Road. Somehow, this form of “just plain free” makes management a challenge. There are still three young ones that are by the door each morning, a bit hesitant about being so free. Some have been reported further down on Port Washington Road, hanging around at feeding time at one of the sheep farms. Yes, we could clip there wings, but should we? That would make them more vulnerable to predators.

    The same problem happened last year with our turkeys. All spring and summer they would stay close to home, eating lots of blackberries and such. At one point the females move far away from the males, as the females nest and go about raising their young. As fall came on they would move further afield, becoming an annoyance to some neighbours. I ended up gathering them into the barn and sending a batch at a time to the poultry swap and sales. The heritage turkeys have a way of getting up into trees, onto fence posts, or will go high on a hill to give themselves more range to fly over. I have spoken with other heritage turkey producers who occasionally need to go to the neighbours and gather up their stray turkeys, walking them home. At least I am not the only one.

    Even hooved animals can be in the category “just plain free”. A few years ago I took a healthy group of Border Cheviot sheep to a nearby farm of good size. That was my first mistake, because Border Cheviots have a wild nature. They settled into grazing, and as fall came it was quite a challenge to gather them and separate the lambs for market. The next year, it was impossible as a dog had chased and attacked them, so they would not be gathered by our Border Collie. I soon declared them “feral”, or back to wild sheep, and tried various ways to get them back to the home farm where I could use our corral to gather them up. As luck would have it, one evening the sheep decided to graze near the driveway, were spooked by a car on the driveway, ended up on the road, and the RCMP put them into our driveway and farm. Yes, the Mounties always get their lamb.

From Cooking up a Story: Giving Thanks to Turkeys

http://vimeo.com/17087945

 I know we are well past Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I found this video today that shows how turkeys should be harvested.  Like the last video with the artisan butcher, this video speaks of the respect that should be given to animals who are used for meat.  People who raise animals for meat do it because they like animals, oddly enough.  The ideal way to sell an animal that you have raised for meat, is to have the purchaser participate in the process of slaughter.  It sounds perhaps graphic and gory if you aren't used to it, but it is really true that the meal means much more to you if you understand the sacrifice that the animal has made.  I am actually getting pickier about who I will sell to, because I don't want the meat to be unappreciated.  Perhaps thanks should be given at every meal, like the good old days.

"Chef (and filmmaker) Daniel Klein recently visited LTD Farm where they were harvesting the turkeys they had raised for several Thanksgiving dinners. But they weren’t alone. Many of the eaters who had purchased one of the free range turkeys were invited to help in the process. As one participant said,

“To be able to make a conscious decision about eating meat, I think it’s important to understand the whole process, and I wanted to be able to engage in that discussion more than just a theoretical way.”

As you will see in the video, reverence was given to each turkey as it was selected, butchered, and plucked. It is graphic, but also very educational. As a meat eater, I believe it is important to remember that what you are eating on your plate was once a living thing and be grateful and mindful of the nourishment it is giving you. On this Thanksgiving, consider giving thanks to (your) turkey, too."

Talking Turkey

Broad breasted bronze turkey

     This year we ended up with three types of turkeys on our farm – our heritage Black Spanish that we have had for several years, and some unclaimed 4-H poults of the White and Bronze Broad Breasted varieties. The Black Spanish were raised as naturally as possible. They mated naturally, nested in the woods, hatched out and raised their own babies. They ate seeds, bugs, berries, walnuts and grass, and receive some whole grains in the winter months. Black Spanish originated in North America from the wild turkey, and were taken to Spain by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. In the 1600s, the turkeys were reintroduced to North America, bred with wild turkeys, and selected for different feathering traits. These heritage turkeys, once very popular, were on the verge of extinction when the Broad Breasted Bronze and White grew in popularity. In recent years, heritage breeds have been increasing in numbers and ours are part of a living gene bank.

Broad breasted white turkey

      The commercial white and bronze turkeys we raised this year were acquired as poults, or chicks, from a hatchery in Alberta. They arrived by mail at the Pender Island post office. They were raised under a heat lamp with a diet formulated especially for turkeys. As the commercial turkeys grew, their diet changed slightly to a finishing diet, with a final sweet diet of crush grains, molasses and cracked corn. Once feathered, they were let out in the orchard during the day where they ate grass and fallen apples, with walnuts that fell to the ground in the fall.

Physically the white and bronze broad breasted turkeys were different from the Black Spanish, too. They grew much faster – especially the white ones. Most of the turkeys raised commercially are the white broad breasted variety. Commercial turkeys are mostly white because the pin feathers on the processed turkey aren't as noticeable. The white turkeys were originally selected from Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys, which came over from England to BC with Jesse Throssel in 1926. His Broad Breasted Bronze became the foundation of the modern turkey industry in North America.

      Some of the difference in growth rate was due to diet, but I have also raised the Black Spanish under similar conditions in the past– with heat lamps and formulated diets – and they still grew slower and matured later. Most of the difference is due to genetics. Over the years, turkeys have been selected for increased feed efficiency and rate of gain. At one point, turkeys became more inclined to eat without becoming full, increasing their growth and fat content unless their feed is restricted. I noticed the white turkeys want to clean up every bit of food, and the bronze types will eat until full, then go exploring. Turkeys are now doubled in size from the turkeys of 1929. They have reached such an increased body weight that natural mating is virtually impossible, and since the 1960's it has become necessary to use artificial insemination with commercial turkeys. They hadn't lost all their instincts to mate. They still flirt and prance about, but they aren't successful at mating.

They haven't lost other instincts or behaviours also. All turkeys are naturally curious and gentle. Curiosity without a lot of intellect spells trouble, and turkeys can get into lots of mischief. The broad breasted turkeys raised at MacDonald Farm have been known to visit the Nu to You and the playschool next door, upon hearing people's voices. They have jumped the fence and followed people down the road. 

Black Spanish at the home farm in the Grimmer Valley

     The Black Spanish at home are no better – they have visited up and down the valley, making unwelcome visits to gardens and the golf course. For all the turkeys, if you crouch down they will come and investigate, picking and poking, ever curious. They communicate through vocalization, and will come if called. A few years ago I kept a female broad breasted bronze because she had mated in an apparent monogamous relationship with my oldest Black Spanish tom. She surprised me by nesting and hatching thirteen poults, but lost them due to an inability to talk to them, so they scattered and some followed the Black Spanish mothers. We hope to try a crossbreeding program again, if there are any female Broad Breasted bronze turkeys left after Christmas this year.

Turkey Facts

“For my part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our Country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly....For the truth the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird and withal a true original Native of America...a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on”

Benjamin Franklin, 1774 in letter to his daughter regarding the choice of the eagle as the national bird of the United States – why he felt the turkey would have been a superior choice

Benjamin Franklin had the right idea, but obviously not everyone agreed. The turkey is a magnificent bird, loyal and brave. Fossil records place them in North and Central America over ten million years ago. They were initially domesticated by the Aztecs and natives of New Mexico and ranged over the entire U.S. and southern Canada. The Spanish explorers were so impressed with this beautiful and tasty bird, that they took some back home to Spain from Mexico in the 1500s. They selected for black feathering and over time the turkey increased its popularity throughout Europe. An excited female Black Spanish turkey has a way of spreading her tail feathers out in a fan, and holding herself proudly, reminding one of the flamenco dancers of Spain. Could it be that turkeys are fashion setters too? In the 1600's, the turkey was reintroduced to North America and crossed with the wild turkey. Selection over time resulted in standard breed turkeys with names such as the Spanish or Norfolk Black, Narragansett, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, all with different colours and markings. These breeds would hatch out in the spring and after six months or so would be ready for market, coinciding with US Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Jesse Throssel in Aldergrove with his turkeys

Meanwhile, back in England a turkey known as the Sheffield Bronze, for the wild-type colour of the sheen on its feathers, was selected over generations for a heavier muscle in the breast area and improved hatchability. The breeder, Jesse Throssel, moved to Canada in 1926, and had some of his flock sent to his new home in BC. He developed a hatchery and was soon exporting eggs and poults throughout BC, Washington and Oregon. His Broad Breasted Bronze became the foundation of the modern turkey industry in North America. Over time, white birds were selected so that the pin feathers wouldn't be so noticeable. As the birds were selected for muscling, they became unable to breed naturally, relying on artificial insemination. Now 99% of the breeding stock, held by just three multinational companies – one in Ontario – are made up of only a few strains of Broad Breasted White turkeys – providing the basis for the nearly 300 million turkeys required to meet the demands in the US and Canada for our holiday feasts.

At the same time, the standard breeds, also known as heritage breeds, became slowly endangered as their numbers dwindled. In 1997, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), an organization that conserves rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock, surveyed North American turkey populations to assess the genetic status of the breeds. They were very surprised to find that a number of the heritage turkey varieties including the Bronze, Narragansett and Slate were on the verge of extinction. For turkey growers, heritage birds hold important genetic traits such as disease resistance, critical to the turkey’s long-term health and survival. I have observed that although the Broad Breasted Bronze females can reproduce naturally and hatch out chicks, they have lost the ability to vocalize to their chicks, a trait that may be genetically linked.

Wild turkey numbers were also reduced because they were so easy to bait and hunt using corn. By the 1930s it is estimated that there were only 30,000 left in the wild of the US, and none in Canada whereas there used to be millions. Conservation efforts have brought back the wild turkey, and also have saved the standard breeds, now referred to as heritage breeds.

Black Spanish males foraging in the Gulf Islands

Scientists and dedicated enthusiasts have been central to these efforts. Margaret Thomson,of Salt Spring Island is one such person. There was a need for more rare breed turkeys, and she had looked into the work of the Domestic Fowl Trust while on a visit to England. This inspired her, so she contacted Rare Breeds Canada and found a source for heritage turkey eggs from Ontario. From an initial shipment of 48 eggs, 11 hatched. Another shipment resulted in one chick. That fall she went to Meadville Pennsylvania to attend a two day workshop on handling, selection, hatching and rearing heritage turkeys led by Frank Reese of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Now, six years later her flock has included Narragansett, Bourbon Red, Black Spanish, Blue Slate and recently Ridley Bronze, from the University of Saskatchewan. I purchased a breeding trio from Margaret five years ago, and now have a healthy flock of Black standard turkeys that forage for food all year and eat blackberries, thistle seeds, hawthorn berries, grapes, grass and even walnuts. You wouldn't believe how good a turkey tastes after it has eaten walnuts! They even prefer to roost at night in the walnut tree. They not only breed naturally, they also nest and brood their own young. Females will even help each other out and raise their young together. It's not unusual for a hen who has lost her poults to join in with another hen and serve as a type of nanny. By keeping these old breeds alive, we are ensuring that their valuable genetics are retained as a living gene bank for future generations.

Gulf Islands Driftwood - Dennis Parker's Driftwood Cartoon - Oct. 6, 2010

Gulf Islands Driftwood - Dennis Parker's Driftwood Cartoon - Oct. 6, 2010

Gulf Island Farmers Profiled in Western Producer

A few weeks ago Barbara Duckworth, the Calgary-based reporter of Western Producer, contacted Island Farmers Alliance to arrange for some farms on the islands to visit. I arranged visits with three farms and one cooperative group that typify the unique style of Gulf Island agriculture. Western Producer is a well known newspaper in farming circles and is read by 57,000 farm families each week. Each of the latest four issues profiled one of the farm operations, emphasizing the unique island climate and culture that encourages a break from traditional agricultural methods.
The Olive Consortium on Saturna Island is a group of individuals who were inspired by Pender Islander Andrew Butt to encourage the growing of olive trees in the Gulf Islands. They imported 180 trees last year and 500 this year, and are hopeful that the varieties selected will thrive in our Mediterranean-like climate. Olive trees compliment vineyards, but require milder winters so would not grow everywhere grapes grow. The Gulf Islands are perhaps the only place in Canada that the trees will grow and produce. There has been a lot of interest from different islands so far. The Olive Consortium is Michael Pierce and his wife Juliet Kershaw, Mark Timmer, Charlie Burlem and his wife Nettie Adams.
Jacques Campbell of Saturna Island was also profiled in a separate issue. Campbell Farm, started by her dad Jim and mom Lorraine, is known for having one of the few licenced slaughter facilities on the Gulf Islands. It was upgraded to meet the new provincial meat regulations, and serves the farm community of Saturna Island and also some on outer islands (our farm included). This facility is an important component that makes the annual July 1st Lamb Barbeque possible. The Lamb Barbeque is a tourist destination and celebration of Canada Day, with traditionally prepared barbequed lamb and entertainment. The Saturna Lamb Barbeque began as a school picnic in 1950 on the Campbell's farm at Saturna Beach and is now held at Winter Cove. It is the main fund raising activity of the Saturna Community Club, an organization that funds activities and services such as health care, ambulance, library, a singing group, groundwater protection, children's Christmas party, and school-end festivities.
Both Cambell Farm and the Olive Consortium are part of 31 Square Saturna Eats, a group that promotes and shares food among the 31 square kilometres of Saturna Island which is home to 350 people.
Besides raising sheep and beef and producing good grass for pasture and hay, this year Jacques is also involved in a research project with the Canadian Sheep Federation. Campbell Farm is one of two farms in BC participating in a study to evaluate radio frequency identification tags (RFID) as a traceability and management tool for producers. For the trial, Jacques is testing an electronic wireless scale head and tag reader and two types of RFID tags to evaluate the tag system. And if that wasn't enough, Campbell Farm is also going to host an Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association field day on July 24th, and will give a tour of the farm and abattoir and a demonstration of the RFID system. Sheep producers are encouraged to attend and can either contact myself at firhill@gulfislands.com (or 250-629-3817, or 3819) or Jacques' sister Nan at dglogan@shaw.ca or the farm at 250-539-2470.
Two of the Western Producer visits were to Salt Spring Island farms. Harry Burton is known as the farmer behind the Apple Festival on Salt Spring Island each fall. Harry, along with other apple producers on the island, host an event elevating and celebrating the apple, taking the production of apples a step away from just another commodity. Thousands of visitors attend each year. Harry nurtures 200 varieties of apples on his small acreage and is a self-described “appleholic”. Apple Lucious Organic Orchard is also home to plums, grapes, plum-cots, and apricots.
Margaret Thomson of Windrush Farm was also profiled in Western Producer. Margaret is the co-author of the recent Salt Spring livestock report and represents the livestock producers on Salt Spring who are working to bring a mobile abattoir to the island. She also raises rare breed Cotswold sheep and heritage turkeys and is very involved in more than one farm organization, including Rare Breeds Canada.
Each of these four profiled food producers represent the type of agriculture on our islands that takes into account our unique climate and culture. Each is community based, but also embraces the potential to introduce the visitor to agriculture, Gulf Island style.