Within the Farming Practices pages, I will describe my farming practices, organized by species, and any readers interested in doing so should leave comments and/or e-mail me to inquire further into those practices, or to offer criticism or suggestions (I encourage readers especially to engage in debate over the ethics of slaughter). One of the pages will be titled “Welfare Concerns.” I plan to list chronologically any instance where animal welfare has been compromised on the farm. Some examples of what might be listed: castration, confinement, delayed pasture rotation, dirty pens, dirty water or feed troughs, overly rough handling (while I have never hit an animal hard enough to hurt it or with cruel intent, I do occasionally lose my temper and smack a goat or a pig or whatever), trailering to slaughter, rough handling at the slaughterhouse, etc.
Click on a link below to read about my farming practices or to see the Welfare Concerns page:
September 30, 2008 at 8:59 am
I have really enjoyed reading about your “journey” and am getting ready to try raising our own meat chickens next year. Could you post a picture of your shelters – it would be helpful when we go to build our own. How many chickens can you raise at a time in 1 shelter? What’s the optimal wt/age of your red roasters and how much grain per pound does it take to get them there? Now that you’re experienced, would you ever consider going back to the “monster cross” or are the reds doing well for you? Thanks for the input. You could email me rather than put this on your blog if you prefer.
Anne
October 6, 2008 at 5:42 am
Hello,
Would you be interested in our certified natural organic fertilizer made of soluble fish and kelp at one third the price? It is a multi-purpose liquid product that is ideal for all-around use on flowers, vegetables, fruits, lawns, shrubs, trees and field crops.
Thank you
Joe
October 6, 2008 at 10:45 am
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your “comment,” but no, I would not be interested in your “organic” fertilizer. I am just as against high input organic farming as I am high input chemical farming. Green manures, cover crops, animal manure, and compost are all the inputs a farm needs. If you are lucky enough to live by the seaside, then a few loads of seaweed/kelp would certainly be an excellent addition to one’s fertility program.
Input substitution is *not* the direction I want to see organic farming go. Thanks for getting in touch with me, though
January 26, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Hi Bob,
I like your reply to Joe. I also have the opinion that the more we can meet our needs in-house, the better off we will be. Closing the loop.
Matthew
January 28, 2009 at 7:26 am
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for the encouragement. I think more and more people are going to start realizing the folly of high input farming, whether they go organic or not.
Bob