Category Archives: animalia

Urban predation

In almost three years of living in the country with chickens, we had minimal problems with predation. We lost one rooster to a hawk, one turkey to a black snake; that is all I can remember. Contrast that with a … Continue reading

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The bowling ball

Things are sometimes difficult at Circle Acres. Just the fact that there are ten different people going in ten different directions at ten different times of the day is enough to make things a bit of a mess. Add two … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, biographical, circle acres | 2 Comments

Life in Reverse

We raised turkeys this year. What started in April ended a few weeks ago. We started with 26 birds and ended with 15, the biggest loss of animals we have experienced. The process was long, the costs were high and … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, food sources, foodshed | 2 Comments

Five weeks from Saturday

Saturday morning the first set of piglets were born on Okfuskee Farm.  Okfuskee is just a few miles from Circle Acres and the source of the first pigs we raised last year.  This year we are getting four pigs from … Continue reading

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The eyes of food

I grew up knowing that November meant there would be a deer hanging somewhere in the front yard, probably by the antlers or the neck and probably from the branch of a tree.  Or maybe hanging out of the bed … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, biographical, food sources | 4 Comments

It takes a village – part three

A few weeks ago I traveled to Tivoli, New York to photograph and participate in a hog butchering workshop presented by The Greenhorns.  The workshop was presided over by Bryan Mayer, a butcher with The Greene Grape in Brooklyn New … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, food sources, photo essays, workshops, young farmers | 1 Comment

It is the in between

I spend some days alone at our place, twelve acres of heat and humidity and chiggers and ticks and a rooster that won’t shut up.  The animals don’t talk so much as scream at a person – feed me, get … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, biographical | 3 Comments

Milking Floretta

So we have the eggs part covered.  We are consistently finding five to seven eggs per day from our seven laying hens.  This is plenty for now; one per person per day.  On to the next piece – goat milk. … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, circle acres, food sources, foodshed | 2 Comments

Pig parade

Saturday morning I went and picked up the newest addition to the farm -  two pigs of mixed Gloucestershire Old Spot and Tamworth heritage. The more I read about using pigs as tillers, the more I realize that they need … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, circle acres | 1 Comment

A W Buckner Zoological Park and Madhouse

I was by myself at the farm for a few months, and during that time it was hard to get much of anything started.  I can’t even remember what projects I finished.  It just didn’t amount to much.  Most of … Continue reading

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Posted in animalia, circle acres | 4 Comments