Ohiofarmgirl's Adventures in The Good Land is largely a fish out of water tale about how I eventually found my footing on a small farm in an Amish town. We are a mostly organic, somewhat self sufficient, sustainable farm in Ohio. There's action and adventure and I'll always tell you the truth about farming.


Friday, July 15, 2011

Look who showed up today!

What a joy! Look who showed up today!

Welcome to the world little cutie!

This little baby turkey - called a poult - marched himself right out of the brooder. I was shocked to my shoes. The momma is one of our younger hens - she's the one who I had to take up because her eggs were bad. The day she was up and around both of the other turkey hens ran in and laid eggs. Then the "just got up" hen went in and sat back down on the eggs!

I couldn't convince her to get off the nest so we just let her be. It was a gamble for sure - and very, very hard on her.
She's serious - don't touch her baby!

And now - she's not letting anyone get near her baby. Tonite we'll get her safely into a locking brooder so the other turkey hens, and our tom, don't try and kill the baby. We'll probably need full body armor and leather gloves. She's hissing like a cobra!

In other news.... in a clear declaration of war SOMEONE took some bites out of my most ripe tomato. I've been waiting all year for a vine ripened delight....and this is what I found this morning:

Evidence of garden terrorists.

I'm sending the dogs out on extra patrols tonite. I need a fresh tomato and how.

Happy Friday everyone!  Does anyone have a ripe tomato yet? Is it delicious?

12 comments:

kcsunshine said...

I've had some vine ripened tomatoes this year, but sadly not from my plants. They're looking pitiful. But I did plant 1 Roma (why 1? I don't know) and there are about 5 or 6 ready to be picked. I'm holding off until later today. Happy Friday and congrats on the tiny turk.

IanH said...

Inthe last two weeks, I've eaten about 40, and have another 40 (or more) ready! They sure do tase good!
;-}

Jody said...

I'm loving all the baby birds around your place. We're waiting on our first tomato too.

David P. Offutt - The Gastronomic Gardener said...

Welcome to the little gobbler. One one ripe tomato so far. Cucumbers i got.

CallieK said...

I got none yet either and now the countdown is on- will one ripen in time for me to eat it before I leave for England on July 25th? It's not looking very promising...

Chai Chai said...

Question for you - I picked up the broody hen today to check under her and I found broken egg shells and the eggs were all dirty, what a foul smell! Can/Should I clean up the remaining eggs and move her to a clean spot or will cleaning the eggs kill them?

Mr. H. said...

A ripe tomato?:) Hope you catch that tomato bandit, judging by the teeth marks it was a bite and run incident. Hope your patrol dogs are able to round up that tomato terrorist.

Congratulations to momma turkey.:)

Ohiofarmgirl said...

Hey KC! actually I love romas!

Ian - I totally laughed.. I thought you ate 40 turkey poults! ha! I'm such a goose! Great work on the maters.

Jody - its kind of a late spring with all these little cuties.

Dave - wish I had cucumbers.. but no such luck.

Callie - its on! Let see if we can both get a ripe mater before the 25th!

CC - as you know I replied over at your place.

Mr H. I'm so mad I could spit. I could have had a big old tomato slice on a fried egg sandwich!

Mary said...

Our dog took it upon himself to save the farm from a skunk. He actually jumped out of his night pen to chase it out of the yard. Well you know what we woke up to smelling. we praised him for his duties. I've had tomato eaters too. The dogs really help in chasing those creatures off.

Candice said...

A few years ago we planted a roma tomato at our old house and we never got a single tomato from it because squirrels kept stealing them before we could get to them. I didn't think squirrels would even eat a tomato but I seem to remember reading something about when it gets dry/hot out and they don't have enough water they'll go after them. So maybe it's a squirrel or some other animal that might do the same?

Ohiofarmgirl said...

Mary - we think a skunk tangled with our new electric fence the other nite - what a stink! Give your dog a "good dog" and a pat on the head from me.

Hi Candice! Hadn't thought about a squirrel - I was wondering if it was a raccoon. The dogs have been going nuts at nite and there is something they are chasing off. Yikes!

Rose said...

In our neck of the woods it is a very cool and windy summer. My potatoes are thriving for the most part, but tomatoes? They are about 8 in. tall and no flowers yet. Most fruit and produce in our area is 2+ weeks behind and lower yields. I'm betting when my tomatoes decide to set fruit, it's gonna freeze!! Hope your garden terrorists don't demonize too many of your fruits before you can enjoy them :)

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