my peeps

we have successfully sold (taken promise and deposit for) the minimum number of birds to offset our costs. the omelays are officially in the business of selling pastured poultry.

follows is the email that we sent out to local resources that disseminate that sort of information:

Hello from Karl and Tabitha O'Melay
We have had so many people request pastured chickens that we have decided to offer them this year! We will have a limited number of birds available on three different dates this summer into fall. The first date will be in late June, and of course we will have a better idea of the exact day as the birds grow. We are offering this email as an opportunity for you to reserve the number of birds you would like in June.
To give you an idea of what our birds are:
We raise our chickens from day one with natural feeds fortified with Fertrell minerals and probiotics - nothing synthetic, ever. These chicks are the picture of health. By two weeks they are out on grass doing what chickens do. They are moved twice daily in "chicken tractors" that protect them from predators while giving them free access to grass and bugs. They are part of a biodiverse and sustainable little farm that we call home. All of these ingredients come together on the day we humanely bring them to table-ready and offer them to you. The birds weigh from 5- 10 pounds, dressed. They are bagged, whole and clean and come with their pure giblets. They are ready to eat or ready to freeze for up to 9 months. We have raised our birds this way for 5 years and feel proud to offer them to others. Pure, natural, local food!
You may reserve your birds by email or by phone, but we request a $5 per bird deposit which you can bring by or mail after sign up. The deposit helps us to raise your birds and also helps cushion the cost for you, so I hope everyone will feel comfortable with it. And the price is right- $2.50 per pound of whole bird. The birds' final weights will not be known until pick-up day, but you should have your pick from a variety of weights between 5 and 10 pounds.
I hope you will try some of our chicken. Email or call for more information or to sign up.
Please feel free to forward this email to local people who might be interested in pastured poultry.
Karl & Tabitha O'Melay
223 State Highway O
Kissee Mills, MO 65680

http://www.omelayfarm.blogspot.com

if you live locally we still have some bird reservations available.

on to other news my mower finally gave up the ghost. the motor is fine, still starts on the first pull. it is the metal chassis that is completely rusted through on the motor mounts. i might reinforce it, put bigger wheels on it and convert it to a brush hog suckling piglet. we need something to help manage our paddocks between tractor (real brush hog) visits.

so we went to the local bigbox building store and bought a new mower at the height of mower sales. i got one with a honda motor, i'm still tentative about that. briggs and stratton has treated me right for years and i'm prone to brand loyalty. of course it was raining when i got home and i didn't get to test my mower on any grass.

the mower is integral to our deal here. i bag all that i mow and most of it is fed to the cow. at other times of the year it makes mulch for our garden. it also chops leaves for compost or chops hay for bedding for baby chicks, nest boxes, or the hen coop floor. i have abused my old mower and it was nearly worn out before the latest catastrophic failure. if i can recondition the old one it will take the dirtier jobs and the new one can live the life of luxury.

i also needed a new wheel barrow. the old one would need more money in brazing rods, time and acetylene than to just purchase a new one. the old one will also be given a second life in a similar manner as the mower. i simply cannot be without a wheel barrow while that one is taken out of service for major reconstruction. eventually i'll have two wheel barrows around here--something i have needed for some time.

monday i go to pick up a skid of green, one inch thick plank, rough cut sycamore. it should be enough to finish my hay loft. once that is done we can start cobbing the lower half in earnest. with that sycamore i will also construct an outhouse. we hope to invite people to our farm for a cob construction workshop. we need to have a privy. i'll also be hooking up the outdoor shower so we'll be ready for guests.

the rest of the sycamore will be queued for fence planks. we want a fence of horizontal X and level top and bottoms. the entire thing should be white washed. i hope we have enough lumber for it all.