Farm Journal -- Trip to Pennsylvania for Organic Feed
On Wednesday, I got up at 4:30 a.m. to drive up to Lancaster, Pa., in order to pick up organic feed from McGeary Grain. This time, though, I had the privilege of driving a little north to see the mill where they make the feed. Their mill is one of the oldest -- if not the oldest -- mills in the country that is still in operation. It dates back to the early 18th century and is still impressive to see.
This is the mill as you drive up to it and park:
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And here is the inside of the barn next to the mill. I love old barns. They have so much character.
On another note, the dogs that killed the chickens came back on Wednesday evening. I was walking out the front door with our black mutt named Fiona when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a blur of dogs and chickens.
Of course, Fiona saw it first and bolted quickly after the two dogs. Before I was even off the porch, she was after the black dog and chased it off into the woods. The yellow lab quickly followed behind the other with Fiona right on its heels.
For years I've joked about giving away Fiona to anyone who would take her. But she earned her keep that night, let me tell you. Not one chicken was injured in the fight with the two strays, largely thanks to her. Without even thinking, she took on two bigger dogs and chased them off, saving a bunch of chickens she would probably like to eat herself. I was pretty proud of her, and since then I've been slipping her beef tenderloin and cheese with her dinner.
Yesterday I called the sheriff's nonemergency line again to report the dogs (it's the way it's done around here -- there is no direct dispatch from animal control). The same animal control officer came again to talk to me. He confirmed that the dogs had been picked up last week after the owner had paid a fine of about $100. He also said that he told the owner he should apologize to us for letting his dogs loose so they could kill our chickens. He related the same information that he did the first time -- we can take them to animal court to get compensation, blah, blah, blah. This time, however, he added that I am within my rights to defend my property, which includes livestock. I understood what he meant without any need for further clarification, but my neighbor's 15-year-old son apparently didn't and started peppering him with questions. The animal officer simply asked that we whatever we choose to do we use discretion and make sure it's a clean kill.
I'd rather not have to do that. However, if those dogs come back, I don't see any other way of dealing with this. I recognize that the dogs are sport dogs, and chasing and killing birds is what they're bred to do. The yellow lab would actually make a pretty good bird dog, but that doesn't mean I like them killing my birds.
The owners screwed up the first time. Now they should take the necessary precautions to ensure that their dogs do not get out and kill again. If they do not take this seriously, I have no problem quietly putting those dogs down myself. As my friend in Idaho says, shoot, shovel and shut up. Or, in our case, shoot, back hoe and shut up.
This is the mill as you drive up to it and park:
.
And here is the inside of the barn next to the mill. I love old barns. They have so much character.
On another note, the dogs that killed the chickens came back on Wednesday evening. I was walking out the front door with our black mutt named Fiona when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a blur of dogs and chickens.
Of course, Fiona saw it first and bolted quickly after the two dogs. Before I was even off the porch, she was after the black dog and chased it off into the woods. The yellow lab quickly followed behind the other with Fiona right on its heels.
For years I've joked about giving away Fiona to anyone who would take her. But she earned her keep that night, let me tell you. Not one chicken was injured in the fight with the two strays, largely thanks to her. Without even thinking, she took on two bigger dogs and chased them off, saving a bunch of chickens she would probably like to eat herself. I was pretty proud of her, and since then I've been slipping her beef tenderloin and cheese with her dinner.
Yesterday I called the sheriff's nonemergency line again to report the dogs (it's the way it's done around here -- there is no direct dispatch from animal control). The same animal control officer came again to talk to me. He confirmed that the dogs had been picked up last week after the owner had paid a fine of about $100. He also said that he told the owner he should apologize to us for letting his dogs loose so they could kill our chickens. He related the same information that he did the first time -- we can take them to animal court to get compensation, blah, blah, blah. This time, however, he added that I am within my rights to defend my property, which includes livestock. I understood what he meant without any need for further clarification, but my neighbor's 15-year-old son apparently didn't and started peppering him with questions. The animal officer simply asked that we whatever we choose to do we use discretion and make sure it's a clean kill.
I'd rather not have to do that. However, if those dogs come back, I don't see any other way of dealing with this. I recognize that the dogs are sport dogs, and chasing and killing birds is what they're bred to do. The yellow lab would actually make a pretty good bird dog, but that doesn't mean I like them killing my birds.
The owners screwed up the first time. Now they should take the necessary precautions to ensure that their dogs do not get out and kill again. If they do not take this seriously, I have no problem quietly putting those dogs down myself. As my friend in Idaho says, shoot, shovel and shut up. Or, in our case, shoot, back hoe and shut up.