Olympic Pastured Poultry

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is crawling upon us. Farmer Theodore has been raising some fine heritage breed turkeys for our holiday meals. He started out with 100 young turks. He has been feeding them well. Take a look.

Well, predators like turkeys too. Not to mention a little mixup with one of the hatchery operations earlier in the year with the result that he lost a few. That’s one of the risks of farming. Theodore’s purchase money, his time, the feed, the care, all of that have been diminished by the losses. Smart farmers like Theodore just raise more so that there is enough for the predators, the mistakes and for us. He has just over 90 birds available for your heritage holiday meal. About 78 of those are spoken for, mostly by CSA members. You can contact Theodore at 360-301-9858 to reserve yours.

Farmer Theodore asked me to tell you how deeply he appreciates his CSA members and his loyal, friendly, supportive customers. He wishes to give his CSA members first dibs on the 10 or less birds still available. His plan is to the process the birds on Friday, November 14 making them available for pickup on Saturday and Sunday, the 15th and 16th. If you have been consuming Theodore’s pastured poultry for the season you know what a special treat it will be to have the healthiest, best tasting bird at the center of your table.

Make it a special occasion with your family that among all of your other blessings, together you can give thanks that we have such hard working, caring and intelligent farmers like Theodore to take care of our land and animals and provide us with the best possible food.

You can be assured that at his Thanksgiving table Theodore will be counting the blessings of having you to help him by caring about what he does.

Thank you.

Farmer Theodore is setting aside some of the season end production just for CSA members as a special thank you for your support.

The last batch of pastured chickens will be processed sometime in the next two weeks. Farmer Theodore has been working feverishly to meet the regulations to allow on farm processing of the birds and so has decided to delay the processing by a week or two. Moving to on farm processing is important for several reasons.

As a biodynamic oriented farmer Theodore always attempts to keep the farm moving in the direction of what some call whole farming methods. Ideally, all of the farms animals, crops, compost, soil and nutrients would be developed in a self-sustaining cycle where all the inputs of soil, fertility, seed, plant and produce would be produced on the farm itself. This is part of the reason Farmer Nash Huber tried his grain experiment this year.

The best reason for doing this is to improve the health of the farm organism itself. Of course, it has the added benefit of maybe reducing production cost and the so-called carbon footprint. On farm processing of the birds into edible form will facilitate the incorporation of processing by-products into very fertile compost inputs and cycle back into increased fertility. It will also eliminate the need for a twice 150 mile journey to transport the birds to the processing facility and back to market distribution points, saving time and money.

The end result is that CSA members can obtain a special fall-winter share for a special CSA only price. Contact Farmer Theodore at 360-301-9858 to reserve your share now. Thank you for the help and support this past season.

A lot of our friends in Kitsap County like to celebrate the changing seasons on their farms with corn mazes. It’s great fun, especially with children and a chance to visit the farms and farmers for a little more personal interaction than you can get even at the farmers’ markets.

Have a look and schedule your outing….

Many local establishments are now serving our pastured poultry. We supply our CSA members with first priority deliveries. Next come our “commercial” contracts and buying clubs throughout Puget Sound. Next are our regular customers at the Port Townsend and Chimacum Farmers’ Markets.

But for now we would like to highlight Molly Ward Gardens in Poulsbo, The Wild Coho restauarnt in Port Townsend and Aldwerood Bistro in Sequim. They are all important partners and darn fine chefs all. So if you wanted to enjoy the unique flavor of our freedom rangers where someone else does the cooking we encourage you to give the a try soon.

Bye for now.

The heritage breed turkeys are growing. Farmer Theodore has been feeding and caring for them well. Barring any unforeseen predator problems or the like the birds will be ready for pickup one week prior to Thanksgiving. Can’t get much fresher than that.

The breeds include Naragansets, Red Bourbon and Blue Slate.

They will come in three size ranges:

• 12-15 lbs.
• 15-17 lbs
• 20 lbs.

Theodore started with 120 young birds. Twenty will be held back for over winter breeding so there only 100 to begin with. About half are already spoken for so prudent Thanksgiving dinner planners would do well to reserve now. Priced at $5.00/lb dressed we are taking deposits of $30.00 each to hold yours.

Farmer Theodore Carlat and Pete Schroeder, a farmland owner in the Sequim area are discussing the possibility of founding a heritage breed nursery to hatch and sell various kinds of birds to local farmers in western Washington. Normally, farmers or gardeners looking to buy chicks to raise for laying hens or meat birds must purchase from feed stores or buy direct from nurseries in the Midwest. The chicks are normally sent newly hatched through the US Postal service.

Chicks obtained in this manner can be lost in shipment and usually require antibiotics to help them survive. Establishing a local hatchery would improve the health of the young birds and acclimatize the birds to local conditions. It would also create opportunities for better preservation of heritage breeds. Young birds from this hatchery would most likely be certified organic and other local farms are being interviewed to supply local and certified organic grains.

More will be published on this subject as details develop but farmers and chicken ranchers should consider registering on the site to be placed on the “I Want Local Chicks List”. Stay Tuned.

The cloud-banging thunder is shaking out so much rain that the ravens, who come to snatch dog food from the bowl, have drooping dripping feathers. This appears to be part of our share of the climate shifting, elsewhere floods, fires, freezes and droughts. Combined with this global entropy is the cornering of food growing by the multi nationals, the gambling of commodity traders, and reports of food riots. It is the perfect morning to gather up thoughts about bird herding i.e. rounding up chickens for butchering.

Theodore started raising chickens, ducks and heirloom turkeys at Nash’s Delta Farm in Sequim early this spring. His goal is to raise chickens that have spent their lives eating organic grains and foraging for bugs, grass and seeds as they free range through fields. The trade for life in this chicken paradise is they fertilize fields that are being rotated to another crop and, ultimately, they become food for others – that would be us.

We few who spend most days off the farm eating chicken noodle soup, step into the world of chicken shit and flying feathers every couple of weeks to help Theodore round up about 500 Freedom Rangers and Cornish Cross birds. For six weeks they have been dining on organic feed and scratching for tidbits in the remnant clover field. This week they will be loaded onto the truck and Theodore will drive for almost two hours to get the birds to a certified organic processor – the place the birds go to get to chicken heaven.

Gathering free ranging chickens requires scheming and stealth, the skills we herders bring to this early morning round up. Work gloves are snapped on as we discuss our strategy. Charlotte and I get a grip on the 3 foot by 4-foot metal “Road Closed” signs. We hold the signs in front of us walking along to influence the path of least resistance for the flock and they, more or less willingly, do our bidding trotting into David’s reach and a place in the cage. The birds, 36 to a cage, are then fork-lifted onto the truck.

The herding and caging goes on for a couple or three hours. Nash and Liz snag the escapees and those tangled in the mesh of the plastic fence. The birds become more savvy as the round up continues skittering out of reach and the inevitable caging. Some of the chickens are most vociferous while others seem to believe they can avoid detection by burying their heads in the folds of the chicken house tarp.

By lunch time we have caught them all. The cages are stacked on the old Isuzu two ton. Motor idling, Theodore, leans out the window flashing a big smile. As he rolls forward the tires dust up along the edges of the just disked fields soon to be seeded with grain for next years chickens.

That happened on Tuesday and on Saturday Theodore was standing under his umbrella at the Saturday market talking about the chickens to all comers. Some folks have come to pick up their birds as part of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) contract, others are buying local, organic chicken for the night’s barbeque. Theodore doesn’t have time to kibitz with us herders: “Did all the chickens make it to the processor?” “What was the final count?” What we know for sure is those birds are the best chickens you ever ate.

And why, you might want to ask, are we doing this. After all there is not one moment during the daily chores of watering and feeding or during the roundup that could be construed as romantic, heroic, or inspiring. What we think we know is this is what must be done. These chickens contribute to the soil fertility (the building of soil being the single most important aspect of a sustainable food supply) as they move into fields once cropped in clover - what you might call a full service rotation. The people involved in this effort are investing their money and labor because a chicken in the pot is a reality unlike anything in a stock market portfolio. The bet is this little chicken business will thrive providing a local and sustainable food source within a year or two – far more valuable than any Wall Street wager.

Farmer Theodore and Olympic Pastured Poultry could use your help. I will tell you why and how but first I need to tell you a little story as background. Oh yeah, there is some more news about Nash Huber and his Hollywood prospects…but you will need to read the whole story.

Farmer Theodore Carlat, Nash Huber and the Freedom Ranger herder crew including David and Charlotte Goldman and Elizabeth Heffern took a break recently at the late June roundup to talk some serious farming. You see, this year, 2008, is the fourth year that Farmer Theodore has raised and sold chickens on the peninsula but it is the first year on the Delta Farm. It is also a major step up in production numbers for Theodore. As such it has its pluses and minuses.

Read the rest of this entry »

Farmer Theodore and the Sequim pastured chicken herders have set a new record. The late June roundup corralled 537 birds in a blazing 3 hours. Of course, that same day Theodore had to feed and care for the several hundred other birds in earlier stages of growth on other parts of the farm, meet and greet the hardy Freedom Ranger Riders who showed up for the event, load the cages onto the truck, drive them to the processing facility some 2 hours away and return with the processed birds finished off by the evening feed for everyone.

The cycle will now be turning about every week to every two weeks for the remainder of the growing season (no, Olympic Pastured Poultry does not raise birds over the winter presently).

The length of the days is pretty similar though with two market appearances every week, feeding, moving the chicken tractors around the pasture, protecting the birds from predators, marketing, administration and banking. It is huge job for Farmer Theodore and thanks to the many volunteers who do turn out to help when needed. You can see here that these sturdy volunteers oftentimes bring new techniques to the work.

Truth to tell though, it’s not all hard work. The camaraderie is fabulous even if the pay is low. Why, even Nash Huber showed up and announced a new initiative for the Delta Farm. It seems there is rumor that he got a call from movie producer, Kevin Costner, who wanted to make another “farm” movie. Yes, it seems that Kevin had heard of Nash and Farmer Theodore and wanted to make a new movie called “Dances With Chickens”.

Yes, Nash apparently is making a move for the starring role. Seems as though that should go to Farmer Theodore, maybe. Oh well, he seems happy enough. Could be worse.

Don’t forget. Olympic Pastured Poultry chickens will be at the Port Townsend Farmers Market on Saturday, June 27 and at the Chimacum Market on Sunday, June 28, 2008. See you there. Bck, bck…bccaaakk!

Farmer Theodore reports that the next group of pastured poultry will be headed for roundup this week, maybe on Thursday. The first group that was processed and distributed during the week of June 12 is nearly all gone. CSA members have pre-purchased their shares and have first priority. A number of buying clubs, mostly in the King County area, have made connections with Theodore about delivering regular orders. This appears to be a potentially larger market for Olympic Pastured Poultry and one that would greatly reduce the amount of time in preparing for farmers’ markets and sitting in a market stall for him. FT is looking into a cooperative delivery arrangement with a dairy farmer that delivers regular routes across the sound from Sequim.

Nash’s Farm Store also offers the birds retail and as part of their farm share program. You can arrange to receive a lush collection of the farm produce plus birds and other items from neighboring farms on a regular basis. Those interested in working toward structuring their diet as much as possible with locally produced foods might want to explore this opportunity more.

All that being said birds will be available at the Port Townsend Farmers Market this Saturday, June 28th and the Chimacum market on Sunday, June 29th. With buying clubs looking for more birds it might be a good idea to buy a couple for storage in your freezer if you are not already a member of the CSA.

Wondering about the quality of Olympic Pastured Poultry? Read the post from Lorna McCubbin about “Lorna Loves Our Chicken“. Speak Soon.