Oh dear, this war against Scotch Broom is getting the better of us, we hurt today! We’ve been under fences through fences and over fences. We’ve been clambouring through blackberry thickets under blackberry thickets and over them…and we have the scars to prove it. Creeks and ditches have been a bit more of a problem, somehow those yellow flowers always seem to be at the deepest, muddiest or most inaccessible place but, teeth gritted with determination and hedge trimmers at the ready, up to the ankles in running water or up to the knees in mud (not sure which I moaned about more!) we weren’t going to leave without uprooting or chopping up the pesky weed. I know I am still half an alien (though I can wave my green card when required) and I am still unable to vote but I do pay my taxes and one of those taxes is, I do believe, EXTERMINATION of noxious weeds. I’m sure that the banks of Scotch Broom along every highway and byway, the waves of yellow taking over pastures and the inedible weed that is overwhelming the vegetation which is native to the Pacific North West IS a noxious weed. So, if there is anyone out there who has any influence or knows somebody with a lot of (or even a little bit) power with the powers that hang out in Olympia please put out the word for us before we kill ourselves. Unfortunately, nothing finds its pretty yellow flower tasty and nothing finds its woody stem edible, We have tried to persuade the goats to add it to their menu but starving them into submission (there’s goats in Africa who would have been happy to eat it…well send it Africa then!) but they turn up their little goatee beards at it in disgust and they were our last hope. Luckily our very obliging neighbours answered our prayers and disposed of the weeds that were threatening our fenceline. Those Scotch Broom plants can throw their seeds further than a baseball pitcher on a good day! and we don’t want our pastures to catch them! Thank you John we really appreciate the co- operation.
So, I’m going to get off my soap box before I fall through it and turn my brain drain to another less contentious subject.
We are raising some fast growing Cornish Cross Fryer chickens, (aka the Sumos) we don’t actually like to raise these birds as we feel that quality of life for our chickens is important and since the Sumos consider the waddle between the food and water more than enough exercise they don’t even consider scratching around and cooling off in a dust bath as regular chickens do. We are studying the rate of growth of these chickens in comparison to the growth of rate of the slow growing Cornish Cross birds as a learning exercise for the WOOFER interns that we are welcoming in June/July. Currently at about 4 weeks old the Sumo roosters are gaining about a quarter of a pound a day !! a perfect definition of Gluttony.. and they look happy with life,…. particularly when we bring in more food !
The cuckoo clock just cuckood, time to move. Take care, keep safe, M
So, I’m going to get off my soap box before I fall through it and turn my brain drain to another less contentious subject.
We are raising some fast growing Cornish Cross Fryer chickens, (aka the Sumos) we don’t actually like to raise these birds as we feel that quality of life for our chickens is important and since the Sumos consider the waddle between the food and water more than enough exercise they don’t even consider scratching around and cooling off in a dust bath as regular chickens do. We are studying the rate of growth of these chickens in comparison to the growth of rate of the slow growing Cornish Cross birds as a learning exercise for the WOOFER interns that we are welcoming in June/July. Currently at about 4 weeks old the Sumo roosters are gaining about a quarter of a pound a day !! a perfect definition of Gluttony.. and they look happy with life,…. particularly when we bring in more food !
The cuckoo clock just cuckood, time to move. Take care, keep safe, M
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