If you missed the Mother Earth News Fair in PA...

...well, let me tell you, you really did miss out. I hear there were over 15,000 visitors over the three days of the Fair, and the energy and atmosphere were consistently positive. If I'd been swift enough to bring a camera, you'd see one picture after another of smiling faces, families having fun with each other, and altogether a sense of eagerness to learn and connect with other people aiming to live life more sustainably and meaningfully.

As for me, I had a terrific time. The Seven Springs Mountain Resort is quite an amazing place: 5,000 acres of ski slopes, golf courses, tennis courts, indoor swimming pool, even an indoor arcade. I stayed in a large and beautiful condo with three other women: my friend Jeannette Beranger from the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, her colleague Alison Martin, and Pat Foreman, author of Chicken Tractor and City Chicks, among other books. It was lovely seeing Jeannette again, and getting to know Alison and Pat a little was wonderful. I learned a lot just hanging out with these three women, and they all have been generous in their encouragement of my writing projects and ambitions.

My two presentations, one on raising turkeys and the other on raising ducks, went quite well. Considering it was raining occasionally on Saturday afternoon, I was surprised at the crowd that showed up to hear about turkeys. I really enjoy the interaction with the audience; in each of the three times I've done presentations at the Fair, I've learned something new. Even if you raise the same kind of birds that I do, something about your situation or experience will be different from mine, and this is where I think events such as the Mother Earth News Fair are so valuable. There are more and more people who, for various reasons, wish to start taking control of their own food supply, and no matter how many books or Internet pages you read, it's always helpful to connect with someone with  real-life experience. (This, by the way, is just as true for me as for anyone who attended my presentations.)

Thanks to James Duft and those of you at Mother Earth News whose names I don't know, for offering me this opportunity once again. Your generosity in arranging for housing, as well as a ride to and from the airport, is truly appreciated. Thanks also to those of you who attended one or both of my presentations; I loved having the opportunity to share and learn with you.

Following up on the Mother Earth News Fair

Ebony and ivory: Dark Cornish hen, surrogate mom to a White Midget turkey.

If you missed the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup last weekend, I sure hope you have a good excuse! Seriously, though, what an amazing event to enjoy and participate in. Thanks so much to all of you who came to hear my presentation on raising turkeys; this was a new experience for me, and you helped make it a surprisingly easy debut. I appreciate your kind feedback, as well as your questions. I had a lot of fun and learned some things myself.

I'd also like, once again, to thank Mother Earth News, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Storey Publishing and all the other sponsors of the Fair. You all put on a terrific event, and I truly feel privileged to have been part of it.

Speaking of questions, I realized after I left the Fair on Sunday that I had failed to answer a question from a gentleman who attended my talk that day. He asked two questions, and I'm pretty sure I only answered the first one (blush). The question was, do we have to round up the turkeys or herd them into their roost area at night? In general, we don't; like most of the other birds, once it's starting to get dark, they all head for their respective coops and roosts. The only real exceptions are  1) when we're trying to close them up early because we're going out that evening; and 2) when the birds are young or are being moved from one coop to another, it usually takes a few days for everyone to get used to the new location. However, although they will all put themselves to bed if we just wait long enough, our oldest White Midget tom always hangs back for a while; he really likes one of us to walk him down to the roost. The ducks also tend to wait around for us to walk them in. The chickens are all very good about going to roost; they're usually in a good hour before it gets dark, and all we have to do is close the coop doors.

Several of you asked me about buying hatching eggs or young Midget White turks from us. As three of our four breeding hens were killed this spring, for this season anyway, we won't have any eggs or turks to sell. If you'd like to be on the list for when eggs or young birds are available, feel free to contact me and let me know.

We managed to rescue some partially-incubated eggs from one of the turkey hens that was killed, and put them under a broody Dark Cornish hen. She hatched four turks, but unfortunately three of them didn't make it. Our one remaining baby is about four weeks old now and growing really well (see photo above); we're pretty sure it is a female, which is good news. 

If you're interested in raising turkeys, but need more information, a good resource is the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. They have very good materials available from their web site, and can also be contacted by telephone or e-mail with your questions.

For detailed information about the different turkey breeds, you can't do much better than get a copy of Carol Ekarius' book, "Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds." It is a beautiful book with amazing color photos, as well as excellent information on many kinds of poultry. In my opinion, this is a book that should be on every poultry enthusiast's bookshelf, and well worth reading. I was fortunate enough to meet Carol at the Fair, as well as several people from Storey Publishing, and I encourage you to check out Storey's complete booklist; they offer an impressive selection of titles covering just about any sustainable-living topic you can think of.

Again, if you couldn't make it to the Mother Earth News Fair last weekend, please do try to attend one of the two additional fairs later this year. Check the Mother Earth News web site for more information.

Turkeys aren't chickens: Presentation on raising turkeys coming up

 Midget White hen with newly-hatched turks.

This weekend, I'm farm-sitting for my sister in Poulsbo, about an hour's drive from our place. While the change of scene (and routine) is oddly vacation-like, it's definitely a working weekend: I'm making final preparations for a 45-minute presentation on raising turkeys.

Mark your calendars: The Mother Earth News Fair is June 4-5, at the Puyallup Fairgrounds south of Seattle. I will be speaking at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's stage on both days of the Fair. If you live around here, or will be in the area that weekend, please try to come. The list of presenters, speakers and exhibitors is truly impressive; check the Mother Earth News web site for topics, schedules and maps.

My presentation will be an overview of raising turkeys, starting with basic questions. For example, I think it's important to ask yourself why you want to raise them. (You'd be surprised how few people think about this before they bring the cute little day-olds home.) If you think you're going to save money on your holiday bird by raising one yourself, frankly, you probably won't. Turkeys also have different nutritional needs than chickens; they are bigger birds, so housing can be an issue; should they be kept in pens or is it best to free-range? How much time and money, realistically, do you have to put into raising turkeys?

These are just a few of the questions that I will be addressing at the Fair. Some we thought of before we got our first turkeys, others we learned through experience that we should have asked questions sooner.

We love our turkeys, and truly enjoy their often quirky behavior and mannerisms. If you're even a little bit interested in raising turkeys, I'd love to see you at the Mother Earth News Fair. It promises to be a weekend of learning opportunities for anyone seeking ways to live more sustainably. Do plan to come if you can!