Photos From Around Greyfields (image intense)

[greyfields]

I think if you lived in certain states in the South you and the drake would now be considered married.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

ROFLMAO AGAIN!!!!!

So much for the maiden bit, then.

 

[greyfields]

Well I made myself a liar today. That goose in the first photo on the nest hasn't actually left that nest since I took the photo. I really liker her and she's called "Popper" because of her short, percussive, calls she makes. She was in the fair last year with Olive, Topenade (now known as "Biggy McGee" - he was champion overall poultry) and Popper.

So today, much to her anger, I slipped 5 more eggs under her. She left briefly and is back on them now. I may have a broodey goose. Those are words I had never put together in that order up until now. But knowing she's much like a pet, I'm going to give her a shot at hatching them. I'm to the point where I porbably have enough geese in the incubator to meet demand next Christmas so I can indulge myself a bit.

 

[blue90292]

great information as always. thanks greyfield for all your insite.

michele

 

[ZykloniaDark-GothikRanchr]

how do you get USDA approved? My hubby and I want to start selling our meat, but I know we can't butcher anything for sale unless we are USDA approved/inspected. We will mostly be doing goat and chickens...I will have dairy goats because I like making cheese and soap, but most will be for meat. Where is your place anyway?

 

[raindrop]

Hello greyfields, I love your farm. I have taken your advise and ordered a pair of Pilgrim geese and 4 Silver Appleyards from Holderreads last week. I am going to pick them up so not sure when that will be yet.
Could you check out my post in the predators and pests forum about the electric field fencing? Do you use a solar energizer? Which energizer is best for a small area? Will this fence keep my waterfowl safe or do I need to lock them in a building?
I am also wondering about USDA certification. Do you have to take your livestock somewhere specific for slaughter/processing? One of my longer range plans is to raise grass-fed beef to sell.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
You're actually asking more questions than you think here.

1) Your farm does not get USDA approved. You go to a butcher who has a USDA inspector on staff to inspect the meat as it's slaughtered.

2) In order to sell your meat retail, by the cut, to a store or restaurant, etc. it must also have approved labeling. This includes the safe handling instructions and USDA logo which all meat at the supermarket has. You have two options:

a) If your butcher is USDA inspected, it is very likely they have a "house label" which is USDA approved already. So they would package your meat, in their label, then you would be allowed to sell retail.

b) You can get your own USDA labeling approved. It's free. It's just time consuming and most people limp by using the butcher's house labeling.

3) If you are only selling whole/half animals to customers, "on the hoof" it's called, then you can bypass the USDA system and use farm butchers. These are the mobile guys who come around. The quality varies greatly. Again this exemption is only if you're selling whole/half animals.

4) Poultry does not fall under USDA inspection unless the facility processes over 19,999 birds per year. This means that we have 50 different rules for 50 different states on how poultry (and rabbits) must be slaughtered and handled.

5) Your facility does not get USDA inspected if you are selling your USDA inspected meat out of your freezer. How and where you store your meat for sale falls under state inspection (we have to keep ours in a freezer separate from our domestic food supply). Your County may also have rules for handling and storage. The third thing is if you sell at a Farmer's Market, your state or county may have rules about how it is stored and handled. In our County we can do it out of a cooler with ice, whereas next County over it must be in a mechanical freezer.

6) The only time your facility would be USDA inspected would be if you wanted to start doing your own slaughtering and selling retail (in the case of cows, lambs, pigs, etc.). If you want to slaughter and sell your own poultry, it's likely only a State inspection you will need. Honestly, for all the trouble, I would just find a USDA processor and a poultry processor and leave it to them.

7) Dairy falls under USDA and State regulations. I won't venture to guess how your state works. In ours (Washington), it is feasible to get a raw goat milk dairy approved on your farm for sale of milk. Once you start making chese, though, you are a processor, then you're going through a whole other thing.

In general, you can do no work, processing or cleaing of anything within your own house which will be sold to the public. So, you at some point will probably need a commercial kitchen (which would be state and county inspected) if you wanted to bottle milk for sale. Just freezing a chicken you slaughter yourself is considered processing, so you must have all the permits in place.

The biggest issue I have found is finding USDA facilities that will even talk to you. Most just slaughter animals under contract for the big grocery chains. The ones are few and far between which specalized in custom meats like we do. I haul my animals about 100 miles, and I'm far luckier in terms of mileage than some farmers I know.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
I really really want more Pilgrims! But my wife says I have to wait for our hatch first, to see if we get any "keepers" of our own. I think we have about 50 goose eggs in the incubator with the first hatch set for Sunday. It's verry exciting!

See above regarding USDA processing. You need it if you intend to sell at a Farmer's Market, to a restaurant/store, or by-the-cut. There are certain exemptions for selling wholes & halves by the cut. Being in Oregon, I can name 3 USDA approved small butchers who'll bother retuning your phone call. You're ver spoiled and have options where most people don't.

I would have some sort of shelter over your ducks and geese at night, at least unitl they're full grown. The Great Horned Owl will take adolescent geese without any trouble.

 

[raindrop]

Thanks. I was actually thinking of selling halves or quarters, would quarters have to be inspected? I bet its tough to find an inspector, since the big slaughter houses seem to be having plenty of trouble keeping up in that department. I will bug you for more info when the time comes. I really miss grass fed, home grown beef. I grew up eating meat out of white paper wrappers, would like to get back to that soon.
Thanks for the shelter advice. I want to build something with a roof and 3 sides, then I can add straw bales around the outside and over part of the open front in the winter for insulation and add them to the compost in the spring. I would like something portable so the whole waterfowl containment system can be moved to the fallow garden in late winter for a while. They can live in the garden and take field trips to the pond instead of the other way around.
Thanks again!

 

[greyfields]

You can sell a quarter beef through a private farm butcher. It's not inspected and all the meat will be stamped "not for sale". So, you take the animal to the butcher, then your customer picks up the meat when it's ready and pays the butcher for his work. This is your exemption around USDA regulations.