Our Second Week at Thorn Chase
We got a lot done during our second and last week at Thorn Chase, and spent a lot of time around chickens as well.
Lucy, the farm dog, is an extremely energetic and loving little polar bear. When she saw that we were starting to let the chicks out of their coop for the first time, she had to introduce herself. And so Lucy, on multiple occasions, forced her way through the netting of the chicken enclosure. This was quite exciting for her but rather terrifying for us - and even more so for the chicks. After removing Lucy from the enclosure, we went about securing boards to the fence where she was getting through. Later, Lucy managed to sneak her way past even the boards, so we looked for a better solution. Renee purchased some hardware cloth, which we then installed around the enclosure. So far this seems to be a sufficient dog deterrent.
Getting the chicks out of their coop for the first time was an adventure. We needed to get all the old bedding out so that we could clean the coop and lay new wood flakes, but while we attempted to do this, the eighty-one chicks were frantically trying to avoid us. Clearly it was time for them to leave the coop. Andrea climbed up into their space and gently encouraged them to jump from the only place they had ever known. None of them quite flew, but they had a graceful way of falling frantically, yet slowly. With all the chicks out and exploring their new, wild frontier, we were free to replace the bedding in peace.
When it came time for the chicks to re-enter the coop for the night, we realized that we would need to come up with a better method for getting them back up into the second story of the coop. As they were not yet ready to fly four feet upwards, we had to catch each one of the chicks by hand and place them back in their coop. As we soon learned, not all birds appreciate being grabbed and relocated. In the span of about one and a half seconds, I’m pretty sure the following thoughts race through a caught chicken’s mind: “Help! No, I’m too young to be eaten! Why has such a cruel fate befallen me? All is lost! Ooh, is that food over there? Hi everyone, I’m back!”
Not wanting to repeat this routine each evening, especially as a long-term issue for Renee and future WWOOFers, we decided to build a ramp in hopes that the chicks would simply walk into their coop when it was time. We used some extra lumber that was around the property to make a ramp that could lean against the coop’s door. However, the chicks needed persuading in order to use it. At first they seemed to take no notice of the ramp, so we had to bring them to it. Then we needed to gently push them up by hand. Eventually, some of the chicks started to figure out what our contraption was for. A couple of days after leaving the farm, we heard from Renee and Susie that the chicks all finally got the hang of ascending the ramp.
The sheep’s routine was altered as well. Isaac, the alpha ram, was recently injured in the face by his son, Lamb Chop, so the balance of power in the world of sheep was awry. In an attempt to right this imbalance, Renee had us separate the younger rams from the rest of the flock to allow Isaac to physically heal and recuperate his spirits. Sheep are very much creatures of habit, so any change to the routine is generally met with furious confusion. Normally, all the sheep would stay in the same pasture. Separating the younger rams meant that, in the morning, the sheep had to be selectively released from their pen. When sheep are ready to go and they see an opening, they go for it, so…in effect, trying to release specific sheep from a pen is like attempting to shut a door through which a river is pouring. But darnit if I didn’t try every morning anyway. As they say, results may vary. One time, one of the rams escaped the pen when I was trying to let the ladies out. Mary Catherine was holding the gate to the pasture and closed the gate just as the ram came charging toward it. The ram leapt into the air and crashed into the gate, leaving a considerable dent in the metal. We shuffled him off into the appropriate pasture safely and Mary Catherine, thankfully unscathed, took a moment to allow her adrenaline to subside. Rams are perhaps the most appropriately named animal.
One day, Renee asked us to go to the store and pick up some ingredients for dinner. She also encouraged us to check out a local interpretive center while we were out. It is called Caw Caw Interpretive Center, and it is a short drive Southwest of Charleston.
A couple of centuries ago, it was a rice plantation worked by slaves. Now the land has been left for nature to reclaim. The rows and trenches where rice was grown are still present, but the vegetation is that of a swamp. The history of the area weighed heavy on the land and brought a somber atmosphere to what is otherwise a beautiful nature preserve.
Throughout the week, we also periodically visited Charles’ farm to put more seedlings in the soil. Charles prepared long rows in which we planted tomatoes, beans, eggplant, and peppers. It seemed like each time we arrived at his property, there was a new project in the works. We first noticed a previously uninhabited area that now contained over two dozen quail. Another time, we pulled in and saw the beginnings of a small pen being built out of reclaimed wood pallets. The best surprise was when we heard the sounds of some small animal and discovered Charles’ baby Norwegian Dwarf Goat, Moo. Moo is like a puppy. He loves being held and will follow Charles around the property, and occasionally stop to roll around in the dirt. He’s a good boy, yes he is.
We had some excellent meals that week as well. Susie put together a tasty spaghetti and pineapple sausage dinner on Monday. On Tuesday, Andrea and I made grilled chicken, marinated in onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, and beer. We were prepared to relax and grill (I even brought out my ukulele), but while we were tending the coals, the clouds decided that we needed a good shower. We managed to cook a delicious dinner nonetheless, as we managed to keep the food dry, even though we weren’t. On Wednesday, we returned to the local Irish pub, Seanachai (pronounced: shawn-uh-key. I didn’t figure that out before pronouncing it shawn-uh-chai a few too many times) for Pie-and-a-Pint night. We were fortunate enough to get to meet some of Susie’s family, who had dinner with us that night.
On Thursday, Renee treated us to a meal at Blackbird Market, where I had fried flounder that came with two generously proportioned sides of pesto penne and mac-n-cheese.
Finally, on Friday we planned to have dinner with Renee’s friend, John, so we prepared chicken wings and sweet potato waffles. For dessert, I made ice cream with coconut milk, mango, banana, and a little bit of spiced rum. I think I’ve forgotten to mention until this point that Renee has an ice cream maker that we’ve put to good use. During our stay we made nutella ice cream, strawberry ice cream, and my favorite: mocha ice cream.
After dinner on Friday, we chatted until John had to head for home. After we said goodbye, we realized that we still needed to get Kiki, the donkey, back to her pasture. We tried for a while to lead her over with grain but she seemed content to graze in the weeds all night long. Eventually, we resorted to lassoing her (probably in a less dramatic fashion than one might imagine). Once Kiki was settled in for the night, we went back inside to chat a little longer. Because we were planning on hitting the road later that night, Andrea and I made ourselves a few shots of espresso, and we ended up chatting for a couple of hours before actually heading off.
That night was a pretty good summation of our stay at Thorn Chase: great company and delicious food punctuated by bursts of amusing farm work. After some heartfelt goodbyes and with caffeine pulsing in our veins, we loaded into our rental car and headed off to new adventures.
