What happens to baby turkeys when the electric goes off...

written by

Sandra Ressler

posted on

April 14, 2021

Have you ever had a power outage at your house?  What did you do (or what WOULD you do) for water? Heat? Cooking? Light?

Remember a couple weeks ago I told you that baby turkeys like temps
around 90?  What happens when it gets too cool is that they pile on top
of each other to keep warm, and then the ones on the bottom of the pile
suffocate.

This past Sunday we woke up at 3:30am and the electric was off - no idea
how long it had been out.  Ken's first thought was "the turkeys...!" 
He got up immediately and went out to fire up the generator - before he
even checked the turkeys.  Then he went to the brooder house, and sure
enough, they were in a pile but were already warming up and starting to
come off of the pile and spread out.  We found out later the power had
been off for about an hour and a half.  In that amount of time, we lost 5
turkeys.  That's how fragile they are!

Altogether, we were out of power for about 7 hours, so we would have
lost many more, if not all of them.  We're thanking God that he gave us
the foresight to invest in a good generator last summer - and it WAS an
investment!  We are so reliant on electricity...water for the animals,
sometimes keeping them warm/cool, keeping our large freezers running,
etc.

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Maple Syrup in October?!

Maple Syrup in October?!

You know how some people do "Christmas in July" events?  How about maple syrup in October?!  Actually, I'm told it IS possible to make syrup in the fall...any time the weather fluctuates between freezing and thawing, sap is drawn up into the tree and can be harvested.  Apparently the yield (amount of sap/number of gallons of syrup) is not as good, and also the flavor is not quite as good, but we don't have experience with that. Obviously we aren't there yet weather-wise...it's still too warm.  And no, we aren't tapping trees in the fall!  But last spring, we saved bottling time during the busiest sugaring days by filling a 40-gallon barrel to use later.  A few days ago we opened that barrel and bottled the syrup.  So it felt a bit like sugaring season.  And that maple aroma when you walk into the sugar house...I never get tired of that!! Grade B Maple Syrup This past spring we ended up with a bunch of end-of-the-season syrup that we felt was not up to our flavor standards (we have a reputation to protect!) so we weren't planning to sell it.  However, we have since realized that we can make it available as "Grade B" syrup. A few years ago the USDA changed the grading system for maple syrup.  The new system has four Grade A syrups: Grade A Golden:  Delicate taste Grade A Amber:  Rich taste Grade A Dark:  Robust taste Grade A Very Dark:  Strong taste This was done because many people were confused by "Grade A" and "Grade B", thinking that Grade A was a superior quality.  In reality there is no difference in quality, only in texture and taste.  So it's more a matter of personal preference. While the official grading system has changed, many people still refer to "Grade A" and "Grade B" syrup.  Grade B syrup, typically produced later in the season (when sap has a lower sugar content and more microbial activity), has a darker color, bolder flavor, thicker viscosity, and increased minerals.  It is often used in cooking and baking.  Grade B syrup is hard to find as a retail product because much of it goes to bakeries and such.  We now have it available while supplies last.  You can order it here.

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Elm Run Farms

  • 16808 Burkhart Road
    Orrville OH 44667
  • 330-317-7283