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Sauk Rapids Herald
Flocking into Local cooperatives prepare for chick days
s pring
BY JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER
GILMAN – Springtime can be described in many ways: a time for new beginnings, a fresh breath of air, or the Àrst thaw before crop planting begins. For those in central Minnesota, spring is often welcomed with people Áocking to their local cooperatives to order their Àrst batch of chicks, ducklings and exotic birds. “It gets really hectic,” Tina Peschl said. “People come in and they’re excited to get feed and shavings for their birds, and also get everything set up for when their Áock arrives.” Peschl and her co-workers at Gilman Co-op Creamery in Gilman anticipate this time of year, which is commonly known as chick days. This event is a time when community members can order unhatched Áocks of young birds
PHOTO BY ANDREA BORGERDING
Broiler chicks settle in their new home. Spring is a time when many people purchase chicks from their local cooperatives.
and then pick up the 1-day-old brood a short time later. Each year, Peschl orders a couple thousand birds from
the nationally-known hatchery, Hoover’s Hatchery, in Rudd, Iowa. While a majority of birds are purchased for egg production,
there is an increasing number of birds wanted for meat production. “Then there are other people that like pretty colored eggs or
THURSDAY, T THU R MARCH 16, 2017
d to take to the fairs,” want bi birds Peschl said. Of the birds hatched in Iowa for central Minnesota, most are the Americana breed for their Easter egg-like colored eggs, said Hoover’s Hatchery owner Tony Halsted. Red Sex Linked, ISA Brown, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock and Buff Orpington are also popular breeds for egg production. The traditional broiler still remains a fan favorite for meat production; however, the Red Ranger heritage breed is gaining a reputation for being a bird raised naturally for meat production. The hatchery also sells a fair number of ducks, turkeys, geese and guineas. When selecting birds for a spring Áock, Halsted emphasized the importance of knowing where the birds originated from and being careful of Salmonella contamination due to human contact. “There have been outbreaks in Minnesota and we want everyone to handle the birds with care,” he said. Over the years, the hatchery has catered to the needs of their Chickens: page 2B
Teenager starts own beef herd Kath owns seven Black Angus BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
Let’s Talk Balers
FLUEGGE’S AG
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
One of the biggest costs for Kath in the near future is the Kath: page 2B
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SAUK RAPIDS – Emily Kath has been around beef cattle as long as she can remember. She grew up helping her parents with their herd and now, she can say she has something not many 15-year-olds can – her own Black Angus beef herd. “I started my own herd when I was 13,” Kath said. “I knew I wanted to farm when I got older, so why not start young? My parents have always encouraged it, and I’ve learned what it takes from them over the years.” Kath currently has four cows, two heifers, a bull and a heifer calf, living amongst her parents’ herd. “Seven is a small herd by any stretch of the imagination,” said Russ, Emily’s dad. “But the end goal, just like with our herd, is to breed quality female Emily Kath owns seven beef animals. She started her herd two years ago at age 13. replacements. It’s all about where you end up, and I think Emily will having a herd, but Ànds the cost being able to take care of my herd is the cost involved with taking have a great herd someday.” is the hardest part of managing it. and call them my own,” Kath said. care of them, feeding them and Kath enjoys every aspect of “I feel really accomplished “But the biggest challenge for me anything else that may come up.”