The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 27, 1997 - C5

THAT'S DINNER for two. Philip Durand and Mike Ansems have worked hard alll year fattening up the chickens

as part of their 4-H project. They both understand that farming is more a way of life than making a living.

Meaty cluckers are a
learning experience

WHEN PHILIP Durand sees chick- : anticipate their Davour with a hint of

ens, he’s probably thinking two juicy
drum sticks and a plump breast,

That's because 13-year-old Philip, a
member of the Terrace 4-H club, has.
taken on a poultry raising project for
the year.

' -He’s responsible for feeding, water-
ing and cleaning up after both ihe
laying and the meat chickens.

‘When the. time comes, Philip
doesn't have a problem with buicher-
ing the chickens,

‘It’s just a project, I don’! get at-. —
tached to them,’’ be said, adding that'

it’s a different story when it comes to
sheep.

‘ Meat chickens are generally messier
and -clumsier than laying bens, but
they are still one of the low
‘maintenance farm animals.

Keeping the chickens is only one
part of the project. Budgeting for them
is the big eye opener, says Philip.

“Chickens are mostly all loss and
no profit,”’ he said, another reason to

sage and a side dish of potatocs.

Philip's friend, 12-year-old Mike "
has been raising laying ©
chickens for about five years now and (“

Ansems,

has become an old pro at it.

“You keep the laying chickens |
separate,’’ said Mike, ‘‘the eggs are
also more golden coloured if they feed

outside.’’

“The hens enjoy a dust bath — they
dig a big hole in the ground and fluff

around in it,”’ he said.

It a

Oue thing that both Mike and Philip
have learned is that farming is not

economical.

To them, it’s more of a way of life

“The hens enjoy a dust bath
"= they dig a big hole in the
ground and fluff around in

that they both enjoy. One that they
. feel gives them an advantage over
other kids.

“Some people have never even seen
a chicken,’’ said Philip.. To many
people, a chicken is something that
comes from the frozen meat depart-
ment, he added.

“Sometimes they get in the way of a
social life’’ said Mike, Philip nodded
in agreement,

Philip will be exhibiting two identi-
cal laying hens at the fall fair.

Things that the judges will be look-
ing for are clean feathers, meaty legs,
a nice bright red comb and if they’re
layers, a soft rear-end.

After four months, and after feeding
them a grain called ‘‘finisher’’ to fat-
ten them up, the chickens will be just
about perfect for the roaster.

And after developing quick reflexes
to keep the chickens at bay, both
Philip and Mike will be looking for-
ward to reaping the benefi ts of their
hard work.

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Compliments of: Downtown Lions and
Skeena Valley Fall Fair Association
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HORSE LOGGER Paul Levesque, with Belgians Doug and King, will be among those competing in the Fall
Fair's thrilling Heavy Horse Pull event. The team pull is Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The single harse pull happens
Saturday starting at 6:00 p.m.

Horse pull to thrill crowds

ONE OF the most thrilling events of
the Skeena Valley Fall Fair is once
again poised to send cheers ringing
from the stands,

The Heavy Horse Pull is a spectacle
of . the power and brute strength of
genile equine giants.

But unlike events of modern ma-
chine worship like truck pulls and
drag races, the air is not clogged with
exhaust or the sounds of screaming
engines.

Instead, the audience hears only soft
snorts, pawing hoofs and quick com-
mands from horse loggers like Paul
- Levesque.

He and his team of muscular palam-
ino Belgians Doug and King will be
back again, as will teams from across

the northwest.

Other repeat contenders
teams like that of Roger Losier.

Many of the teams work regularly in
the bush.

Horse logging has become a popular
method of selectively logging stands
in some areas.

The event begins with each team of
horses pulling a steel sled a marked
distance.

The sled must be dragged until a
stake it’s tied to by a length of rope is
uprooted,

After all teams have made a pull at
the same weight, more bricks are
added,

By the end of the event, the teams
are usually pulling in excess of 8,000

include

pounds — sometimes a tremendous
amount more than the team’s own
weight.

As the number of bricks on the sled
grows, the horses get overexciled in
anticipation, and have lo be calmed by
their owners by reassuring talk and
sometimes a quick trot around the cor-
ral.

When the time comes to pull again,
they dig in and move an Incredible
amount of weight.

The Heavy Horse Pull gets un-
derway wilh single horse pulling on
Saturday evening, starling at 6:00
pan. in the riding ring. '

Everybody's favourite — the team
event — starts at 3:00 pam. Sunday
afternoon.

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