So many of you love the updates on the babies at the farm - currently, the youngest are five young Guinea fowl and a peachick incubated and hatched right here. They’re doing very well eating, drinking, and enjoying all the sights and sounds of their surroundings.
If you're not familiar with Guinea fowl, they are members of the Numididae family. These birds originated in Africa, but are now found all over the world. I’ve raised Guinea fowl for years. They are ground-nesting, seed- and-insect-eating birds that love ticks, locusts, flies, maggots, snails, and other pesky bugs. They are also wonderful at patrolling the chicken yard - sounding off loud alarms whenever something unusual enters the enclosure.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I am so happy I am able to properly incubate and hatch healthy fowl right here at the farm. The eggs are kept in optimal hatching temperatures and are safe from any pecking hens in the coop. Here is my incubator in my kitchen. The incubation period for Guinea eggs is 26 to 28 days, similar to the incubation period for turkeys.
Last month, we hatched five beautiful baby Guinea fowl or keets and a peachick. Once hatched, they are kept in a bin, also in my kitchen, for about a week.
Then they’re brought down to our bird “nursery” which is located in the feed room of my stable.
We house them in one of my large indoor bird cages. As each one is put in, it is introduced to the waterer and feeder, so it knows exactly where to eat and drink. They are all familiar with waterers and feeders, but it is still a good practice to show them. They have a suspended feeder filled with medicated turkey starter or wild game bird starter. At six weeks of age, they are switched to turkey or game bird grower.
Here is the peachick. We are not yet sure if it is a male or a female, but it is very healthy and doesn’t mind being the only peachick in the group of Guinea keets.
And here is one of the Guinea keets being put in the cage. This youngster is very alert and curious.
Keets are Guinea fowl offspring that are younger than 12 weeks old.
Guinea fowl are native to Africa, and as such, are very susceptible to dampness during the first two weeks after hatching. After the initial two weeks, Guinea keets are widely considered the hardiest of all domestic fowl.
Here is the peachick in front of the keets. Keets are mostly brown with black stripes and markings with tan underbellies. The head has a wide black stripe down the center with two narrow black stripes on each side, with narrow orange stripes between the black. The beak, legs, and feet are a light orange.
Mature Guinea fowl colors are mostly shades of blue, brown, and white or combinations thereof. In this group we have three traditional colored Guinea fowl and two lighter ones.
These keets have a lot of growing to do – just look how big their feet are.
Here is a lighter colored keet with some tan and dark brown markings.
Here, the same keets are about five weeks of age. The peachick in the lower left may even think it’s also a keet right now. Guinea fowl enjoy being with their own kind and will always maintain their own social groups even when integrated into the coop with the chickens.
And if well cared for, these babies can live up to 15-years.
With all this energy, these keets are already starting to perch and spread their wings. The The one in the back is perched on a stuffed toy we placed into the cage.
It is very difficult to sex Guinea fowl. The best way to tell males from females is by their cry. When they’re older, the female Guineas will make a two-syllable call that sounds something like “buckwheat, buckwheat”. Males can only make a one-syllable sound similar to “kickkkkk kickkkkk”. The males also have larger gills or wattles. And do you know what a group of Guinea fowl is called? The collective noun for guinea fowl is “confusion” or “rasp.”
When they are adults, they look like these Guinea fowl in my chicken yard. One Guinea fowl is the size of a large chicken and weighs about four-pounds fully grown.
Notice, the head and neck area of a Guinea is bare, which helps to regulate temperature. These birds are not too fond of the cold weather, but they are very hardy and can live well in nearly every climate.
With short, rounded wings and short tails, these birds look oval-shaped. Their beaks are short but curved and very stout.
Where one goes, they all go. If one gets lost it will call out until the flock comes to find it. And Guinea fowl are very noisy. I can often hear them all the way from my Winter House.
These birds keep my chickens safe – sounding alarms whenever intruders are near. I am so glad they thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
We have many summer projects going on at my Bedford, New York farm - among them, moving my peafowl coop, so it can support new fencing above the enclosure to keep my birds safe from wild predators.
I have grown quite fond of peafowl and have my own ostentation that includes several peacocks and peahens that I hatched right here in a specially made incubator. My peafowl live in a spacious yard adjacent to my allée of lindens not far from my stable. They also have a sizable coop. Last week, my property manager, Doug, along with Pete and Fernando from my outdoor grounds crew, carefully moved the coop 25-feet toward the center of the pen. And they did it "the old fashioned way" - by using aluminum pipes to roll the structure forward.
Here are some photos and a short video from the move, enjoy.
Moving a heavy structure like this coop must be done correctly to prevent it from getting damaged.
The first step is to outline where the coop would go. Doug spray-painted the new footprint. This coop is rectangular in shape measuring 26-feet long by 10-feet wide.
We rented a Ryan sod cutter for the day. The Ryan Company has been designing and selling turf care equipment for more than 60-years. Their sod cutter was actually created after the business partnered with a commercial landscaper named Art Ryan. There are different types of sod cutters, but they all essentially cut grass at the roots so entire sections of sod can be removed to expose the bare ground underneath it. It cuts 12-inch widths of sod and can cut more than 100-feet per minute.
Pete starts cutting the sod from the outside first. Here is the new location after the sod cutter’s first pass.
Fernando follows by rolling up the strips behind Pete. Doing this makes it easier to see where the sod has already been cut.
Once all the sod is removed from the designated area, any stray pieces of grass are raked away and the area is prepared for the next phase of our project.
Meanwhile, the heavy stone step is also moved away from the coop along with any other smaller stone pavers.
For this project, the crew needs several aluminum pipes and long pieces of timber. All of these were already here at the farm. We save as much material as we can for projects like this.
The coop is already built on a proper foundation set on concrete blocks. Using a heavy duty hydraulic jack to hoist the coop up a little more, the crew carefully places the wood under the structure.
The wood is placed on the diagonal in the direction the coop will move.
Here is Pete using the jack again to position the pipes. Each side is done slowly, adding one piece at a time in order to keep the structure level as it is being done.
Here is the front of the coop with the pipes underneath and ready to go.
Here is a view from the back.
During this move, the peafowl are safe in another enclosure, but look who is curious about the entire process – my flock of geese. From their own pen, they walk closer to the fence to watch all the activity.
The next step is to position our trusted Hi-Lo in the adjacent paddock where there is room to maneuver it and pull the coop into place.
Giant straps and rope are used to secure the coop to the Hi-Lo.
Here is a view from a few feet away. Here, one can see how far the coop has to move.
Slowly the Hi-Lo pulls the coop. Here, the coop was rolled several feet. It is now over a section of its new footprint.
Here, it is moved a little more – almost there.
Here is a view from the back and the space it once occupied.
The Hi-Lo pulls it as close to its mark as possible. The last few inches will be finished by hand – slowly pushing the structure into position.
And here it is in its new home – perfectly in place.
Before the wood and aluminum rollers are removed, Fernando returns the gravel underneath the coop from the old location. When this coop was built, galvanized wire mesh was also used to line the entire top of the floor to prevent unwelcome critters from getting inside.
Here, Fernando levels the gravel under the coop.
Once all the gravel is moved, the jack is used to take out all the piping and timbers.
And the concrete blocks are adjusted perfectly into place once again.
The peafowl coop is now settled in its new spot. The stone step will be returned and protective wire will also be placed around the bottom sides of the coop. In a future blog, I will share photos of the new protective fencing that will cover the top of the enclosure to keep my peafowl residents safe from harm.
Here's a short clip showing the coop moving into place.
I am thrilled to open the doors to this 194-seat dining destination thoughtfully decorated much like my Bedford, New York farm. The menu features French-inspired cuisine along with some of my own favorite recipes - all with the freshest, locally sourced ingredients. Among them - Classic Niçoise Salad, Oysters Rockefeller, Whole Roast Herb Chicken served with my Smashed Baked Potato. And for dessert, my Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie. These are some of the same dishes I serve to family and friends when I entertain. And don't forget, at The Bedford by Martha Stewart, one can also enjoy my signature cocktails, such as my Martha-tini and my delicious Frozen Pomegranate Martha-rita. We've worked tirelessly to bring my farmhouse in Bedford, New York to life in Las Vegas! I know you'll love the food and your visit to The Bedford!
Here are some photos, enjoy.
We did it! All our hard work has paid off. Today is the opening day for my first-ever restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Here is a peek inside The Bedford. Hanging copper pans in a variety of sizes from my MARTHA by Martha Stewart collection adorn the kitchen area.
Visit our website at Martha.com to order your copper pots today. These tri-ply, user-friendly pots and pans are must-haves for any kitchen.
This décor in The Bedford was inspired by my own 1925 farmhouse in New York. I display many of my crystal entertaining pieces on shelves in my Winter House Brown Room.
Similar prints were put up on the walls – also inspired by photos decorating the rooms in my home.
Our kitchen is large with top-quality all stainless steel appliances.
The windows in this area of the dining room look out to photos of my paddocks, boxwood, and my allée of majestic pin oaks.
Another restaurant cabinet shows the many cake stands and dishes inspired by my own personal everyday collections.
Over the last couple of weeks, our team has been working hard to get all the finishing touches done in time for opening day. Here, menus are taken out of the boxes and folded.
The wait staff gathers to review the computer programs for ordering and check out processes.
Final touches are also made at the bar, where signature cocktails such as my Martha-rita and my Martha-tini will be made.
Cocktail napkins feature the sycamore tree – the symbol of my Bedford farm.
Here’s our own EVP of Home, Kevin Sharkey, and our Culinary EVP, Thomas Joseph, who were both instrumental in the development of The Bedford by Martha Stewart.
Here I am with Chef Pierre Schaedelin and the talented team of chefs at The Bedford. Chef Pierre is the owner of PS Tailored Events. He and I have planned many menus together for my parties and gatherings at all my homes. He also helped to develop the delicious menu for The Bedford.
Here’s a wide view of the restaurant showing some of the outdoor space with the Bedford Gray furniture and beautiful lush green boxwood, climbing clematis, and ferns. Doesn’t this area remind you of my winding pergola at my farm?
Just before our launch party last night, the white marble dessert buffet table was set.
And look who surprised me and came to the opening – my dear friend, Snoop Dogg! He never disappoints!
I am so happy with how The Bedford turned out. I know you’ll love it too.
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