Robots, Chickens, and Ducks

Robots, Chickens, and Ducks

Captured by my predator sensing robot camera herding ducks and chickens into their coop.

Since the start of Mezzacello there have been chickens and rabbits integrated into the system. That was my original plan all along. Later I expanded to include robots, chickens, and ducks.

I came across this photo on the cloud from March 21, 2019. It was captured by a motion and heat sensing camera mounted on the water tank in my chicken run. The system also included a hacked Arduino controller that used IFTT architecture to send the photo to my phone.

Yes, I captured my own self herding poultry with an automated sensor. But the other thing this photo shoes is my ignorance about bird flu and sanitation. My Robot Chicken sensor caught me in the poultry area without boots.

While this is a fun early example of my push to leverage automation, robots, sensors, and data in my urban farm. It is also an indictment of my naivety and the fact that one should always be learning, improving, adapting. I am sure I was just securing chickens so I could go to work, but I am NOT wearing wellingtons.

Breaking Barriers and Rules

The cases of Avian Flu are on the rise in the US in 2022, but is not yet in Ohio. This kind of silly reckless behavior is exactly why it is on the rise though. I want to believe I sterilized my shoes after, but truth is I don’t remember and that is bird flu spreads.

There is no direct evidence that the strain of avian flu prevalent right now out west is transmissible to humans, we did just go through a pandemic. Honestly, this is not about the humans, but the birds. I developed all of this tech to keep these vital members of my ecosystems safe.

Flash forward to today and I always sterilize my boots and shoes. I have gotten sick, my fault, for this mistake. This simple mistake is also responsible for killing millions of birds and is why I have three sterilizing stations and four sinks at Mezzacello.

Sanitation stations at Mezzacello

Hand washing Station Hand washing sinks

Sanitizer Station Hand sanitizer station

Boots Washing Station Boot sanitizing station

Boots Only Icon Boots Only Area

Why Boots are a Requirement at Summer Camps

Last summer, I hosted two summer camps at Mezzacello. I rotated groups of four kids through the BioTech portion of the camps. Only students who could fit into my boots, or brought their own could be part of the biotech team.

There were a lot of bummed out kids who could not interact with the animals safely. That was a learning moment for me. And a teachable moment for those kids.

Jim Bruner

In this summer’s camps, EVERY kid will be required to wear sterilizable boots. It is a necessity and it is the Law here at Mezzacello. Live and learn it may be, but adapt and thrive is a better mission.


Winter Work Work Work!

Winter Work Work Work!

Contrary to what May be popular opinion, winter is not a time to rest. Quite the opposite, it is the time to plan, build, dream, and do the winter work work work.

Work work work work work work! Hmmmm!

Rihanna

All of the great artists and cultural change agents in the world know this is true! From the Romans and their work ethic, to Van Gogh and his love of the working class all the way to RuPaul (Werk it Girl!) to Rihanna (Work Work Work). We know things need to get done, honey.

A lot of people take eggs and meat for granted. It’s in a store, you buy it, you cook and eat it, and then you discard it. This is NOT true on a farm.

I talk a good game about creating food and resources from waste, but I am only capable of so much. The average American diet is between 1800 and 2000 calories a day for a male (this calculator can help you decide. There is no way a small urban farm in downtown Columbus can produce that much food, year round.

The True Cost of Eggs

You may pay $X dollars for a dozen eggs at the store – I am not gonna lie, I haven’t had to buy eggs for years – but that low cost is deferred. I recycle almost everything at Mezzacello, and still I need to buy extra feed.

Ask anyone who raises chickens or ducks – or any poultry, the cheap cost of eggs is deferred somewhere. And the feed is heavy, and the snow is real. But this is my passion, and the work is worth it!

Closing Thoughts

Reframe work, effort, passion, volunteerism and empathy as “the bill”. If you are comfortable enjoying the meal at a restaurant, eating it and leaving without paying… Mother Nature is waiting for you, she needs compost and a lazy body and mind will do nicely – work!


Just The Right Light

Just The Right Light

A snap of the farm taken by Sarah Lamme

This is a mid winter snap of Mezzacello from the landing of the stairs at the back of the house. What a sunset! This was taken in Just The Right Light.

This will very soon be a very different view. Over the past seven years we have transformed Mezzacello’s grounds into a true Urban Garden and Learning Lab. Now “The House” at Mezzacello is ready for her close up.

This is a poem 
to our house that began the
journey to now.

The house at Mezzacello is 168 years old. Her step-sister additions are not as resolute as our Cinderella and they need an upgrade. Stay tuned for more.

The main house in the foreground the “stepsisters” are behind.