NY chicken lover!!!! - Page 788

Look up Square Foot Gardening online for ideas.  I have the book and the website gives a lot of the same information.

We're planning on using raised beds for most of the garden this year, as it's easier to weed them and to tailor the soil to specific plant requirements.  

Here's a handy-dandy link on things to think about when designing your raised-bed garden, mostly because it leads to many other groovy links from the blogger, including designs that have worked for her:  http://www.growingthehomegarden.com/2009/02/designing-raised-bed-vegetable-garden.html

Also, this is a nifty link on growing potatoes in what amounts to a big cube.  Our potatoes went oogly last year because of all the rain.  I think this method would keep them much happier, or at least drier in the event that we end up living in a rainforest again, so we're going to try it.  It'd be a great use for pallets.   http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feet

I haven't bought Square Foot Gardening yet, although I have it on my Kindle wish list (where I stick things while I decide whether or not to buy them).  I'll have to check out the site! 

I do want this book.  The author lives in Maine.  If he can manage four-season gardening up there, I should certainly be able to manage something around here (she says hopefully):  http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Garden/dp/1890132276

Quote:

Originally Posted by vmdanielsen 

Thank you all for your well wishes!

 

Tab and Travis, I brought up pictures of my buckeye chicks(pea comb)  and compared them to the new hatchlings.  Both are very small and I can't tell a difference!  Will keep you posted as to changes.  Good news is the blue egg marked BXS is a Blue grey bird!  Some birds gave black spots on their heads....could these also be sex links?  The one OE is a black chick.  Don't know if any of this info means anything to you, but am happy to give in as great a detAIL as you can stand!  looks like 4 or 5 more will hatch before we go to bed(around 10)  YAY!!!

 

Rancher, do you feed then in the incubator too?  Doesn't it get messy in there?

 

Have a great holidAY ALL!

 Ginny,

On the white chicks if you can't see little points on the comb then they should be pea comb and should lay blue eggs. Black spots? If the marans have a white spot, that means they are cuckoo not sure what the black spot would mean. Will have to see the pics to tell for sure. Congrats on the hatch and hopefully alot more came out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henicillin 

We're planning on using raised beds for most of the garden this year, as it's easier to weed them and to tailor the soil to specific plant requirements.  

 

Here's a handy-dandy link on things to think about when designing your raised-bed garden, mostly because it leads to many other groovy links from the blogger, including designs that have worked for her:  http://www.growingthehomegarden.com/2009/02/designing-raised-bed-vegetable-garden.html

 

Also, this is a nifty link on growing potatoes in what amounts to a big cube.  Our potatoes went oogly last year because of all the rain.  I think this method would keep them much happier, or at least drier in the event that we end up living in a rainforest again, so we're going to try it.  It'd be a great use for pallets.   http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feet

I haven't bought Square Foot Gardening yet, although I have it on my Kindle wish list (where I stick things while I decide whether or not to buy them).  I'll have to check out the site! 

 

I do want this book.  The author lives in Maine.  If he can manage four-season gardening up there, I should certainly be able to manage something around here (she says hopefully):  http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Garden/dp/1890132276

Amy,  I got kale out of my hoop house until jan 1.  Still some out there, but it grows really slowly.  I need to put adult chickens out there to clean it up)whatever greenery is out there and the occasional cabbage looper. I will move it and start some lettuce I think.  3 season is definatly doable.  I don't want to add heat.  I suppose if I had it in front of my house(south facing and my house acting as wind break) I could get a longer season, but that is where I winter my chickens.

I have had goos luck with raised beds. I planted close and got a lot of veggies.  You need to keep soil fertile because of the closeness of plants.

I have tried a similar set up for potatoes.  I had bought a few containers and tried it with out much luck.  I turned one into my compost bin but still try with the other container.  If you do this keep me posted if there is a trick that I am missing I love to get many pounds of potatoes and store them.  I do plan on planting a lot of sunflowers for the chicks this year, besides they are pretty!

I need to order more seeds!  It is that time of year!!!

6 more chicks over night.  Up to 12..6 more pipping!

yeah, and off to work I go........

Quote:

Originally Posted by admhotel 

 

 Ginny,

On the white chicks if you can't see little points on the comb then they should be pea comb and should lay blue eggs. Black spots? If the marans have a white spot, that means they are cuckoo not sure what the black spot would mean. Will have to see the pics to tell for sure. Congrats on the hatch and hopefully alot more came out.

I thought I remember with some sex links male or female would have a black spot on their heads.  I will try and remember to look it up.   The combs look like the buckeyes, but until now, I have only hatched pea combs, so I have nothing to compare it to.

YOU WANT ME TO POST PICS??????  OH I will try....I just takes me ssooooo long to figure it out.  Maybe this new system will be easier.  Want to change my avatar too.......

PS  All the combs look similar at present.  What would the OE or BXS have?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vmdanielsen 

Thank you all for your well wishes!

 

Tab and Travis, I brought up pictures of my buckeye chicks(pea comb)  and compared them to the new hatchlings.  Both are very small and I can't tell a difference!  Will keep you posted as to changes.  Good news is the blue egg marked BXS is a Blue grey bird!  Some birds gave black spots on their heads....could these also be sex links?  The one OE is a black chick.  Don't know if any of this info means anything to you, but am happy to give in as great a detAIL as you can stand!  looks like 4 or 5 more will hatch before we go to bed(around 10)  YAY!!!

 

Rancher, do you feed then in the incubator too?  Doesn't it get messy in there?

 

Have a great holidAY ALL!

No I just wait three days after the first one hatches to start pulling them out of the incubator.  If there are any working I give them a little more time.  I don't know why the shrink wrap thing happens but it has happened with my broody hens too.  I doubt it happens because you've opened the incubator, perhaps the membrane was to thick or the humidity was to low.  I don't know why it happens.    

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henicillin 

We're planning on using raised beds for most of the garden this year, as it's easier to weed them and to tailor the soil to specific plant requirements.  

 

Here's a handy-dandy link on things to think about when designing your raised-bed garden, mostly because it leads to many other groovy links from the blogger, including designs that have worked for her:  http://www.growingthehomegarden.com/2009/02/designing-raised-bed-vegetable-garden.html

 

Also, this is a nifty link on growing potatoes in what amounts to a big cube.  Our potatoes went oogly last year because of all the rain.  I think this method would keep them much happier, or at least drier in the event that we end up living in a rainforest again, so we're going to try it.  It'd be a great use for pallets.   http://lifehacker.com/5202849/grow-100-lbs-of-potatoes-in-4-square-feet

I haven't bought Square Foot Gardening yet, although I have it on my Kindle wish list (where I stick things while I decide whether or not to buy them).  I'll have to check out the site! 

 

I do want this book.  The author lives in Maine.  If he can manage four-season gardening up there, I should certainly be able to manage something around here (she says hopefully):  http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Garden/dp/1890132276

You've seen my garden?  I buy the 2x6's or bigger for $1 ea at HD.  They're usually 48" at least.  I don't have to Roto till and can plant most things by hand with no tools.  No mashed down soil.

  I used to garden this way, and this year we are going to again. So much easier and so much less time to maintain. Looks great Rancher!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rancher hicks 

You've seen my garden?  I buy the 2x6's or bigger for $1 ea at HD.  They're usually 48" at least.  I don't have to Roto till and can plant most things by hand with no tools.  No mashed down soil.

 

Looks nice Rancher.

We currently don't have a raised bed set up, but due to the wet nature of the ground we would like to go to it. It will take a few years to get everything. We currently have 2 30X60 plots. Our hope this year is to get the perimeter completed, and a few areas where the water is the worst.

Eggs go into lockdown tomorrow. I will candle them all, but for what we could tell, all were developing. It is just a barnyard mix, but getting excited. My wife is on call this weekend, so it could be me and my 4 month old hanging out in the basement all weekend.

Have a good week all!

Regards,

Quote:

Originally Posted by rancher hicks 

You've seen my garden?  I buy the 2x6's or bigger for $1 ea at HD.  They're usually 48" at least.  I don't have to Roto till and can plant most things by hand with no tools.  No mashed down soil.