Consolidated Kansas

[MaidenWolf]

Ok you know your SO gets you on a deep level when instead of a dozen roses he brings you a dosen chicks. He's not chicken crazy like me so it's a huge deal.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Ok you know your SO gets you on a deep level when instead of a dozen roses he brings you a dosen chicks. He's not chicken crazy like me so it's a huge deal.

That is so sweet! My DH puts up with my animals, but I'm not sure he'd ever go so far as to become an enabler.

All this talk about a meet-and-greet makes me wish I were closer. Northwest Kansas is a LONG way from where all ya'll been talking about. However, I'm hoping to make a trip out East this spring and just HAPPEN to stop by Danz's house for some chicks. I'm excited!!!

 

[Trish44]

@lizzyGSR good to see you back on here, hope you're doing well. Yeah I'm aways from the ones who were last posting as well. I'm almost to the OK border down here, about 30 miles from it.

 

[chicken danz]

I spent most of my day moving chicks around again. I've got to get some sold. I had a new hatch today as well. Anyone who is interested in chicks take a look at my website. I have some available cause I have been test hatching and trying to add to my my own stock. http://www.chickendanz.com
I am in heaven. I got one goose egg last night and two today. I was beginning to think these girls were going to take this year off. Worst part is, I'll probably have to start up a second incubator soon. Goose eggs take a ton of room.

 

[CayugaJana]

I spent most of my day moving chicks around again. I've got to get some sold. I had a new hatch today as well. Anyone who is interested in chicks take a look at my website. I have some available cause I have been test hatching and trying to add to my my own stock. http://www.chickendanz.com
I am in heaven. I got one goose egg last night and two today. I was beginning to think these girls were going to take this year off. Worst part is, I'll probably have to start up a second incubator soon. Goose eggs take a ton of room.

Thanks for posting your website! The boys plan on showing in 4H this year so I might have to order some from you. If they show in August, when is the last date you hatch cayugas that would be an acceptable age for showing? You can message me if needed.

Also, are your cayugas laying yet? I have 4 that aren’t. My Pekin is though.

 

[CayugaJana]

Danz, I am getting ready to start propagating some hardwood cuttings for: weigela, roses, blackberry, crepe myrtle, monkey grass, creeping phlox, willow, rose of sharon, and hydrangeas. Have you successfully propagated any of these?

 

[chicken danz]

@CayugaJana with vines and hardwoods I've found it a lot easier to layer them. The reason being, is I forget to keep them moist enough when I've made cuttings. Layering is the lazy persons way. Any way, an older lady in N.C. taught me to use sand for cuttings and to cover them with a inverted milk carton with the bottom cut out and set them in the shade. I think for my purposes mixing half sand and half peat works better.
You need to use semi hard wood for the crepe myrtle rather hardwood.
Monkey grass is easier to propagate by waiting until its warmer and then dividing the roots. For creeping phlox, root cuttings should be done in summer, but you can divide roots in the spring which is a lot easier.
Grape vines are another matter entirely. It is going to take a year of babying to get a root cutting to grow. They need to be cut now, placed in a plastic bag with peat moss in the fridge until the ground is thawed, then make a special bed for the cuttings that will have to be kept moist all summer. Then the following spring you can transplant the rooted sections where you want them. I haven't done that. It's just too time consuming. Plus then it's another 3 years before they produce grapes.
My ducks are laying but not heavily. I just redid their pen in hopes of keeping the dogs from steeling the eggs. They found them after I shortened the barrel nests. Because it's been so cold I hadn't checked to see if they have found the way to their nests again. I did set some eggs about 3 days ago though. Not a lot of them. You need about 5 months for a duck to mature. Some 4 H clubs may want ducks that are market ready which means just eating size which is much younger. Our local branch wants them mature. It might help to check. I would guess April would be about perfect for show birds. Remember it takes a full month to hatch them though.

 

[CayugaJana]

I have almost 100 blackberry thornless cuttings that I took from my MIL in the fall. I dug a hole put them in a bucket with rooting hormones and I checked the other day and they are still alive. Not sure what the roots look like because I didn’t want to disturb them too much. But I will dig them up when it’s a little warmer. Here’s what I did.

The monkey grass is hard to kill where I come from so you can divide it almost anytime of the year and have success. I divided some this last summer and potted. Its still alive. I love it. It’s a variegated kind.

I have some red crepe myrtles that I love. And some pink ones that I don’t love. So I’m wanting the eventually replace the pink with red. They are really vigorous.

Yes you are right about the air layering. I’m currently trying it on several plants. Haven’t looked yet though. I don’t think it’s lazy, I think it’s smart! Work smarter not harder right?! I forget to water small plants too sometimes. So we will see. I’ve started some of our vegetables from seed. We normally buy the plants and then put in the garden. But since we have tons of space, why not at least try. If it doesn’t work at least I’m keeping busy with something I love to do right?

I’m in the process of doing some cuttings so we will see how it goes and if I remember to water them.

I read a lot of posts on incubating but I don’t know if we will be successful. That’s if they ever start to lay eggs! Incubating seems like a lot of work. I might just ask you to do it for me and come and get them. The boys would be estatic to see the animals. We will see how much time we have this spring.

 

[chicken danz]

Amazing video. I love his method and can't wait to try it myself. I have some crepe myrtles I would love to propagate as well.
I used to spend tons of money on seeds and stuff every year. That was before chickens and dogs though. I started every thing from seed. And I loved the unusual and eye catching varieties. It was nothing for me to start a plant from seed and nurture it 3 years or longer before it bloomed. This place is the worst place ever. We are near a creek and in a deep valley. It's hard to tell because where it slopes is some area back. But by air you can really see how low it is. Anyway I think all the water from above runs down through our place and has destroyed all the top soil, leaving only hard impossible clay. I moved some very prized plants here from my last house and some that had come with me from Oklahoma from as long as 30 years before. Every last one of them died in this soil. I've put a ton of peat and sand etc in it but it just tends to disappear leaving only this clay. It's so discouraging.
I've got seeds to start right now and the trays in the house to do so, but haven't made enough room yet to set them up. I have no good light in this house so I have to start them in the basement under artificial lights. My plans are to redo my front flower beds this year if I can just keep my back working for a change. They are all overgrown with bermuda grass. I can't complain about it though cause it's the only grass that has survived with these birds.
I have lots of monkey grass and some of the varigated but the darn regular monkey grass has crowded out a lot of the varigated. It seems a lot harder to get going than the plain kind. At least in this yard.
I should trade you some of cayugas for some of those thornless blackberries.
When it comes to incubating I can help you with just about any thing. Just ask. What kind of incubator will you be using?

 

[CayugaJana]

Not being able to keep things alive because of the clay would be discouraging Danz. I would be disgusted if I brought flowers from another house and they all died. I’ll keep you in mind when I’m growing the crepe myrtles. The pretty variegated varieties of most plants seem to not grow as well. Dang it.

I have good light in our house but I planted a lot of seeds so I have some in our basement. When I dig up those thornless blackberries and most of them start growing, I’ll have plenty. The berries are enormous.
This is the incubator I bought.