***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[MacGuyver]

Every time I set a hatch I feel like I'm starting on a new adventure. I love watching the little guys grow. My only real baby chicks right now are Hoodia from Joe and Wellsummers and BCM I got at N.E.O.C.S. from one of the Four Chicks: Sorry I can't remember which of you I got the babies from

Please let me know so that I can put that info on my group chart. I try to keep track of where everybody came from. The Wellies, Hoodia, and BCM are in a big kiddie pool on the side porch with screened sides. That's the coolest place outside. DH doesn't want them in the house, and the garage and barn are like big ovens, so the side porch is my new Big Brooder House : )

I made four quart jars of yogurt in a Styrofoam cooler yesterday. I used a heating pad to incubate the culture. The heating pad is too new, though, and has the safety feature that shuts off the pad every 60 minutes. I had to restart my heat source eight times to get the batch through incubation. I put the jars into the fridge about an hour ago and will sample the yogurt at lunchtime today. I hope it turned out okay. It seemed really solid when I moved the jars. I was worried it might be runny.

Kass - Do you add powdered milk to yours? I didn't which is why I thought it might not thicken well. I found an azalea pot in the barn, but I didn't remember to get any 40 watt bulbs the last time I was at the store. Maybe next time. Post your process and recipe. I think a lot of people on the thread will be interested : )

I had the idea of using my little giant incubator to inoculate yogurt. I got so mad at it though with my last hatch that I packed it up and sold it at NEOCS. That's even thanks to my husband. He wouldn't let me take the axe to it. :/ I know a lot of people are really good with those, but I'm not. Not sure if it's because we live in an underground house, but even with a dry hatch, I couldn't get the humidity down.

 

[MacGuyver]

Welp, I feel like a real farmer today. I got up at six am and shoveled poop for a couple hours until it got too hot to work outside. Finally got my yard cleaned up a bit from construction projects too.

 

[Kassaundra]

I just sampled my first batch of yogurt. It was a little tart, so I added 1 packet of stevia and 1/2 tsp of instant coffee (smashed to powder between two spoons), and now I'm in heaven. Who knew? It tastes like warm coffee ice cream.

How long did you cook it? A gentlemen from Europe on the yogurt thread whose family have been making yogurt for generations said you shouldn't cook it over 8 hrs, or it will be tart.

 

[NanaKat]

I broke two broodies up todayI don't like to let them set when it is this hot.
Last summer the only hens I lost were broodies on the nest.

My girls are under a swamp cooler....thankfully.

Quote:

Got some fresh veggies from Carl and Steph yesterday and also found my newest addiction   Bread and Butter Jalapenos Thank you both the metal will come in handy just might have to wait till this heat breaks although it's already down to 97 must be a cold front moving through LOL
My hen had only 2 chicks so I gave her 10 more she was more than happy to call them straight to her and they were all pecking around in the dust like they had always been together.

Mawahahahahaaaaa      another convert!   

Yeah I'm hooked, I also tried a bite of the sour kraut and I have some serious issues with cabbage but that was actually really good and that's a huge step for me I brought a jar of it home also LOL Got the recipe also so I see canning some in my future

Glad you like the kraut...both are easy to make. Steph is a quick and eager learner.

Does anyone know what this plant is?

Here's a good medical link to poke weed http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002874.htm it will do more than clean you out...

Scorpions in the house do stink...but you should leave them outside the house...used to kill every one I saw...then found out they eat brown recluse spiders as a main diet. Out of the two beast, I'll take a scorpion any day.

mom has trold me that you have to eat poke young other wise it can be toxic. It is one of the milk type plants and most of those are a bad thing. I have never tried it for fear of some thing going wrong. I have loads of lambs quarter that grows. Lambs quarter taste great with bacon garlic and onion.

We can poke every spring. Then cut the plants down. they are prolific senders the plant returns from the root.

sounds like a good hatch on the way. We must have set some eggs around the same date. Now to wait and see what we get. I got to show my daughter savanna who is 7 a wiggler. She thinks its so cool how you can look in the egg and see the chick growing. Man this is a great for them. they are learning so much from hatching.

Every time I set a hatch I feel like I'm starting on a new adventure.  I love watching the little guys grow.  My only real baby chicks right now are Hoodia from Joe and Wellsummers and BCM I got at N.E.O.C.S. from one of the Four Chicks:  Sorry I can't remember which of you I got the babies from    Please let me know so that I can put that info on my group chart.  I try to keep track of where everybody came from.  The Wellies, Hoodia, and BCM are in a big kiddie pool on the side porch with screened sides.  That's the coolest place outside.  DH doesn't want them in the house, and the garage and barn are like big ovens, so the side porch is my new Big Brooder House : )

I made four quart jars of yogurt in a Styrofoam cooler yesterday.  I used a heating pad to incubate the culture.  The heating pad is too new, though, and has the safety feature that shuts off the pad every 60 minutes.  I had to restart my heat source eight times to get the batch through incubation.  I put the jars into the fridge about an hour ago and will sample the yogurt at lunchtime today.  I hope it turned out okay.  It seemed really solid when I moved the jars.  I was worried it might be runny.  

Kass - Do you add powdered milk to yours?  I didn't which is why I thought it might not thicken well.  I found an azalea pot in the barn, but I didn't remember to get any 40 watt bulbs the last time I was at the store.  Maybe next time.  Post your process and recipe.  I think a lot of people on the thread will be interested : )

I use equal jars of boiling water in the ice chest and leave for 12 hours.

I just sampled my first batch of yogurt.  It was a little tart, so I added 1 packet of stevia and 1/2 tsp of instant coffee (smashed to powder between two spoons), and now I'm in heaven.  Who knew?  It tastes like warm coffee ice cream.  

LOL Coral I am not fond of Coffee ice cream or yogurt, but it is funny how things trigger memories from the past, I remember the awesome smell of the Folger's Instant coffee my great Grandma used to pour out in her saucer(when i mentioned this to my kids they looked at me funny!!! LOL ) in the mornings to drink with her breakfast!!! If i drink instant coffee it is Folger's, it is the richest coffee ever, I like my coffee strong enough to hold a spoon up in the cup anyways!!! Sorry for daydreaming off subject!!!  Went out and watered chickens and put a wading pool in for the dogs, they are not sure about it yet but I bet they figure it out by days end!!!  Lynn 

My grandmother said the same of her coffee strength! lol

I am considering investing in some of those little plastic kiddy pools for my birds.  I know my CWs like to sit in their water bowl so wondering if they would like a small pool instead.  But then my OCD side comes out and says "yes but it will get nasty pretty quickly".  My dogs love going for a swim in the pond during the afternoons and then finding a nice shaddy spot in the yard to dig a hole to lay in, lol. 

I have a small and a medium kiddie pool. The ducks swim in the small one, but they don't like to get into the medium one so it stays pretty clean and everyone drinks out of it. I just have to clean out the little one a couple times a day.

Need spool for the geese too

 

[BetsyOK]

EGH, good to see you on here! It's been a loooooong time!

My vote is to NOT pull the poke out. We enjoy a mess or two early in the spring/summer, but the birds feast on the berries. We have a mockingbird who always stakes out one plant, keeping the other birds away from it. Then in the winter when there's nothing much else left, he and his family feast on the berries, which have dried but remained on the plant.

 

[Gunmama]

Something for the duck lovers and gardeners!


Today has been hectic already! Hubby woke me up @ 4:30 with stomach pain in his right side. We looked into symptoms of appendicitis and decided that after he went and opened up the shop at work we would go to ER. Well after a couple hours, some tests and what will surely be the most expensive doctors visit he has had. Turns out to be a wicked stomach bug. He is a soft diet and no dairy fora few days. My poor guy!

 

[Kassaundra]

Glad it was just a stomach "bug" and no surgery involved. I saw that pic on FB today too.

 

[emach0301]

HELLO ALL OKIES!! Maybe one of you might be able to help me. I bought 8 chicks a couple weeks ago, and I am trying to determine how old they are. I also am trying to dertmine wether they are pullets or roos! Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[bfrancis]

My guess is 6 weeks...are the two brown ones RIR? They kind of look like my buckeye chicks...

 

[emach0301]

I was told that they are RIRs and the white ones are Rhode Island Whites... So Im not really sure. The mom looked like a RIR? what age will they begin to show signs of their gender?