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Fisher, love your set up, wish I could use sand, I know it would not work for me though....it just looks so much more inviting then a pile of straw.

More pics please, we all gain just a little from others pics, even if it is what not to do...

Any ideas on what to take to a wedding tomorrow......had planned on cash but had an unexpected bill come up and I am broke.?
 
sharron said:
how does everyone cook the bone broth ? on the stove or do you put it in the crockpot, any seasonings, veggies? 
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I save my dinner bones and leftover meat in the freezer until I have enough for the large stock pot. Cover with water and simmer it for 30-45 minutes; then I will add the veggies and season and summer another 20 or so minutes. Then they get canned (shout out for tattler reusable lids!).
I have recently begun making meal for my dog - I put the bones and veggies in the crockpot, cover with water and set to low or warm for a day. Once the bones are soft I blend everything in my (shoutout) blendtec. divide in muffin tins and freeze, once frozen I remove the portions to a plastic container kept in the freezer.
All easy peasy, cheap and delicious :)
 
wingstone said:
Fisher, love your set up, wish I could use sand, I know it would not work for me though....it just looks so much more inviting then a pile of straw.

More pics please, we all gain just a little from others pics, even if it is what not to do...

Any ideas on what to take to a wedding tomorrow......had planned on cash but had an unexpected bill come up and I am broke.?
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Pinterest is my best friend for finding affordable gift ideas! I recently saw a pin that was a mason jar full of date night ideas (and some included gift cards for a couple of the dates) cute and cheap :) take a look on pinterest for DIY gifts.
 
I have eggs in the incubator.I have Speckled Sussex, Speckled Sussex/Red sex links, and speckled Sussex/Leghorn. These will be our egg/meat birds. When the Silkies hatch out they will be about 10 days younger than the eggs I am incubating now. Would it be okay to brood them all together after a few days? Assuming everyone is healthy. I'm not sure how much bigger they are going to be than the silkies. But was planning on raising them all together until it's time to introduce the mixes to the current flock. So brood together then go to the outside pen together. The outside pen will be 6x6 coop with a run of 25x20 or 50x20 haven't decided yet.
 
gem861 said:
I save my dinner bones and leftover meat in the freezer until I have enough for the large stock pot. Cover with water and simmer it for 30-45 minutes; then I will add the veggies and season and summer another 20 or so minutes. Then they get canned (shout out for tattler reusable lids!).
I have recently begun making meal for my dog - I put the bones and veggies in the crockpot, cover with water and set to low or warm for a day. Once the bones are soft I blend everything in my (shoutout) blendtec. divide in muffin tins and freeze, once frozen I remove the portions to a plastic container kept in the freezer.
All easy peasy, cheap and delicious
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sounds like its easy, but i have raw bones, butchered a beef and took everything but the moo, well, didn't take the tripe, don't even know if the butcher knows what tripe is. but anyway would love to can broth for winter, something fast to throw together
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Avlana said:
I'm so sad :( I left my guard down today and one of my hens got killed by a hawk. I feel really really guilty. She was one of my favorites and not just one of the other chickens whom I don't grow attached to. She was just dust bathing outside and I look out the window, and find a hawk on top of her body eating her :(

Here's the Coopers Hawk that killed her...

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Be careful everyone because raptor kills are higher at this time of the year since they're migrating south. Most of the songbirds have left already so raptors will catch what they can find on their way down. I thought she was safe out in my yard as I was outside often. But she wasn't. They seem pretty bold and determined.
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I'm so sorry...
 
Avlana said:
I'm so sad
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I left my guard down today and one of my hens got killed by a hawk. I feel really really guilty. She was one of my favorites and not just one of the other chickens whom I don't grow attached to. She was just dust bathing outside and I look out the window, and find a hawk on top of her body eating her
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Here's the Coopers Hawk that killed her...



Be careful everyone because raptor kills are higher at this time of the year since they're migrating south. Most of the songbirds have left already so raptors will catch what they can find on their way down. I thought she was safe out in my yard as I was outside often. But she wasn't. They seem pretty bold and determined.
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So sorry for your loss.

** Lisa, I hope your girl has come home unscathed. Fingers crossed for you.
4kidsandafarm said:
Poconos
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Hello & Welcome!!
 
MotorcycleChick said:
Huh. I thought they were. Still wondering why with all my broodies last year, I didn't have any this year. Perhaps too many changes in the coop. The sick hen did die.
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sorry
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....
fisherlady said:
Sand makes for an awesome floor if you have two things....
1) It has to be dry! My coop is elevated so there is NO ground moisture seeping in.... if you have any moisture source (other than the rare tipped waterer) then sand will be miserable.
2) Much, much better if floor is insulated, sand is a very poor insulator and will radiate the cold and it can be harder to keep things thawed in the winter... my floors have R19 basement type insulation in them since the coop was designed as an elevated platform. With an insulated floor there is a much better chance that the sand exposed to sunlight through windows will warm up and be an inviting environment for the birds... the insulated floor isn't an absolute, but it makes a big difference in general comfort level in temps. I believe the sand would work great over a cement floor also.

our set up allows the birds a place to dust bath on even the most horrible days of the year....

During winter months, and once in a while during the summer, I will add ashes from our coal/wood stove into the sand in the coop, dusting parties soon ensue! LOL... The hay you see around the edges is what the hens tend to throw out of their nest boxes through the week. I rake the floor twice a week during the winter because they spend more time inside and mess it up quicker, through the summer it only needs sifted about once every 2 weeks to keep it nice.



a bit of a wider view of one of the shelf systems, you can see the ramps going up in the back to allow the birds multiple access points to the top shelf... it also provides multiple escape routes when rowdy teens irritate the older hens! LOL

the sand floors mean broodies can hatch chicks year round in the coop and be comfortable with just a simple basket or pile of hay for their 'nest' area and then have most of the rest of the area for teaching the little ones how to scratch and forage, even when it is 10* outside. These chicks are about 2 days old and it is early march and about 20* outside.. coop was a balmy 28-30* but the little ones are out running around.

the hens giving early scratching lessons

I don't medicate our chicks... they are raised on the floor with the same sand that all of the other birds are in and are exposed from day one to whatever germs may be around....

... so in conclusion... I love our sand floors, and sand shelves.... but they may not work for everyone's set up...
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Love your set-up Fisher!! I love sand also!! So easy to keep clean, and now that coop floor for our girls is raised up..no more "spring" flooding..that was not fun! All is good to go now though! Cant wait to get the coop all enclosed and fixed inside ...looks like i have some of the same ideas as you have implemented..good to know that they will actually work!

DH dug out a few of the potatoes, "just because"...hahaha, this is the first time growing them...made the best potato salad we have ever eaten!!
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...and pulled the first carrot (*nants half-longs)sp?...so sweet!!

Heart potato...so cool

Also canned up a bunch of marinara sauce!!


Chicks are now 7 weeks ans causing a ruckus everywhere they go...we are hoping that both are girls!

this one loves sitting on the "forever-broodie" Ginger....still have not been able to do a thing with that bird!
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..she totally refuses to lay eggs, just sits in the nest boxes and thinks she is a momma..with nothing under her...
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Turkey has gone to freezer and Hen-Bree is now back with her girlfriends...playing queen bee....


 

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