Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

I am a slacker. Did not sign on until now. I have been up for almost a half hour...


Erli 5:58 on a weekend is amazing.



Ivie I wanted to stop last night when I went by and put up a "Bring back Tom" banner in your drive. Maybe put a "Sell Greg instead" sign or two...

I have stopped Lizzie's hatch fest. She has been sitting on "her" eggs long enough. She had kicked all except one out of the nest. She started sitting on them back in June so I am sure they are all bad. She got off the nest to eat yesterday and I locked her out of the coop/run she was in. I was not sure where I would find her at dark, but she was sitting on the roof of "her" coop. I picked her up and carried her to the main coop and set her on a high roost. She complained the whole way, but not too badly. The SS have such good personalities. The complain a little but as a whole are pretty sweet, ( sort of like Judy but less complaining)...

I got three books yesterday 2 on Mushroom Identification and one on edible wild plants. I actually bought 3 copies of each, our kids birthdays are coming and I decided they need to learn mushroom hunting. I have a feeling these books will be on a garage sale in a year or two. Fathers do not always get gifts they really want.


I moved some turkeys out of the brooder shed yesterday. I gave them Lizzie's coop and run. These are my Porter Turkeys so they will not see free ranging until they are full grown.

I think, I have come up with an excuse for my lack of egg production. I have too many old hens. TI have mainly 4 year old hens and they are just not laying. I should turn them into stew hens but I am emotionally attached to them. They would need to be canned and I have so many roosters and young ones to cull. I guess they will just get to enjoy retirement. I felt sorry for one old girl, she sat in a nest box for 4 hours and finally left without leaving an egg. She did not even look like she was trying to lay. I think it was just habit for her. Sort of like a guy in the reading room for an hour.


I am going through way too much feed. I need to make some changes. I picked up a bunch of rat and gopher traps. I have Squirrels and chipmunks that are going to die. Also I am going to start serious rabbit hunting. Too many wild freeloaders have moved in here. I wonder what fried Chipmunk tastes like. Jerry, how do you fix your chipmunks? Do you have to age them before cooking?

 

[jerryse]

Ralphie try frying them like squirrel . I would guess old is tough . Now why would you think I have tried them ? Good guess .

 

[lvie]

Ralphie - alot on your plate yesterday and I am sure, knowing you, that there will be alot today. I am working in the yard or house all day today also.

I am going to do a few changes to the main coop so that I can isolate and bring over Tom's three girls. All the hens need an adjustment period and one of the ISA's is meeaaan. I will give them about two weeks to say, hey - whatcha doin in there? Then, if energy and strength permit I am going to dig plants and move them strategically. I need to redesign many ornamental gardens as they have not had much attention since I decided to become a Chickener!

LOL - I will relay the message to DH about your devious adventure thoughts with the sign in the yard. He LOL when I tell him some of the stuff you come up with - and that pertains to all my Chickeners.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie try frying them like squirrel . I would guess old is tough . Now why would you think I have tried them ? Good guess .

I think if it is wild and could be eaten you have eaten it.....

You should be on one of those survivor shows. Naked and afraid maybe...

 

[jerryse]

I think if it is wild and could be eaten you have eaten it.....

You should be on one of those survivor shows. Naked and afraid maybe...

I have never tried porcupine or rattlesnake . I do like to go to wild game feeds .

 

[duluthralphie]

I have never tried porcupine or rattlesnake . I do like to go to wild game feeds .

Those are both two things I would eat.

Porcupine is suppose to be a survival food. I was always told as a kid it is a meat that can safely be eaten raw and killed with just a stick. My Dad and Grandpa use to always say never kill one. Someone might need it if they get lost in the woods. There were not many porcupines here where they lived so that was easy to say. When I moved north and saw the damage they did to my trees, I decided they should all die. ( well the ones in my trees, those in your trees can live).........

I have never eaten one through. How would you clean it? They are just so gross looking. Someday I will eat one and see.

We have a severe lack of rattlesnakes around here. thankfully. Snakes rank right up there with Bats as animals that should not exist in my book.

 

[I Love Layers]

Those are both two things I would eat.

Porcupine is suppose to be a survival food. I was always told as a kid it is a meat that can safely be eaten raw and killed with just a stick. My Dad and Grandpa use to always say never kill one. Someone might need it if they get lost in the woods.  There were not many porcupines here where they lived so that was easy to say. When I moved north and saw the damage they did to my trees, I decided they should all die.  ( well the ones in my trees, those in your trees can live).........

I have never eaten one through. How would you clean it?  They are just so gross looking. Someday I will eat one and see.

We have a severe lack of rattlesnakes around here. thankfully.    Snakes rank right up there with Bats as animals that should not exist in my book.

Porcupine is really good!! Rattle snake is too!! Have you ever had Mountain lion? That is amazing!

 

[jerryse]

Porcupine is really good!! Rattle snake is too!! Have you ever had Mountain lion? That is amazing!

Now you got me feeling like a city slicker .

 

[duluthralphie]

Now you got me feeling like a city slicker .

Ditto!

There is something about eating cat that does not sit well with me.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am sloughing off! Again...

I took some pictures this morning of next years birds. They are not great poses as the birds are all camera shy..

Prepare for photo bomb Holm style!





Above is the PC hen with her 2 PC chicks. They are extremely camera shy. It might take me weeks to catch them when I want to lock them up. They are nice looking birds I am hoping for a hen and rooster out of them, but 2 hens would work. I do not have a back up PC rooster. I don't think. It is hard to tell what I have. Soon I will separate by breeds and know.






The above 3 are one of my Dominique roosters, I like this one because of size and tail set, but I have not checked the SOP's yet to see if he becomes a breeder or dinner.

Above is one of the White sport roosters. I am not sure if I even have a hen! I have about 10 roosters I think. I like their looks but they are not really showing them in these pictures as they run to escape the scary camera.




Above are my Toads. I threw the gallon bleach jug on the ground to give you a perspective to size. They are some great looking birds. Hopefully next year I will be able to raise and butcher 50-100 toads, and maybe even sell some.



This is a fufu! my silver laced polish. Again I have not looked at SOP. but they are so beautiful, and camera shy.
Below and out of order is Mr and Mrs Ed PC. Out for a walk with the family. They have 13 of their own Guinea keets and one foster child they adopted or stole from Ethel.



The rest our all Fufu pictures. The marans and Yokohama's are nothing special to see yet.