Busy....some updates and pics....

[Brunty_Farms]

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I did get the ducks, I have some pekin females but I need to get some from JM that way I can cross the Muscovy males with the pekin females. I did a mix batch of ducks this year and they were horrible. I'm actually taking the males to auction because they were so bad to deal with. They are extremely light and the taste was horrible. They have been free ranging for the last few months and I'm thinking that's what did it. I'm going to keep trying the meat part of it until I find something I like but in the meantime I will keep the females and see how that works out. As of right now I'm getting tons of eggs from them and the taste is just awesome. Did you get ducks?

I did look into the soaker hoses but they are expensive to do such big gardens. I have about 2 acres under production and looking into getting it irrigated with drip irrigation. It seems to be the most economical. It did rain so it saved my butt and we have more on the way tomorrow and later next week. So I should be good for a few more days anyways.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

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I have the red sex links, easter eggers, rhode island whites, and some mixes of my own.

 

[Buster52]

Great to see you on the board, Jeff. Very impressive things you are doing with your farm. Little wonder you don't have much time to chit chat.

Is it my imagination, or did you ramp up your operation quite a bit this year over last year?

 

[crperdue]

From what I have read about breeding mule ducks, you have to raise
the two species together or they will not accept each other. I have not
tried this myself, just something I read somewhere.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
No , much of IL is prairie soil and gets adequate rainfall for grain farming ; usually it has to be tiled to drain off excess water . Less than 20 miles west of where I live you drop over the bluffs into the Mississippi River Valley and part of that ground is sand that lets water drain through [ untill it hits hardpan or rock I guess ] so fast that the top several feet drys out too much to grow good grain crops . They drop a sandpoint in and pump the water back up to irrigate crops . Either the very fine particles of soil that washed into that field sealed the surface and the water no longer perculates through , or that valley has taken on enough water to fill it from the hard bottom to above the land's surface level . I'm still living on heavy , rich , black , prairie soil . Where I have my chickens there's dry sand with native cactus growing and lizards running around ; but drive a sandpoint down 20 feet or so and you hit clean , sand filtered water nearly anywhere . Its two vastly different ecosystems just a few miles apart .

 

[drumstick diva]

your veggies are gorgeous but, I am fixating on those cookies - wow want some!!

 

[Buster52]

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I'm not finding that to be the case. It probably just one way. The other ducks avoid my Muscovy like the plaque, true. But that doesn't stop him from running one down on occasion, and he is so much bigger than the other drakes there isn't much the drakes can do about it.

 

[crperdue]

I don't have any ducks other than muscovy so I have no personal experience here.
I just read it somewhere and figured I'd pass it on with a for-what-its-worth caveat.
I'd always take someones observations over any random thing found online.

BTW: I'm using you as my personal book suggester. Loved the last several, especially
Righteous Porkchop as I live only 30 minutes from the worlds largest slaughterhouse
in Tarheel NC.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
Yes, we have. I'm so surprised that people were this interested this year in what we did. It seems that we ended up doing 4 times as many chickens as last year, however it's time that I start ordering broilers every other week as I need to slow back down. I'm getting tired this time of year and kind of burnt out. I thought by quitting my roofing job would give me more time but it seems that I just get myself into more projects. Either way, I have learned so much this year and learned from my experience of "scaling up" to the demand in my area. I think next year I will be better prepared for the rush of orders.

Either way it's time to slow it down and change pace towards turkeys.... If I didn't love what I do... I would be crazy by now.

 

[phoenixmama]

Awesome Jeff! You should be really proud...it looks like you've been doing A LOT of work.

I'm not on BYC much lately, as I've been recovering from reconstructive surgery and have been busy with our new goats...but I just love checking in on the meat bird section to see what everyone's up to. It always helps inspire me with my mini meat bird operation. Keep up the good work!