California - Northern

[ronott1]

I'm seeing warnings about Spanish breeds.
I was hoping to be able to move the EO's in with some of my layers until they grew out. I'll need to build another breeder pen anyway but had hoped to be able to wait awhile before digging more trenches. Am I doomed to the shovel and polaski in the heat?

The EO Basque are very mellow, so you will be fine. The Pita Pintas are mellow too. The wild ones are the Penedesencas and I think the White face Spanish. I could be wrong though.

The Basque Hens we have are Marraduna. There are 4 or 5 other types of Basque chickens. One looks like a naked neck turken!

Even the Penes are ok--They just need a lot more work.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Wow I didn't know Rhubarb was poisonous! Good to know. I

It was one of my dads favorites and I have his recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb jam. It is pretty darn tasty. I see it in the store and think of him always.

Just the leaves are poisonous, you shouldn't even put them in your compost.

My dad loves strawberry rhubarb pie. They came up to visit and picked up one of Costcos huge pies. When we came back from dinner we found out that mthe Afgan hound I had then liked it also! He had pulled it off the kitchen counter and helped himself. He wasn't named Raider because he was silver and black.

 

[debs_flock]

Anyone grow the red rhubarb????

I do, but boy has it been slow to get going. I put it in bareroot a few years ago. I finally got some decent size stalks this year, but they refuse to turn red, still green.

Wow I didn't know Rhubarb was poisonous! Good to know. I

It was one of my dads favorites and I have his recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb jam. It is pretty darn tasty. I see it in the store and think of him always.

It's only the leaf that is poisonous. The stalk is the part you eat. Rhubarb was my dad's favorite too, must be a generational thing. I never thought I liked it in particular, until the year I decided to can stewed rhubarb. I tasted it, then ended up eating so much of it I got sick. I've never been able to eat it much since, LOL.

And for the freezing apricot. I usually prep all my fruit for jam. Crush (or whatever) the amount specified in the pectin you will be using, add the lemon juice and pour it into a Ziploc bag. Lay it flat on a freezer shelf, they take up no space that way. Then in the winter when the weather is cool, I make all my jams. It defrosts quickly because it's a thin sheet and just add sugar, pectin and cook per the recipe.

I usually write on the bag what it is, the amount of fruit, the amount of lemon, which brand pectin I will use (the amount of fruit varies by brand) and the amount of sugar it calls for, then I'm all ready. I vastly prefer to heat up the canning kettles when I WANT the extra heat in my kitchen

 

[OR4-hmom]

The EO Basque are very mellow, so you will be fine. The Pita Pintas are mellow too. The wild ones are the Penedesencas and I think the White face Spanish. I could be wrong though.

The Basque Hens we have are Marraduna. There are 4 or 5 other types of Basque chickens. One looks like a naked neck turken!

Even the Penes are ok--They just need a lot more work.

I am enjoying the Marraduna, other than the gender swing. Looks like 4 boys, 2 girls, and 1 I still don't want to guess. They are close in temperment to my blrw's but they seem to have a bigger frame.

 

[Ali707]

Okay so I have been on here a long while and read peoples problems with critters.

I just went outside to close up the chickens and on the fence between my neighbors and my property was a rather ugly raccoon. I used to think they were pretty but this thing was not.

It saw me and promptly went back down the neighbors tree and trotted off. I would guess that he was probably 15-20 lbs at least.

Here is my question. It wasn't even dark yet and he was coming around. Is that typical?

How strong are they in terms of being able to pull wire apart?

I could see he could climb rather gracefully. Now I am concerned about the top of my run and coop.

I have the door for the ramp into the coop only held closed by a couple bricks but they have to get into the run first. Are they good diggers?

Anything I can do to scare them away? I only have a shot gun and I am not using that in town. If he gets in my coop I will probably hear it. How do I get him out without damage to me?

**** thing looked like the neighborhood gangster!

Thanks for any advice.

Edited to ask. Is **** a swear word? It stared out my word above like I am a sailor or something.

Lolol. Edited again to say that big brother is editing my posts. I am not sure I like that. Dam is not really that bad is it?

 

[gryeyes]

If I ever decide to grow up, I wanna be just like Deb!

 

[Ali707]

I do, but boy has it been slow to get going.  I put it in bareroot a few years ago.  I finally got some decent size stalks this year, but they refuse to turn red, still green.


It's only the leaf that is poisonous.  The stalk is the part you eat.  Rhubarb was my dad's favorite too, must be a generational thing.  I never thought I liked it in particular, until the year I decided to can stewed rhubarb.  I tasted it, then ended up eating so much of it I got sick.  I've never been able to eat it much since, LOL.

And for the freezing apricot.  I usually prep all my fruit for jam.  Crush (or whatever) the amount specified in the pectin you will be using, add the lemon juice and pour it into a Ziploc bag.  Lay it flat on a freezer shelf, they take up no space that way.  Then in the winter when the weather is cool, I make all my jams.  It defrosts quickly because it's a thin sheet and just add sugar, pectin and cook per the recipe.

I usually write on the bag what it is, the amount of fruit, the amount of lemon, which brand pectin I will use (the amount of fruit varies by brand) and the amount of sugar it calls for, then I'm all ready.  I vastly prefer to heat up the canning kettles when I WANT the extra heat in my kitchen

Well it must be time for it because I saw the red stuff in the store yesterday. Although there are green and red varieties I usually only see red in the store.

Great idea! Do the canning in winter!!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Okay so I have been on here a long while and read peoples problems with critters.

I just went outside to close up the chickens and on the fence between my neighbors and my property was a rather ugly raccoon. I used to think they were pretty but this thing was not.

It saw me and promptly went back down the neighbors tree and trotted off. I would guess that he was probably 15-20 lbs at least.

Here is my question. It wasn't even dark yet and he was coming around. Is that typical?

How strong are they in terms of being able to pull wire apart?

I could see he could climb rather gracefully. Now I am concerned about the top of my run and coop.

I have to door for the ramp into the coop only held closed by a couple bricks but they have to get into the run first. Are they good diggers?

Anything I can do to scare them away? I only have a shot gun and I am not using that in town. If he gets in my coop I will probably hear it. How do I get him out without damage to me?

**** thing looked like the neighborhood gangster!

Thanks for any advice.

First off Raccoon's are the smartest dumb animal in the world. Meaning as long as it does not involve a moving car they are pretty smart.
I use heavy duty stucco wire or hardware cloth as it is much stronger than poultry wire. They are good at pulling up loose roofing or pulling wire up reaching in and grabbing a chicken. Yes they are very active at dusk as that is when night and day animals cross paths .
I would not get to close to them as they can carry disease . You can try and get a trap but when I am out at night I walk around with my trusty garden Hoe.
It is lite long and has a sharp edge

 

[OR4-hmom]

My grandma introduced me to rhubarb by pulling off a stalk, handing it to me, and telling me to take a bite. I still won't eat it, We had a huge plant before we moved, everytime I mowed the lawn I would dump the clippings on it trying to smother it, turns out they love the nitrogen and it just kept getting bigger.

We moved down here and I planted it for making jam and spent 4 years babying it just to dig it up when we got chickens. I like the chickens much better!

 

[Ali707]

My grandma introduced me to rhubarb by pulling off a stalk, handing it to me, and telling me to take a bite.  I still won't eat it,  We had a huge plant before we moved, everytime I mowed the lawn I would dump the clippings on it trying to smother it, turns out they love the nitrogen and it just kept getting bigger.

We moved down here and I planted it for making jam and spent 4 years babying it just to dig it up when we got chickens.  I like the chickens much better!

Lol. Grandma must have had a mean streak.

If I ever decide to grow up, I wanna be just like Deb!

Me too!

First off Raccoon's are the smartest dumb animal in the world. Meaning as long as it does not involve a moving car they are pretty smart.
I use heavy duty stucco wire or hardware cloth as it is much stronger than poultry wire. They are good at pulling up loose roofing or pulling wire up reaching in and grabbing a chicken. Yes they are very active at dusk as that is when night and day animals cross paths .
I would not get to close to them as they can carry disease . You can try and get a trap but when I am out at night I walk around with my trusty garden Hoe.
It is lite long and has a sharp edge

Thanks Jason. I have a hoe that needs sharpening then.

I used hardware cloth and I left an apron on the bottom but didn't dig it in or cover it yet. That is this weekends project I guess. That and finish the ramp door to be more solid and secure.

Now I am all worried.