Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[toofarout]

Fred's Hens :

I have to keep cold hardy chickens here. No choice. Likewise, the tomatoes we grow are determinate. You cannot grow indeterminate here. We joke and say, "Go ahead and grow them, but the first frost will determine their end anyhow." We start them indoors, transplant twice into larger pots, and put into the garden soil on Memorial Day. We are picking by August 10th furiously. First frost is sometimes as early as Labor Day. Johnny's seeds has a great selection of determinate tomato seeds. I'm guessing the PNW is tough because of cool, damp weather. That is NOT good for 'maters. I don't know of a variety that would work there, but surely some local, old timer would know what might work.

We have at least 2 locations here in the Interior that are using the hot springs to heat their greenhouses, year round. They are growing hydroponically. One farmer's hot spring operation is expanding and will be growing much more and selling his produce at many locations in Fairbanks and other town nearby. I wonder if they have chickens?
The other co-op farms are seasonal growers, but our summer days are nearly 24 hours long and that makes up for the short growing season.
Like you, everyone has to choose the correct variety of a vegetable in order for it to grow to maturity.
I live in the woods so tomatoes won't do well, but zuchini, brocoli, all greens, radishes, etc.... do exceptionally well.
That's could also be because I use the livestock manure for fertilizer. And if I cut some trees I would do better.
(my chickens are Chanteclers and BO's)​

 

[Fred's Hens]

We better pull this back to the topic now.

We could fill pages on gardening. Sorry to have used it as an analogy, but it seemed appropriate.

 

[wyododge]

Fred's Hens :

We better pull this back to the topic now.

We could fill pages on gardening. Sorry to have used it as an analogy, but it seemed appropriate.

Something tells me you have a little latitude Sir.

(would have been a much better quip if I could figure out a way to use longitude, but I'm not that smart...)​

 

[scottcaddy]

Fred's Hens :

There is a variety called Manitoba Cold Set, aka known by other similar names. They too are not "awesome" in flavor, but they'll set in cool weather and will produce. I planted a hundred of them last year, along with a hundred Heinz (cannot remember the number) and a hundred yellows. When first frost came, and it came earlier than normal, we didn't care. We were done!!!! We sold bushels and bushels and put up enough for a small army.

There are also some of the "Boy" varieties that do well. Early Girl, Better Boy, etc. A bit "vine droopy" for my taste, but a fair taster. There are more stinkin' varieties than Carter has liver pills.

I havn't heard that one in a coon's age!​

 

[scottcaddy]

Fred's Hens :

We better pull this back to the topic now.

We could fill pages on gardening. Sorry to have used it as an analogy, but it seemed appropriate.

But Fred, gardening is what most of us do with all of the chicken made compost <BG>​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Chicken manure drives it all. In the old days, families often kept a milk cow, not unlike the way folks now keep a few chickens, even in their suburban back yards. Of course, many people had horses as well (pre-automobiles). I don't keep a milk cow anymore and I drive a truck, so chickens are it!!! There's absolutely no way I could garden, on the rather large scale that I do, without the chickens. They are the little engines that could. They drive the whole deal. This is a "loop" that is essential to sustainable agriculture, my particular passion.

 

[marty8587]

Amen!!!!

 

[BWKatz]

Quote:
Bee I sure wish I could say I did know someone still doing those things but....like so many goods thing..."this too shall pass". I do a few of of the "tinkers chores" when I can, and a fellow I work with takes in knives,scissors,garden tools and the like for sharpening. I'd really like to start a tinkers shop but so much of what we have today is not worth repairing(or made in such a way it can't be repaired!)

I sharpen my knives/tools myself. I also make my own laundry soap and just recently got a recipe for making farmer's cheese. I am tring to set up sustainable living on our 2 acres. I literally had baby chicks at the end of my crib as a child and had a few at a time for many years. I had several aunts of the OT school with chickens, pigs, horses and gardens. My Dh & I retired to FL, got tired of it, moved back to SC in a condo, still missed having our own land and wanted to get ready for 2012.

So here we are back in the country.Got my chickens spring of 2010 & now ranging around most of the year in a 8x10 pvc pen during day to keep out hawks and eagels as I have little coverage for them in the pasture. Permanent pen 9wx15lx8h of hardware cloth done and 8x8x8coop with windows on all sides , made from free recycled windows and doors and free pallets almost done. Been working on it since last Nov. Really want to thank Darkmatter who inspired me to build directly on patio blocks on my granite ground. Fruit trees and pecan trees going in this month and hopefully raised gardens for vegetables this spring if I don't break another bone.

Hopefully we'll be able to get an equity mortgage to install solar panels and windmill. Then we will be totally off the grid. For now I am content with my dual purpose layers. I had roosters that were from a breeder but got rid of all but my Silkie. My DH hated all the crowing and the silkie's a pair. He doesn't crow much and keeps the girls happy . See they can come in handy. Also their feathers make nice fish flys. Anyway I am enjoying my mixed flock which gives me a rainbow basket of eggs. I usually give homebaked cookies to my neighbors for xmas but this year I gave eggs.EVERYONE was delighted. An added bonus to my chickens is that it has brought my mother & I alot closer. She tells me of my great grandmother and her RIR's. I love this thead .. it has all my favorite posters.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

BWKatz I still have a handful of my Nana's kitchen items, and some stuff I picked up at antique shops years ago. The old stuff you could either sharpen, or never broke, because it was so well built. Remember the old multi colored mixing bowls that stacked, don't recall if they were made by pyrex or not. But they were sturdy and never wore out. When my aunt passed in 05, I got one of her large mixing bowls, gives me a lot of fond memories, but also is a great mixing bowl.

Bee Please let me know when your book is ready for print, I want to be on your purchase list. My girls love my home made bread, and tell me home much better my pancakes & waffles are using our own eggs. The little TP's are getting bigger. Remember the powder puffs that use to be in a can of body powder. My little silkie is now big enough to use as one. So he/she can be considered as a dual purpose bird!

Could not resist!

By the way, the BO hen I had the health issue with yesterday, she woke up fine this morning, my hubby shook a cup of BOSS at her, she walked out of her kennel, through the kitchen & out the sliding glass door to join her sisters outside. I think Owl may have been a bit too aggressive in his courting. He was grabbing a few of the hens when it was time for bed tonight, and they were not to pleased with his manly advances.

Anyone out there grow clover? What is your take on it, would like to try some & see if that might help my Goat Burr issue.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I've done that and yes, it's a good, cheap supplement. High protein, good greens, calcium, b-vitamins, vitamin-k( helps with blood spots).