Coffee's ready...

[math ace]

Quote:
Good news chicks - - The first time broody I had last year killed the first two chicks that hatched. The third one she let live BUT was a horrid mother.
This year she went broody again. I gave her some eggs from my incubator and she hatched one. None of the rest of the eggs hatched and the ones I had in the incubator did not do a good job of hatching either.... So, she hatched one and did not kill it. I gave her a couple of chicks from the incubators when they were a couple of days old. She took them in and has been a GREAT mommy to all three chicks.

She was just too inexperienced to do a good job with it last year. So, if Ginger goes broody again - - -let her try again.
My Speckled sussex are laying and the younger cockerels are getting close to maturity. I've got marans ( black and blue) and delawares too.
Let me know if you want me to ship you eggs

 

[oesdog]

Chicks - I am reluctant to try my Maran being a mom again. The first year she gave my Red Sussex a hard time and I am sure she raided her nest and turffed a load of her eggs. This year she killed the two chicks so I am pretty sure I will say NO to her even if she goes broody again. I have been nursing my Sussex back from the brink because I know she is a fantastic mother and I would certainly go with her every time Bertha is for sure the best hen and Gerty is just a pest! But I put up with her cause if nothing else she protects the flock. Bertha has not laid in months now and its getting a bit bothersome. I have let her in with the other girls and she is doing ok but still hobbles on that darn leg. I was hoping to get her to lay before I put her in with the others but if I get chicks I need her pen! Its the only secure small pen I have and the darn things escape on me otherwise. I hope I get at least one hen from these Cream crested legbar eggs. Though I can see me getting only roo boys if anything hatches. Don;t mean to be bad but if they are roo boys I dont; want to waist money bring them up so they may go for ferrit food. I am not thinking they make good meat birds as my poor old Blue who I miss so much was quite scrawney compared to the likes of a Light sussex so I am not convinced to waist time trying to fatten my roo boys???? DO you guys think I would be cruel to not bring up the roo boy chicks. It is the one reason why I liked the idea of the bread in the first place because you can tell imediately if you have roos or hens by colour of the chicks at hatch. ( Though I am not convinced I will get any the eggs feel really light when I turn them and I haven;t had the heart to candle! )

Math ace - the garden here has been great. Peas, broad beans, runner beans, Cabbage, lettice, cucumber, tomato, Zuccinis by the dozen. Strewberries, goosberries, blackberry, rasberry, blackcurrents and apples. I have Squash growing and the Rhubarb is manic. Weve had bag loads of spuds too. I am a little sad we have not got Leeks this year and the onions didn;t fare to well either. We didn;t plant Parsnip or carrot either but we do have chilli peppers, Auberagine and bell peppers so were doing fine. I think we just need to concentrate on getting voume as well as veriaty. Need more lettice as the hens eat more than we do. I also noticed that if I just go out and take the outside big leaves from the cabbage they last forever while if you take the whole thing its gone! So tip for the future just take the leaves you require and the heart will just keep popping them right on out!!!!! Also less bugs in the bigger leaves!

I am away to grab a nice cup of coffee and find some peace. - Oh year just tased the Bear we struggled with!!! It is fantastic and finally it is not flat anymore!!!!!!!! Was realy worried about that but its fine now!!!!

Oesdog - wine is also varied and very drinkabubble!!!!!!

- I like older babies too!!!!!!! Though they do fit better on the BBQ when smaller!

Our Jess is running round the yard like mad now!!!!! Trying to chase rabbits and fly like a chicken?

 

[chics in the sun]

Morning! Quick visit before going to see BF's parents today. Yipee...

Math Ace - I'm back in the school system, but I got placed at the SED school. I guess she figured 13 years working with severely mentally ill would prepare me for working with that population. I have mixed feelings about it, but it's all I've got for now so we'll see how it goes. I'm still working on getting a part-time private practice going, so for now that's plan B.
Ginger has been only half-heartedly sitting in the nest box. I don't think she's sleeping in there. For now I've got enough little chicks. I'm going to take a picture of two of the Marans babies so you can give me feedback. The black one almost looks like she has partridge coloring coming in.

Oesdog - What a wonderful crop you've got from your garden! I'm jealous. And don't feel bad about the rooster thing. It's just a fact of 'chicken farming' - not all the roosters get to stay.

Well, gotta get going. Have a good one.

 

[Help_battery_hens]

well its a beautiful day here in England and it made coming into work all the more awful.

so a coffee would be great lol. but at least i know that the chicks are all happy running around my garden. Its their three month (from i got them) birthday tomorrow... was thinking of baking a meal worm cake???

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I am coming to this realization too! I have been growing many varieties of tomatoes to find out which ones I like the best.
I am been trying several different techiniques of staking them too. Next year, I won't plant nearly the varieties that I did this year.

At the end of the season, it is all about the AMOUNT of food you grew NOT the different types. I am deciding not to plant some things just because their growing time is too long and they take up too much space in my garden. Instead, I am planting things that will produce more in the same amount of time.

I do plant some things that are just so yummy fresh that it is OK if they don;t produce as much as other things. Specifically, I LOVE garden fresh green peas.
It takes a WHOLE LOT of peas to make a serving, but it is so worth it to me.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
What is SED ? ?

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I NEVER think it is cruel to get rid of the roosters EARLY.

What is in their future if you let too many grow up ? ?
1.) They will get all their male hormones in and start chasing each other around.
2.) Once they get done pulling each others tail feathers out, they will start terrorizing the females.
3.) Then they will exhaust them and leave the girls bare backed and raw.
4.) Meanwhile, the boys will continue to beat up on each other until they injure each other....
5.) Last call will be will they finally turn on you .. .


God had to have some great plan for roosters or else he would not of created a situation where one male is all that is needed for 10 females.
The additional males are just extras - - - to be ate if desired. The males were meant to be killed eventually.... I do not find growing them out for food to be worth all the bother of raising them. If I had a way of sexing mine at birth.... I wouldn't raise nearly the amount that I do now!

 

[oesdog]

Thanks for the advice on the Roo boy chicks Math ace. I wanted one ( I sure miss old blue!) but because of the neighbor I dare not as he is very threatening. Oh yeah and his scabby little mutt didn;t stop barking from 2pm in the afternoon until 12.45 am in the early hours!!!! DH complaind about it again today. They were really rood and ignorant to him.

Anyhow the eggs are in lockdown so we will see what arrives if anything. They are due shortly.

Oesdog

 

[chics in the sun]

Quote:
What is SED ? ?

Severely Emotionally Disabled.....

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
Nice to be home ,but boy is the garden a mess and bot is the lawn a mess!
La. is so dry the swamps are even low! Chicks and math has it rained any in Fla. Yet?
Well I won't try to catch up yet on all the missed dialouge,Or state my opinion on roosters cause I culled All mine after the girls were plucked bare!Chicks Glad you are back to work!
But have a great day God Bless!