Coffee's ready...

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
Laborday hot work! Always a good thing, except for when it makes the wife mad,Well ya gotta pay if you wanna play.I'm payin today so a little later I can play!
The family thing went well really. I should be more accepting of things that my people are,My nephew always pokes fun of my son,and my boy tells him,"I worry more about what God thinks than what people think ,which is good, but perhaps more fodder for agravation from his cousin!Also on the same note my 6 year old told me,after I asked him "who's the greatest dad?"You are good but Jesus is the greatest! My boys are out on the best footing I could hope for aren't they?
Q I'll be happy just to be able to plant the old standards this year,since it was so wet last spring I did not plant a much.
I did sepparate the calves from momma's last night .I also lassoed one heffer so as to halter break her.Man did she ever fight the rope.I'll leave her tied up for a couple of days while I bring her treats to get her to like me "I hope!"
Well hope ya'll have a great labor day holiday!God Bless!

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning folks,

Well Darcy had a birthday party here yesterday. No pics to post yet. She got lots of stuff and the cake was not as nice as Jesse's. Though I'm sure it was just as good until it fell into the potato chips.

It's raining here and we're going to the labor day picnic at the church camp grounds. There is a pavillion and the food should be good. Steamship rounds , briskets and a bunch of other stuff.

Well take care and have a safe day,

Rancher

 

[chics in the sun]

Morning, folks! Sounds like you've got some nice Labor day plans. I'm just getting things done around the house, then going shopping with BF's oldest girl. My son spent the night at his friend's house last night, so it's quiet around here this morning. It rained first thing this morning, but luckily I already planted what I needed to in the garden yesterday. BF had made a little herb garden area that I finally got started now that the chickens are in the aviary 90% of the time.

I got rid of all but one rooster at the swap this weekend, and brought home a Buff Brahma and a Blue Laced Red Wyandott. They seem to be adjusting well.

Have a nice day off, folks.

 

[rancher hicks]

Is there someone on this post from Franklin , NC?

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Sorry Rancher I didn;t think your Darcy was born so quick after wee Jessica. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DARCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sure she had loads of fun - scraping her cake off the potato chips?

Maybe it was supposed to be covered in potato chips all along???? Did you see the cake before it got dropped? It just may have been part of the decoration -???

Young Jess is soooo grown up already. She is running about the place now and climbing up things! How is Darcy doing??????? Jessica's little friend Fraya who was born 6 weeks before Jessica still can;t stand up without holding the funiture.

DH is not too well at all and we just had the assesor for care needs here which was stressful. Our other son got his phone disconected by the phone company who made a mistake apparently. But its left him without phone or internet and he needs both due to his Brain injury disability and epilepsy. DH got very cross with them but the Phone company are idiots. They have disconected the lads phone 3 times already and just appologise put it back on then some other idiot switches it off again. WHY???? Well they made a mistake culculating the Bill which needed to be sorted THERE MISTAKE !!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Once again we got appologies but were told they perminantly disconected the phone line and it will take them 2 weeks to put it back on - for a disabled kid????? Anyhow we can;t really go anywhere else as they are the only company that operated down here and they own the Phone lines any other company basically uses anyhow.
STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooo tired and stressed out!!!!!!!!

Maybe wont be on for a bit so Rancher and Karl you are free from my torturing you guys - for a bit.

Oesdog

 

[rancher hicks]

Well oesdog - miracles can happen and perhaps it will get put back on sooner than you hope.

Darcy is doing well walking and talking. She's only 1 yrs old but starts preschool this year. She's so smart.

No one was to upset about the cake since Darcy made it herself. She apparently takes after her gramma. OK so she had some help with the decorating part.

Seriously she's doing fine. Walking and singing and dancing and talking , though no one can understand anything she says except me. Which would makes sense, since I'm the one she spends the most time with. I'm also the only one she'll give kisses to. Honest truth. I'm just a wee bit proud of that fact. Lord help me to be humble.


So is everyone ready for the winter? Is anyone doing anything to prepare the cupboard? I suppose those in the warmer areas are planting their fall and winter crops and have no worries of running out of food. Here my biggest problem might be where to store the winter squash safely. I am getting ready to plant garlic for the next year and planning the garden too. More basil and tomatoes I think. Perhaps more squash too. I've mentioned that I've planted berries and currant plants. In faith I've bought more pint jars, believing in a crop big enough to fill each and every one.

Come one folks let me know what's going on. Do you downsize chickens for the winter? If you live where it snows do you stock up on feed and provisions such as straw or hay? If you sell eggs have your raised your prices yet? If you have has that hurt sales any?

Looking forward to hearing what's going on.

Rancher

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
I'm going to stock up on hay for the cows, move the water tank from the pool side to the pasture side. this week sometime they start the dirt work for my new paved drive.
after that we will get the paver in to black top it.then i have to start preparing for deer season and still have time to work.
My chickens will have to fend for themselves all winter,all I will do is supply feed,I have found out that they are adaptable and that they don't need much.I spent a couple of years cooping them up but if you just let them roam and the foxes and the owls and the coyotes and the racoons don't get em the cold won't touch em.It is funny to watch them react to the very first snow! they won't come out of the coop a lot of times.Well guys post your plans this is all Igot for the rancher now!
God Bless!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
WOW Chics... our goals for the holiday weekend were very similiar.

I did take my daughter shopping ONCE and the rest of the time was spent working around the house and yard. I got some more things planted for the fall. Also, got every single tree, bush, and flower fertilized. I put out some mole cricket bait! Those are some nasty little insects to have near a garden! We got the garden fenced in too - - NOW neither chickens or father can enter garden and ripp the plants apart LOL.

Dh and Ds got a tree stump removed. We had a wind storm come through a couple of months ago. IT knocked over a large tree. The guys had chopped the wood and hauled it off earlier, BUT the stump was still in the ground. So they got that taken care of this weekend and filled the hole back in - YEAH!

Dh and Ds hung blinds on the gazebo this weekend too! While they were out there they hung some lights for night time use! We tested everything with a cook out on Saturday night!

All the baby birds were fowl pox vaccinated this weekend too.

Very busy and productive weekend. I don't kow if Dh is ever going to get ahead of the "Honey DO" list. Half of my list will be carried over to next weekend.

Lisa

 

[rngrbill]

Rain, Rain, and more rain

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Hey Rancher

I am in one of those warm places. So, I planted grren beans about a month ago and they are starting to flower. So, I am guessing within the next 3 weeks I will be picking and canning some green beans. I have some summer squash that is almost ready to pick.

I just picked up some pint jars too. I'll need quart jars for the green beans..... so hopefully someone will put them on sale within the next couple of weeks.

I don't downsize for the winter..... BUT I do sell extra roosters as soon as they reach the crowing age. With delawares and speckled sussex that means around 20 weeks. I still have a broody sitting on eggs..... so I will have some chicks soon. So, I think I am upsizing instead of downsizing LOL AND I have some eggs on order that should be here this week.

My girls have really slacked of lately. I think everyone is thinking about molting now. I KNOW my BCM rooster has been molting because his colorful hackle and saddle feathers are everwhere.

I haven't sold any of my eggs yet. I give my extra eggs to the neighbors as compensation for all the crowing going on in my backyard. This has been a crazy year because my goal was to raise breeding stock. So, I raise a billion chicks just to select the few that would stay. Most were sold, but not until they were crowing. The feed bill has been CRAZY high because of this. I have ordered eggs and chicks from all over the US this year - -Veromont, Washington state, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Maine. Next year, I will work strictly with what I have on the property and try to better what I have. So, next year should be much more easier on me and the pocket book. Small selective breedings will be the goal next year!

OM I started rambling agian. So sorry folks.... I just got to thinking and WRITING way too much information.