Colorado

[suncatcher]

Is there a stable in your area? Go there this fall and collect some manure for free, let is sit all winter, then add it to our sand, should help amend the soil!!

LOL, these teens do not understand how the world of roosters works, but eventually they get it!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I had a good year with the tomatoes. I did something I have never done and had HUGE plants. I got sick of the rain and mud so I dug huge holes as deep and wide as I could in the mud. I dumped in Miracle Grow Potting mix, stuck the nearly dead tomato plants in and man did they take off. The Early Girl was the heaviest producer and stood about 8 foot tall before the wind broke the tops over. They amazingly did not die from being bent over. The small tomato cages I had are crushed and broken under the massive plants. Next year I am getting some super sturdy ones or making my own.

I only planted 3 plants but have canned 36 pints, gave about 10 pounds to neighbors and had fresh eating/slicing tomatoes so all in all I am happy with them.

The peppers got sunburned badly so need a shade cloth next time and the bugs got into the cabbage. The onions were laying in the bag waiting for good weather to long so did not do well. Cucumbers were in the wrong spot but did give us enough to not need to buy any.


Bummer about the feather eater. I have a couple that used to do that. I changed feed and reduced treats. It seems to be better now. At least if they are still doing it they are very sneaky and I don't catch them at it.

 

[lindzkg]

I hate to be one of those people who are sad about their cockerel because we love Timber so much, but I can't keep being in denial that he is a she haha. Does anyone know of a place that might want a Barred Cochin Rooster? He's about 5 months old.

 

[Latestarter]

Hey Uzi, kinda like @suncatcher said, but easier... You have rabbits and multiple chicken coops... just take all that bedding and add it to the area you want to plant next spring right now. Turn it in along with whatever other organic material you may have available (dead leaves are excellent along with grass clippings) and by next spring that area should be excellent for a garden.

 

[intangible04]

Oh my goodness I can taste the end of my coop project! Just a few more screws that I believe I can finish tomorrow and then I'll be done done or at least have the absolute necessities done. Then to start on my quail project.

 

[rf12345]

Ace coop in Brighton has dyromicin. they also have a lot of coop feed for chickens from Eaton. it looks like nearly only place I can get barley and some other grains to mix my own higher in protein scratch for autumn-molt etc season. and it ends up not more expensive than store bought scratch, actually even better. and yep, my birds do eat oats just fine. wheat is 11% the one they sell

 

[rf12345]

how much do they cost? good to know if there is something just in case

 

[rf12345]

yes, tomatoes were worse this year for me as well. but I planted mostly slow heirlooms. and they did what heirlooms do - go very slow. Melons and watermelons were a bummer. will not do those again, just get them of farmers market. Maybe I have something going on with the irrigation on that bed too. On the other hand that garden is only second year over the pasture and being a cold compost pile.
I got some beadles sitting on my kale that I did not see before. also found me spiders blown from Texas (really,... those huge bandit spiders), that was wired, I wonder if the bugs were blown in too. chickens will not touch them, they are black-red-yellow stink bug shaped things, but nit stink bugs, neither ducks will eat them... Does anyone know about good insect ID web site or something to ID the bug by the picture. I'll be shaking those off and treating with neem all over the place again...
I put Armenian and Japanese cucumber over a trellis. that did well. A lot better compared to the other patch on the bed.Got more than enough... I had real hard time figuring out what to do with them. all my chickens have very filthy wet beards and heads, and you do not want to know how does polish look like after being inside of a large seed cucumber... and them broken watermelon and then some more melon... I was wondering why some of the chickens shake heads though I got me a disease or something... Yah... too many cucumbers and some have those thick beards that turned into sticky gray wet spikes... polish turned into to a total mess, not washing you.., chickens do hiccup actually after that... that looked strange like... we aren't eating any more of THAT you woman yah... I did not even think then can possibly overeat cucumbers... on the other side 2 buckets for 10... well they were happy like pigging out and stuff on those large seed cucumbers... and got good and fiiillllthhhyyyy. I got me some nicely dirt colored chickens heads and necks. There was no fight over cucs

that's for sure.

And I do need garden-yard help. I sort of made a deal with one lady who wanted to plant vegetables on my place in exchange for garden help but she did drop out at the beginning for the season got married and so on... so I ended up taking care of a lot more than I needed to be honest. The garden can feed 2 families easy. organic... So maybe I'll find me here some urban folk. who knows... I did not see much around here people who can teach permaculture without making the garden a wild thing. I guess I can offer some of the teaching as well in exchange for help

 

[rf12345]

so lovely. my youngsters re not doing anything yet. but I may have gotten me free ranging egg hiders... when they run loose - no egg. maybe I close them down for a week in pen so they learn where the eggs supposed to go...

 

[COChix]

All this gardening talk is making me jealous, we didn't have a veggie garden this year. So I am living vicariously through all of you. I definitely miss fresh tomatoes the most!

On the feather eater, from what I have seen and read. The issue usually starts as a deficiency and if not caught it can become more of a behavior problem. I have read they are hard to correct once they start. I have seen her target four birds, have seen her do this over and over during the course of the past couple weeks. I noticed it before when we had the young roo's and thought maybe it was stress related. Since getting rid of those young roo's a month ago, it has still continued. She targets the girls that are already have saddle sores. She doesn't mess with the younger/non-molting birds. Maybe a change of flock mates might do her good.

So we are going to sell her, full disclosure here. $30 for an all white Easter Egger, she lays a pretty sky blue egg, and is 18 months old. She is a consistent layer, lays 4-6 eggs a week.

PM me if interested.