Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I think Frank knows a ton about breeding. He was very precise when he picked out the older birds for me as far as shape and color and such. Maybe we are too used to seeing these birds that have been bred to produce better egg laying and don't realize how the real item is supposed to look. I wouldn't change anything about my birds from Frank. I haven't looked at the babies to see if there is any gold leakage or not but I think that does just happen now and then. Probably not a show quality thing.
I would consult the SOP to determine what we are looking for. ...

My feedback was based on the SOP - I've studied quite extensively what the SOP calls for in BR's and the birds I got have the above-mentioned faults per the SOP. But - when I was there, he talked a lot about how tasty they are and how he has bred for that. They do have big, deep breasts, which contributes to their quality as a meat bird. And, when I told him what I wanted, he did go to some effort to select decent birds. But - the qualities he was looking for when he selected birds for me were not necessarily the same qualities called for in the SOP and I think that is how he perhaps overlooked the "hump" both of my BR's have in their back that should not be there. The close-set legs are also not desirable because they don't allow optimum space for the reproductive organs. However I'm assuming the birds I got were selected as culls because of the faults I mentioned. I'm not that stressed about it as I do think they have good genetics in there, and will - hopefully produce some better quality offspring, especially when I outcross them to another line of quality BR's. And, they were certainly not the worst of the worst birds in the cull barn!

Morning everyone!

I had forgotten how pathetic hens look when molting. One of my production reds (Nutmeg) is just depressing to look at. All she does is mope around. She is eating and drinking, but just looks quite unhappy. She just got her neck feathers back last week. The tail feathers still haven't come in yet. Poor girl!

It is strange that they are molting this time of year - did they not go through a molt in late Fall?

What a good idea! I am surprised your lagoon is full enough for anything to live in! Ours is so low, I added some water about a month ago but it didn't do much good and I didn't really want to run our well dry...
Oh, good to know. I can't imagine a muskrat moving into our lagoon, it is yucky.

What does the SOP for barred rocks say? I would assume leakage would be an immediate cull as it is in most breeds. Even if it doesn't express in the next gen it is still there as far as I understand and will "pop" back up.
I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about getting culls. Keep in mind anytime you buy birds from a breeder you are getting "their" culls. Just because they don't want them doesn't mean they aren't a good start for a breeding project for you. Any good breeder worth their salt wouldn't sell you a pair or trio of birds they didn't think had some prospect if you expressed interest in breeding. If it is a pet quality bird they would tell you right up front like Hawkeye does. That the bird has no place in a breeding program and if the faults are bad enough in the bird they won't even make it to a sale at all. I have butchered birds that I knew I didn't want spreading their genes ever. Usually due to really nasty personalities or a pile of faults that have no place pro creating!

Our lagoon is surprisingly full - we can't really figure it out since most of our neighbor's lagoons were bone dry last summer. Ours never did dry up, though I could tell the level got lower, but after the recent precipitation we've had, its quite full. The optimum is for it to be 3' deep, but frankly, I am NOT wading out to the middle of it to measure

. And, perhaps because it is deep enough to be working as it should, it is really not yucky at all. It seems to be a mecca for living things at the moment - the frog activity and noise from it is terrific, and that attracts birds as well. So, I'm really not surprised about the muskrat. I think its been there all along as I noticed this burrow the very first time I went down there after we bought the place, but until yesterday had no idea what might have created it. So - I'm not going to worry too much about it as it doesn't seem to be causing any problems now, and hasn't visibly enlarged its burrow since we've been here. I keep saying "it" but I imagine there is at least a pair of them, so I should be saying "they". Anyway, according to Google, they eat vegetation, frogs, bugs etc, so they are welcome to stay as long as they don't expand their diet to birds or eggs.

Oh, I'm not beating myself up too much on getting the birds I got - I do think they have the right genetics and it will be fun to work with them to improve them. At the time I was in between trips and didn't want to get chicks that would need special care while I was gone, so I got the older birds, and having them close to laying age is a bonus. As you say, its a gamble getting chicks anyway, because you don't know what you're going to get and have to wait to grow them out to find out. However if we make another trip up there and its a good time to get chicks, I'll probably be in a gambling mood

 

[pikeman94]

HEChicken - Of all my hens, this was the one that didn't molt this past fall. Odd, I know.

 

[Trish44]

]Well I don't know why the multi quote thing is acting up so bad, it has been like that since yesterday. Pikeman, I know how it is for your hens to look naked & horrible. I had some that I thought would never get feathers back. They eventually did though & they looked even better after I started feeding the FF. I seems like now with feeding the FF that they do grow feathers faster too. I don't know if you're doing that, but you might think about giving it a try.

Josie, good luck on getting your nursery painted & ready, you're getting close aren't you. I'll bet you're getting excited! We're all excited for you.

I've been letting the guineas out that will come out every day to eat ticks out there. It's about the same 7 or 8 birds every time, the rest won't come outside the coop. Most of the ones that say in are females, so I guess I'll just leave them in there & let them lay eggs. I might as well get some use of of them. I sure hope the ones that come out get rid of a bunch of ticks, I'm seeing a lot already. We shouldn't have so many deer ticks this year though because the GPs won't let the deer in here. We had so many deer that came through & slept down on our front 5 acres before they came, just a big group of them. My DH said he has heard if you get rid of the deer you will get rid of most of the deer ticks. Those are the ones I hate the worst because they're so small & hard to see. I want to get rid of a bunch of the others too though because the dogs just get covered with them. I hate those nasty critters!

Danz & Deerfield, I know you both have SFH. There was a guy on the SFH thread that was trying to get the breed recognized in the US with the APA & had to give up because they wanted only one color. How in the world could you choose one color of SFH? That's the beauty of those birds, all the color combinations you can get. That is what makes them so interesting. I just thought that was crazy.

Well I need to get out there & get to work, lots to try to get done today. I hope you all enjoy the weather & have a good day! Hawkeye, I hope you can relax some & destress a bit.

 

[cubbysan]

Our lagoon is surprisingly full - we can't really figure it out since most of our neighbor's lagoons were bone dry last summer. Ours never did dry up, though I could tell the level got lower, but after the recent precipitation we've had, its quite full. The optimum is for it to be 3' deep, but frankly, I am NOT wading out to the middle of it to measure

. And, perhaps because it is deep enough to be working as it should, it is really not yucky at all. It seems to be a mecca for living things at the moment - the frog activity and noise from it is terrific, and that attracts birds as well.

Same thing with ours. Two of our neighbors' lagoons were bone dry, ours has always looked pretty healthy - even during the worst of the drought. According to my water bill, we use less water than the average family of five, so I don't think it is our water consumption. I do know both neighbors have leaks in their ponds. One had to rebuild a new one. My husband just had some maintenance done on ours a few weeks ago, and the guy doing the work said ours was really nicely built. I am new to lagoons, so I wouldn't know a good one from a bad one.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, so I bought the APA SOP book a while back. I read thru it and this is what it has to say on Disqualifications (would make a cull).
"Red or yellow in any part of the plumage; two or more solid black primaries, or secondaries, or main tail feathers; shanks other than yellow or dusky yellow." So they are talking about general plumage and the wings and tail and legs on that one.


Plymouth Barred Rock

Shape on Female:
Single comb, medium size, straight upright with evenly serrated well defined points. Stands up.
Beak moderately short and stout.
Face surface smooth, Eyes large round, prominent.
Wattles: medium in size, well rounded at lower edges, skin should be fine textured and soft.
Neck:Medium in length, arched.
Back: Rather long, broad its entire length, flat at shoulders, extending with a slightly concave incline to the tail; feathers moderately broad.
Tail: Medium length, moderately spread, carried at an angle of 20 degrees above the horizontal and forming no apparent andle with back. Main Tail Feathers: broad and overlapping. Coverts: well developed. Wings: Medium size, well folded, lower edges of folded wing nearly horizontal. Front well covered by breast feathers and points well covered by back feathers. (neatly tucked) Breast: Broad, moderately deep, well rounded. Body and Fluff: rather long, moderately deep, keel extending well to front and rear of legs. Fluff--medium in length, moderately full. Legs and toes: legs set well apart and straight when viewed from front. Lower thighs: large medium in length, well feathered, smooth. Shanks: medium in length, smooth, stout. Toes-- medium in length, straight, well spread, four in number on each foot.

Male:

The only difference I'm seeing is the back and tail:

Back: Rather long, broad it's entire length, flat at shoulder, nearly horizontal from neck to saddle, then showing a slight concave sweep to tail.
Tail: Medium length, moderately spread carried at an angle of 30 degrees above horizontal, and forming no apparent angle with back.

Define "Concave"-- Curving inwards, like a bowl, arched in

Economic Qualities: Dual purpose bird for production of eggs and meat, color of skin, yellow; color of eggs brown. Tints of shells may vary in shade depending on strain and on the stage of production. Overlarge specimens are not to be desired, they become clumsy and poor producers. They are not the active useful fowl desired for this dual purpose breed. Quality of feather is of great importance.

Beak color: Yellow
Eye color: Reddish Bay.

Note: The barred color pattern as it is expressed in the Barred Plymouth Rock is due to a sex linked gene. Therefore the male carries 2 copies of the gene and the female, one copy. This accounts for the slightly lighter overal appearance of the male.

(isn't that interesting why the male is lighter?!?!-- I did not know that!!)
BTW-- there is more in the SOP, I left out a whole half page on how the plumage should be marked and defined!

Sure sounds like you have to put in a lot of work to get the goats trained. DH wants a couple of horses since my DD does horse therapy and it will be good for her. Horses do calm her down so the therapy has helped tremendously. Then he also wants some goats. Mind you, we are city folks that have no farm animal experience. We just bought the 9.5 acres and got chickens. I just don't want to jump in and get all the animals and don't know how to take care of them. Then of course there is the money issue. I'm sure it takes $$$ to take care of all the animals. Enough of this rambling. I'm glad you are enjoying the goats and it is funny your GP thought you are hurting them.


Hawkeye - no clue what happened to the multi to your thread but it is missing.. You need to take some serious rest. Go ride your horse with HeChickens. Get some much needed R&R. You have done way too much in a short time and running 100 mph non-stop for days/weeks. I'm sure the pending move is stressful as well. I hope you get a chance to relax and may be hang out with some friends.

*************************************************************************************************************
I'm quite busy at work due to Tax season winding down so I can only post in the morning. In the evening, I would rather not open the slowputer to reply but I still read the posts on my kindle fire. Kindle fire is not multi-quote friendly... sigh... Just glad I'm seeing lots of people posting and enjoying the conversation on chickens and what not. Talked to our city neighbor (we are still living in the city but will be moving in May to the farm - just a bit of info for those of you who are wondering why I refer my neighbor as city neighbor) yesterday and they sold their house in a week after putting it on the market. Him and his wife are moving to Andover, into a much bigger house since they are thinking of having kids. We will miss them for sure. Talking about moving, I still haven't packed a thing to move. I just dread moving. There are just way too many things to pack and with 2 young kids, I just don't know where to begin. Good thing is we can take our time to move since we are not in a hurry to put the house on the market or rent it out. Another good thing is the farm is only 5 minutes away from our current home. Definitely a big plus. With my DH's work gearing up with the warmer weather (he owns a landscaping company), this means I'll be doing majority of the packing and moving myself. I may need to ask a few coworkers to help me out when the actual move happens.

I'm converting the 2nd horse stall to a chicken coop this weekend. I will take some pictures when I get a chance.

Are we having an April gathering? I thought I read it a few weeks ago that we are having one but I could be wrong.

Hope everyone enjoys this warm Spring weather. It is windy outside though. If you are suffering from seasonal allergies like I do, make sure to take your allergy meds. I'm miserable with the stuffy nose and scratchy throat.

Kuan

Horses can be very pricey, so be sure to think that thru before buying! They need yearly shots and that alone can run $100 per horse. Then trimming every 4-6 weeks which is another $40-80 per horse, and grain every day, vet bills when they do something stupid, etc, etc.. Hay is up to $80 a round bale!!! So the prices have jumped in the last two years alone. I remember when they were $15-20 a bale. We buy $2,700 of hay each Spring--- we buy brome-NOT prairie hay (we buy the best). Its a big chunk of change. Just be sure you are prepared to afford it.

Sounds like you will have the joys of moving soon! I'd do it now before it really gets too hot and you are miserable in the heat. I would definitely ask for help! Or hire it out. I will NEVER move ourselves again. Ever. We will hire it from now on. Good luck with your tax season! Doesn't sound very fun, and hopefully it all goes smoothly for you!

Hawkeye, that is really interesting - I've never even heard of gold leakage on a BR before. As you say, no matter the quality of the parent stock, there are always going to be culls. The way I see it, a good breeder will only keep the best of the best to continue breeding, as you do with your silkies, and everything else will be culled. Like you, I want to try to continue Reese's work, and will be selecting to improve as I go. The nice thing is that with these birds, the "culls" have a purpose too.

In some ways I kind of wish I had got chicks along with you and Deerfield. I have to keep reminding myself that the reason my pullets and cockerel were in the shed they were in, was because he had already culled them, and they were destined to be processed. Had they been the "best of the best", they would have been in his other barn. But - I have what I have to work with and I'll go from there. Even if these birds were his culls, hopefully they have the genetics to produce good offspring. Plus, I do have some other birds coming from another quality BR line in mid-April.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Frank is breeding and culling for a somewhat different purpose than we might be. His goal is a large, tasty bird. So - he is less focused on SOP in some respects. His birds are huge and the barring is stunning, but I didn't get the sense he is as focused on type, tails, wings and so on. I need to get some better pictures of my cockerel as a demo, but what I see in him is that his back is rounded UP - something I have never seen before. Therefore he doesn't have the type/shape that a BR should. The pullet has this rounded up look too, though to a lesser extent. Also, both of them have legs set a little closer together than I would like.

I am actually happier with the NH pullets I got - they are both closer to the SOP for their breed. Plus, I think one of them layed her first egg a couple of days ago

It has been fun watching them integrate with my flock. At first they kept to themselves and didn't explore much. They didn't come running when I approached the yard, and never left it at free-range time. Now one of the NH hens has figured out that I often bring treats (aka kitchen scraps) when I head down there so she comes running along with the others, and they are all starting to venture out and free-range in the afternoons. They are still very shy of me, but the cockerel will come and stand within 2' of me now, so is getting bolder.

Yeah, I know he was breeding for great tasting birds, and some might be lost in breeding for Standard... BUT his birds were without a doubt fantastic looking! I think we got excellent stock. And "decent" birds can still throw amazing results. And if you know what you're looking for, from now on, be careful to cull what you don't want and you'll get there in no time. That's my plan! I need to go get their pictures. I've been gone ALL DAY LONG. I'm tired but happy to be back.

Good morning all
Our bantam chicks are getting their wing feathers we have one that is very tiny if anyone can tell me what it is you can tell from the other picture he is very small compared to the others.

CUTE!!! No idea what they are, but cute!

Thanks, I built my framework so the studs would meet at the middle of 4 foot and 2 foot so I could use those to attached the second sheet of OSB. I put the OSB up against the back and held it with clips, then went inside and marked the line with a sharpie, then cut it out with a jig saw. The inside was much more difficult to get right because with the hoops the dimensions change. If I do it again I think I'll find a big piece of cardboard and cut a template for the inside wood.
I personally liked my chicken door within the door idea so I can gain access without ruining the strength and integrity of the end panel.
Quote:
On my other barred rocks I eliminated a pullet for breeding because she had some brown in her feathers. I think that just happens. My cuckoo Marans occasionally had a gold toned or brown feather as well.
I think Frank knows a ton about breeding. He was very precise when he picked out the older birds for me as far as shape and color and such. Maybe we are too used to seeing these birds that have been bred to produce better egg laying and don't realize how the real item is supposed to look. I wouldn't change anything about my birds from Frank. I haven't looked at the babies to see if there is any gold leakage or not but I think that does just happen now and then. Probably not a show quality thing.
I would consult the SOP to determine what we are looking for. I don't have a copy or I would be looking it up. I know they are beautiful birds and although mine were supposed to be top quality there is no comparison between Franks and mine. He has the real deal and can trace his birds back in lineage. I think they would be the better examples. Just my opinion.
I've never considered leghorns before but knowing he has some of the few pure leghorns left in the U.S. really temps me.
Thanks for the compliments on the hoop coop. I have a busy day ahead and not sure if I will have time to do more work on it.

You did a really great job Danz on that coop! I think it would be very easy to use his birds to create show quality stock. He's got the hard part done-- which is maintaining the integrity of the breed and doing his own culling to the point he is at now. I'm sure he has show stock in that breeder barn, but I didn't want to pay $300 a bird! LOL That is what he quoted us for that stunning rooster I loved. I don't blame him though-- that rooster was top notch. I think he does know what the SOP says, and for the most part is doing a great job culling his birds. But I also think his first priority is to breed a great meat bird. I bet sometimes it's a tough call on his part.

Morning everyone!

I had forgotten how pathetic hens look when molting. One of my production reds (Nutmeg) is just depressing to look at. All she does is mope around. She is eating and drinking, but just looks quite unhappy. She just got her neck feathers back last week. The tail feathers still haven't come in yet. Poor girl!

Ugh, I hate it when they are molting, they look ridiculous!

We call our horses the hay burning money pits because they really do cost a LOT of money but I love them and that is why we have them. They don't do much but bring me happiness and cost lots of money!

Glad you got the kiddos shipped off at the right time! Hope you get some serious rest soon, I feel for you. It is not fun racing around like a mad woman!
What does the SOP for barred rocks say? I would assume leakage would be an immediate cull as it is in most breeds. Even if it doesn't express in the next gen it is still there as far as I understand and will "pop" back up.
I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about getting culls. Keep in mind anytime you buy birds from a breeder you are getting "their" culls. Just because they don't want them doesn't mean they aren't a good start for a breeding project for you. Any good breeder worth their salt wouldn't sell you a pair or trio of birds they didn't think had some prospect if you expressed interest in breeding. If it is a pet quality bird they would tell you right up front like Hawkeye does. That the bird has no place in a breeding program and if the faults are bad enough in the bird they won't even make it to a sale at all. I have butchered birds that I knew I didn't want spreading their genes ever. Usually due to really nasty personalities or a pile of faults that have no place pro creating!

All of my "top quality" breeding birds are all a better than I am breeder's culls.

Chicks are also a gamble because you never know what is going to pop out.
Cute! No idea what they are though, sorry!
Poor Nutmeg, I hate molting.
It is tough when you have a very mixed group for sure!
Ok, I need to get my butt outside. The hoof trimmer is coming for the horses in an hour and I need to go lunge Jackson so he is feeling like a good boy and not a giant tool like he was the last trim he had. It was always windy when the trimmer came and he is such a drama queen sometimes. DH came home early last night and finally got the invisible dog fence running so we can start teaching Molly and Lucie the new boundaries of the property, yeah!!!!
So much to do today. I picked up paint for the nursery and the mud on the walls is about dry finally. Can't wait to get it painted and done and move all the baby stuff in! Hopefully before the baby gets here!

Totally agree on the hay burners and money pits that horses are.... but they are a hobby, no one said they were cheap! LOL We don't even go back and see how much they cost us anymore, it's depressing. Especially when someone gets injured every year. I swear EACH year I spend anywhere from $500-1000 on an injury vet bill. Dumb horses. I totally agree about the gold leakage-- if it's there, it will pop up. The further you get away from it, the less likely it will pop up. But if it's expressed in the feathers, you can bet that is one heck of a strong gene you are dealing with! Best not to breed it at all. And using other people's culls is how I got my own silkies, so it all works out with careful breeding. Honestly, it's up to YOU (to us) to have the integrity NOT to breed a bird that has a lot of problems or to learn how to breed properly when we do have issues. Knowing when you can't breed a bird and when you can... like the leakage. I just was so sad about that. There' just nothing I can do with it. YAY on paint for the nursery! What color????? I bet the room is just darling when you get it done!

My feedback was based on the SOP - I've studied quite extensively what the SOP calls for in BR's and the birds I got have the above-mentioned faults per the SOP. But - when I was there, he talked a lot about how tasty they are and how he has bred for that. They do have big, deep breasts, which contributes to their quality as a meat bird. And, when I told him what I wanted, he did go to some effort to select decent birds. But - the qualities he was looking for when he selected birds for me were not necessarily the same qualities called for in the SOP and I think that is how he perhaps overlooked the "hump" both of my BR's have in their back that should not be there. The close-set legs are also not desirable because they don't allow optimum space for the reproductive organs. However I'm assuming the birds I got were selected as culls because of the faults I mentioned. I'm not that stressed about it as I do think they have good genetics in there, and will - hopefully produce some better quality offspring, especially when I outcross them to another line of quality BR's. And, they were certainly not the worst of the worst birds in the cull barn!

It is strange that they are molting this time of year - did they not go through a molt in late Fall?

Our lagoon is surprisingly full - we can't really figure it out since most of our neighbor's lagoons were bone dry last summer. Ours never did dry up, though I could tell the level got lower, but after the recent precipitation we've had, its quite full. The optimum is for it to be 3' deep, but frankly, I am NOT wading out to the middle of it to measure

. And, perhaps because it is deep enough to be working as it should, it is really not yucky at all. It seems to be a mecca for living things at the moment - the frog activity and noise from it is terrific, and that attracts birds as well. So, I'm really not surprised about the muskrat. I think its been there all along as I noticed this burrow the very first time I went down there after we bought the place, but until yesterday had no idea what might have created it. So - I'm not going to worry too much about it as it doesn't seem to be causing any problems now, and hasn't visibly enlarged its burrow since we've been here. I keep saying "it" but I imagine there is at least a pair of them, so I should be saying "they". Anyway, according to Google, they eat vegetation, frogs, bugs etc, so they are welcome to stay as long as they don't expand their diet to birds or eggs.

Oh, I'm not beating myself up too much on getting the birds I got - I do think they have the right genetics and it will be fun to work with them to improve them. At the time I was in between trips and didn't want to get chicks that would need special care while I was gone, so I got the older birds, and having them close to laying age is a bonus. As you say, its a gamble getting chicks anyway, because you don't know what you're going to get and have to wait to grow them out to find out. However if we make another trip up there and its a good time to get chicks, I'll probably be in a gambling mood

X2! BTW-- you are correct about the hump on your birds. It should not be there. But I'd breed them and start selecting the ones that show better type and just keep going that way with it.



--- Okay, off to get chick pictures so you can see my gold leakage. On the upside, if I can't breed him, I bet he'll taste good when he's grown!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, here we go! Pictures of my Reese Plymouth Barred Rocks!

Chick 1. This is the one with the Gold leakage on his face and neck! Isn't that crazy?? I'm pretty sure this is a cockerel. But you know what? The coloring looks like a pullet??? (I just dont know)











Chick 2. (BELOW) My guess is a pullet, but her barring is not that great. Very poor, I think. Maybe she'll grow in better barring??? I don't know enough about the breed to have a guess. She might end up being a cull... or trying to breed her and see if the boy will bring out better barring. Otherwise, she's probably a lost cause on coloring alone. At least she's "clean"-- no leakage.






Chick 3 (BELOW) Gender guesses on this one?? The coloring would suggest a boy. But it sure "looks" like a girl with the comb. I like the barring on this one and it's a clean bird-- no gold leakage. My guess on this one is a boy because the coloring suggests two copies of the barring gene. Thoughts, ideas???








Chick 4. I'm guessing a pullet on this one. What do you think?? Darker color would suggest one copy.

 

[cubbysan]

tweetybaby2005,

Welcome! We are also city/suburban people that 3 and half years ago bought our small little piece of heaven (5 acres). We started out with six ducklings, last summer we added more ducklings and baby chicks. Currently, I am brooding 13 more baby chicks and my 10 year old is "duck sitting" two week old ducklings while her friends go to an out of town wedding. If somebody had told me 5 years ago that I would one day have two dozen total chickens and ducks, I would have laughed in their face.

To move my children from the East Coast to half way across the country, I promised them horses. We have an empty barn and pasture just waiting, but I cannot make that commitment yet. I am now seriously thinking about starting with a miniature horse or two. A lot cheaper to feed. My neighbors just got one, and he is so sweet and affectionate. Of course we would not be able to ride, but they can be taught so many other things.

 

[michelleml]

tweetybaby2005,

Welcome! We are also city/suburban people that 3 and half years ago bought our small little piece of heaven (5 acres). We started out with six ducklings, last summer we added more ducklings and baby chicks. Currently, I am brooding 13 more baby chicks and my 10 year old is "duck sitting" two week old ducklings while her friends go to an out of town wedding. If somebody had told me 5 years ago that I would one day have two dozen total chickens and ducks, I would have laughed in their face.

To move my children from the East Coast to half way across the country, I promised them horses. We have an empty barn and pasture just waiting, but I cannot make that commitment yet. I am now seriously thinking about starting with a miniature horse or two. A lot cheaper to feed. My neighbors just got one, and he is so sweet and affectionate. Of course we would not be able to ride, but they can be taught so many other things.

we don't have mini horses but i do have two mini donkeys not the same i know but they are very loving, the yearling is very fond of my husband he see's him and comes a running to get rubbed all over. Our jennet is due to foal soon she is also very loving but is not crazy about my filly paint. I would have more if i could

Hawkeye love your birds very beautiful.


This will be our first year at gardening and I'm very excited to get started. When do you all start planting? I've read its best around end of April. My hubby bought me my first compost bin yesterday and we set it up today but i think I'm going to need something bigger

 

[bbsnooks]

Just what i wanted to see.. that is real nice... thanks for posting the photographs..

I'm going to talk ? some one into helping me.. to make this.. < not as good w/tools as you> ; )

is there any thing you can say.. that was a little more tricky than others.. for putting this model together..

and what did you use to lash it to the 2x4 or 2x6 at bottom.. ??

thanks.. a bunch.
Debra

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Well this is a crazy busy site. Danz the incubator is wonderful and I am hatching and selling so much I never have any leftover. I am enjoying it alot.
Sorry I have been away guys, I have been dealing with alot of medical concerns and was diagnosed with systemic lupus. It is scary and I have alot of changing to do and learning to do as well. I know enough to scare me but also enough to know that this is just the first step in my journey. So it is time to make changes and continue out as long as this body allows.
I am in the "spring fever" mood. I need to get the garden tilled still so I can plant my veggies and fruits so for now I will work on the flower gardens. I cant wait to get them going. Is everyone else getting stuff inthe ground?