Consolidated Kansas

[rvroman]

I kind of made a "mel's mix" I put compost with peat moss, but had to add a bag of topsoil per square foot. I didn't get the perlite/vermiculite as I had a hard time finding it. I only put that in 2 of my beds, my other 2 full size beds and my 2 mini kids beds are still empty. I am going to lowes to get stuff today. Thinking about just getting already made soil and comparing the growth of the beds! hopefully next year I will have a ton of compost of my own to use. I didn't have to much in my compost pile, still figuring that thing out too! Perhaps if I find the perlite I can mix it into my already made beds to loosen everything up again!

I have also come to practically a dead stop on my coop. DH is going to help me with that this weekend!

Hawkeye, where do you go for shows? I am interested in getting my son involved in the near future, he loves the babies and is like a chicken whisper, lol!

 

[Mandilynn]

I had kind of decided to skip the garden this year and just put a few of our favorite things in the flowerbeds this year, but all this talk is making me reconsider... hmm. Maybe if things dry up I will get on that. Last years lack of rain was killer on anything I tried to grow, so as soon as the weather permits I am setting up a water collection system on the garage. If that works out pretty well I may do the house next year. Does anyone here do that? If so got any tips or suggestions?

Also, on compost, how long does chicken poo need to sit before it can be composted? I have a pretty ghetto system of composting now (I just bury my compost in a specific area and keep it turned and rotated regularly) but it seems to be working well. I had the understanding that if you are composting chicken poo along with the shavings you did not have to "age" it, so to speak, since they would balance. I am attempting the DLM in the coop now that they are out in there, but I did save the last few changes of shavings from when they were in the house. Should I start a separate chicken compost area or can I add what I have on in with everything else? I don't grow anything in my compost area btw.

Good luck Hawkeye, sounds pretty exciting! Your chicken baths are hilarious. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

I love all these pics of ducks and geese. Cuteness to the 10th degree at least, but I am sure they are terrible hard work and I absolutely do not need any, right?

I feel like a beginner alcoholic at a bar around here... my husband is starting to dread anything I say that begins with "I saw this thing on BYC and I was thinking..." LOL

 

[chicken danz]

I so know that "look" you get when you start talking bird things. Or even if I say, "I've been thinking!" DH is so sick of my projects. If I could do the heavy stuff I would just do it all alone but I really like to get him involved anyway.
We've been researching fence this morning. I am so sick of chasing the birds out of the road. I've been wanting to fence this yard for two years. Of course I'll probably have to hire it done if I really want it done. I need to be concentrating on getting my pens build around here first.

 

[rvroman]

I love all these pics of ducks and geese. Cuteness to the 10th degree at least, but I am sure they are terrible hard work and I absolutely do not need any, right?

I feel like a beginner alcoholic at a bar around here... my husband is starting to dread anything I say that begins with "I saw this thing on BYC and I was thinking..." LOL

I know the feeling. DH was totally against getting my chicks, but he finally said if it will make you happy!!!! So now we have 4 chicks and he actually really enjoys watching our munchkins and dog interact with them

. Now I have been mentioning a lavender ameraucauna that I am in need of, and he doesn't seemed to be to bothered by that one, but anytime I bring up another species entirely I get that goofy, I married a crazy hippy look from him. Oh well, what he doesn't know is that if I'm expected to retire in middle of nowhere Wisconsin (not that Im against it, its gorgeous) I WILL have a farm of happy animals to keep me sane. I want milking cows and sheep for sheering (Im a knitter), and of course plenty of happy chickens!

 

[sharol]

Good luck Hawkeye, sounds pretty exciting! Your chicken baths are hilarious. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

I love all these pics of ducks and geese. Cuteness to the 10th degree at least, but I am sure they are terrible hard work and I absolutely do not need any, right? I feel like a beginner alcoholic at a bar around here... my husband is starting to dread anything I say that begins with "I saw this thing on BYC and I was thinking..." LOL

My DH says he doesn't care about the chickens, but I'm out of town and he went home early to give them some free time before his evening meeting..

 

[chicken danz]

I hear lots of complaints but my DH is always starting some new project he dreamed up. Now he is talking about building me a brooder box for a second tier in my brooder house because it is so over crowded. I have other things I'd like to get done but if he wants to do it I won't complain.
I'll be so glad when things slow down otherwise so I can get busy on my projects.

 

[Mandilynn]

I'm also putting up a fence Danz, although we will be doing ours ourselves. I have been wishing for one for years so I'm glad it's finally going to be a reality.

Rvroman, I'd love to go back to farm living someday. I grew up country and my husband grew up city so I'm kind of stuck in the middle. My whole family thinks I'm a weirdo too, so you aren't alone. LOL. I crochet and knitting looks so much harder, but I love some of the knit patterns I've seen out there. Never could make myself like wool though, at least for clothing. I do love the look of felted wool, even if it is a little scratchy.

 

[chicken danz]

He would like a nice fence but it's just not in the budget. I suppose if it is installed nice and straight it doesn't matter what it looks like. Sure I'd like to have a nice white decorative fence but that isn't going to happen. I've got about 700 feet I need to fence along the road so being fancy is out of the question. I just want something to keep the animals a little more contained.

 

[cherwill]

I have peas and beets planted right now. In the next couple of weeks I'll be planting radishes and leafy greens (I grow all kinds of those), beets, radicchio & leeks (never tried growing those before), carrots and turnips. It needs to be fairly warm before you put out tomatoes and peppers, but they're not hard to grow. I'm going to try strawberries this year, too, on a pallet like this: http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/ I also have an herb garden built into a spiral. I can put a lot of plants in a fairly small space. I'll look for a good picture of it to post. Herbs are the easiest thing I've ever grown. I could grow them long before I figured out how to keep vegetables alive.

Someone here said they could tell a pullet from a roo by the comb when the chicks are 3-4 weeks old; I'm sorry but I don't remember who it was. How do you tell? What am I looking for?

I'm still sending good thoughts to those of you with problems, and feeling grateful for the good fortune I've had so far with my health and with my parents' health.

Congratulations on the new granddaughter, Nana!

I love the wet chicken pictures. I used to have a border collie/springer mix and she looked 20 pounds lighter when she was wet and all her hair was matted down. She also developed a long-suffering look to give us when she got a bath.

 

[Mandilynn]

I hear you on that Danz, we're gonna have to go with a regular old chain link fence. Those white ones that come in panels are so nice, but the cost almost made me faint and I don't have near as much to fence as you. I guess I will just be happy if it keeps kids, dog, and chickens in. Interestingly though, there's a house a few streets down from me that has 5 chickens free range in their yard and doesn't have an enclosed fence. They do not seem to wander off which amazes me to no end.