Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, going off memory here, and trying to remember what I wrote this morning, if I skip you, so sorry!!

Karen, don't think you'd want to make silkies into a dual purpose meat project. They have black skin, black meat and black bones!! HOw on earth would you know if you have it cook thru, and then it would look like spoiled meat before you even got it cooked up.

That is a dominant gene too-- so even if you crossed them, you're going to get black meat and bones. I think I'll just stick to keeping them as pets! LOL I know there was something else ... but I don't remember now. OH! the cottonwoods! Don't feel bad about those! I mean, they are a real PITA for my AC unit, but otherwise, they are pretty and are fantastic shade and fast growing trees. Never heard of the shot for trees, I'm going to guess that is cost prohibitive. But if not, wow, wouldn't that be nice?

Pikeman, I don't even know what a vole is... guessing a rat like rodent?? What about some snap traps and rat poison where your chickens can't get to it? I set out rat poison in my garden under the rail road ties. The mice get really bad and make burrows in my garden and ruin my plants. Well... not any more, they are all dead! LOL

Tweety, I just want trees and trees and more trees around here! If you saw my place, you'd understand. We are baking out here in the middle of no where with no trees around. Fruit trees would be so great to have in your yard! You could make jams and have fresh fruit in the on season. I want more apples, I only have a few trees. But I've been concentrating on shade trees lately. Then I'd like to get back to buying fruits-- probably more apple, peach, and cherry. I don't know how my chick looks so clean? I didn't do anything special! LOL

Danz, hey, I'd take some catalpa beans with my tea right about now! ha!! Yeah, those trees are gorgeous-- they have HUGE leaves, beautiful flowers in spring and grow very, very tall. I'm sorry about your magnolia. I have two Jane magnolias and they did okay this winter-- of course, it wasnt exactly a bad winter, either. I watered all of my trees last summer every single morning because the summer was so insanely hot, I knew they'd die. I also fed them with root stimulator last summer once a week until the worst of the summer was over and even a bit into early Fall (which was warm, too). I just started in again with root simulator, it really helps a tree that is stressing. I have the same soil you have-- thick heavy clay. It's awful.

Trish--

Hope you are having a calmer day.

 

[Hawkeye95]

However, we chose a corner of the yard that gets less shade than the rest and planted a cherry tree, a peach tree, and a blackberry bush. I am so excited and looking forward to fruit in a couple of years!

Close call on the duck! Could have been a "dead duck".

Yeah, I know, sick humor, but glad she is okay! About your trees, did you know that you have to have two trees to cross pollinate or they won't grow fruit? Some of them must be the same variety (say like two red delicious apples) and other must have a different variety to pollinate-- like a red delicious and a granny smith. Usually it says on the back of the tree tag which trees will pollinate each other. Then you need to buy a tree of each so they can pollinate each other. Otherwise, you won't get fruit. The same is true for cherries, blackberries, etc... if you only have one plant, you might be waiting a few years longer than you thought. Congrats on the new house! I would love to have your wind break! I would love to have your shade!

Just wondering where I get those aprons for roo pecked backs...
TIA!

I just bought a couple of aprons for my silkies from: lovemychix https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/17124/lovemychix They are very well made and easy to put on. My hens didn't mind them at all once I got them on, just went about their business.

We're kind of worn out today, yesterday was a long day, we got back about 11 last night & got our granddaughter delivered home. She slept part of the way back & that helped some with the are we there yet dialogue. Thanks for the hugs & all, it is hard to see her miss her daddy so much. I sure hope her mom isn't just talking out one side of her mouth when she says she might get to go down there for a week this summer. She says a lot of things that never come to pass, so it's hard to tell. My son is working very long hours right now & only gets one day off either Tues. or Weds. in the middle of the week & then Sundays, so it makes it hard for him to get here to see her. We told her yesterday that if she can arrange it with her mom to go stay for a few days we will take her down & come get her & bring her back.

I have chicks hatching today! HeChicken, the black sexlinks are hatching, so what do I call them since I can't actually sex them at hatch? I know the hens will be good layers, but I guess there is no way to tell what they are, so I will have to sell them as straight run. How do I explain that? Anyway, I have 3 hatched so far & I have some Ameraucanas pipping in there also. These aren't really due to hatch until Friday, but I always have some early hatchers. My little Yorkie is bouncing up & down today because of the peeping. She could sit up there all day long & cock her head & watch them if we would hold her up there, it's quite entertaining for her. I told my DH this morning we had found the perfect pastime for her.

Well as much as I don't want to I've got to get out & mow this place this afternoon, it will take me all afternoon to do it, but it's getting out of hand, so I'm going to have to. I have other things I would much rather be working on, but this has to be first. I hope you all have a great day & don't work too hard!

Congrats on your hatching chicks! I hope your GD gets to see her dad this summer and that works out well for them. Have fun mowing! It was hot today. I was gone almost all day! ugh.

Oh, sorry, I have already cut off any black walnut seedings I don't want. If you can find a tree, get some of the nuts (with permission, of course) and plant them. They grow very well and grow fast also. Drop several into a hole where ever you want a tree, so you will have at least one seedling, and within a couple of years you should have seedlings up to 5 feet tall.

That's okay! I'll have to hunt some down! OH, and I went by the university and picked up some Catalpa seed pods on the ground. And guess what, the guy who wrote me on my FB page was just KIDDING that he had catalpa seedlings growing in his yard. What kind of a joke is that? I didn't think it was funny at all. He said they were growing in his garden and I could come dig them up. He said it was a joke about his weeds. But my FB post was serious-- I had posted a picture of the tree and everything. Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to get too worked up about it, but that's not really funny, either. Anyway, I have seed pods now and I am going to try to grow them! Wish me luck!!!

 

[lizzyGSR]

Close call on the duck! Could have been a "dead duck".

Yeah, I know, sick humor, but glad she is okay! About your trees, did you know that you have to have two trees to cross pollinate or they won't grow fruit? Some of them must be the same variety (say like two red delicious apples) and other must have a different variety to pollinate-- like a red delicious and a granny smith. Usually it says on the back of the tree tag which trees will pollinate each other. Then you need to buy a tree of each so they can pollinate each other. Otherwise, you won't get fruit. The same is true for cherries, blackberries, etc... if you only have one plant, you might be waiting a few years longer than you thought. Congrats on the new house! I would love to have your wind break! I would love to have your shade!

Yes, I did know that about trees. Thanks for checking though! We got the kinds that claimed to be "self pollinating." They did say that they would produce better with another tree to pollinate them, but we didn't want to spend that kind of money on trees just yet. Hopefully, next year or the year after, we'll be able to get a 2nd of each kind of tree.

The shade has been great! We have been so busy making modifications to the house/land (like building a duck house, building a pasture fence, etc) that we haven't had much time to enjoy the trees, though. We have used them for shade once or twice while working on the duck house, but we haven't gotten to enjoy them much more than that. The wind break has been really nice. My only complaints are that I don't have very many choices for planting other trees (like fruit trees) and I can't see a thing that's coming our way as far as storms.

 

[tweetysvoice]

About your trees, did you know that you have to have two trees to cross pollinate or they won't grow fruit? Some of them must be the same variety (say like two red delicious apples) and other must have a different variety to pollinate-- like a red delicious and a granny smith. Usually it says on the back of the tree tag which trees will pollinate each other. Then you need to buy a tree of each so they can pollinate each other. Otherwise, you won't get fruit. The same is true for cherries, blackberries, etc... if you only have one plant, you might be waiting a few years longer than you thought. Congrats on the new house! I would love to have your wind break! I would love to have your shade!

There are actually self pollinating trees that are out there. basically they've grafted a secondary tree to the base tree so it doesn't require a second tree. I'm going to look into getting some of those if I don't have enough space for two of each. That's probably a next spring project.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Tweety, Lizzy, yeah, I have a 3 in one apple tree. It doesn't produce very well, I've been really disappoined with it. My regular apples produce MUCH better. I've noticed they have done that more and more often on fruit trees lately. I'm so glad I have the room to just put in several if I want them. But it does help those that don't have the room but want the trees! I just buy mine at Lowes, Atwoods or Walmart so I save a lot of money that way. The 4 trees I bought yesterday were right at $100!! I was so thrilled! Lowes had them for $22 a piece and I got one at Atwoods for pretty cheap and it was the tallest! (silver maple) I didn't buy any fruit trees. Maybe next year. I did buy a Rose of Sharon today at Lowes. Going to plant that over by the chicken coop, too.

sooo tired. There was a mothers day tea at Preschool this morning, but before that, I ran errands and made it back to the church in time for the party. Then, bought my shrub at Lowes, went to Atwoods for grain, and then on down to my oldest's school for his Field Day events. Stayed until the Littles were screaming and fighting. Then came on home. I'm worn out. I did squeeze in about 30 mins at my favorite coffee shop downtown.

 

[sunshinegirl620]

Hawkeye, Thanks for the link to the aprons! I LOVE this forum! ) Everyone is helpful!

 

[tweetysvoice]

oh wow - hawkeye, i had no idea that there would be a production difference! Since I want apple trees more than cherry, maybe i'd be better off getting just two of those then. I guess i'm off to do some google research! LOL

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye, Thanks for the link to the aprons! I LOVE this forum! ) Everyone is helpful!

No problem!! You will really like these, she makes them with denim on the side that faces the hen and a pretty cotton print that you pick out on the face. She has a website and I picked out fabric from there. Ask her for the link to her website-- because then you have a better selection.

oh wow - hawkeye, i had no idea that there would be a production difference! Since I want apple trees more than cherry, maybe i'd be better off getting just two of those then. I guess i'm off to do some google research! LOL

I know, right?! But there is a BIG difference. I've had my 3 in one apple tree for probably around 6 years now. I bought it from a really nice nursery here for a lot of money because I bought it on the "large" side, I wanted to have fruit right away and not wait. Well, it produced the first year I had it, and then each year since. But it's pathetic compared to my other apple trees. My other apples trees are LOADED down with apples and this one is healthy and vital and a beautiful tree, but it just does not have the yield the others have. I don't know why. My SIL bought the same tree at the exact same time I bought mine-- and hers is the same way.

But hey, it does produce apples! But if you have the space for two trees, I'd skip the 3 in one varieties because you'll get more out of them.

 

[averytds]

My DH never gets apples past the first year. I'm 100% sure that's because he doesn't get the proper pollinators. He thinks I'm nuts.

Orscheln's have a really good deal on theirs. A friend checked and none of the varieties our store got pollinate each other.

 

[Hawkeye95]

My DH never gets apples past the first year. I'm 100% sure that's because he doesn't get the proper pollinators. He thinks I'm nuts.

Orscheln's have a really good deal on theirs. A friend checked and none of the varieties our store got pollinate each other.

oh NO!!! oh, that's terrible! I bet you might be able to find an apple tree that would be a pollinator at Lowes? I have the really common varieties, yellow delicious, red delicious, granny smith, and two others... forget what they are called. I've managed to have them all pollinate each other in some way. Fuji apple is on my list for next year! Tell your DH that HE is the one that is crazy, not you! hehehe!!

(we'll see how that goes over) And you would think that a store would get in two kinds that work together, but you would be surprised how many people have no idea that you have to buy two trees and that they have to be able to pollinate each other-- and may not be able to have the same variety. Anyway, it's not uncommon for them to have apples the first year, because they are in bloom at the store with a ton of other apples next to them. Impossible NOT to be pollinated there.