Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[buckabucka]

Each of my pens has 3 roosters in it.  The bantam pen has 2 lemon blue/Brown Reds and a D'Ucce.  The big bird pen has my two EO's and a blue wheaten Am rooster.  While all 3 of the bantam roos hang out together and crow at will, Big Fella, my darker colored EO rules his pen with an iron fist - no crowing or breeding allowed by anyone but him!  Otherwise there is no fighting or fuss between them, at least not so far.  The other rooster is actually more traditionally colored with a nice comb, but Big Fella is my favorite no doubt.  When I catch hens in the pen and they fuss, he runs up and pecks them, not me.

My dominant EO does not allow crowing by the other roo either. In fact, I was in the coop this morning when the submissive roo attempted a crow, and I had to get out of there in a hurry. No one gets hurt, but there is a wild chase!

 

[buckabucka]

Okay, I promised CR that I would post photos of my crazy homemade nest box. In her genetic mini series, she had inserted a photo of this nest box in Liberia:




I thought it was pretty cool looking, so I starting thinking about what I could use to build my own. Here is the finished result:



I used cornstalks for the base and the teepee shape. I was going to lash the stalks together at the base, but that wasn't working out so well, so I put some little strips of wood underneath and nailed them down. I used Virginia creeper to weave in and out of the vertical cornstalks. We don't really have much Virginia creeper, so when I ran out, I dug out some old raffia that I had, and crammed some extra cornstalk pieces in the gaps.

I brought the new "box" out there yesterday evening and filled it with shavings and a fake egg. For a few minutes, they were absolutely terrified. The spotted Basque hen was the first to stick her head in (sorry for the extremely blurry photo taken through chicken wire):



Soon after, one of the hens gave the nest box a little peck. It was like they had discovered a giant candy bar! I had noticed the stalks were somewhat sticky. I hoped that by morning, they would just climb in and lay an egg, but they were so excited to eat this strange object. 24 hours later, they had done very little damage (a couple of woodpecker-like holes). And I did find that someone had kicked out the wooden egg, so they must have gone in there. If need be, I can replace some of the stalks with wood. I don't expect this box to be a long-lived functional object. But it was fun to build!

 

[FROMWHITEDOGHILL]

Cool looking nest box..... I have some true bamboo....... I may try one of those...that would be popular in Oklahoma...the Native American capital..............

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Okay, I promised CR that I would post photos of my crazy homemade nest box. In her genetic mini series, she had inserted a photo of this nest box in Liberia:

I thought it was pretty cool looking, so I starting thinking about what I could use to build my own. Here is the finished result:

IT'S AMAZING! Oh my goodness, I love it! The girls will catch on eventually. You are talented! That took some forethought and artistic skill! I am so impressed.

 

[Maggiesdad]

Okay, I promised CR that I would post photos of my crazy homemade nest box.





I used cornstalks for the base and the teepee shape. I was going to lash the stalks together at the base, but that wasn't working out so well, so I put some little strips of wood underneath and nailed them down. I used Virginia creeper to weave in and out of the vertical cornstalks. We don't really have much Virginia creeper, so when I ran out, I dug out some old raffia that I had, and crammed some extra cornstalk pieces in the gaps.

Now this, chirrun, is what we around here call a genuwine 'CORN CRIB' !

 

[ronott1]

If you are getting a PhD. in Lit, maybe I will see you at UC Davis.

Congratulations on the new Homestead and Career change!

Ron

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks! Love the "corn crib".

CR, - congratulations on your new property! As I was reading your criteria I thought, "she needs to be in Maine", but the climate will definitely be more moderate in Arkansas. It sounds beautiful!

 

[qball53]

I am moving to Arkansas! My husband and I have been looking for a homestead for about a year and a half now. We literally looked all over the country to find a property that fit our wish list: 20+ acres, southern exposure, and springs bordering a National Forest in an area with non-flat land, preferably mountains, and a low population density at a price we could afford. Not too picky, huh?

So, we just bought a place in Newton County in NW Arkansas. It has 33 acres, southern exposure, springs, a tiny solar cabin, borders the Buffalo River National Park, in the Ozarks in a county with only 8K people in 800K square miles.

It's more than we thought we could get! Newton County has awesome wildlife, too - there are elk on our property, and we can walk to the river. I haven't been there myself, but it's pretty exciting.

Anyway, we plan to move at the end of the school year since I have to finish out my contract. (I'm a teacher.) However, I am also applying to full time graduate programs, so it's possible I won't be there very much the first four years or so. It's crazy, but it should be really exciting, too.
IT'S AMAZING! Oh my goodness, I love it! The girls will catch on eventually. You are talented! That took some forethought and artistic skill! I am so impressed.

Your parameters for a place to move sound almost exactly like ours except we want 100-200 acres. Congratulations !!!

 

[Flat Rock farm]

I am moving to Arkansas! My husband and I have been looking for a homestead for about a year and a half now. We literally looked all over the country to find a property that fit our wish list: 20+ acres, southern exposure, and springs bordering a National Forest in an area with non-flat land, preferably mountains, and a low population density at a price we could afford. Not too picky, huh?

So, we just bought a place in Newton County in NW Arkansas. It has 33 acres, southern exposure, springs, a tiny solar cabin, borders the Buffalo River National Park, in the Ozarks in a county with only 8K people in 800K square miles.

It's more than we thought we could get! Newton County has awesome wildlife, too - there are elk on our property, and we can walk to the river. I haven't been there myself, but it's pretty exciting.

Anyway, we plan to move at the end of the school year since I have to finish out my contract. (I'm a teacher.) However, I am also applying to full time graduate programs, so it's possible I won't be there very much the first four years or so. It's crazy, but it should be really exciting, too.
IT'S AMAZING! Oh my goodness, I love it! The girls will catch on eventually. You are talented! That took some forethought and artistic skill! I am so impressed.

OMG CR that sounds SOOOO exciting, I am very happy for you and DH

. On the sad side I will miss you if we every do a "Visit" to VA again

By the way Bucka I love the "Corn Crib"

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Thanks! Love the "corn crib".
CR, - congratulations on your new property! As I was reading your criteria I thought, "she needs to be in Maine", but the climate will definitely be more moderate in Arkansas. It sounds beautiful!

We looked in Maine, actually! We looked very seriously last fall. My husband drove up to look at properties, and I was looking at universities and jobs in the area. The properties we could afford just didn't quite meet the criteria. I was also pretty intimidated by the shortened day length, but Maine is gorgeous. I'd still love to visit one day.

Your parameters for a place to move sound almost exactly like ours except we want 100-200 acres. Congratulations !!!

Thank you! 100-200 acres would be amazing! Good luck with your search!

OMG CR that sounds SOOOO exciting, I am very happy for you and DH

. On the sad side I will miss you if we every do a "Visit" to VA again

I will be leaving a lot behind in Virginia. It was a tough decision, and I am going to miss this area terribly, not to mention my parents who actually moved down from NJ to my town. (My mom works at the same school I do, so they have other reasons to be here, too.) And Virginia is a great state for EOs!

I am optimistic, though, and looking forward to the change.

You are all so kind.