Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

YES ! We are in the heat now. My JACK of all trades come through and got our furnace fixed. I was nice and toasty when I got home. I just love the fact my husband is good at fixing things. I tell him that's why I keep him around. He is good and handy ! LOL Sometimes he likes to MaGiver though and I hate it when he has left over parts and swears that he has used all that was needed.
Usually the first sign of a disaster of epic proportions !!!!

Well as Red Green says, " if a woman can't find you handsome, she should at least find you handy. " Glad things worked out.

 

[Raech]

Anyone have any insight on growing your own peanuts, my oldest has found the glory of shelled peanuts and is working his way through the bag and its only 11:00. Figure I might just add it to my garden list.

Or the uses for the shell would be helpful too. I didn't feel like I should buy the unshelled peanuts in he can have some fun with cracking them.

 

[Plough]

I would say just about any use you could use pine chips/sawdust would work well for shells. Compost, Chicken bedding, sweeping compound, ground cover for plants, etc.

 

[waynec1955]

Peanuts are not hard to grow. They take a long time and need sandy soils or a lot of mulch added to your soil. They need around 130 to 140 frost free days to produce.

 

[Penton]

To Top Knot,
Please let me know from where you order your wheat for grinding. I use to be able to buy Montanana Gold and red wheat berries for grinding (I, too, have a flour mill.....counter top), but since moving to Florida, have no idea where to buy grain locally. Not sure it's worth the cost of shipping it so I buy in small batches at the natural food store. Thanks for the info.

 

[sepaditty1]

My chickens love to eat the peanut shells! I live in SC & they grow a lot down here. Where are you?

 

[Raech]

My chickens love to eat the peanut shells! I live in SC & they grow a lot down here. Where are you?

Idaho/Washington border. I don't have chickens yet either, but my egg man does.

I can save them for him I guess. Our states grow potatoes, and pot I guess(not me personally). My egg man's chickens quit laying about 2 weeks ago, and he lets them have a vacation over the winter so I am back to store bought eggs, I miss my farm eggs

 

[rancher hicks]

I am sure many are in your position. I have about 50 birds and might get 12 eggs if I'm lucky. Yesterday about 8. Of course I forget there are about 8 roosters. Still I keep a variety of breeds as some lay while others don't.

So far the B. Marans and EE's are on top. I have a light sussex and she is just amazing at age 2.

It's very cold here and we just got some blowable snow this thursday. Not as much as was on the news for Syracuse, but north in Oswego County they got almost 4'. They can handle it for sure though.

Oh and those peanut shells would be great to use. I like anything not powdery and so do the chickens.

 

[boskelli1571]

I am sure many are in your position. I have about 50 birds and might get 12 eggs if I'm lucky. Yesterday about 8. Of course I forget there are about 8 roosters. Still I keep a variety of breeds as some lay while others don't.

So far the B. Marans and EE's are on top. I have a light sussex and she is just amazing at age 2.

It's very cold here and we just got some blowable snow this thursday. Not as much as was on the news for Syracuse, but north in Oswego County they got almost 4'. They can handle it for sure though.

Oh and those peanut shells would be great to use. I like anything not powdery and so do the chickens.

How's your snow doing Rancher? We have about 6-8 inches here in the Finger Lakes - bitterly cold though, about 8F this morning. Brrrr - glad I finally got around to making the water heater - it's BRILLIANT!!!

 

[rancher hicks]

How's your snow doing Rancher? We have about 6-8 inches here in the Finger Lakes - bitterly cold though, about 8F this morning. Brrrr - glad I finally got around to making the water heater - it's BRILLIANT!!!

We didn't get as much as some believe. I did use the snowblower yesterday for a couple of passes, but didn't need to blow snow this am. I was able to get my wagon around easily enough.

It's freezing cold out there. I just don't get that the chickens in the hoops, marans lay so well. 4 for 6 girls. In all honesty a couple are new layers. I also don't understand why the BR's and those aren't laying well. The orp coop I get one EE egg most days but the Orps, CRs' and RIR haven't been laying.

A couple from the Orp coop moved into the hoop with the five that are there. EE', BM and the Sussex. I just left them since they seem okay one is a Orp roo and the other an EE I think.

I'm anxious to get more CR eggs and replace the rooster I traded away. I will be hatching like crazy then.

Candled egg and perhaps 8 for 12 might be okay. We shall see, though I'm only leaving them to be sure. The humidity has been hard to regulate and I've been turning them by hand. I decided not to move them to put the new motor on the turner. I will of course when this hatch is done and have every thing ready to go for the next hatch.