Homesteaders

[Beekissed]

I bet all dogs would love to have both options available, though mine would be antsing around before too long if I tried to keep them in the house for long. They might enjoy it for a little while but would start pacing before long.

They've got too deep of a winter coat to enjoy the heat of a house for very long.

A few snow day pics from my homestead to yours!






This is the first time all year I've seen my chickens dirty! Coop life is messier than free range...you can see where they've gotten wet from eating fermented feed, then decided to dust to seal it into the feathers. They've all got a dirt bib.

I keep this old mailbox tacked to one of the garden fence posts for holding my seed box, scissors, twine, hand tools, etc.



Waiting on spring



This is my ghostly looking orchard.


Bluebird house, just waiting for spring.





Snug little Lincoln log cabin, wood stove, contentment!


For the record, the Rouge Vif Detampes, shown here on the left, store better than any other pumpkin I've tried storing in the past several years...they stay firm longer, even through several freezing and thawing sessions throughout the winter.



My little hoop coop.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Looks lovely

 

[duluthralphie]

I bet all dogs would love to have both options available, though mine would be antsing around before too long if I tried to keep them in the house for long. They might enjoy it for a little while but would start pacing before long.

They've got too deep of a winter coat to enjoy the heat of a house for very long.

A few snow day pics from my homestead to yours!






This is the first time all year I've seen my chickens dirty! Coop life is messier than free range...you can see where they've gotten wet from eating fermented feed, then decided to dust to seal it into the feathers. They've all got a dirt bib.

I keep this old mailbox tacked to one of the garden fence posts for holding my seed box, scissors, twine, hand tools, etc.



Waiting on spring



This is my ghostly looking orchard.


Bluebird house, just waiting for spring.





Snug little Lincoln log cabin, wood stove, contentment!


For the record, the Rouge Vif Detampes, shown here on the left, store better than any other pumpkin I've tried storing in the past several years...they stay firm longer, even through several freezing and thawing sessions throughout the winter.



My little hoop coop.

Beautiful pictures, What breed are the chickens. They look like huge plump ones! Nice birds are they a CX of some kind?

 

[Beekissed]

Those are Plymouth White Rocks, heritage breed, chicken royalty! Stay fat on mostly foraged feeds and they forage like crazy, ideally suited for winter climates, lay like a dream, great mothers, wonderfully hardy, calm and gentle demeanor, and have the meatiest carcass of any dual purpose breed I've ever had.

Here's a few pics of them in cleaner clothes.

Usually they are pristine white all year round but tend to get dirty only when confined to the coop and having to dust in deep litter.

Good eye, though, on thinking of CX....the "rock" of Cornish Rock Cross birds is from the Plymouth White Rock breed. Their fine and densely packed meat texture and great fat marbling throughout the meat, and ability to turn a little food into lots of meat, make them good genetics to contribute to the broiler industry.

 

[duluthralphie]

I had a little white rock but she never got as plump as yours. She was a sweet heart, but an Eagle snacked on her. Your look so big, I am impressed. They look as big as my CX's (almost)

These are CX's of my own making so I can be self-sufficient and not have to buy cx chicks. They area cross of CX's and Dixie Rainbows. They have the size without as many health problems, I thought maybe you had beat me to designing the perfect bird. I only have 6 in my breeding stock but I am getting 2 eggs a day with no artificial lights this time of the year.

 

[Beekissed]

Those sure are meaty looking birds! Can't wait to see what you do with it...you'll have to keep us posted on it.

Mine got their size due to the heirloom genetics from the breeders that have worked on the line behind the male I used to get these offspring...Ken Weaver gave me a male WR out of the goodness of his heart and that male was the start of my breeding project. I crossed that wide and deep male over an old hatchery hen of big size also and so all the line have that nice, wide and deep frame.

I have big hopes for them. I didn't design this breed but I feel they are already the perfect breed and no tweaking needed on my part. All I have to do is preserve the natural traits for which they are already known.

 

[Paganrose]

Beekissed I love your place! Looks so serene with the snow. Birds are gorgeous despite the dirty bibs!

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Those are Plymouth White Rocks, heritage breed, chicken royalty! Stay fat on mostly foraged feeds and they forage like crazy, ideally suited for winter climates, lay like a dream, great mothers, wonderfully hardy, calm and gentle demeanor, and have the meatiest carcass of any dual purpose breed I've ever had. Here's a few pics of them in cleaner clothes. Usually they are pristine white all year round but tend to get dirty only when confined to the coop and having to dust in deep litter. Good eye, though, on thinking of CX....the "rock" of Cornish Rock Cross birds is from the Plymouth White Rock breed. Their fine and densely packed meat texture and great fat marbling throughout the meat, and ability to turn a little food into lots of meat, make them good genetics to contribute to the broiler industry.

your PWR look comparable to my BA girls. Do they lay a white egg? I have a customer who will only eat white eggs but hates store bought. Yours look like they would be much better for dual purpose than my white leghorn girls, they are small only 2-3 pounds. Good layers but that's it. Feeding 8 on a 3lb birds just doesn't work well. I love your cabin, we are building one this summer. Ours will be a board and batten style though. We plan to skip the power part of the blue prints and take it back old world. Wood cook stove, out house the whole shebang. Too many side expenses make for a stressed life.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I bet all dogs would love to have both options available, though mine would be antsing around before too long if I tried to keep them in the house for long. They might enjoy it for a little while but would start pacing before long. They've got too deep of a winter coat to enjoy the heat of a house for very long. A few snow day pics from my homestead to yours! This is the first time all year I've seen my chickens dirty! Coop life is messier than free range...you can see where they've gotten wet from eating fermented feed, then decided to dust to seal it into the feathers. They've all got a dirt bib. I keep this old mailbox tacked to one of the garden fence posts for holding my seed box, scissors, twine, hand tools, etc. Waiting on spring This is my ghostly looking orchard. Bluebird house, just waiting for spring. Snug little Lincoln log cabin, wood stove, contentment! For the record, the Rouge Vif Detampes, shown here on the left, store better than any other pumpkin I've tried storing in the past several years...they stay firm longer, even through several freezing and thawing sessions throughout the winter. My little hoop coop.

is the black dog part rottweiler? They make great lgd . Mine is a 13 year old male Rottweiler who cherishes "his" chickens.

 

[Beekissed]

your PWR look comparable to my BA girls. Do they lay a white egg? I have a customer who will only eat white eggs but hates store bought. Yours look like they would be much better for dual purpose than my white leghorn girls, they are small only 2-3 pounds. Good layers but that's it. Feeding 8 on a 3lb birds just doesn't work well.

I love your cabin, we are building one this summer. Ours will be a board and batten style though. We plan to skip the power part of the blue prints and take it back old world. Wood cook stove, out house the whole shebang. Too many side expenses make for a stressed life.

These birds lay a big brown egg, not as dark brown as a BA. They are much, much heavier than a BA, though. I love the BA breed and that's my second favorite breed of all times but they just don't have the meat on them that the WRs have. What's really funny is your leghorns probably eat way more feed than these big ol' WR hens, as the WR has a very slow metabolism and burns fuel at a slower rate, so requires less feed to maintain their bulk and laying production. We always had leghorns and RIR flocks when I was growing up, so I'm familiar with the breed and they lay well....but are not much good for anything else, neither meat production nor feed thrift.

I love the board and batten style of housing, always thought they were cute. You'll have to keep us posted as to your homesteading venture...that's always interesting, especially if you have pics. Most of my raising up was off grid like you describe and it was a good life. A great life. Makes you appreciate every little thing and comfort that comes your way and keeps the world in perspective.