Illinois...

[BReeder!]

@BReeder!
We also have a ton of squirrels, rabbits, & other wildlife. For years we have waited for our 1 pear & 2 apple trees to bear fruit. Now that time has finally come. In 2016, 2017 & 2018 our trees were loaded with fruit. I even removed some early so the branches would not break as the fruit grew. However, we have yet to eat a single fruit from those trees. Often critters come & take a single bite when the fruit is still bitter - then they rot away starting with the bite. The rest vanishes overnight in late July. Literally, I took a pic of my trees loaded with fruit & the next day, all 3 trees were missing every piece of fruit. The time to pick is September, so I have no idea how to protect it. If anyone has a suggestion let me know.

The raspberries are cheap (just find someone who has them & offer to help thin). I'll even let you "weed" my patch if you're up for the drive. They grow like crazy, so make sure to plant in an area where that's not a problem. Chickens eat some but they can only reach the bottom half, so the fruit on the top is for us. Blueberries are also very easy but I found my chickens like them, so chicken protection around the plants is a must. My fav backyard fruit is the cherry bush. In fact I ordered a 2nd one b/c we love them so much. It's out front away from the chickens. The neighborhood kids snack on them, but there's plenty for everyone.
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Do you know the types of pear and apple? You need to research them. Some are early harvest. July would be that time for the early harvest species. Most early harvest species are considered to be lesser quality from what I understand.
I'm really hopeful for our peach tree. We had a few tiny peaches on it last year about the size of a nickel before they shriveled up and fell off. The tree was still in the planter we bought it in at that time, and it wasn't retaining enough water. I put the tree in the ground after that and it seems to be doing OK through winter so far, but this arctic blast is a real test.

 

[Faraday40]

Do you know the types of pear and apple? You need to research them. Some are early harvest. July would be that time for the early harvest species. Most early harvest species are considered to be lesser quality from what I understand.
I'm really hopeful for our peach tree. We had a few tiny peaches on it last year about the size of a nickel before they shriveled up and fell off. The tree was still in the planter we bought it in at that time, and it wasn't retaining enough water. I put the tree in the ground after that and it seems to be doing OK through winter so far, but this arctic blast is a real test.

The pear is a Bartlett & one apple is a Honeycrisp... so late summer or very early Sept. The other apple is a cameo so early Oct. Everything simply "vanishes" on the same night. Even though it's likely a critter, we just don't have much luck with our fruit trees.

Vines & fruit bushes, on the other hand, do great with nothing more than planting & some extra water the 1st year.

 

[BReeder!]

@BReeder!
We also have a ton of squirrels, rabbits, & other wildlife. For years we have waited for our 1 pear & 2 apple trees to bear fruit. Now that time has finally come. In 2016, 2017 & 2018 our trees were loaded with fruit. I even removed some early so the branches would not break as the fruit grew. However, we have yet to eat a single fruit from those trees. Often critters come & take a single bite when the fruit is still bitter - then they rot away starting with the bite. The rest vanishes overnight in late July. Literally, I took a pic of my trees loaded with fruit & the next day, all 3 trees were missing every piece of fruit. The time to pick is September, so I have no idea how to protect it. If anyone has a suggestion let me know.

The raspberries are cheap (just find someone who has them & offer to help thin). I'll even let you "weed" my patch if you're up for the drive. They grow like crazy, so make sure to plant in an area where that's not a problem. Chickens eat some but they can only reach the bottom half, so the fruit on the top is for us. Blueberries are also very easy but I found my chickens like them, so chicken protection around the plants is a must. My fav backyard fruit is the cherry bush. In fact I ordered a 2nd one b/c we love them so much. It's out front away from the chickens. The neighborhood kids snack on them, but there's plenty for everyone.
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Could you provide a link to this type of cherry bush? I have only seen cherry trees.

 

[BReeder!]

5 eggs today! That is a record for us. We have 11 eggs in the fridge now. They hens are actually outpacing our intake... in the middle of an arctic blast with no heat source. I am running lights in the shed, which I was previously against doing but how can I argue with the results. The lights are cheap LED bulbs. They are daylight 60 watt equivalents that actually pull around 10 or 12 watts only. There are 4 of them lighting up the whole interior of the shed. The girls are eating a lot though. I guess they are taking advantage of biothermal energy to stay warm and they are not foraging with the snow and cold so 100% of their intake is coming from the feeder.

 

[cavemanrich]

When chickens are laying the food intake is reflected.
The LED lights are just fine. It allows chickens to be up the duration of LIGHT. That translates to more feed consumed.... translates to eggs

 

[BReeder!]

Definitely research breeds and decide your goals before buying. If you're thinking of breeding them, then pick the breed you really love. (Like I mentioned you may end up getting pets instead.) If you raise purebreds, you can sell the kits for more than a mixed breed. I learned with chicks that the purebreds also sell faster. ($5-8 for a mix & she stays for 2-5 weeks. $15 for a purebred orp & I sell out as soon as I post them for sale. If they're rare or difficult to breed, you'll have to invest more, but will also sell for more.)

I like going to the Sandwich Fair in Sept & seeing all the diff breeds of rabbits for sale after the showing. That's not until Sept, but I'm sure there are plenty of rabbit shows. It's always fun to meet new people, make contacts with breeders, and talk rabbits. Many of the rabbit breeders also have chickens.

I checked out the Flemish giants... I think I would struggle to slaughter them. Definitely avoiding those and any Lop breeds - we used to have a pet Lop.

 

[BReeder!]

We got busy around here yesterday and today making some homemade goods since the weather kept us inside most of the day. Made 35x Italian sausage links, 28x chickens sausage links, 40x chicken sausage breakfast patties, and 8.5 pints of white grape jelly. I must say, everything tastes delicious.

 

[Faraday40]

@BReeder!
Looks good! You must have a big freezer for all that yummy food.

We're stuck inside today. Both of the kids' schools are closed; however, I'm hoping to get a few errands done later if the roads clear. For now, we got the chicken coop shoveled out & hope to tackle the long driveway after breakfast. DH decided to work from home this week.

The bantams are all still inside for the week. I moved Cupcake to the heated coop for a day & then put her in the main coop last night. She was accepted & seems OK, but I'm so nervous about the next few days. I plan to stay home when we have that "high" of -15'F. I've been though a few nights of -20s (windchills of -40).... but they were followed by a day high of -5'F or warmer. Cold but at least the chickens could huddle at night and get a little relief during the day. Those arctic blasts have been the only times my roos got frostbite. Once & a while a hen may get some on her comb tips.


Any development on the turkey eggs?
Also, which Farm & Fleet did you visit for the PDZ? The one in Montgomery was sold out yesterday.

Opps! Forgot to submit. Crazy snow day.

 

[BReeder!]

@BReeder!
Looks good! You must have a big freezer for all that yummy food.

We're stuck inside today. Both of the kids' schools are closed; however, I'm hoping to get a few errands done later if the roads clear. For now, we got the chicken coop shoveled out & hope to tackle the long driveway after breakfast. DH decided to work from home this week.

The bantams are all still inside for the week. I moved Cupcake to the heated coop for a day & then put her in the main coop last night. She was accepted & seems OK, but I'm so nervous about the next few days. I plan to stay home when we have that "high" of -15'F. I've been though a few nights of -20s (windchills of -40).... but they were followed by a day high of -5'F or warmer. Cold but at least the chickens could huddle at night and get a little relief during the day. Those arctic blasts have been the only times my roos got frostbite. Once & a while a hen may get some on her comb tips.


Any development on the turkey eggs?
Also, which Farm & Fleet did you visit for the PDZ? The one in Montgomery was sold out yesterday.

Opps! Forgot to submit. Crazy snow day.

I have 3 freezers - 2 are under fridge pull outs and 1 is a stand up freezer that's about 5'6". We will not be going hungry, but a power outage could be disastrous. I would likely have to pile everything into the stand up and roll it into the driveway to stay cold in the frigid outdoor weather.

Today is day 10 for the turkey eggs. I candled them a bit ago. 2 look completely clear. The other two look mostly clear but may have something. I am going to candle again tonight when it's completely dark in our den to get a better view to make sure.

The Farm & Fleet I go to is in Romeoville on Airport Rd. I may be running there again today to get more feed. My chickens are ripping through feed with this cold weather. Good news is their egg production is staying up.

 

[Molpet]

I have 3 freezers - 2 are under fridge pull outs and 1 is a stand up freezer that's about 5'6". We will not be going hungry, but a power outage could be disastrous. I would likely have to pile everything into the stand up and roll it into the driveway to stay cold in the frigid outdoor weather.

Today is day 10 for the turkey eggs. I candled them a bit ago. 2 look completely clear. The other two look mostly clear but may have something. I am going to candle again tonight when it's completely dark in our den to get a better view to make sure.

The Farm & Fleet I go to is in Romeoville on Airport Rd. I may be running there again today to get more feed. My chickens are ripping through feed with this cold weather. Good news is their egg production is staying up.

you can look online and see if they have it.. after you said they were out I looked and they all had sold out listed.