I'm sooo busted,lol

[bayouchica]

A few weeks ago I bought some breeder crickets to give it a try.I scored a cricket box from the guy a the local bait stand for 40 bucks.Of course for awhile, I used it for a brooder for my baby chics.

I put the box in an open area of my coop where some nestboxes are.
The crickets are right at breeding age now & have started chirping.I've been tending to them after everyone has gone to roost.. well my sweet little Dovey & her chic found me out,lol. I had to give the crickets some potato slice one day. Dovey watches me like a hawk,I sneak her different treats sometimes. She found me out,bless her heart.She stands up on that box & fusses at me,staring down at all those crickets.

Here's some of the other chickens waiting for their afternoon blueberry snack.

Here's a part of our garden area,looking back at part of the coop.The artichokes are taking over,need to seriously thin them out this fall.

Everyone have a great day.. I got to get busy around here.
Miriam

 

[gumpsgirl]

OOPS! It won't be long before she tells her buddies you know?!?! Then you really will be in trouble!

Your chickens are beautiful, by the way.

 

[BrahmaMama]

neat pics!

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I think she'd rather you give her a cricket treat then breed them. lol

 

[gritsar]

I went thru basically the same thing with my roo and his wild strawberry addiction. You might as well give in and let her have at them crickets. There'll be no peace until you do.

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

Beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the cricket adventure!

 

[Tutter]

There's no dissuading them now!

Well, I'd wait until I had some eensy baby artichokes....then thin them. Here's how I make them:

Baby Artichokes….1”-2” max, prepare as below.

Garlic, 1 or more fresh cloves, sliced thinly
Lemons, 2
Olive Oil
Salt

Preparing Infant Artichokes:

These should be chokeless, so be sure they are truly baby artichokes.

Fill large bowl with cold water, and at 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice.

Peel the outer leaves off of the artichokes until only light green, tender ones are left.

Cut off most of the stem; ½” off the tip at the other end; and cut in ½ once lengthwise.

As each is done, drop it into the lemon water, rolling it over once to coat.

1 ~ When all the artichokes are prepared, remove them from the cold water and drop them into a pot of boiling water. Cook until tender, then drain in a colander.

Note: To hold at this point, toss w/ olive oil in a stainless steel bowl, cover, and put into the ice box.

2 ~ In a non-reactive pan, cook the artichokes with olive oil, sliced garlic, and a bit of salt.

The garlic should be tender, and the artichokes can brown.

3 ~ Pour all into a serving bowl. Add a little more olive oil, if needed.

Immediately toss in 1-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, depending on the amount of artichokes, and taste. Serve hot immediately.

You have beautiful birds!

Thank you for sharing these photos, and good luck with the crickets!

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

What do you do with the crickets? Do you feed them to your chickens?

 

[bayouchica]

Thanks everyone,they bring me so much joy, keep me out of trouble.

That little Dovey is a piggy for a bantam.I did break down & give her & her chic a couple... now I'll never hear the end of it.

Tutter, thanks for the recipe,I do like those artichokes too. I should have said Jerusalem artichoke or sunchokes. They are related to sunflowers & they are a root crop.Chickens love their leaves & we eat the roots in the fall ( chickens do too) after we have a freeze.They are like a water chestnut,have a nutty flavor.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke

It's hard not to throw all of those crickets out for them.. but like with my mealworms, trying to build up the population so they all can have a big feast.
I ordered 1000 crickets,so hopefully the will multiply quicky with this heat.I've found out if you keep their poop cleaned up regularly,they don't stink quite as bad.

 

[mudhen]

Hey, bayouchica! Had to post that I just love your avatar pic!!!

As always, your pictures are fabulous, and your chickens look like they are enjoying their greens!!
Good luck with the crickets!