July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

[kelseyk]

I thought we would, but after feeding them all winter I realized we just couldn't keep them all so I sold all but Eden and her heifer calf. Those two are my pets. I may breed Eden to a faster-growing breed this year, for a meat animal. It's hard, though. DH can't imagine eating a calf he knows personally. He eats the chickens and turkeys but won't watch me process them. He might come around. He said before that he wouldn't eat them, but he does, so...

Some friends of mine raise Aberdeens (aka: Lowlines) - They are about half the size of a standard full size breed. They raise them for meat. Something like that might make a nice smaller size fast growing meat cross.

 

[CindyinSD]

For the cattle, it is probably more their diet. Our Angus/Gelbvieh cross cattle stinks 100 times worse and is super sloppy when they are on really green pasture. A balance of hay and corn feed is completely opposite. What is the grass like up there right now?

It's nice and green. But my girls are eating the same grass as the Angus.

 

[CindyinSD]

Oh, they do that with plain non- Red Brand fencing too.
And gates, and rails, tree limbs, and holes in the fence... .... then they run the fence line back and forth all day long because they can't figure out how to hop back in!

Mine haven't been doing that so far... But this fencing we bought is practically invisible. The girls pace inside; they haven't tried hopping up yet. Sure hope they don't...

 

[CindyinSD]

Some friends of mine raise Aberdeens (aka: Lowlines) - They are about half the size of a standard full size breed. They raise them for meat. Something like that might make a nice smaller size fast growing meat cross.

I'll ask the vet about that when it comes time to choose a "sperm donor." Thanks!

 

[kelseyk]

It's nice and green. But my girls are eating the same grass as the Angus.

I wonder if they are still working their previous diet out of their system? Our cows stinks for about a month after we move them off of rye pasture. They may also be getting some kind of supplement that is making them smellier than normal too.

 

[CindyinSD]

I wonder if they are still working their previous diet out of their system? Our cows stinks for about a month after we move them off of rye pasture. They may also be getting some kind of supplement that is making them smellier than normal too.

I dunno... they've always smelled like that, at least anytime they've been close to our place. It's just weird. I've been here over 15 years. Maybe they're just not used to the kind of forage they get in the Black Hills.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Mine haven't been doing that so far... But this fencing we bought is practically invisible. The girls pace inside; they haven't tried hopping up yet. Sure hope they don't...

Hopefully they won't figure it out!

Though...it is hilarious watching a full grown (heritage) turkey trying to balance on the top of 5' thin welded wire fencing. And not so funny....when they manage fall off and get a leg hung up in it and hang upside down. Large 2" x 4" squares too. How she did it is beyond me as her foot was smaller than that, but oh, she did.

 

[BullChick]

I thought we would, but after feeding them all winter I realized we just couldn't keep them all so I sold all but Eden and her heifer calf. Those two are my pets. I may breed Eden to a faster-growing breed this year, for a meat animal. It's hard, though. DH can't imagine eating a calf he knows personally. He eats the chickens and turkeys but won't watch me process them. He might come around. He said before that he wouldn't eat them, but he does, so...

It took me a while to watch processing (I could break the neck though), and then longer to eat it. Now I don’t think I can do 4-legged animals. They are easier to get attached to.

 

[CindyinSD]

Hopefully they won't figure it out!

Though...it is hilarious watching a full grown (heritage) turkey trying to balance on the top of 5' thin welded wire fencing. And not so funny....when they manage fall off and get a leg hung up in it and hang upside down. Large 2" x 4" squares too. How she did it is beyond me as her foot was smaller than that, but oh, she did.

Oh, ours did roost on the welded wire around the run.... all winter long, but only on the parts with a tarp on to break the wind and snow. They really wrecked it.

I'm talking about field fence. They might try to roost on it, but it wouldn't hold them up--except the Red Brand was pretty stout with the thick red top. I'm pretty sure they'd see that as a roost. I'm really in love with this stuff. It has smaller squares at the bottom, getting larger as you go up. Stand back 15 ft and you can barely see it. It's been working great to keep the turkeys in... except where we haven't got it up yet. I'll bet it'd even work for goats (only I don't really want goats... except maybe a wether or three to eat the Canada thistles.) It might be too short to hold them, though. I've never had any, so...

Anyway, Ah wuvs it!!!

 

[AgnesGray]

Oh, ours did roost on the welded wire around the run.... all winter long, but only on the parts with a tarp on to break the wind and snow. They really wrecked it.

I'm talking about field fence. They might try to roost on it, but it wouldn't hold them up--except the Red Brand was pretty stout with the thick red top. I'm pretty sure they'd see that as a roost. I'm really in love with this stuff. It has smaller squares at the bottom, getting larger as you go up. Stand back 15 ft and you can barely see it. It's been working great to keep the turkeys in... except where we haven't got it up yet. I'll bet it'd even work for goats (only I don't really want goats... except maybe a wether or three to eat the Canada thistles.) It might be too short to hold them, though. I've never had any, so...

Anyway, Ah wuvs it!!!

You just saved me $50 with this convo! THANK YOU!!!!

I don't know if you guys have tried shopping hardware cloth lately, but around here... there is none. 0. Not even the short rolls.

I ordered a roll on amazon for $180 last night which I just canceled when I saw you mention redbrand fencing. Last time I bought some from rural king, they shipped it to me direct from redbrand. Turns out they have an online store and buying direct was $130 even after shipping.