Maine

[Widget]

I certainly was an auction winner today!! I got some great items for christmas gifts. even a tapestry with bears from germany that was at least 40 yrs old (yes it smells that old but it's really well made and you'd never guess it was that old due to the quality) might just keep it and hang it on my wall.
if ordering turkeys, if you go with broad breasted, i was warned not to get them too early otherwise they get huge and have to be cut up to fit in the oven. (is 40# too big for a turkey dressed???) heritage turkeys grow slower, so getting them early is not as much of an issue.

Pictures? The tapestry sounds beautiful.

I usually get the poults in April. It seems to take forever for them to start filling out. Even by July they still look way too small. This year they were just starting to grow when the fox caught them. That was before the pen was done and everyone was free ranging.

 

[gracejr]

Sounds like some wonderful wins today! I'd love to see a picture of the tapestry too, it sounds beautiful.

 

[buckabucka]

I can't decide what to do this spring, chicken-wise. I definitely plan to hatch some of my own, but I am tempted to order some sexed day-olds as well, just to keep the eggs coming. DH thinks we should do in the older flock, and replace them. I really want to be practical and think of them as livestock, but it is hard. And here I am trying to nurse an older hen back to health, for what? So we can send her to the freezer next fall? But I do like eggs, and so do my customers. No matter what we decide, Crossbeak gets to stay forever.

Hoppy, you posted a link - I think it was about egg decorating. The site was called "instructables", and I got to looking around. I am now mid-way through a crazy project. Instead of just sewing a normal feed bag, I cut 3 feed bags into strips and wove them together. I still have to sew it. It was an interesting idea, but I definitely won't be doing that again! It looked really cool when someone else was doing it.

 

[gracejr]

bucka, I'm right there with you on the chicks! My plan was to get a rooster and let things happen on their own. No dealing with a brooder, no muss no fuss. Yet here I am debating ordering a bunch of cockerels to raise out in addition to letting some hatch. On the plus side, I have a friend who would brood chicks for me, so I wouldn't have to deal with the mess on top of an infant!

Those woven bags sound fun! If perhaps a bit tedious to make!





Random thought for the night... Free ranging, do I try it? Right now our flock is contained in a 6' high chain link run. With the exception of our 3 Easter Eggers, who hop over and range the yard on a daily basis. The main reason we don't free range right now is because of the neighbors dog. He is a known chicken killer, and has occasionally gotten loose and run into our yard - though not once since the birds went out to the coop this summer. The run has two doors, one of which faces away from the neighbors property and into the rest of our yard. Do I chance leaving that door open so they can range the yard during the day? With that gate open, there's nothing keeping the dog from running right in and having a field day, if he were to get loose again. But I'd like to have at least SOME grass left in the coop come spring time. lol And it would be nice for them to make a dent in the ticks next year.

 

[buckabucka]

bucka, I'm right there with you on the chicks! My plan was to get a rooster and let things happen on their own. No dealing with a brooder, no muss no fuss. Yet here I am debating ordering a bunch of cockerels to raise out in addition to letting some hatch.

On the plus side, I have a friend who would brood chicks for me, so I wouldn't have to deal with the mess on top of an infant!

Those woven bags sound fun! If perhaps a bit tedious to make!





Random thought for the night... Free ranging, do I try it? Right now our flock is contained in a 6' high chain link run. With the exception of our 3 Easter Eggers, who hop over and range the yard on a daily basis. The main reason we don't free range right now is because of the neighbors dog. He is a known chicken killer, and has occasionally gotten loose and run into our yard - though not once since the birds went out to the coop this summer. The run has two doors, one of which faces away from the neighbors property and into the rest of our yard. Do I chance leaving that door open so they can range the yard during the day? With that gate open, there's nothing keeping the dog from running right in and having a field day, if he were to get loose again. But I'd like to have at least SOME grass left in the coop come spring time. lol And it would be nice for them to make a dent in the ticks next year.

That's a tough decision, not knowing if the dog may get loose at some time. Our neighbor's dog comes over once in a very long while. The chickens have never been out while he was here, but I'm sure he would go after them, just by nature of being a dog. We ended up putting up portable wire fencing, and with the other flock, snow fence. It is flimsy, but it keeps the chickens contained in a larger area outside their run. We only let them out there when we are around. The only time I really free-range, is in the spring, when they are desperate to get out, but there is still snow. The come running out and follow the muddy paths, and look for grass on the south side of the house, but don't go too far because they won't walk in the snow.
Perhaps you could try free-ranging for an hour or so before sunset. That way, they would make their way back inside to roost, and there would be less time for possible dog mishaps.

 

[gracejr]

Eventually I want to get more fencing so the entire yard can be fenced in. Toddlers seem to always LOVE running towards the road as soon as I try to sit down! But it will be a while before I can afford to finish it all off, we have almost an acre and I'm using the dog kennel panels since I can buy a little at a time, put it up myself, and re-arrange it as needed without digging and cementing posts.

 

[annabananaandfamily]

Whew! Its that time of year where we are busy all the time! We have had a rough couple of weeks chicken-wise. A predator, im assuming from above, found us and was picking birds off lile crazy. Lost 3 in 3 days, all of them family favorites- my beautiful blue breda, my fluffy pants cochin hen and the hardest of all Pete the Sizzle hen. Kept everyone in the coop for a couple of days and we seem to be under the radar for now. New hens decided it was time to meet everyone else and broke out of their (poorly built) enclosure and now are happily foragibg with the rest of the ladies and my 2remaining roos.
And, i think because of the predator stress, everyone has stopped layibg eggs again! Thats cool, cause i only want eggs twice a year!

 

[ashandvine]

Yes. But the fox helped me solve that problem.

With that issue solved

all I want is a nice breeding pair or trio of Saxonies and a pair or trio of Muscovies. I already have the Indian runners. So it will be a small order of ducks.

Well, my son loves the turkeys so I could probably do another even though I HATE to just because he loves them. I definitely would share an order on the Saxonies but I think Muscovies could more easily be bought local-- lots of those around.

Grace... there are plenty of roosters around too. Right now I have a couple to process and one I like a lot but think I might rehome or reluctantly make into food.

Congrats hoppy!

Edited to add that midget whites are tempting... 40# is great if you just cut them in half or quarter them like they do chickens at the butcher. Very nice The turkey we processed here looked huge and wasn't.

 

[hoppy]

today is butcher day for the turkey. my son is sad but given the chance to keep him over the winter, he declined, saying "it was too much work, but I'll be sad"
widget, have you checked out the jewelry mrballinger?? makes out of coins, I'd love to try that, well, not actually, it's too complicated for me but I did find jewelry made from paperclips, that I could handle.
annabanana

it happens, had my share here too, thankfully not this yr yet, but I'm waiting.

 

[hoppy]

I almost forgot, I saw a post that the bangor tractor supply will start having swaps in april on the 2nd saturday of the month.