Maine

[buckabucka]

 

If we didn't have rock farming most of us wouldn't have anything to do. I'm constantly moving rocks from one pile to another around here.

I like the term rocking farming.  Digging a hole even to plant small flowers takes forever and it's brutal on the shovel.  No wonder there are so many stone walls about.  On the bright side, you're getting plenty of exercise, LG!

Our only rocks had to be imported. Serious rock shortage here.......

 

[lazy gardener]

Bucka, I think you're pulling our legs. Rock shortage, in Maine???? When I planted my Elderberries, one of them had to be planted above grade, with the soil piled up and surrounded by... rocks, b/c I couldn't get the spade into the ground any near where I intended for the plant to be.

I'm really enjoying my Doms. They're always hanging out looking for attention. But, their eggs are seriously small now.

Had to exile the chickens from the garden today. They found their way around the barrier I'd put up, and wiped out all of my late blueberries and a good portion of my cherry tomatoes.

 

[Marcy54]

If you need to import rocks, we grow them here. I have a big field just waiting to be harvested. PYO

 

[islandgirl82]

Great Points Widget and Jazor. I like logic but I also really like common sense and both are too few. Humans, dogs, cats and chickens and then horses have all lived together a very very long time. I think its probably more healthy for people to have roosters and hear them. From a sociological stand point as well as anthropologically. The things my kids learn are amazing and I am not just talking body parts and reproduction but social 'pecking order' and history, cooking and planning as well as some genetics. Moreover I like having a rooster get me up early. I don't actually need it most of the time and if their crow is one of those deep 'Barred Rock' crows I am in love. Even the squeaky wheel crow of the bantams gives me a giggle. I did have one bird here who crowed a lot and I can tell you those are the ones you don't want but not because of their crowing. The constant crowing is an indicator in this farm. I have observed links between 'over crowing' and aggressive behavior here, both toward humans and other species as well as their own. These ones are always the same ones who have huge testicles when they are butchered so I figure they are the ones who have too much testosterone to work out well in my farm. I am not into 'metro' chickens necessarily, I respect them for the jobs they do, but they can't be inconvenient. The regular crowing of a rooster has its place and purpose. The regular defense of a hen has its place too, esp in a young rooster who doesn't know better yet.

Dogs barking... oh man. I grew up with someone who hitched this dog out in the evening and it would bark itself hoarse and then keep going. It would rest part of the night and then start again till morning when they would go get it and bring it in. Now, I have a neighbor who lets their dog out early in the morning to do the same and again at the end of the day. Its the same one that barks at everyone going by and because its fenced up no one cares. Well... I suppose I am a nuisance too. Sometimes the geese and chickens get out near the road or on it but I will say I try to keep them from it. I apologize and I try. That is the point. I know my birds are a pain, though no one complains. The people who often are real nuisances don't apologize or appear to try. THAT bugs me. So if those are the kind of folks who want to pamper their 'kids' [probably teens they don't want to hear from first thing in the morning anyway and avoid parenting because its uncomfortable work] by letting them sleep in till 10 or 11 then they are the same folks I hope have roosters on all sides of them. There are exceptions, I know, but honestly my message has its merit and you know it.

I was one saying I wanted to train our roo not to crow. I did not say this because it offends me to hear them. I personally love hearing a rooster crow but I don't own the property I currently reside on and having a noisy rooster means he won't be able to stay per the landowners who also happen to be my bosses. Our cockerel is something special to my 6 year old son as he was hatched out in his kindergarten class last spring from one of our own hens' eggs. It would break my son's heart to have to give him up because someone else doesn't like his sound. I want to do what I can to be able to keep him...even if it means attempting to train him not to be too loud. You don't have to agree with me but I'd rather give him chance at having a life than certain death because no one else wants him.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hello to All,

It's been awhile!! My laptop started having issues (not sure it's worth fixing) so I was using my phone to keep up w/the thread. Got tired of reading from that small screen. Using hubby's laptop right now. Had a busy summer--did some camping, family visited. DH & I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.

We took a 10 day trip to NYC, DC, Maryland & Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Had a lovely time!! Both kids are back to college--good thing too DH & DS have had just about enough of each other.

DD transferred to UMF, more friends there, closer to home than UMPI. So far so good!!

The 20 week old pullets are at POL. One of the Partridge Rocks started squatting a week ago! Yayyyy! I've been seen washing a few chickens in the front yard. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts but 1 had vent gleet & the other laid a soft shelled egg which gave her a messy butt. Had to put up some snow fence to keep the girls in the yard. A neighbor (2 doors up) called to say they were eating his grass seed on his new lawn. Apologized w/a dozen eggs. Now the neighbor between us say they loved having the girls in their yard doing bug control. The older girls are teaching the youngers to hop the fence anyway. I did notice they are going any further than our lawn beyond the fence line as of now. The Old Guard is chasing the younger girls off the roost so they've been sleeping in the nesting boxes. I'm getting tired of that! I put everyone on the roost last night, it was dark enough so no one jumped down. I hope a few more nights of that will help and I can stop scooping the nesting boxes out daily! Need to give the coop a thorough cleanout before cold weather gets here. Was hoping to paint all the exposed wood in the coop to minimize bugs & mites. Scored 4 bales of hay from a friend DH has been helping out!! DS saw 2 young coons in my unsecure play yard for the girls a few weeks ago well after dark. Woke up the other night to find DH not in bed and lights on out in the garage--also noticed the pistol was not in it's place. Found him wearing nothing but his skivvies & boots in the backyard near coop. He said he heard a ruckus coming from that way and thought the coons were in the coop. Thankfully whatever it was ran into the woods when it heard him coming. And he says he doesn't like the chickens!

Anyone going to see the Chicken Whisperer tomorrow at TSC in Augusta from 11--1pm? If so, I'll see you there!

 

[buckabucka]

LG, think "glacial deposit", kind of like the desert of Maine, but it is not that extreme here. We have an exposed sand bank up in the field, but the area around the house has a layer of topsoil. In the woods, not too far away, you can find rocks. Some old rock walls, rocks in the stream, etc., but if you dig here in the yard or field, you can dig a long ways and never find a single rock! Eventually, you'll hit clay, and if you drill a well, you'll get down to bedrock.

I love having sandy soil, but in dry summers the garden will dry out quickly. We keep adding organic matter, but it is a long process.

 

[buckabucka]

LG, I just realized I can show you my sandy soil. On the left are the hoop houses and hoop coop (they look flattened out in the photo), on the right is the field. See all the exposed sand? The lumps that look like rocks up there are stumps, - old remnants of "stumphenge".

 

[superchemicalgirl]

What kind of rituals were performed at Stumphenge?

On google maps you can see what we lovingly refer to as Mordor, the land that the chickens have killed. You can see a beehive, and the one crazy squash plant we had last year that was probably 200 feet long, spiraling in our front yard.

 

[buckabucka]

What kind of rituals were performed at Stumphenge?

On google maps you can see what we lovingly refer to as Mordor, the land that the chickens have killed. You can see a beehive, and the one crazy squash plant we had last year that was probably 200 feet long, spiraling in our front yard.

I believe the only ritual performed at stumphenge was drinking of beer. There was a low circle of stumps in the center for sitting. When stumphenge was newly completed, we did have some very slow traffic on the road!

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Well mystery solved here. My egg production has gone way down to 1 egg a day out of four laying girls (6 more not yet at pol). They are newly dewormed and healthy otherwise. I was beginning to get concerned.!This morning looked like a pillow had exploded in the coop and as my head barred rock walks around she is shedding feathers. It's our first molt experience!