Michigan

[RIRJen]

Man it's loud in my house this morning

now up to 12 new chicks and a few more in the bator hatching out now

 

[Olive Hill]

Anybody want to go on a turkey egg hunt? It's kind of like easter egg hunting, but less rewarding because you don't get any chocolate at the end.

Darn turkeys moved their nests again.

In better news, the lilac bushes are budded out! The daffodils are blooming! The rhubarb is up! The Irises and Lillies have grown several inches in half as many days! Could it be? Has Spring finally sprung?!

Cricket -- Mmmm... I love ground turkey. The egg rolls sound delish.

Keyt -- You shouldn't open your incubator for any reason during any lockdown. Also, at the risk of sounding like a know it all rooster (hen) as Opa would put it, do not feed pigs from your hand. Food is a great motivator to get her used to you. Just put it in a dish, squat down nearby and wait. Pet her as she eats. Soon enough you'll be rubbing her all over. (Also know that pigs tend to mellow with age naturally as well.) It's cute now, but when she weighs 300-400 lbs and has extremely sharp teeth it's not so cute. Taking food from one another is a major dominance play for hogs, and allowing her to take food from your hand not only puts you in a position of submissiveness it puts you in quite a bit of danger of getting bit. They say a pig can finish off a full grown man in 3 days. Bones and all. From experience I would wager that's not too far off. With your health issues you really need to have dominance and mutual respect on your side with her. Even PBPs are livestock and not all stay super small as the pet stock breeders would like you to believe. It's important to set yourself -- and Bella -- up for success now. She's going to be STRONG in a very short time, more so than you probably would ever imagine. I am young, healthy and do heavy lifting, physical work every single day and even the small hogs can out muscle me if they really want to. They have a low center of gravity and a surprising amount of brute strength on their side. I love them to death, great animals, but make no bones about how dangerous they can be if improperly handled. Just be careful. I'd hate to see you get hurt.

Fife -- CSA = Community Supported Agriculture. Customers "subscribe" to the farm early in the year or even late in the previous year (For instance, we give a discount to those that pay in full prior to Dec 31), paying a set fee for a share of the farm's crops during the growing season. Then weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on the particular CSA the customers either come to the farm and pick up a share of the in-season crops or the farmer makes deliveries of the same. Many farms offer discounts on other products to their members -- ours get 10% off all other farm products not included in their CSA share, for instance. It's a way for farmers to generate income in a time of year when it is lacking and a lot of purchases need to be made. In dead of winter there is not as much sales going on at a farm, but at the same time the farmer needs to be putting a lot of money into seeds, supplies, etc. This way the income continues. It also is a way that relieves a little bit of the risk of farming from the farmer's shoulders. By subscribing early the customers are sharing in the risk of a poor growing season. They get a share of the crops, usually a set basket or crate is used to contain that share, but if it's a really poor season with natural disaster or crop failure those shares may be smaller than expected.

Jen -- 'grats on the chicks!! Where are the pictures??

Bridgette -- $2.00. Eggs are considered a bonus here though, I keep the chickens for breeding for meat chickens which is the main product the flock is expected to produce. The eggs are just additional revenue for padding.

Wylie -- I missed it! Why did you sell your hens?

 

[fifelakelooper]

Thanks for the meaning of CSA Olive...sounds like a great idea. I had no idea but makes sense. Not to rain on your parade weather wise....we are slated to get SNOW on Sunday. Maybe it will just be up here. However...my daffodils are emerging, my tulips are, iris and at least 1 of my 3 Butterfly bush is for sure alive!! My garden is all cleaned up...I am planning to work on the vegetable bed (cleaning, preparing) today. Yesterday we cleaned up the yard and hid

stuff that my husband saves....lumber, metal roofing, etc. OUr pole barn is jammed up and so we have to resort to covering with vinyl. We made new supports for the lumber and metal roofing....moved in to the woods near the house so it is out of sight and covered it. We got a lot done yesterday. Plus...my coop is all clean, washed with chlorax and sprayed with pyrethium...it has been empty since last summer.
Out to enjoy this beautiful day...while we have this beautiful weather.

 

[RIRJen]

I know...slacking on the pictures here

I've decided I've lost my mind...lol I'm skipping out on a rabbit show to be able to attend the Poultry show in Alma! Shhhhhhh don't tell my rabbits they're taking a back seat that weekend...

I'm really geeked to see how my birds do and to see the differences between a poultry show and a rabbit show.
All my daffys, iris's, lillys and the single tulip are all coming up very nicely and the daffys should be opening up today or tomorrow! I've worked my butt off the last 4 yrs we've been in this house trying to put together the flowerbeds exactly the way I want them. I've got a section along my garage that has two large hostas, iris and daffys. Around the front of my house I have lillys, corrabelles(sp?), hostas, bleeding hearts, iris's, and a massive amount of chicksNhens. I've got to tackle the chicksNhens this year...I'm going to use clay pots and do a "waterfall" effect in the flowerbed they are in. I threw some Snow on the Mountain down last year as ground cover and it'll be interesting to see how much more comes up this year. On the shaded north end of my house I have a giant area of Lily of the Valley.

I planted a couple areas of Lilac bush starts last year (they're about 2ft tall) and they are budding leaves! Can't wait to see flowers on my little bushes and smell the lilacs! Anyone interested in swapping some plants at Chickenstock? I love new plants and already made a flowerbed around the south wall of the new barn!

I want to find some ornamental grasses to put on each end of it.

This morning when I went outside to open up the barn and throw some feed at the chickens the grass was white and slightly crunchy...hmmmm...not liking that.

 

[keyt1969]

Quote:
I may not remember much about chickens because they were never my thing they were my sister's, but pigs, horses and goats were what I dealt with so maybe there is something I know. There are very valid reasons for what I did and it has worked EVERY time I have done it since I was 8 years old. But go ahead and add yourself to the various others who lately take pleasure in throwing it in my face that I'm stupid.

 

[Olive Hill]

Nah, my parade is still intact. LOL! Weather isn't looking great for the weekend, that's for sure, but we're just expecting rain for the most part. I like rain storms so I'm good with that. Too bad the hog pens are just now drying out and it's going to get wet again, but at least it's not cold and white.

A couple of 60+ degree days after that to really get this grass springin' up and I'll be one very happy camper.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
I may not remember much about chickens because they were never my thing they were my sister's, but pigs, horses and goats were what I dealt with so maybe there is something I know. There are very valid reasons for what I did and it has worked EVERY time I have done it since I was 8 years old. But go ahead and add yourself to the various others who lately take pleasure in throwing it in my face that I'm stupid.

If you honestly think that's what I was doing you couldn't be more sorely mistaken. I was and am genuinely concerned for your safety and success and would have felt terrible if you had gotten hurt and I hadn't said something. At any rate, I hope you have a beautiful day and a wonderful rest of the week. Obviously you need it.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:

Good Luck! Is is a big show? I didn't even know they had poultry shows in Alma. That's really neat.

I used to have ornamental grass. I think I've officially managed to kill all of it off, though. My dogs liked to sleep on it, and as it turns out, it's a hardy kind of plant but maybe not "good nap spot for a 120 lb mutt" kind of hardy. LOL!

 

[RIRJen]

Quote:

Good Luck! Is is a big show? I didn't even know they had poultry shows in Alma. That's really neat.

I used to have ornamental grass. I think I've officially managed to kill all of it off, though. My dogs liked to sleep on it, and as it turns out, it's a hardy kind of plant but maybe not "good nap spot for a 120 lb mutt" kind of hardy. LOL!

I'm not sure how big it'll be...this will be my first poultry show ever!

well...other then 4H but that doesn't count lol. From what I understand it is being put on by the same people who do foul fest in the fall. Here's the link to the info on the show if anyone else wants to go!
http://www.fowlfest.org/

 

[chickflick]

Quote:
I may not remember much about chickens because they were never my thing they were my sister's, but pigs, horses and goats were what I dealt with so maybe there is something I know. There are very valid reasons for what I did and it has worked EVERY time I have done it since I was 8 years old. But go ahead and add yourself to the various others who lately take pleasure in throwing it in my face that I'm stupid.

I know that's not how Olive Hill meant it, Keyt. From her posts, she just likes to share her knowledge. Take it or don't. It's just a suggestion and not meant to say you are stupid. She was just concerened for your safety.