Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

Yeah I have followed her several times only to loose her in the brush every time. And to really be honest with myself there is not a chance in haities I will be able to get a pen set up for them that they could not get out of. I tried keeping her housed in the garden until egg was laid then, as you said, she held it until they were let out. She took off like a rocket to the woods. I will leave it alone this year and perhaps she may decide to brood some eggs at some point. If not, I will figure something out so that perhaps next year we could collect from her.

 

[scandiafowl]

If the wild turkeys that meander through our backyard are any indication, they are an elusive bunch.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yeah I have followed her several times only to loose her in the brush every time. And to really be honest with myself there is not a chance in haities I will be able to get a pen set up for them that they could not get out of. I tried keeping her housed in the garden until egg was laid then, as you said, she held it until they were let out. She took off like a rocket to the woods. I will leave it alone this year and perhaps she may decide to brood some eggs at some point. If not, I will figure something out so that perhaps next year we could collect from her.

I think she will be broody anytime now. I took 11 eggs from Ethel's nest I found. She has since hidden the nest a lot better. last year when she had a dozen eggs she went broody. My Blue went broody this year with 8 eggs and 2 phony eggs. BUT the chances of her hatching them are slim, she is young and I have found young turkeys get easily distracted and leave the nest too often.

If you have a game camera you could set it up where you lost her at and see if it gives you a direction or idea where she goes.


Before I put the guineas in the gulag, I lost 2 guineas on the county road to cars/trucks, so we went across the road into one of my Dad's old over grown fields and searched for 3 hours for a guinea nest. No Luck.




Edited to add, it is a great day I got 2 blue diamond encrusted eggs today!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Welcome back from your Dakota Walk-about Cyrus.

When we first did our garden. We had a friend bring over his tractor and garden tiller that was on the power drive of the tractor. I'd say he went over it 3-4 times really putting the kabosh to weeds, grass and the such. Getting as much out before hand is good but I suppose you could wait until dear wife does her first weeding. Essentially what you deal with now she won't have to deal with later.

Nice rains up here finally today. It was SO dry. Really needed the water to soak the ground and drop the pollen out of the trees.

 

[lalaland]

ok, i've got a mystery.

A few times in the past month I've found an egg on the coop floor - at least some of them were from older hens who know perfectly well where the nests are. but tonight there were 4 eggs jin the center on the floor. Not in a nest. Someone went broody today and was sitting on a nest but that still left 5 or 6 nests open..... how would I know if I have some kind of critter moving the eggs? I don't know if I am missing any, I usually get between 14-18 eggs so if some were taken I wouldn't necessarily know. I just don't understand why there are eggs in weird places?

 

[aussiegal318]

Bogtown, rough language is not uncommon on Da Range. Thus it would be difficult to break children of the habit of using it.
I can't even break my wife from the habit, and it usually results from some event that she concludes I have caused ?
Ralphie I laughed out loud after reading your post regarding Ole and how he might cause his own death, although you did not write the words.
I don't know about the Alpacas or Llamas either. They have a look to them but are not very easy to manage I don't think.
I had a friend that was a whiz with poultry and also had a herd of white Llamas which he had developed. It seemed that the Llamas were a lot of work and expense without much income generated.

Eejb, Alpacas are like having a herd of cats. Not really all that hard to work with but the cost of hay, uffda. I need to get my front field plowed & seeded but I don't know anyone who has equipment for an acre area. My neighbor has equipment for huge areas, nothing for small spaces. I 'm thinking of putting a Craigs list add to contract it out for fall. I don't have irrigation in that field. I keep my chickens in with the 'pacas.

Ralphie, no need to watch reality TV with those chickens! Too funny.

DH & I have talked about a couple of turkeys. I'm not sure I want to deal with another dull bulb around the place ( I already have to deal with my daughter's dog).

 

[aussiegal318]

I went walk about in the Dakotas for a few weeks and now Im back and have a gardening question. do we have any garden guru's here? My neighbor with a tractor and tiller came over and tilled up a 60x30 foot area and then I round up'd the whole area. Do I really need to get all the chunks of dead sod out of there or because most of them got tilled under will it just decompose? Ive been raking and pitch forking it out and my back is all messed up now and I don't want to finish. My DW's idea of "we should plant a big garden" has turned into me raking, hoeing, and shoveling till I can barely move. But I'm sure she'll help pick the fruits of "OUR" labor.

As far as the garden goes, no you don't need to get all the clumps out. So long as the roots are damaged they won't grow back and they will become worm food. What usually grows are seeds already in the soil. Unless you're a regular gardener I highly recommend starting with a small plot & growing with it. I use companion planting & high density planting. I hate to weed! If you are going to plant using conventional methods, mulch, mulch, mulch! Have your DW read up on Square foot gardening, companion planting & no-till gardening. 60' x 30' ,wow, 1800 sq ft of work. My garden is 30' x 4' and I'm giving produce away (& yes I'm a mostly vegetarian).

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have to share. About a week after losing our Yellow Lab this happened at our friend's house.





In the batch of chocolates is one little pink nosed yellow girl. (Jasmine was the only yellow female born to a chocolate mother) I don't know if it's destiny or what but we've decided to take her. It's too eery. And it looks like I'll be chicken training before I know it again.

I sure hope she can follow in Jasmine's footsteps and be the wonderful companion/hunter/guard puppy you need. Even I saw "AWWW".

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thanks everybody. DH and I decided to take her. She'll be ours in 7-8 weeks. We are dog people. We need a four legged yeller dog in rotation in this house to complete us. The boy and DH live and breath duck hunting in.the fall and hunting is less fun without a dog in the blind I've been told.
Although my daughter is still emotional about the loss of Jas we know that this pup will help us feel better too. She is one day old. Jas's birthdate was 4/4 and this one is 5/5. Worked out the name tonight. She's Sadie Mae.

Sometimes, the stars do line up just right. That is so cool!

 

[aussiegal318]

I have to admit I'm a hopeless case when it come to the garden. With all the up coming surgeries for DH this summer, I didn't want to deal with the garden so I ordered my CSA (community supported agriculture). While at TSC they had organic seeds so I picked up some lettuces & carrots & peas, for the grand kids of course. Then at Anoka farm & garden I found some more. Now I have half of my garden direct sowed & 3 seed trays filled. I'm thinking the dogs & chickens are going to be eating really good this year. I do freeze some things being I don't know how to can. It's on the to learn list, just now sure it will happen this year.