Nevadans?

[americanvalkyrie]

I just got back from Sheryl's. She has her son's family in town, so she hasn't had time to log on. So far she has a little girl (Harmony) and a little boy (Moe). When I left, five were left and one was pipped. A couple may not be viable, but we'll see. She'll update us when she can.

Lacey, the chicks are doing great! If you want a wheaten/BW rooster, I'd take Elizabeth up on hers, because the shoulders of both of these here are growing in gold. I claim Sesame, but the other is available after I convince Sahara that Sesame is a better choice. If you want to come see them, just PM me!

I just about went off on some kids today. I was babysitting my friend's daughters, who are 10 and 14 years old. Somewhere between all 4 kids who should know better, someone put the door to the chicken run down, and stepped on it, breaking it off of a hinge. It's still attached by two points right now, but tomorrow I have to go out in the mud and snow and fix that hinge. I was so angry... what if they had really damaged it so raccoons could get in? Grrrr! Sorry for the mini-rant.

Hoping for some nice weather soon! I probably need to reseed my kale, since it came up so fast and I couldn't get it out in the sun in time. No problem, it'll come up fast again, I'm sure.

 

[chickee]

Oooops! Sorry Aubery!

I wrote Au(d)rey because that is my friends name in Michigan that just hatched chicks from my eggs.

Well if it is a pullet, sounds like everyone has plenty of roosters for you to choose from

LOL well that would just be my luck haha. although this lil guy isnt even two weeks old yet so im just going to sit back, relax, and watch the chicken show

 

[chicharomirinda]

Audrey, I think Elizabeth might be right about your Marans chick. The comb doesn't seem to be getting bigger and its legs aren't looking thick like a roosters either.

Elizabeth, those lavenders can fool you. I thought one of mine was a rooster until it was 4-5 months old and it turned out to be a pullet

Love seeing all the pictures! The eggs I sent to a friend I made on BYC when I helped her with her first incubation, who lives in Michigan, hatched today so I am excited

That was my first time shipping eggs. Not a great hatch but she got 4 BLRWs, 1 lavender, 1 buff x wheaten and one wheaten to hatch

I will be patient on the lavenders. 3 of them I really can't tell anything by the comb but the one looks like there are 3 rows of peas.

congrats on the hatch of your shipped eggs.

LOL well that would just be my luck haha. although this lil guy isnt even two weeks old yet so im just going to sit back, relax, and watch the chicken show

pretty sure I have a roo for you if you need one but we'll all have to be patient and see how they develop.

I just got back from Sheryl's. She has her son's family in town, so she hasn't had time to log on. So far she has a little girl (Harmony) and a little boy (Moe). When I left, five were left and one was pipped. A couple may not be viable, but we'll see. She'll update us when she can.

Lacey, the chicks are doing great! If you want a wheaten/BW rooster, I'd take Elizabeth up on hers, because the shoulders of both of these here are growing in gold. I claim Sesame, but the other is available after I convince Sahara that Sesame is a better choice. If you want to come see them, just PM me!

I just about went off on some kids today. I was babysitting my friend's daughters, who are 10 and 14 years old. Somewhere between all 4 kids who should know better, someone put the door to the chicken run down, and stepped on it, breaking it off of a hinge. It's still attached by two points right now, but tomorrow I have to go out in the mud and snow and fix that hinge. I was so angry... what if they had really damaged it so raccoons could get in? Grrrr! Sorry for the mini-rant.

Hoping for some nice weather soon! I probably need to reseed my kale, since it came up so fast and I couldn't get it out in the sun in time. No problem, it'll come up fast again, I'm sure.

exciting about shery's ducklings. Hope some more hatch.

sorry about your door

. that would really bother me, too. We had a playing soccer indoors incident today which broke 2 glass candle holders that i had hanging on the wall. the first time this happened, one broke, so now there is just one left.

Ok, gardening question, I'm not sure when to start my kale, beets, cauliflower and broccoli. also, Should I start kale and beets inside and transplant or just direct seed outside later?

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Ok, gardening question, I'm not sure when to start my kale, beets, cauliflower and broccoli. also, Should I start kale and beets inside and transplant or just direct seed outside later?

Cauliflower and broccoli: start inside now, don't wait. You'll want to put it out around mid-late April or so.
Kale: direct-seed now. It's a super-cold-weather crop, and will germinate just fine. You can buy kale starts in the stores, but those give you just a bit of a head start.
Beets: always direct-seed, and do it before the end of April.

I tend to start my cold-weather root crops (beets, carrots, some onion sets) mid-April. Onions can go out now, but I like to mix onions and carrots to make full use of the garden area. These seeds tend to do just fine sitting in the ground for a few weeks, if it's still a little chilly to germinate, unlike warm-weather crops.

If you're worried about stuff germinating in the cold, you can take a piece of 4 mil plastic (thicker is fine, too) and tack it down over the row with enough of a gap to circulate air. That will magnify the sun in the day, and hold in heat during the night. Once the seeds are germinated, take this right off so the seedlings can get used to full sun. If you introduce sprouts immediately to sun, it really reduces the chances of sunburn. If you're still concerned about temperatures, replace the plastic with floating row cover (also called shade cloth or frost blanket) right when the sprouts are up.

 

[2seth2]

to order or not to order that is the question IF i ordered from chickens for backyards would you guys want anything? The minum for ducks and geese is 2 to start then you can add 1 on and you can ovly order one if you want. IF i ordered my order would be something like 3 silver spangled hambergs strait run 1 welsummer pullet and 1 Blue polish straight run give or take the polish. This all depends if i can find any SQ silver spangled hambergs.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Oooops! Sorry Aubery!

I wrote Au(d)rey because that is my friends name in Michigan that just hatched chicks from my eggs.

Well if it is a pullet, sounds like everyone has plenty of roosters for you to choose from

lol, audrey is my second name because i get called it so much. i dont hate it very much, it sounds similar enough

IDK, if this one isnt a roo i may very honestly look into getting a shamo!

 

[2seth2]

i heard they don't crow much.
pluse they look like godzilla the racoons won't even come in your yard

 

[americanvalkyrie]

lol, audrey is my second name because i get called it so much. i dont hate it very much, it sounds similar enough

For some reason, I get called Amy all the time. It happens so often, I've started answering to it.

 

[chicharomirinda]

Cauliflower and broccoli: start inside now, don't wait. You'll want to put it out around mid-late April or so.
Kale: direct-seed now. It's a super-cold-weather crop, and will germinate just fine. You can buy kale starts in the stores, but those give you just a bit of a head start.
Beets: always direct-seed, and do it before the end of April.

I tend to start my cold-weather root crops (beets, carrots, some onion sets) mid-April. Onions can go out now, but I like to mix onions and carrots to make full use of the garden area. These seeds tend to do just fine sitting in the ground for a few weeks, if it's still a little chilly to germinate, unlike warm-weather crops.

If you're worried about stuff germinating in the cold, you can take a piece of 4 mil plastic (thicker is fine, too) and tack it down over the row with enough of a gap to circulate air. That will magnify the sun in the day, and hold in heat during the night. Once the seeds are germinated, take this right off so the seedlings can get used to full sun. If you introduce sprouts immediately to sun, it really reduces the chances of sunburn. If you're still concerned about temperatures, replace the plastic with floating row cover (also called shade cloth or frost blanket) right when the sprouts are up.

thanks for the tips. I might as well ask about my other stuff too. Cabbage, spinach, lettuce, mesclun, swiss chard--should i start those now to put out in mid-april? then the others I'm not sure of are summer squash and cucumber. thanks! I have lots of books and info but it's confusing to know what to do in our climate.

to order or not to order that is the question IF i ordered from chickens for backyards would you guys want anything? The minum for ducks and geese is 2 to start then you can add 1 on and you can ovly order one if you want. IF i ordered my order would be something like 3 silver spangled hambergs strait run 1 welsummer pullet and 1 Blue polish straight run give or take the polish. This all depends if i can find any SQ silver spangled hambergs.

I'm not planning to get any more chicks other than my existing ideal order coming in April. Do they have SQ at Chickens for Backyards? Good luck!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

thanks for the tips. I might as well ask about my other stuff too. Cabbage, spinach, lettuce, mesclun, swiss chard--should i start those now to put out in mid-april? then the others I'm not sure of are summer squash and cucumber. thanks! I have lots of books and info but it's confusing to know what to do in our climate.

Cabbage: plant just like broccoli and cauliflower: start inside now, put outside mid-late April.
Spinach: you can direct-seed that now, or wait a month at the most. You want at least 60 days between seeding and hot weather.
Lettuce and mesclun: direct-seed now. If you want to extend your crop, plant this in an area that will later be shaded, either by a foliating tree or a taller summer plant.
Swiss chard: direct-seed now. Chard loves the cold, but will grow into summer as well. Chard rocks!
All leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, chard, kale): use plastic if you want to speed up germination, then go ahead and leave it open to the elements.
Cucumber: either start inside in mid-April for a head start, or direct seed after the last frost (mid-May, possibly later.) Never allow cucumbers to freeze. Honestly, I've found that direct-seeding cucumbers in good soil and good sun is just as successful as starting them early.
Summer squash: always direct-seed, and always after the last frost. Don't worry, it will catch up fast. And be sure to give it tons of room, like at least 3 feet diameter, for best harvest.

Have you looked into companion planting? It's awesome for extending the space of your garden, and certain plants chase away pests from others. I'm planting nasturtiums with my cucumbers because they chase away two pests: cucumber beetles, and potential thieves who notice the flowers and don't take time to look for the cucumbers. (My cucumber bed is up against the sidewalk this year.)

If you haven't yet, I really recommend investing in a bit of frost blanket. It's not too expensive, you can reuse it year after year, and in the summer you can tent it over your tomatoes to keep the blossoms setting in super-hot weather. I often pin it over my rows of sprouts, even if the sprouts can take the cold, to give them just a few degrees more temperature boost. 80% of sunlight goes through, which is more than enough on a clear day. You can unpin it during the day, then put it back on at night, as well.