Nevadans?

[SunnyDawn]

hey Missy,

I should have some plastic totes you can have.


Sunny I have a ton of empty milk jugs. My boys drink 3 gallons a week lol.

Thanks, Sunny and Mandy! I can start saving milk jugs, too. We have one that's almost empty now.

COOL! Thank you both!!!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Good morning, everyone. I figured I'd stir things up and post about random nonsense so everyone has something to read. It's a public service. Or something.

I actually can say I might be bored today. I have one client, and she's at 5:30pm. It's too cold and windy out to get any real gardening done. Pretty much, I just go outside to take care of animals, then come back in. Brrr! The seedlings need transplanted, but then they'd need more space, and right now the peat pot trays fit perfectly under the plant lights so they don't have to go outside. So I'm going to make an ovenload of a high-protein buttermilk/egg bread for my husband. When it's warmer, I'll clean out the chick cages and walk the leavings over to Garden #2 so I can sprinkle it into the soil.

What is everyone else doing with their chick cage litter? I don't like putting wood in the soil, but Garden #2 is so lacking in organic matter, and I'm not planting it for at least 6 more weeks. The pine shavings I'm using right now are the super-tiny kind, so they'll break down faster. Later on, I'm going to have to compost it (though wood doesn't compost as well as I'd like) or throw it out. Straw is so much more sustainable!

 

[SunnyDawn]

I'm not bored, although I probably will be later. Genny and I just candled her eggs. We have 20 little babies developing! Yea!!! It is day 11. Plus 2 of the 3 marans pullet eggs I threw in show good development. I put 3 in and the 3rd one is developing and alive but it is so far behind the other 2 that I doubt it will live much longer. I just can't bring myself to take it out if they are alive still. Even when I know it can't make it.

The eggs from Genny's older roo Versace were not fertile and they all got tossed a week ago when I candled at 11 days but I had thrown in a few marans pullet eggs then too and 3 of those just went into lock-down. All three show strong development.

I know pullet eggs often don't hatch but I couldn't seem to resist putting them in.

It is so cold outside! I went to throw the ball for Samson (Delilah just chases him around) and I couldn't take it for more than a few minutes. Yikes it is a biting wind out there today! Hopefully it will warm up a little since he needs more exercise than I gave him this morning. I think it's warmer when it snows! Well... I'm sure I just bundle up better when I see snow outside. Today I saw sunshine so went out in just a sweater. NOT a good idea!

Hope you all are inside where it's warm. Have a great day!!!


*For some reason I've got the urge to bake bread now... hmmm*

 

[americanvalkyrie]

What breeds do you have going in the incubator?

 

[chicharomirinda]

So far today I have had my annual pap smear

and now work and then I have my dentist appointment in the afternoon--just a cleaning, nothing scary although I do have sensitive teeth so it's not particularly pleasant.

I'm sure you'll find something to keep you entertained, Missy. How about some chick tv?

that bread sounds good. Is your husband on gluten free, too?

I have been composting the chick litter. I just need to get more composters set up. I'm not sure how long it will take but I have been doing good at keeping my compost moist and turning it weekly.

It sure is brisk out there. It's not bad when in between the wind gusts. Man, was it windy last night. On my way in, I saw someone's trampoline had blown out of their yard and down the hill and was caught on the fences. This is by those houses kind of in panther valley just off the freeway by old virginia.

on the hatch, Sunny! Maybe those pullet eggs will hatch for you.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

I'm sure you'll find something to keep you entertained, Missy. How about some chick tv?

that bread sounds good. Is your husband on gluten free, too?

Nope, he is very happily unaffected by gluten. I bake different kinds of bread for the kids and the husband.

That wind was NUTS last night! And it's still going. Even with the windblock fence here, my seedlings aren't going outside.

And in case anyone was wondering the results of the cayenne pepper, it works great. The chickens still ate without any side effects (other than some scarlet streaks in their poop.) The dogs had red whiskers for a day and acted more clingy than normal, but after that I didn't notice any odd drops in food quantity. I'm still peppering the food once in awhile to make sure the habits don't revert back, though.

 

[chickee]

Ticking is dark speckles over the base lavender color. It is a common problem with the lavenders

the ducklings really are getting so big! Hope harmony continues to improve. I think your lav looks like a pullet, too.

hope it works out!

thanks for the photos! what kind of comb does the mystery chick have, single?



what is ticking? inquiring minds want to know.

 

[SunnyDawn]

What breeds do you have going in the incubator?

Black Orps. They will be going right back to Genny after hatching, unfortunately. Maybe I can talk her out of a couple if we get a good hatch. She has the most beautiful Orps!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Black Orps. They will be going right back to Genny after hatching, unfortunately. Maybe I can talk her out of a couple if we get a good hatch. She has the most beautiful Orps!

So what's the difference between a black Orp and an australorp, other than country of origin? I've noticed that my australorps are taller than my buff, but not much other difference.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:

Not much. The australorp is just an Australian Orp. I'm sure there are subtle differences since the australorp has been bred separately for so long but it would take a breeder of both to tell them. English Orps are much bigger than their hatchery cousins though so I think the differences between the pure breeds would be even fewer.