Nevadans?

[horseshowmomnv]

Well, I suppose I am used to other loops, and since this is Chicken Loop was just trying to have good etiquette.

Thank you for the idea's. I have never planted a fall garden so this will be fun to see what I can grow. We have an abundance of tomatoes, my pumpkins did not materialize like I had hoped, should have thinned them out a bit, next year.

We spent so much time building the hen house that we neglected our garden this year. Next year no new projects to distract me!

 

[chicharomirinda]

Silkie roo = gone! He will have 6 easter egger girlfriends out in red rock. they are the same age as him. And I just got another person wanting to take him. I told that person I would let them know one of my other silkies turns out to be a roo.

I definitely have another ameraucana laying. I may have 3 or 4 new layers right now.

Actually, it's probably the coolest place in the yard. A cold stone bbq pit, on a patio, under a tree. She ended up laying right under the tree, but Noodle layed in the pit. And the egg cracked. It was very inconvenient to retrieve.

Woohoooo on finding a home for the silkie!!!
And just a reminder to anyone looking to rehome roosters that can be eaten: The lady who gave me Pot and Pie will willingly take anything that she can butcher up and put in the freezer. I kept her email and phone number handy for future use.

sorry about your cracked egg. that's good to know about that lady, though.

OFF TOPIC?

I didn't know we were constrained to a topic!

definitely not constrained on this thread.

well i had a egg without a shell today it is either my new hamburg or a another newbie laying

congrats! you'll have a good egg soon, then.

Well, I suppose I am used to other loops, and since this is Chicken Loop was just trying to have good etiquette.

Thank you for the idea's. I have never planted a fall garden so this will be fun to see what I can grow. We have an abundance of tomatoes, my pumpkins did not materialize like I had hoped, should have thinned them out a bit, next year.

We spent so much time building the hen house that we neglected our garden this year. Next year no new projects to distract me!

I can relate to the garden neglect. that is often me but this summer I really committed to my garden and it's doing okay (by my standards--quite mediocre by Missy's standards!)

 

[StevieNay]

Thanks for the info about molting, Missy and Elizabeth. My girls hatched out in February, so maybe they won't molt until next fall.

Peep_Show---you must have lived in Tercero! I lived in Cuarto (new dorms that are just off campus) when I went to UCD. I liked that the town smelled like cows. The pigs were moved out into the loop by the time I got there, but I heard they used to be in central campus where the Silo (with a bunch of food places) now is.

I feel like heirloom seeds are always on topic here. Gardening and chickens just make sense . At our house, we refer to our new "hobbies" as "inexperienced urban homesteading." We are learning so much this year! Our little summer garden has done pretty well and we have six chickens laying. As of January we had never owned chickens or had our own garden.

As for cool weather planting, I am considering garlic and spinach next, and don't know what else would do well here in the cold.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

I find myself having huge visions, never quite materializes for me. Every year I tell myself this is the year. However, this year between the hen house and some mild depression (empty nest syndrome kicking in) I did not have the ambition. So, next year I will plan it around my husband and I, and what I know we will eat.
We ended up keeping 16 hens, 3 BR, 3 Buff Rocks, 4 Light Brahma and 6 RIR's. We are getting between 9 and 12 eggs a day now. The eggs are starting to get bigger now... hopefully start selling some eggs soon.

Oh on another topic.... I bought a horse just for me! I don't have her yet. She is in OR, and just weaned from her Dam. I will make the 10 hour trek the first week of Oct to pick her up, she will be 6 mos. It has been five years since I lost my Kona... I am ready to try again, my husband says it is part of my retirement (back to that empty nest thing). I have been here done this before with a young horse so I am very aware of the work ahead, but I see it as a journey and look forward to building a relationship with my little filly.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Re: winter gardens... Coldest tolerance = lettuce. Second coldest = spinach, chard, snow peas. Third = brassicas (kale, broccoli, cauliflower). Below 23 degrees or so, things might not necessarily die, but they probably won't grow. So a coldframe or greenhouse setup would be best if you intend to extend into December or later. It could be as simple as 6mil plastic, with Christmas lights for heat (sounds familiar) with an old quilt to throw on top during the night. I haven't tried to grow anything later than November or earlier than March, but I'm going to do that this year. My little portable greenhouse will give me at least 10 degrees frost protection. So even if we can only do lettuce, that's more than we did last year.

Re: homesteading... I think that's pretty much a given. We might not share all the same interests, but we at least show an appreciation that someone else is doing the work for it. This is such a like-minded group of people, and I love it! Most of my other friends regard this urban homesteading/farming as, "Why would you want to do that much work?" That's not the point... it's the satisfaction. I guess it takes a certain type of person.

horseshowmomnv, congrats on the horse! I miss my dad's horses, but I know it would be a longshot before we have some of our own. Even if we get a few acres, we'd first do sheep and goats for food, then maybe a horse or two after we had the basic human needs taken care of. I have a client with 2 riding horses, a mule, and a rescued mustang. She loves them!

 

[chicharomirinda]

Here's "Spike" before he went to his new home.

I feel like heirloom seeds are always on topic here. Gardening and chickens just make sense . At our house, we refer to our new "hobbies" as "inexperienced urban homesteading." We are learning so much this year! Our little summer garden has done pretty well and we have six chickens laying. As of January we had never owned chickens or had our own garden.

As for cool weather planting, I am considering garlic and spinach next, and don't know what else would do well here in the cold.

I find myself having huge visions, never quite materializes for me. Every year I tell myself this is the year. However, this year between the hen house and some mild depression (empty nest syndrome kicking in) I did not have the ambition. So, next year I will plan it around my husband and I, and what I know we will eat.
We ended up keeping 16 hens, 3 BR, 3 Buff Rocks, 4 Light Brahma and 6 RIR's. We are getting between 9 and 12 eggs a day now. The eggs are starting to get bigger now... hopefully start selling some eggs soon.

Oh on another topic.... I bought a horse just for me! I don't have her yet. She is in OR, and just weaned from her Dam. I will make the 10 hour trek the first week of Oct to pick her up, she will be 6 mos. It has been five years since I lost my Kona... I am ready to try again, my husband says it is part of my retirement (back to that empty nest thing). I have been here done this before with a young horse so I am very aware of the work ahead, but I see it as a journey and look forward to building a relationship with my little filly.

I am also one with really big plans and have a hard time following through with it all. I do get a lot done eventually but I sometimes take on too much at one time. I have had lots of projects this past year and feel a little projected out!
that new horse will be a fun project for you! I have always loved horses but never had the chance to have one. I went to different horse camps when i was growing up.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

Re: winter gardens... Coldest tolerance = lettuce. Second coldest = spinach, chard, snow peas. Third = brassicas (kale, broccoli, cauliflower). Below 23 degrees or so, things might not necessarily die, but they probably won't grow. So a coldframe or greenhouse setup would be best if you intend to extend into December or later. It could be as simple as 6mil plastic, with Christmas lights for heat (sounds familiar) with an old quilt to throw on top during the night. I haven't tried to grow anything later than November or earlier than March, but I'm going to do that this year. My little portable greenhouse will give me at least 10 degrees frost protection. So even if we can only do lettuce, that's more than we did last year.

Re: homesteading... I think that's pretty much a given. We might not share all the same interests, but we at least show an appreciation that someone else is doing the work for it. This is such a like-minded group of people, and I love it! Most of my other friends regard this urban homesteading/farming as, "Why would you want to do that much work?" That's not the point... it's the satisfaction. I guess it takes a certain type of person.

horseshowmomnv, congrats on the horse! I miss my dad's horses, but I know it would be a longshot before we have some of our own. Even if we get a few acres, we'd first do sheep and goats for food, then maybe a horse or two after we had the basic human needs taken care of. I have a client with 2 riding horses, a mule, and a rescued mustang. She loves them!

Thank you for the information about winter gardens. Reading online does not necessarily give good information, hearing it from a local is far better!
The satisfaction became a reality today, I have a friend (family of 5) that is short on money this week.... Giving them food from the garden and eggs made all the work and money for water worth every moment. So, I tell myself it is not just for myself but for those I love.

Horses are tooooooo expensive, but my absolute passion. I am taking a big step to put my heart on my sleeve again, but I feel incomplete with out my own. I am blessed with a wonderfully understanding husband. We own three right now, my daughters horse, and two ponies I use for my business (riding lessons). Would love to have livestock to sustain the humans but I don't think my neighbors would approve. We are limited here.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

Quote:
I learned something recently that helped with my grocery bill... quit buying items we wish our families would eat and buy what we know they will eat, so with that I will plan my garden the same.
So until next spring I will dream and plan and hope it all materializes!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Thank you for the information about winter gardens. Reading online does not necessarily give good information, hearing it from a local is far better!
The satisfaction became a reality today, I have a friend (family of 5) that is short on money this week.... Giving them food from the garden and eggs made all the work and money for water worth every moment. So, I tell myself it is not just for myself but for those I love.

Horses are tooooooo expensive, but my absolute passion. I am taking a big step to put my heart on my sleeve again, but I feel incomplete with out my own. I am blessed with a wonderfully understanding husband. We own three right now, my daughters horse, and two ponies I use for my business (riding lessons). Would love to have livestock to sustain the humans but I don't think my neighbors would approve. We are limited here.

Same here! Last year, we spent two months eating almost exclusively from the garden. I went into the grocery store to buy milk and flour, and the cashier asked where we had been! It was awesome. So this year I expanded, but focused on food storage and saving the same amount of money in the winter. We like to donate food, and it feels great, but I don't expect to have surplus income for a long time, so I have to think about my family in the long run. Of course, we're not completely selfish about it. We have one AWESOME family that gets all our extras, and they totally deserve it. And I like to do trades with our produce. Today, a client brought back some cheeses that she had bought while in Sonoma, so I gave her a couple pounds of heirloom tomatoes. And I've made a deal with another friend that, if I have a bumper crop of potatoes, that she'll get her share. She lent me two super duper food dehydrators, so I don't lose a scrap of produce. Either way, it's food for my family.

We already have our hopes and dreams for next year's garden. And it changes. No squash/pumpkins in Garden #2, even if I do get a handle on those squash bugs! We're also going to assess what we've eaten by next January, and order seeds accordingly. Fewer potatoes, more green beans? We'll have to see!

And re: garlic... I ordered a LOT of it, so I might have some to share. It won't clear the credit card or be shipped for another month, but I really did order a lot. Like I always do. If I have too much and nobody wants some, I'll just eat it.

BTW (and please tell me if I'm sounding like a know-it-all, and I'll back off) if you have a space that you want to turn into a garden next year, start composting now. You can dump chicken manure into the soil until probably January, then compost it afterwards. Horse manure can go in until 1-2 months before planting (March or May/June, depending on what you're growing.) If you're throwing out old frozen fruits/veggies, they can go right in the soil. The freezing and thawing breaks down the cellular structure, and they compost quicker. Bury anything that you think will stink or draw wildlife. And if you do home canning or preserving, put all your scraps in the soil. This is great for fall canning, since a lot of your garden might be killed off by frost by then.

 

[horseshowmomnv]

No... not at all!!!!

We end up with a surplus of horse manure during the winter, and the chicken manure will be a great addition to the soil. We have extra space I have not used for gardening, just need to plan for it. I really want to add fruit tree's to my yard.

If anyone needs horse manure please let me know, I can bag it into the feed bags for easy transport.