NY chicken lover!!!!

[miquwid]

You didn't do too bad. Last frost date for your county is April 20 - May 10. Closer to May 10th is better for soft plants. Seeds and "cold hardy" plants closer to April 20th. Cold Hardy plants would be things like cauliflower, broccoli, pansies and cabbage. Peas LOVE cold weather, and should be put in as soon as the soil can be worked. Hot weather makes the peas unsweet. (hey, that's not a word, but you get my meaning, I hope) Soft plants are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and most flowers. I put radishes in early, lettuce in later. Spinach and Swiss chard like cooler temps. Beans and corn need warmer soil. What else are you trying to grow? I have been gardening since I was 5. (so for 10 years or so.

) I love to share my experience.

Oh okay thanks. I'm trying to grow everything LOL I forgot a lot all my labels washed off as for the premenant marker I asked my son to use wasn't and washed off. I looks like some things are growing like my beans pumkins and sunflower seeds my herbs are great. Strawberries, and pirennials are great. not sure what else is growning but we will see. Plus I was told about a few places to go to talk to someone experienced who can help me out. But for a beginner I think I did very very well especially starting from seeds I just poked into the ground with chicken poop!!!!!!! I hope some eggplant or squash comes up though. we will see stuff is growing.

I put in my cold weather plants about a month ago. The Swiss chard didn't do a thing

but the lettuce, beets and potatoes are doing great !! About 2 weeks ago I put in the warm weather crops. While they are doing ok these nights in the 40s have not made them happy lol

Have you ever grown potatoes? I planted mine according to directions and keep billing them with soil but these suckers are like 18 inches and I am running out of material to keep billing them. Apparently they like the compost made of DL, horse manure & peat moss lol. I actually took a pic of me hoping someone could tell me how long I have to keep hilling them up. I dug about 6 inch trench when I planted them

Awesome!

My baby has two moms!! That sounds like an afterschool special, doesn't it? Well I had my one little surprise chick that hatched in the coop the other day and two of the broodies have taken the poor thing on. I'll have chicks hatching next weekend to keep it company but for right now it just has two mommies.

Bad cell photo - didn't have a chick feeder set up yet so until I put that out today just putting a dish of chick food out. Hey kid, the food is riiiight here..! See? Yummy!

Love it that is great that they are working together and no fighting to raise this chick!!!

This is an old picture but it shows a way to protect it from your birds. 2' chicken wire is behind the sticks and works to keep large rabbits out. This little white plastic fencing goes around my lettuce and swiss chard. It seems to work so far.

I start saving my milk jugs in early winter so I have them when I need them. They break down before the year is up so I can't same them from year to year. They can be used even BEFORE fear of frost is about. I add the cans when plants get high enough and just put the jug on top of the can til I can keep it off.

I always love your ideas it seems I have access to similar items to you I save my contains of all kinds, and have plenty of extra wood and branches. Great ideas I'm putting them to use! I got a long weekend to work.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Space...the final frontier...

 

[Lapeerian]

Luna the blue Orp has a naked chest! Now I'm going to have all sorts of questions for those with broody experience. How long should I wait till I put eggs under? Not sure if I want our mutt eggs or get some breed eggs that I want (not too expensive though for us first timers). Maybe the lady in Fabius that has Speckled Sussex and Welsummers.
She is in the box every night, don't see her free ranging in the afternoon, but she does leave the coop in the morning. There is food and water in the coop. I did toss a couple golf balls under her tonight when I took the eggs out, just for inspiration. Sound like a serious broody yet?
I'm already thinking of the best place to get her set up. She is in the litter box, so easy enough to move around. Just need to get another set up for everyone else.

 

[vmdanielsen]

I really really love my poultry netting. FWIW - I accidentally bought the 42 inch stuff instead of the 48' stuff when getting an 80' piece for one of my small coops and while I occasionally get a fly out, they pretty much stay inside the shorter netting (have never had a flyout on the 48" except for a few leghorns after a hawk attack). So someone with bantams or fat chickens that don't fly much might be able to save a few cents and buy the shorter stuff.

I just ordered another 82' piece and I'm going to attach it to my growout coop so I can let the county boy chicks out more unsupervised.

It's going to be HOT later in the week. It's so weird to have these cold temps and next week it's supposed to be in the 90's! Yuk. My chicks in the growout coop aren't fazed by the cold weather, but they are ecoglow babies and got used to cold early.

I love my electric netting as well. I have just purchased 2 more168' lengths, in the hope of not moving them as often. I also purchased the gates. Love them!!

 

[Lynzi777]

Alright so the eggs were set this morning, I decided to go with the egg carton technique, half a dozen set, we'll see how this goes.....

 

[armorfirelady]

I had to share some new chicks I got today from a fellow BYCer

Edie the EE

Tiny barred rock

2 BCM

 

[Cass]

Luna the blue Orp has a naked chest! Now I'm going to have all sorts of questions for those with broody experience. How long should I wait till I put eggs under? Not sure if I want our mutt eggs or get some breed eggs that I want (not too expensive though for us first timers). Maybe the lady in Fabius that has Speckled Sussex and Welsummers.
She is in the box every night, don't see her free ranging in the afternoon, but she does leave the coop in the morning. There is food and water in the coop. I did toss a couple golf balls under her tonight when I took the eggs out, just for inspiration. Sound like a serious broody yet?
I'm already thinking of the best place to get her set up. She is in the litter box, so easy enough to move around. Just need to get another set up for everyone else.

My opinion and worth every cent you paid for it:

Only use free eggs under an unproven broody. Give her whatever space you think she needs. I keep my broodies in the big coop. Then, when "lockdown" comes I move the whole box under a table I have in that coop and wrap the table legs with chicken wire. I have never had a broody abandon a nest at "lock down" time (approx. Day 18 - 19)....I have had them walk away from a nest (or jump into the wrong nest and sit all day) before that time however. Quite often, actually...hense my saying to only use free eggs with an unproven broody hen.

 

[Glasshen]

Things are more peaceful with the broody and her remaining 3 eggs in the travel crate.

Potatoes "build a mound around the plants as they grow;it is ok to cover the growing plants with soil. Potato hill should be 18 inches wide at the bottom. Do not hill potatoes after blossoms begin to appear." I'm planting mine tomorrow!

Last year I used straw for some of the hill and it worked fine cause I didn't have enough dirt.

Rancher, your garden looks great. I'm gonna put fabric over my corn kernels so I don't have to fight with the crows. It's Indian corn, and I would not be amused with them if they ate it.

 

[JLaw]

Beautiful birds there Armorfirelady. Mind telling the 2 bcm's to stand still next time no need to look like the road runner.

Well I got most of the second coop done today made two walls sheeted back wall,started to sheet front wall. Figured 9pm time to stop fadeing light is no fun. Sheet front wall then raise/brace walls tomorrow hopefully finish the thing. Front wall has a nice sun window, 50x54 inch window. Bought 4, 4"x8"x16" concrete blocks to weight down other side not sure if it will be enough though. May buy a few more tomorrow. The little birds are going to have such a nice little coop. Actually planning windows instead of sliceing and diceing a wall up or leaveing un finished for a window.

jlaw

 

[miquwid]

I had to share some new chicks I got today from a fellow BYCer

Edie the EE

Tiny barred rock

2 BCM

The look good congrats on your new additions.