NY chicken lover!!!!

[SunnysideupstateNY]

I've been getting a great crop from my blueberry bushes this year. I have 3 bushes that are 5 yrs old, 3 that are 3 yrs old and 4 that are from this spring. By the time they all produce berries, I'll be drowning in berries. The raspberries didn't do anything for the 2nd yr in a row. I guess I need to mow them down like I've read. The blackberries did great but they aren't the kind I wanted. They look more like black caps and aren't very sweet. I want the kind that resembles my thumb, lol. I'm pulling them all up and putting the ones I want in. Sometimes the labeling at the nurseries is wrong. I bought Iris that weren't the right color and clematis, the same. There is supposed to be a nice nursery up around Canadaigua Lake, can't think of the name. I might try there.
I'm going to try to make jam with Blueberries and orange and try to replicate the jam we bought while visiting along the Maine coast. It was soooo good. Rancher, I'd love to try some of your blueberry recipes. I also bag them in certain qty's and label what there for. So easy later on.

Miller Nursery? I keep meaning to get down there, I want a paw paw tree!

 

[Sally8]

I'm wondering if the fact that her body was so strange was the cause of her egg eating?  How on earth did she survive?  And still lay eggs?  Crazy.

JLaw, did you pull eggs from the fridge to hatch?  I'd always read that once they are cooled in the fridge they are no longer hatchable.  Maybe I'm wrong? 

FIL is having surgery today.  He has been battling bladder cancer for awhile and has had pollups (sp?) that they have been treating with fluid chemo that they put directly into his bladder.  They found a spot on the wall of his bladder now.  They are going in more for exploratory surgery, but will remove what they need to from his bladder.  Hopefully they will not need to remove the entire thing, as this is a man who will NOT do well with a bag the rest of his life.  He should be headed to surgery soon. 

I'm sorry to hear about your FIL. I'm hearing so much with cancer right now, my mother, a very close friend of mine, the father of a friend i've met on here and the list goes on. My prayers to all of them and their caregivers. I'm not sure if all are aware how hard it is on everyone around the cancer victim too. hugs, sue

 

[Sally8]

Miller Nursery? I keep meaning to get down there, I want a paw paw tree!

YES, that's it!! We want a paw paw tree too. We've been talking about them for several years. I've heard good things about that nursery.

 

[Lynzi777]

Anyone here have a separate housing set up for their roos?

So far I'm up to three, but I have 2 in my silkie pen. They've been getting along so far but I'm worried I will eventually have to separate them. So I'd like to set up housing for them somehow without having to build all these little individual pens for them. I'd like one large one that can house 3 or 4 separately. 3 being the max (I hope!) I don't want to get rid of any as of yet because so far they are giving me the colors I want for chicks. So I have Duncan who a blue with the lavender gene. I have a lav roo and two splash chicks that I'm growing out and I have feeling one of THEM is a roo. I don't see me being able to keep all three in the pen together. Just curious as to what others have done who keep multiple roos if they can't all be kept in the same pens - especially for breeding, I would like to know who is bred to who.

 

[armorfirelady]

Earl and the girls were being very noisy, so I went out the back door to see who was doing what to whom. A large mottled coyote trotted away from the back of the pen. Could be he knows something about those 6 missing youngsters. Think I'll go brush hog behind there to make a larger area without cover...

I know of someone on here who uses ammonia soaked tennis balls and puts them around the perimeter of her runs & coops & she says it keeps predators away.

Quote: Rancher you are way more ambitous than me. I do bag my blueberries when I get home to put in the freezer with enough for a pie. But I am to lazy to bring the scale & recipes with me where we berry pic

Sally8- I bet if you planted those blackberries in the chickens runs they would love it

Anyone here have a separate housing set up for their roos?

So far I'm up to three, but I have 2 in my silkie pen. They've been getting along so far but I'm worried I will eventually have to separate them. So I'd like to set up housing for them somehow without having to build all these little individual pens for them. I'd like one large one that can house 3 or 4 separately. 3 being the max (I hope!) I don't want to get rid of any as of yet because so far they are giving me the colors I want for chicks. So I have Duncan who a blue with the lavender gene. I have a lav roo and two splash chicks that I'm growing out and I have feeling one of THEM is a roo. I don't see me being able to keep all three in the pen together. Just curious as to what others have done who keep multiple roos if they can't all be kept in the same pens - especially for breeding, I would like to know who is bred to who.

A coop hoop might an option. you could just use one panel to make the hoop part for that few birds. It would also be light enough then to move if you need to.

 

[rancher hicks]

I've been getting a great crop from my blueberry bushes this year. I have 3 bushes that are 5 yrs old, 3 that are 3 yrs old and 4 that are from this spring. By the time they all produce berries, I'll be drowning in berries. The raspberries didn't do anything for the 2nd yr in a row. I guess I need to mow them down like I've read. The blackberries did great but they aren't the kind I wanted. They look more like black caps and aren't very sweet. I want the kind that resembles my thumb, lol. I'm pulling them all up and putting the ones I want in. Sometimes the labeling at the nurseries is wrong. I bought Iris that weren't the right color and clematis, the same. There is supposed to be a nice nursery up around Canadaigua Lake, can't think of the name. I might try there.
I'm going to try to make jam with Blueberries and orange and try to replicate the jam we bought while visiting along the Maine coast. It was soooo good. Rancher, I'd love to try some of your blueberry recipes. I also bag them in certain qty's and label what there for. So easy later on.

Well consider yourself blessed. Nothing here is doing good. Nothing. Two of my currants are dead I think, no leaves, the goose berries look dead and the two new ones show no growth, all except for three raspberries look dead. they all looked good in the spring but I don't know what happened. Everything I've read says they're easy to grow but not here. ^^%*#@!!

I didn't even attempt blue berries.

Now as far as the tart berries are concerned they make good jam just the same. The tartness will help them set better.

I'll post some recipes later.

I did trade a friend for some of his and they're not super big but good enough for me.

 

[rancher hicks]

Chick - I am sorry to hear about your FIL. I hope things improve.

Glass - you need to get that coyote. If it looks natty it might have a disease you or yours could get.

Lynzi - I got about five BM roos, various ages , all hanging out together. Some will be going though. Plus I got my CR and two Blk Orp roos together.

Armour - I can't see picking more than I need. I just right down what I need of each kind and the recipe it's for on a sheet of paper. Some recipes call for cups of this or that. Others have the amount in pounds.

I have read that ammonia will keeps dogs out of the garbage. I'm still "marking" and apparently it's good for the rabbits cuz they're every where. Blasted things. If you don't have any trees, then I'd suggest putting some logs/stumps around the area and having the guys mark those. Course you don't want to fill him up on beer to mark or he might fall on his skeester. Then again might scare the critters away seeing a drunk man stagger through the yard trying to pee on everything.

Well have a good evening.

Rancher

 

[Lynzi777]

Lynzi - I got about five BM roos, various ages , all hanging out together. Some will be going though. Plus I got my CR and two Blk Orp roos together.

I'm hoping they all learn to live together and get along. I plan on putting on these chicks in the silkie coop when they get a tad bit bigger, just like I did with the lavenders. So hopefully it goes over smoothly. I was just curious as to what I should do if the day comes they start fighting. I'll have a blue roo, a splash and a lavender and would like to keep them all for breeding purposes.

 

[Sally8]

I know of someone on here who uses ammonia soaked tennis balls and puts them around the perimeter of her runs & coops & she says it keeps predators away. 
Rancher you are way more ambitous than me. I do bag my blueberries when I get home to put in the freezer with enough for a pie. But I am to lazy to bring the scale & recipes with me where we berry pic  

Sally8- I bet if you planted those blackberries in the chickens runs they would love it 
A coop hoop might an option. you could just use one panel to make the hoop part for that few birds. It would also be light enough then to move if you need to. 

Ummmm..You really need to check out our dirt down here. Most people have dirt with some stones. We have boulders with some dirt. When we put in our chain link fence we rented hydrolic hole digger. We still needed to dig out the holes and use crow bars to get the rocks out. It was awful! But, I'll replant them in the pen anyway, or at least try. Anything for my chickens.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Wow YUCK !! I guess I am not as bad off with all my clay & rocks as I thought.