NY chicken lover!!!!

[PhoredaBurds]

Deans Mills !

Me too - in your situation ....  I am not a patient person - so it was hard for me - but just pick one thing a year .... so you have some veggies down - so do the same thing with them and add one more .... if you want it to be squash.... then prep just a one new area for the squash and tend to them with a little more attention.   Next year you may prep a place for chickens - year after that berry bushes ....

One thing at a time and then any extra time .... if you add something new it is a total bonus - but when you try to get there in one year .... lots of weeds are very happy with you !   Trust me - I know.    ha ha ha ha

Also - take this time of year to plan out your land.   Where does the sun hit in the morning ?   Wind mostly comes from where?   Plant deciduous trees near the house and coops and pines further back in a row for a wind break ....   then just plant or cut one thing each year to make this plan come into focus ...

Great advice! Wish I had the patience to follow it. The weeds sure do appreciate my impatience, tho. The weeds also appreciate when I'm distracted by chicken projects. I plan to be better this year, but of course the best laid plans...

 

[Purpletie3]

I put away 120 quarts of sauce and am not sure if we are going to have enough until I can again will judge how many more I do this year by how well it lasts from this year. Also put up apple butter, applesauce, apple pie filling, peaches, and hot peppers and froze strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, zucchini, peppers, onions, broccoli , cauliflower, beans, corn, apples, and pumpkin purée. Going to try to do more this year. I make all our bread, baked goods, hot pockets, pizza dough,hamburg and hotdog buns, rolls, bagels, dog treats,waffles, and pancakes from scratch. Plus my own cool whip that I get the heavy cream from the Amish. I really buy very little when I go to walmart. I even make my own laundry detergent.

You are a woman after my own heart! I need to learn to do all these things but they take so much time. But, I think building a root cellar would be a good start for us newbie farmers.

That's some serious ambition!

 

[firedove]

So... technically not a NYer, yet. Hubby and I close on a house near Oswego on the 25th of this month (yes an odd day but we do have our reasons). We want to add back chickens and probably some other stuff too but one step at a time. Posting here so I can start networking a bit. Looking for dual purpose chickens eventually. Don't have to dress out huge, but I don't want just layers that we eat, lol. Leaning towards speckled sussex as they are also appealing to the eye and blend well in the warmer months to help at least a bit with predator issues. Would want to find someone who breeds them as utility birds though and not the "meh" quality hatchery birds. Open to suggestions for other breeds that are able to be found locally that fit the bill. Not really interested in any sort of water fowl but turkeys and pheasants perhaps. May also look into some meat pigs. Perhaps a few meat sheep too, love the Dorpers a friend has. Not planning to add it all at once but I also know I suck at waiting, lol. Also, any sources of good heritage seeds or plants up in the Syracuse/Oswego area? Looking forward to meeting some like minded folks!

 

[Beer can]

@firedove Welcome to upstate NY, and welcome to BYC! Have fun trying to pick the breed of chickens you want there are so many good ones it's hard to decide Lol! I was all set to order black austalorps last yr, and completely changed my mind and ended up getting three different breeds. Now I'm adding three more breeds Lol! I don't have them anymore but have in the past and I still swear by Rhode island Reds, egglayingist chickens I've ever had, even right straight through winter, and comparable to any other heritage breed as far as a dual purpose meat bird goes, the roosters can get quite big (usually mean though). I know everyone says colored or camouflaged birds help on predator issues but I think that's more for hawk problems, coyotes, racoons and fox are so smart I don't think it matters.

 

[Purpletie3]

So... technically not a NYer, yet. Hubby and I close on a house near Oswego on the 25th of this month (yes an odd day but we do have our reasons). We want to add back chickens and probably some other stuff too but one step at a time. Posting here so I can start networking a bit. Looking for dual purpose chickens eventually. Don't have to dress out huge, but I don't want just layers that we eat, lol. Leaning towards speckled sussex as they are also appealing to the eye and blend well in the warmer months to help at least a bit with predator issues. Would want to find someone who breeds them as utility birds though and not the "meh" quality hatchery birds. Open to suggestions for other breeds that are able to be found locally that fit the bill. Not really interested in any sort of water fowl but turkeys and pheasants perhaps. May also look into some meat pigs. Perhaps a few meat sheep too, love the Dorpers a friend has. Not planning to add it all at once but I also know I suck at waiting, lol. Also, any sources of good heritage seeds or plants up in the Syracuse/Oswego area? Looking forward to meeting some like minded folks!

Hey welcome! Lots of good people on here to network with and help out!

 

[Metella]

firedove - Welcome !

I highly suggest Buckeye chickens as a dual purpose bird - someone one here has some very nice high quality birds .... Lepeerain? My memory is awful so I'd have to check my IMmessages to make sure who - but do some research on them ... they have a pleasing dark red / mahogany color that also allows them to blend in with the smallest shadows.

Ask any questions !

 

[PhoredaBurds]

@firedove welcome! This is a great thread. Hope u will come to chickenstock in May.

 

[boskelli1571]

Deans Mills !

Me too - in your situation .... I am not a patient person - so it was hard for me - but just pick one thing a year .... so you have some veggies down - so do the same thing with them and add one more .... if you want it to be squash.... then prep just a one new area for the squash and tend to them with a little more attention. Next year you may prep a place for chickens - year after that berry bushes ....

One thing at a time and then any extra time .... if you add something new it is a total bonus - but when you try to get there in one year .... lots of weeds are very happy with you ! Trust me - I know. ha ha ha ha

Also - take this time of year to plan out your land. Where does the sun hit in the morning ? Wind mostly comes from where? Plant deciduous trees near the house and coops and pines further back in a row for a wind break .... then just plant or cut one thing each year to make this plan come into focus ...

Good advice! We have been here about 5 years now and each year I try to get a new project up & running. I go to the local transfer station to scavenge wood etc. for building. So far we have chickens (!!)

fruit trees/bushes, veggie gardens & this year ducks & Millies (thanks Metella)

. Slowly and surely and before you know it, you will be at least partially self sufficient and getting more so each year

 

[demp4]

So... technically not a NYer, yet.  Hubby and I close on a house near Oswego on the 25th of this month (yes an odd day but we do have our reasons).  We want to add back chickens and probably some other stuff too but one step at a time.  Posting here so I can start networking a bit.  Looking for dual purpose chickens eventually.  Don't have to dress out huge, but I don't want just layers that we eat, lol.  Leaning towards speckled sussex as they are also appealing to the eye and blend well in the warmer months to help at least a bit with predator issues.  Would want to find someone who breeds them as utility birds though and not the "meh" quality hatchery birds.  Open to suggestions for other breeds that are able to be found locally that fit the bill.  Not really interested in any sort of water fowl but turkeys and pheasants perhaps.  May also look into some meat pigs.  Perhaps a few meat sheep too, love the Dorpers a friend has.  Not planning to add it all at once but I also know I suck at waiting, lol.  Also, any sources of good heritage seeds or plants up in the Syracuse/Oswego area?  Looking forward to meeting some like minded folks!

Welcome!!! We're in Oswego county just the other side from Oswego.

I put away 120 quarts of sauce and am not sure if we are going to have enough until I can again will judge how many more I do this year by how well it lasts from this year. Also put up apple butter, applesauce, apple pie filling, peaches, and hot peppers and froze strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, zucchini, peppers, onions, broccoli , cauliflower, beans, corn, apples, and pumpkin purée. Going to try to do more this year. I make all our bread, baked goods, hot pockets, pizza dough,hamburg and hotdog buns, rolls, bagels, dog treats,waffles, and pancakes from scratch. Plus my own cool whip that I get the heavy cream from the Amish. I really buy very little when I go to walmart. I even make my own laundry detergent.

.

. I do a lot of that but have hopes to do more.

We make our own laundry detergent too, saves $$$.

 

[Purpletie3]

Okay...You guys making your own detergent...how do you do it? Shave down bars and melt them? do you have a HE washer that it works with?