***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

I believe the weather man lied agian, he said it wasn't going to rain until tonight so I was going to have all day to finish planting what I could and then let God water it in. Even worse if it keeps raining I may not be able to work in the garden at all and may actually have to .............................................................................. do house work!!!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Power is back on!!! For now anyways....
Reading Making Your Small Farm Profitable & it breaks down how many hours per year different crops & livestock take.
100 laying hens 40 hours a yr -- we must be cleaning our coops too often, spend about 10 hours a wk between feed water & cleaning. But that is DD doing the "work" to care for her birds and me assisting. By assisting I mean reminding, lifting, double checking & then go back & doing the parts she forgot. Just checking for eggs & taking care of feed & water is at least 30 min a day though if I do it without her help.
500 broilers book states 9 hours a yr-- thinking that is WAY off. They must not be processing them theirselves
100 turkeys - 10 hours a yr
Few non chicken numbers that apply to this group
Honey bees-- 6.2 hours a yr per hive
Dairy goats---1.2 hours a yr per doe. --- thinking they are WAY off!
It also breaks down the labor for several field & garden crops. Some I expected but it list tomatoes to be almost equal I labor to okra. Never would have thought that. Maybe picking tomatoes is just more pleasurable than picking okra.
Just starting on the book, but in the beginning it states the best thing you gain from your family farm will not be any crop but children who are hard workers with a good work ethic.... Loved that part!

Based on those examples I would have a hard time accepting any of their "estimations"

And tomatoes are much more pleasurable to pick then okra, and then there is always the "sampleing" while harvesting tomatoes that you can't do w/ okra, and the okra itching. I would like to know how you milk a dairy goat twice a day and only spend 1.2 hrs the entire year?????

 

[Oakieridge]

NoCity, I was just reading about it and I think it is too soon to tell. They're just 2 wks Wed, it seems you have to wait til they get their body feathers so that'll be a few more wks. I've never known chicks so calm!
Waye, would that really work to haul them to the auction? Or would I come home with more than I left the house with???
Kass, that poor little baby. I take it she'll be safe from slaughter if she makes it though. I got my Silkies from Ideal last year and they were great with communication. Emailed me and called me both the day the chicks shipped. Also called to verify my order because I ordered online.

We finally took birds to auction a few weeks ago, took 5 big birds and some chicks. Came home with 3 banty cochins and some ladders. I may have to do that more often, I thought I would be sad to see the birds go since we had raised them from chicks but we weren't needing them so it was nice to see them find a home where they will be happy.


Anyone want roo chicks? they are black sexlinks, I will have plenty by poops I have 5 now that are a week old. We really don't have a use for them right now.

Also dh said we lost power for about 2 hours yesterday afternoon, do you think it hurt the eggs in my incubator? he forgot about those so hopefully I didn't loose them.

 

[jcatblum]

Okie ridge I have 1 incubator & hatcher on a battery back up surge protector. My generator doesn't kick on until power has been off for more than 12 seconds. Sounds minor but the surge protector malfunctionedproudest g because of the lightening) so my incubator didnt kick on when the generator did. Switched surge protectors then incubator kicked back on. Temp had dropped almost 10 degrees in about 15 min. It quickly came back up, but I don't doubt it would have been down to around room temp within an hour or so. I don't think 2 hours is an awfully long time for the eggs to drop in temp, but how long does it take for the incubator to regain the temp?
I am thankful I was home to catch the surge protector not working, if not the incubator would have stayed off all day!

Since I am stuck inside for the day I did a batch of cookies. May do more after while. Nice to fill the freezer with cookies now, no way will I bake cookies in the summer heat!

 

[Kassaundra]

Well no longer in hatchery limbo, finally got a hold of them, they are not going to do anything about the deaths, he basically called me a liar on the phone. In his defense though the lady at the post office that Gary opened the box in front of (at the hatcheries request) denies that Gary opened the box in front of her. I called the post office myself this morning after talking to the man at the hatchery, she denied it to me too.

 

[Ksane]

morning guys- yes mitzi, just need to get him down here- another chicken taxi, our water pump is going out in the car, so short trips only....
looks like my last sickly girl that had what the other 2 did is fading too- but she has been battling this since last fall...
off to checkon critters- be back in a bit

Shoot, Robin, I'll bring him/her TO you in Muskogee. We can meet at the closest gas station to you and I'll buy ya a huge cup of coffee and a doughnut if you'll take him.

 

[old*cowboy]

OHHHH NN's w/ topknots sound cool. I ordered 15, b/c I wanted about 6ish females and one male. I'm still in hatchery limbo, but would love a couple no matter what the hatchery does. Thanks.

Just curious why did you cross them w/ spitzheuban if you didn't want the top knots?

I have one large area where my laying hens are. All the black austrolopes, giants and the 3 sptizhueban hens. I have my blue NN rooster running with them. If I could have told which eggs were the spitz I would have not hatched them. After getting many with the top not I sold the three hens so I do not have that problem now.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
OHHHH NN's w/ topknots sound cool. I ordered 15, b/c I wanted about 6ish females and one male. I'm still in hatchery limbo, but would love a couple no matter what the hatchery does. Thanks.
Just curious why did you cross them w/ spitzheuban if you didn't want the top knots?

Kass, aren't you on I-40 on the way to Muskogee? If I make a trip to Muskogee with the Brahma baby I could take the puff-headed NN's along to Kass. It's a thought if we could work it out. Not sure where you are, Cowboy, but I could meet you partway or in OKC when you go to the VA.

 

[old*cowboy]

My neighbor from across the road says that they've seen a fox coming out of my woods a few times I'm thinking it's coyote they've seen, I'm sure there may be some around but I haven't seen any sign of them in 11 years I've lived here

Hard to see sign of them, they are elusive if they want to be. On the other hand at times I have seen them in towns and places you would never expect them.

 

[jcatblum]

Well no longer in hatchery limbo, finally got a hold of them, they are not going to do anything about the deaths, he basically called me a liar on the phone. In his defense though the lady at the post office that Gary opened the box in front of (at the hatcheries request) denies that Gary opened the box in front of her. I called the post office myself this morning after talking to the man at the hatchery, she denied it to me too.

Sorry Kass! Between the post office & the hatchery experience that is enough to make a person give up on shipped chicks! Lmk if you want us to work on getting you chicks. I know cowboy offered you some with topknots already & it is his eggs DD will be hatching, but i cant remember what he said was in his breeding pen (DD is only after blues this season, i am sure it will be something else by the time she hatches all these blues she has been gathering) if you want I can hatch a dz or so for you & bring them to poops & a chicken train can be worked out. We have plenty of incubator space right now.