Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chiques chicks]

That's good to know, especially for the one's that fall to the ground and immediately get attacked by insects, added protein for the birds.

Anything on getting the walnuts out of the shell, I have in the past gotten to the point of having them cleaned dried and ready to go except taking that shell off...I got frustrated and gave every last one to the squirrels.


I know you can buy nut crackers that work on them, but I do not want to invest in one, unless I know I have a market for the finished product, as of now they are just for my own use, but with 3 huge tree's it would be possible to sell some if I could simplify the process

Those are a tough nut to crack. Cars are good at removing the husk, a vise is decent at cracking. A sledgehammer works, but ruins the meat.

The only common nut trees i'm aware of here are walnut, hickory, butternut. There are some English walnuts people have planned around, too. Oh and american hazelnut.

I really want to try some things with those pears. They should contain a reasonable amount of sugars, that's what I'm after. They may cook down to a decent pear buyer, as well.

 

[chippysmom327]

I FINALLY got a call hen! Her name's Pippa. How old do you guys think she is? The people I got her from also had black magpie calls that were turning green on the head, so they figured the blues were hens. Plus the sounds she was making were different than the drakes. I'll upload a Youtube vid and post it here for you guys.

I was at a swap. Bought her, but also REALLY liked her sister. My mom said no, but I begged like a little kid (not as whiny though

) the whole time we were at Walmart right down the road. So she says sure and we go back and as we're walking up, another guy is putting them in his cage and taking her. I was so frustrated. If I got there a minute earlier, I could have got her. Ugh.

 

[wingstone]

That's good to know, especially for the one's that fall to the ground and immediately get attacked by insects, added protein for the birds.

Anything on getting the walnuts out of the shell, I have in the past gotten to the point of having them cleaned dried and ready to go except taking that shell off...I got frustrated and gave every last one to the squirrels.


I know you can buy nut crackers that work on them, but I do not want to invest in one, unless I know I have a market for the finished product, as of now they are just for my own use, but with 3 huge tree's it would be possible to sell some if I could simplify the process

Those are a tough nut to crack. Cars are good at removing the husk, a vise is decent at cracking. A sledgehammer works, but ruins the meat.

The only common nut trees i'm aware of here are walnut, hickory, butternut. There are some English walnuts people have planned around, too. Oh and american hazelnut.

I really want to try some things with those pears. They should contain a reasonable amount of sugars, that's what I'm after. They may cook down to a decent pear buyer, as well.

Well the pear tree is loaded, they are bigger than a ping pong ball but smaller than a tennis ball right now, and I told hubby I want them this year, there's a guy and his wife that come every year and ask if they can pick them, usually in late sept....I would say the sugar is good in them, I have used them in the past, just can not get rid of the grainy texture, they made really good pear butter a few years ago.

Walnuts I have no problem getting them to the point of taking the nut out of the shell,,,,I just get frustrated after a few smashed fingers and throw the rest to the critters.

 

[emorems0]

Well the pear tree is loaded, they are bigger than a ping pong ball but smaller than a tennis ball right now, and I told hubby I want them this year, there's a guy and his wife that come every year and ask if they can pick them, usually in late sept....I would say the sugar is good in them, I have used them in the past, just can not get rid of the grainy texture, they made really good pear butter a few years ago.

Walnuts I have no problem getting them to the point of taking the nut out of the shell,,,,I just get frustrated after a few smashed fingers and throw the rest to the critters.

We have a couple of pear trees and other than the stones/scars caused by insects when the pears are tiny, they are great... but they don't soften on the tree, not one iota. I pick mine when the deer tell me it's time, lol. I try to watch through late summer/early fall and when I see them start disappearing, I high-tail it out there and fill up as many baskets as I can! For the most part, the pear should come off of the tree easily when they are ripe enough... hold it in your hand and rotate it all around without pulling, if it pops off it's ready, if you have to use a lot of force to pull it off you should wait a while longer. Mine soften nicely on the counter or even in the fridge. I mostly juice mine for pear cider or pear sauce (they do make good pear butter too). Mine aren't great for eating fresh because the scars from the early insects create a hard stone under the skin, but they do develop a really nice texture when they've been allowed to sit out for a week or so. I don't know what variety mine are, the trees were here when we moved in and honestly aren't in very good condition.

 

[Jnkbtd08]

A Harris Hawk got my Rooster yesterday before we could get a top on the new outside run. Luckily my son was there when it landed in the pen. He came and told us immediately. We were able to scare hawk away before he did too much damage. We fixed the roo up last night with antibiotics and gauze and he is back with his girls that he saved. Apparently the roo stayed untill his girls were safe in the pen then walked towards the hawk. He is their hero. We named him Lt. DAN.

 

[wingstone]

The loaded pear tree and a pear that I pulled off

 

[wingstone]

Tree in question, I am thinking hickory nut

There's 4 tree's that are dropping these little berries that look like rabbit droppings

Close up of leaves from the unknown..

Is any of this edible?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Tree in question, I am thinking hickory nut

There's 4 tree's that are dropping these little berries that look like rabbit droppings

Close up of leaves from the unknown..

Is any of this edible?

The first one looks like a walnut, maybe black. The second, I am curious to know as well. I have a shrub size that is dropping berries, but the chickens don't eat them so I'm assuming it's poisonous.

A Harris Hawk got my Rooster yesterday before we could get a top on the new outside run. Luckily my son was there when it landed in the pen. He came and told us immediately. We were able to scare hawk away before he did too much damage. We fixed the roo up last night with antibiotics and gauze and he is back with his girls that he saved. Apparently the roo stayed untill his girls were safe in the pen then walked towards the hawk. He is their hero. We named him Lt. DAN.

Glad you were able to save such a fine specimen!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

New chicken keeper question again, sorry if I'm a bother!

I went outside to see the girls and three were over my neighbors fence. Unusual, but not terrible. My most affectionate hen was nowhere to be found, even after calling and bringing treats to the others. I finally found her under a lemon balm plant, and she just stayed there, didn't move much. When I brought her out she was kind of puffy and a little lethargic.

I went inside and when I checked on her a half hour later or so and she was at the other end of the yard but still not coming when she heard me (very unusual). I also noticed a shell-less egg in the basket where my girls lay (i had already gotten my usual two eggs earlier today). I haven't had a shell less egg in about a week or so. I offered her some mealworms and she did eat them, just not with the usual enthusiasm. I'll be checking her in a little bit.

Do you think she could be:

-Deficient in calcium? (I had them on grower formula with oyster shell available until about a week or two ago, now they are on layer)

-Egg bound?

-Going broody?

-Sick?

Her egg also had some gummy stuff on it, maybe calcium deposits that didn't make enough for a shell? Pics of the egg:

 

[wingstone]

Anne,
That looks like a calcium deposit, how old is she and what breed, my leghorns used to lay eggs like that a lot.

She could be thinking about going broody, does she have the glassy eyed look.

And no questions are stupid or bothersome, I wish I would of had this group year's ago, I learned way to much the hard way.