Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LittleMissPurdy]

They do recover, I'm still amazed that my Hennifer Lopez is doing as well as she is after having a fox munch on her fanny.

Thanks! I will do that next time.
I did open that door! But sorry to disappoint your overactive imagination

. My husband is self employed and does IT work, builds and repairs computers. One of his clients who does kitchen renovations needed all new computers and monitors and stuff. My husband came up with the idea about 2 years ago, I thought he was crazy at the time. But as I sit here looking at my demo-ed kitchen, I'm so proud! But because this is an older house with all kinds of stuff never done to it, my husband might be working this job for a while.

All of the aplliances and the extra work from the plumber and the electrician is on us, but still, we could have not done this otherwise. I will be sure to post before and after pics.
You go girl! You're a braver one than I!
Lucky tax person! I've been bartering with a personal trainer for a few years now, and we both love it. I do her nails, and then she trains me while her nails are drying. Of course I never like it when I'm sore and limping the next day.....

. Oh, and my brother bartered for a '54 Chevy wagon in decent shape; he's a mechanic and did a set of brake lines and some other work on their suburban.
I agree. There is a bartering section on Craigslist, but I haven't checked it too much.

@LittleMissPurdy . Totally get the Christmas gifts. They are awesome. Love that painting! My DH bought me a chicken necklace. He said it was pretty hard to find.

Glad your DH came up with the "barter" !! So happy for you getting a new kitchen, nothing better than that. I spend most of my days in it! Oh-you better have some pics to share!!

..I love before & afters!!
These older kitchens..well, houses in general are a "might as well" in progress! You get into one thing & it turns into a whole other issue. Nothing is plumb either..gosh if there is a real "corner" in this house I sure would love to see it!! hahaha...
I really liked your necklace!! Thought it was a cool gift

.

Barter is nice if you have a network. I traded a breeding quad of rabbits for a breeding quad of sheep.

wowsers!!..so, you got the sheep?! Hello-glad to see ya!

how-ya been?

The generic should work just the same. Years ago before I became a SAHM, I was an assistant buyer at Rite Aid, worked in OTC. The FDA mandates the active ingredients in drugs must be the same (generic vs name brand) only filler ingredients can be different.

Hope your pup is feeling better and that the ice cream and movie does the same for you.

we get the "off-brand" all the time. Doesn't seem to hinder the end results. I am always reading labels..that's why it takes me/us hours to go shopping

..

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

So it looks as if the 'wintery mix' is going to hit us around 11am. My goal is to get tarps up, roofs fixed and goat pens cleaned out. Wish me luck!

hope you got your list of "to-do's" done before this mess hit. We ended up with about 2 inchs of sleet/stuff..then it just rained...messy

. The temps are supposed to get better, 50's tomorrow. This weather is hard to get used to. Just when I get into the "cold than heck" groove, it goes bonkers warm!

I love this stuff! Especially the oil painting, very nice.

thank you!

Find the chick!

..that is so cute!!

Just started snowing like crazy a little while ago.

I was feeding this morning in the barn when I heard the tell tale sounds of a broody with newly hatched chicks. She really didn't think the timing through, did she? I put her into a safe pen and gave them wet food. To thank me, she attacked me like I was the enemy (I guess I did take her chicks away, but I put them back with her later). I found 3 at first, but heard another one peeping later and rescued it too.

cool!! Nice surprise first thing in the AM. Hope she didn't "get" you!

Since you all know how scatter brained I can be, I need to put those thoughts in writing since they go all over the place..
Really thinking it will be a bad spring and summer for bugs, hence the reason I want a few guinea, thinking they can live in the barn like the cats do, how much space do they need to go in, it is just a small opening right now that the cats use.
Still figuring out the planting of field peas, finally have hubby thinking about it, problem being the seed salesman telling him he was nuts didn't help. And also finding someone for harvest, we do not own a combine.
How do others go about planning their garden, is it drawn on paper or just in your head.
If we pay premium prices for higher protein chicken feed, why not just add our own protein..this is why I want the breeding mice. Added protein and I can control what the mice eat, therefore controlling what the chicken eats....just another one of my experiments, and strangely I like mice, rats not so much...

Since my random thought are being interrupted by lunch, I will wait for others to add random thought.....really, my mind is all over the place.

I understand your thought process...I am a list person..to the 100th power!! That would be part of the OCD thing..

When it comes to drawing out my gardening ideas..there are many made, many... then when we actually get dirty, it still changes, but..it is great to have some sort of reference because there is NO-WAY I can remember what we all we are planting as it grows almost weekly..hahaha
I have read others using mice as a protein alternative for their chooks. I see nothing wrong with that..cool actually, but then I had a snake growing up so that may have some weight to the issue.
The peas sound like a great idea, but they are a lot of work to harvest in a large quantity like you are talking about!

Right now I am doing a little research into natural blends to help keep bugs and pets from house & yard..now the way we will be growing things helps with this too...integrated-partner planting..
..an example of natural pest deterrent in the house..*carpet/rug sprinkle: baking soda/ cinnamon/clove/lavender..it not only smells great, but the herbs and spices naturally repel various pests & it is perfectly SAFE for pets and kids!!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I finally got to take some pics last week. This is the brooder I put the hen and chicks into. Like how I repurposed that parking sign? As long as someone already painted the plywood I could be lazy and slap on a few hinges. This is a pic of the new coop I built late last fall, it's 24 ft wide and 12 ft deep. Shown next to the machine shed on the farm for scale. I'm counting on that shed protecting it from prevailing winds. Closer in, showing the "boardwalk" up to the front door. Love those free pallets. Front door. I've since put a better panel in the door window. The door is from an old children's playhouse, that is why the knob is unnaturally low. View from the side. 2 sides are solid and 2 are wire. The wire is covered with clear tarps for the winter. It lets enough light through for a sort of greenhouse effect. And a back view. The 3 panels on the top swing out (hinged at the top) for summer breezes. In the spring, I will be adding runs out the back, so each of the 6 smaller pens inside have a private, secure run. Finally, a view from just inside the front door. The midget white turkeys are the only birds you can really make out. There are 6 - 4x6 breeding pens in the back (left side of this photo), and 2 - 6x12 pens in the front, this one with the trio of turkeys and the one straight back with Rhodebars (11 hens and 2 roos). All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to re-use as much as I could, but still have several hundred dollars in it, but still pretty cheap for a 12x24 coop. Lot of 2x4's and wire.

That is an awesome job! Well done! You're close enough to me that I'm just going to show up one day and ask for a tour, ha! Excellent use of all the materials. My plywood was already painted for my coop too, mine says "Yard Sale". If ain't broke...

Glad your DH came up with the "barter" !! So happy for you getting a new kitchen, nothing better than that. I spend most of my days in it! Oh-you better have some pics to share!! ..I love before & afters!! These older kitchens..well, houses in general are a "might as well" in progress! You get into one thing & it turns into a whole other issue. Nothing is plumb either..gosh if there is a real "corner" in this house I sure would love to see it!! hahaha... I really liked your necklace!! Thought it was a cool gift . wowsers!!..so, you got the sheep?! Hello-glad to see ya! how-ya been? we get the "off-brand" all the time. Doesn't seem to hinder the end results. I am always reading labels..that's why it takes me/us hours to go shopping ..

Thanks, I'm very proud of my hubby, and will be posting pics when we are all done. I just got my "new" fridge from the scratch and dent section at Lowe's. Just having a fancy new fridge is such a treat! Especially when you get it for half off! Wing, keep us updated on the artichoke please, would love to see some pic when the time comes.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Heres a COOL chicken sign I saw on a trip in New York State


Biggest Rooster I every saw ..

that is awesome!!! could you imagine that in your backyard?!

I totally understand what you are thinking with the protein benefits...cost analysis may need done to see how feasible it is per pound. if you have access to a large pressure cooker you may consider offering butchering services for spent layers for a dollar a piece...put them through the plucker and straight into the cooker. Process for 90 minutes and then grind. Spread out about a half inch thick on cookie sheets, freeze and then break apart in crumbles. Throw a half pound or so a day into the run as scratch.
.

great idea!!

Maybe fish would be an idea? I'm hoping to add carp to the chickens' diet this year to increase protein. You don't know exactly what they're eating, but it's a "free" protein source.

never thought of that one..carp!

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

I like the over all idea, but I have no control over what those spent hen's ate.

oh, didn't think of that..

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Can not get rid of the wet chicken poop smell today, and it is not even from my birds...
All of the neighbors have been taking advantage of the frozen ground and spreading poop...

ahhhhhh, fresh Lancaster County air!! I do miss it ..sometimes..hahaha..never can used to the hog farm..that is not a nice smell at any time of year

I finally got to take some pics last week. This is the brooder I put the hen and chicks into.
Like how I repurposed that parking sign? As long as someone already painted the plywood I could be lazy and slap on a few hinges.


This is a pic of the new coop I built late last fall, it's 24 ft wide and 12 ft deep.
Shown next to the machine shed on the farm for scale. I'm counting on that shed protecting it from prevailing winds.

Closer in, showing the "boardwalk" up to the front door. Love those free pallets.


Front door. I've since put a better panel in the door window. The door is from an old children's playhouse, that is why the knob is unnaturally low.


View from the side. 2 sides are solid and 2 are wire. The wire is covered with clear tarps for the winter. It lets enough light through for a sort of greenhouse effect.


And a back view. The 3 panels on the top swing out (hinged at the top) for summer breezes.
In the spring, I will be adding runs out the back, so each of the 6 smaller pens inside have a private, secure run.


Finally, a view from just inside the front door. The midget white turkeys are the only birds you can really make out.
There are 6 - 4x6 breeding pens in the back (left side of this photo), and 2 - 6x12 pens in the front, this one with the trio of turkeys and the one straight back with Rhodebars (11 hens and 2 roos).

All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to re-use as much as I could, but still have several hundred dollars in it, but still pretty cheap for a 12x24 coop. Lot of 2x4's and wire.

wow..just..wow!

.. really like the pallet walkway! Nothing beats free!

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

They are doing much better since we added a heater in the pool. I thought that having the wood stove right next to the pool they would be warm enough but it wasn't enough. They need mid to upper 70's to be active and eat. They are starting to grow very nicely now. We have a couple that are about 8 inches. Not bad from the little fry when we got them

awesome..so you are actually doing this?! cool, just completely cool! How big of a pool are you using?..If I may..

 

[barbiegirl]

We have one of those little blow up with water pools 250 gallons 6 foot pools. http://www.amazon.com/INTEX-Easy-Inflatable-Swimming-54402E/dp/B00A9WXUPG

They were so tiny when we got them. They were smaller than our little rosy minnows. It was hard to tell which were the tilapia. Now they are growing very nicely. Hopefully by next year we will be eating some fresh fish. We want to try to breed the biggest this spring. I hope we have some males and females and they aren't all one sex. They were cheap when we bought them (think they were $2 a fry or $1.50) but it was a ride!

Next year we might try those huge freshwater prawns.

 

[barbiegirl]

This is a video of the giant prawns

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

We have one of those little blow up with water pools 250 gallons 6 foot pools. http://www.amazon.com/INTEX-Easy-Inflatable-Swimming-54402E/dp/B00A9WXUPG

They were so tiny when we got them. They were smaller than our little rosy minnows. It was hard to tell which were the tilapia. Now they are growing very nicely. Hopefully by next year we will be eating some fresh fish. We want to try to breed the biggest this spring. I hope we have some males and females and they aren't all one sex. They were cheap when we bought them (think they were $2 a fry or $1.50) but it was a ride!

Next year we might try those huge freshwater prawns.

wow..really cool, not too big, but big enough to grow/raise what you would need for the family. Do you have any issues with humidity?..i am always thinking about it in the basement & how it may affect the rest of the house...we use a dehumidifier, and I hang laundry in the basement..don't have an issue with smell or humidity.

This is a video of the giant prawns

omgosh..those things are nuts! They remind me of crayfish we used to catch as kids in all the streams...lots of fun! Are they actually shrimp? or are they crawfish?...