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Most of my To Do list items are for Spring... It's going to be crazy around here, so Spring better hurry up and get here!

Clean out seed starting shelf and bring inside
Start seeds for garden
Build new garden beds on south side of house
Expand chicken run with proper fencing
Put together makeshift brooder for meaties
Build new hoop tractor for meat birds
Set rabbits up under porch
Build new grow out pen for rabbits
Build worm bin under rabbit pens
Figure out automatic waterer for rabbits
Use old washing machine to make a whiz bang type plucker

Deadlines to be met... Garden obviously needs to be started on time
Plant out in new garden beds in early May
Meat birds plus longer term meaty breeders are coming March 16
Rabbits are being bred March 9, if all goes well new kits after Easter
First set of meat birds will be processed in May

Also, the baby desperately needs new cloth diapers sewn. It was so much easier to get things done last summer when she was still in my belly... Now she wants me to hold her all day and I can't even keep up with basic housework. I need some sun and warm weather so she can sit outside watching her big sisters play while I build.
 
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Haha! I have about 300 acres but the 30 acres that surround my backyard and houses (Me and my uncle share it and our family has owned the property for 200 years and every generation/family built a house on the property. There are 7 houses on the property) But the 30 acres that surround the houses and stuff are all outlined by lilacs.... Sounds like you would die of sneezing! I find it funny that I have 30 acres lined with lilacs but very rarely see butterflys but lilacs are supposed to attract butterflies like crazy.
 
emorems0 said:
I actually *just* ordered from Murray McMurray... between the Delaware, dark Cornish, and Cornish roasters I was able to make the shipping min. EeK! 25 chicks coming the week of March 16 and we are going to be out of town Easter weekend (April 2-6). Am I crazy? They'll barely be 3 weeks old... Well have them in the garage with a heat lamp but I'm not sure what we'll do when we're gone. Our neighbor will be feeding the grown chickens and rabbits (who will be outside) while we're gone, will it be too early to move the chicks outside? I'm guessing yes, especially for the slower growing dark Cornish and Delaware... will 25 3-week old chicks all still fit in our baby pool brooder in the garage? We didn't move our layers outside until they were 5 or 6 weeks old and it was August.

Also, since I know there are some rabbit owners here... we kept ours in the garage this winter since their outside area wasn't set up yet. It's not heated, but it is part of the basement and doesn't get down to freezing. Will it be too much of  a shock to move them outside on March 16 (to make room for the chicks)? They are in wire cages, not a hutch, but will be up against  the side of the house/under the porch and I can put straw in the cages and add a windbreak around porch posts if needed. The doe will hopefully be pregnant if that makes a difference
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I'm just going to add a few questions to this... Anyone have any favorite tractor set ups for meaties? Something easy to move that has cover for rain and sun, and is relatively inexpensive? Is 5ft x 10ft big enough for 25 birds if I am moving it every day?
 
I'm feeling very emotional right now. 7 of my girls are moving on to a new home today. I need to make room for the babies in the brooder and these girls don't fit into my breeding plans. I'm still going to miss them all. 5 are the girls from my hatch in September and the other two are SLWs. I really wanted to see the girls first eggs but it didn't work out that way.
 
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That only allows 2ft per bird which is the minimum. I keep my meaties in a 13 by 18 by 2 wooden frame tractor. The back part has a metal roof. I move them to different fields during the day and let them free range in that field.... I do get some meat bird laying bird mixes because my uncles chickens free range so they mix breed. I keep around 75 to 100 birds meat birds each year. I keep red ranger broilers from mcmurray so they can still move and be happy up until that last day....
 
troyer said:
Any one want this 2 year old backyard quality silver duckwing/wheaten Cubalaya cock. He is very mild mannered and has never offered to be mean in any way. He is not a cuddlebug as he has not been handled a lot. He weighs 6 1/2 pounds. He is not show quality.
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T:

What's not 'show' quality... his tail seems a bit low but that may be the pic....always curious of what us bush league folks are seeing???
 
LadyBehir said:
2015 goals/plans: Maybe do a pen of meat birds. I have an aversion to the idea of the standard CX ones, it just seems so wrong. But what breed could I do in my small yard? Yard itself is fenced (which needs repaired and is on the to-do list) but I don't think they'd really free range well. Ideas?

Fix fence

Raised veg beds

fix ornamental pond rocks

redo path stones so I have a real sitting area next to the coop for chick tv.

plant 2 cherry trees

un-stump yard

plant lots and lots of veggies.

learn to can

get at least 3 cords of wood in, would prefer 4 or 5.

finish fixing up small bedroom/office. It's been torn up for 2 years now.
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My list is slightly different...2 cherry trees....pic a good fertile spot....more than other fruits, it is my understanding the quality of the cherrries is directly tied to the ground fertiilty...
lots of veggies only two weeks to peas...

I do 5-6 cords of wood...fortunatly, a neighbor had two trees taken down and cut up....soon as the snow clears.....
 

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