Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[BullChick]

New house, new animals. Makes sense to me!

 

[chxmama]

That's why I started a fodder system! I have oats germinating right now and once I put those ones in a pan to start growing I am throwing in some more oats to start soaking/ germinating you have to let them soak for 12 or more hours. I have 2 hours yet to go.

Explain the fodder system to me. Are you talking about feeding fermented or sprouted grains?

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Surviving the winter is less about keeping warm than about drying out or getting eaten. Soils tend to saturate around here in winter, until the soil freezes, that is a good thing, but once frozen, the plant can't pull water up from the frozen soil and roots, so a windy day will pull water from the leaves, with no replenishment from the roots, giving a freezer burn type effect.

To maximize survival:
1. don't mulch or do anything until the soil freezes deep. Some winters this barely happens at all. If you can push a spade into the soil, it's not frozen yet. A little frozen crust does not count. This prevents rodents from choosing your garden as an overwintering spot, by the time is freezes deep, they have dug in somewhere else and are unlikely to relocate.
2. when the ground is frozen, take steps to reduce the wind and sun on the leaves. Mulch that is light and airy is good, like tree leaves or straw. Windbreaks of some sort are also good.You can cover the leaves of the plants since they are dormant now, buy avoid crushing them.
3. as soon as the ground starts to thaw, remove the covering. Don't wait to see growth, the warm sun will start the plants growing quite early. Don't worry about frosts, these are tough plants and even the new growth is pretty freeze tolerant. If you hear of a hard freeze coming. hargest heavily to prevent the food from getting damaged and the plant will regrow after the cold spell.

Besides rats and mice, deer, squirrels and rabbits can all be a problem in the winter, and groundhogs in early spring.

I overwintered spinach one year and the amount it produced in the spring, starting about the beginning of March was amazing to us.

This is awesome, thank you so much! I didn't realize about the specific mulching and i needed reminded that plants need water throughout the winter...it is a very easy fact to forget!...I have lost large canes on my climbing rose because of this "wind burn"...will try to remember ! Thank you again for taking the time!

We got our first eggs today! You would think we won the lottery based on all the celebrating going on.

well you did!!

..it is a celebration!..Hello & welcome

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

LMP you said you don't have a rooster YET. Want a Marans? Either Zippy or Dupli or both have to go.

Thank you for thinking of me

...I do want a rooster at some point, but right now we are in the middle of helping the township and it's residents..us...to work out a new ordnance(s) to allow animals in residential zoned areas....i think once this all gets smoothed out & on paper, officially..then, I will be looking for a new guy for the girls! Thank you again, sorry I can't help out in that area..

Yes, LMP. You need a Marans to go with your girls!

you just keep going..

...gotta love ya though! ..yes, eventually I will have a guy for the girls. It would be nice to have a marans...would LOVE to try to make more "chickadees"...I don't know how Chad did it,but he made an AWESOME bird!!! Would really like to ask him some questions about it, for sure!

Unless the Muscovy male has enough females (5-6) he will most likely bother your chickens. It won't be just the hens that he'll pick on, he'll try to breed anything fowl. ..and yes if he doesn't kill the chickens he will damage their backs because of the claws that he possesses.

1 year old Chihuahua female. She loves to be out in the pasture with the goats and chickens. This wood pile just happens to be in the pasture and as she was playing around on it I snapped a couple photos.

omgosh, so cute!!!

I saw this today at AC Moore and just had to share it with you all!

did ya get one for yourself???

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

all that talk about canning wore me out, time for a nap--

hahaha...tell me about it

...

The way I make sauerkraut is to shred your cabbage. Then stuff it in a quart jar..... and stuff stuff stuff. Let a small space at top of Jar (only fill to right under the ring) Push it down in. Use a wooden spoon to Push down through the middle making a'tunnel'. Put one tsp of salt in middle. Pour boiling water over till cabbage is covered. Wash rim of jar and immediately put on your flat and ring. Screw it on really tight. Will be ready to eat in a couple weeks. No waterbathing involved. Most people really like it. Gotten lots of compliments. And its easy. The lid will actually get tight from the fermenting process but will bulge up rather than down. And you want lids tight because if not the air can get in and they will eventually spoil. To make it ferment faster you let the lid a bit loose for a couple days but I forget how long as I've never done it that way.

Thank you for the info.!!
okay, you actually cover yours... most of what I have read is to cover just to help keep debris out, letting air flow...that is why it always has to stay under/covered by the liquid....
Have you ever had a lid come off??, I guess that would be incredible if it did... only dumb question is one not asked...

Could I use a quart jar for a tester?..

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

gm all:

Here's a new one.....was out working on my second pen and put my coffee on the picnic table....well, one of the roosters was drinking my cold coffee.....

..here's you go Stake

...used to be my old avatar...

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Lol, wanted agood pic before we shooed her away. Didn't matter anyway though cause she comes right back. Not worried b/c I know the girls are safe, only it scares them like crazy and they make quite a racket. It is seeming to affect egg production too so any tips to get her to stay away would be welcome.

Sounds like fun on the horizon. Do love the blue and black maran we got from you tho. The black has a fantastic temperament (blue is more skiddish) and both lay gorgeous eggs.

when my girls are molting, I up their protein..it seems to help mine fill-in faster and get back to egg laying. when they go through that, it does make them feel bad. Poor Ginger girl, when she molts she looks like she got jumped into a gang...lost look on her face and everything. Doesn't want to be bothered, stays in the coop. I will even crack a can of tuna for them. A lot of times we will have a bit of meat bird food around, mixing that in with their layer feed works well too. Hope some of this helps.

 

[stake]

Lol, wanted agood pic before we shooed her away. Didn't matter anyway though cause she comes right back. Not worried b/c I know the girls are safe, only it scares them like crazy and they make quite a racket. It is seeming to affect egg production too so any tips to get her to stay away would be welcome.

Sounds like fun on the horizon. Do love the blue and black maran we got from you tho. The black has a fantastic temperament (blue is more skiddish) and both lay gorgeous eggs.

chx:

Here's some things you can try...(imho, they really don't work that well.....)

1. hang some CDs with fishing line to blow in the wind....the movement will distract/frustrate the hawk...
2. string some fishing line around/across your pen....hawks can see is and won't want to fly through it...
3. I've noticed that some of the smaller hawks are not sensitive to humans...and are hard to convince to leave...all hawks have been sensitive to my pooch....
4. buy a sling shot (about $10) you'll never hit the hawk, but you can intimidate them...

 

[BullChick]

..here's you go Stake ...used to be my old avatar...

And I miss him!

 

[dheltzel]

So, before the winter? I have to move slow so my husband doesn't freak out. I need time for him to warm up to the idea.

You could bring him over to the farm to meet Pilgrim and the girls.

Yeah, I would like to trim the flock size down before everyone has to move into more substantial structures for the winter.