Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Sally Sunshine]

LMP... I have no idea, they do seem sweeter than the beets in red beet eggs..
I know nothing about them except they are good,,,,
are they red when harvested or do they get that from cooking
I assume they grow like a radish would, but just guessing.

can I harvest and can them for use all year long

 

[chiques chicks]

I can do that on a smaller scale.

did you have any trouble with bumblefoot?

I haven't, but I tried to make sure there were no sharp edges.

 

[Hounds51]

Anybody in the state sell turkey chicks?
Thinking about getting a couple for next Thanksgiving and Christmas

 

[chiques chicks]

Join the cropped, hounds! Seems there are a number of us looking. Are you looking for meat birds or heritage breed? I had heritage this year, but they were all toms. Seven months they were a good size for eating. Going to try again this year, just not with shipped eggs

 

[SilkieSensation]

 
need some guidance from the garden folks...

I buy a jar of bellvue sweet pickled beets every week,,,they are a little pricey for the size jar and the fact that I could eat the jar in one sitting....

figure I might as well try growing them any one have a brand or preference and instructions on how to can them up.

sweet-pickled beets? are these different than the "normal" pickled beet?...beets are so easy to grow!! 

 
For keeping our run dry.... we placed plank boards around the bottom of the pen (1" x 6"), then I got a couple ton of 'fine gravel' (it is limestone chips, 1/8" to 1/4" chips) and spread it about 2 or 3 inches thick through the whole run. The birds do sometimes dig down through it but it eventually fills back in.  It allows the rainwater to drain down through so the birds aren't in standing water or mud. It can be hosed off to rinse messes down through it and raked, if you use a light touch you can rake up straw or leaves from the top of it also. I plan to get another ton or so in the spring to increase the depth a bit since they have it pretty well packed in now.

that is a good idea...i think someone else had stone in their run too....sorry , I forget who ..looked like it would really work, then there would be no poop-scooping ,just hose it out if it gets too bad. Okay, so in the winter though, i bet the the "end-dirt" maybe gets a bit piled up?..maybe not i guess with the snow and rain washing it....huh..i..or WE have some re-thinking to do about the run w/ sand...maybe run w/ rock/stone is better...need to weigh options...thank you FL...

I had sand in my runs when I first started. Problem was, there was no drainage as my pens were sitting in a low area. They turned into a stinky, muddy, swampy mess! If you use dand make sure the center of your run is higher than everything around it. If drainage is not good it's a disaster. I may try pea gravel in my new runs that I have to start building tomorrow. Waterfowl have delicate webs so not sure the limestone would be smooth enough to keep from cutting them.

Join the cropped, hounds! Seems there are a number of us looking. Are you looking for meat birds or heritage breed? I had heritage this year, but they were all toms. Seven months they were a good size for eating. Going to try again this year, just not with shipped eggs

I have slates & palms & am on the order list for a local breeder who will have bbw.

Wing: The last time someone threatened by bator or tried to tell me I couldn't hatch they got shown the door & an explanation of how to use it. Since they didn't want it to hit them in the butt on the way out they decided to stop trying to tell me what to do. I'm just mean like that.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Here is my birds' new home.

Chickens & turkeys up top.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ducks & geese downstairs. We still have to build the runs & make an actual door for the bottom but at least everyone is out of the garage. I want to separate each level into 3-4 pens but obviously the roof will come before that. It's literally missing an entire half of the roof. The plan is to replace the roof & trusses this summer & put translucent corrugated fiberglass roofing on to allow light in. I also want to put in windows. The ducky door will be hardware cloth for the top 4-6 inches.

Please ignore the mess surrounding everything. That's only part of the literal trash we had to remove to make this thing usable. It was a mess & stilll needs work.

 

[LisaYolkUm]

Ducks & geese downstairs. We still have to build the runs & make an actual door for the bottom but at least everyone is out of the garage. I want to separate each level into 3-4 pens but obviously the roof will come before that. It's literally missing an entire half of the roof. The plan is to replace the roof & trusses this summer & put translucent corrugated fiberglass roofing on to allow light in. I also want to put in windows. The ducky door will be hardware cloth for the top 4-6 inches.

Please ignore the mess surrounding everything. That's only part of the literal trash we had to remove to make this thing usable. It was a mess & stilll needs work.

This looks like a HUGE amount of work.

Your dedication to your birds is impressive.......
with moving all your belongings and having to deal with all kinds of unusual weather challenges........selling and downsizing your flock and then re-establishing living quarters.......at holiday time......this just seems like a huge huge task.......

WHAT DO YOU EAT FOR BREAKFAST in order check of stuff on that TO DO LIST.........

I don't know you personally----------just reading your posts and wondering how anyone can do so much in such a short time...............

 

[Reyvaughn]

Anybody in the state sell turkey chicks?
Thinking about getting a couple for next Thanksgiving and Christmas

I will have BBBs and BBWs and I am going to breed Bourbon Red x Black Spanish this year. I won't be selling the meat bird chicks, but I will sell adult birds later on in the year.


I cleaned out, too. I had around 200 before fall. I have the trio of turkeys, pair of geese, 16 Ameraucanas, around 24 Mille Fleur bantam Cochins, 8 BC x MF bantam Cochins, 14-ish bantam Chocolate Orps, 17 black bantam Cochins, 6 BBS bantam Orps and now a brooder of about 20 chicks! I "wintered" with around 90 birds... Wintering being 2 months.

 

[fisherlady]

Here is my birds' new home.

Chickens & turkeys up top.

Should be a good structure for you once the work is done.... awesome that it is two storied to allow you a good goat area also, will be nice for you to have them both together to reduce carrying things all over at chore time!