Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[OneMountainAcres]

I have stupid chickens. They still sleep in a cuddle puddle under the coop. Seriously, if they like it there, is there any reason to make them go inside? Maybe for winter?

mine used to insist on roosting in their run every night just outside the pop door lol. I had to put them in the coop every night and I'd say "bedtime"as I did it. It took a good week or so of doing it every night until they caught on and started doing it on their own. Now if they're all in the run for the evening, and it's getting close to time for them to go in, I can go in and say bedtime to them and they'll start heading in on their own I'd say just start putting them in at night. As someone once told me, they're creatures of habit. I'd be afraid they just wouldn't go in and would freeze.

 

[sharron]

danielle, thought about you yesterday or the day before, anyway, mother earth news sent me recipes for apples, and one was the slow cooker apple butter and another, slow cooker apple sauce.
i don't know how to send a link

or i would but maybe you can get it from going on the internet for mother earth news.

 

[stake]

I have stupid chickens. They still sleep in a cuddle puddle under the coop. Seriously, if they like it there, is there any reason to make them go inside? Maybe for winter?

LB:

Throw a trail of scratch in the coop and get them used to going inside....my original crew did this too....took them a week to learn how to roost...and took them a year to figure out that hanging out under the coop on rainy days was a good spot to stay dry....

Had a interesting thing happen last night...GLW girl from coop#1 decided to roost in coop#2 and CCL girl from coop#2 went to coop#1 to roost....and just to keep me on my toes, one of the ccl girls has been laying eggs under coop#1....(found them while cleaning out the leaves)...go figure

 

[stake]

I know! Right? That is some amazing coop building. I sure will give you a holler, Stake. Thank you.


I seem to have lost my blue crayon.

B:

It was a small coop...(48"x42")...and that didn't include painting and trim....I think Troyer built a similar coop from a pallet crate in a day too....if memory serves, he posted pics of the construction....

 

[wingstone]

Anne and any others that would like chicken in December, I need a count of how many out would like. Over half are sold all ready...I need a bigger space for meat birds.
I also have a few small turkey left, expecting them to be in the 9 to 10 pound range at 2.50 a pound.

 

[chiques chicks]

Sometimes I'm amazed at how little out takes to make a good meat. I had some chicken wings left from the weekend and the the in a pot and cooked them off. Took the little meat that was there and shredded it into the stock, added some old corn that was in the freezer, some onion and celery, made rivels from some flour and a couple eggs, threw in a chopped had boiled egg, seasonings, and before I knew it, three quarts of soup from a couple chicken wings!

I didn't have any onions left from this year, so the onions, celery and flour were from the store, I must have spent a dollar on the whole pot!

 

[hendricks115]

Theory is they will put their egg mass higher than deepest snow accumulation. Therefore higher of the ground means more snow.

Like everything else, just an old time idea. May or may not be accurate. I'm much better at smelling rain and such than I am at winter predictions.

We had a ton of mantis around this year and we've found egg masses at the top of our yews that are all around our front porch and house.

One of the things I've noticed which makes me a little worried about the winter is the number of acorns and the squirrel activity. I've also noticed our 2 older turkey hens are plumping up and our cat is also gaining weight too and she's not pregnant! Lots of wooly bear caterpillars up here too.

 

[chiques chicks]

One sure sign we will get no snow- I bought a new snow shovel! I can go insure it by making sure my snowblower starts easily before the cold weather sets in! And buy tie chains for the car.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

What kinds of herbs do you hang in the coop? And what kind of chicken is that in the center-foreground of your pictures? She is beautiful!

I really need to start ripping my garden down. We raked a bunch of leaves today and filled up the run since it was so nice out, but I probably should get to ripping up my garden too. I don't do much outside when it's cold and last year I didn't rip out my old garden until Spring, lol. It looked so bad all winter! I gave the chickens a little pie pumpkin that got bit up or frost damaged or something, they loved it. I've given them a bunch of pumpkin over the last few weeks, that acts as a natural de-wormer, right? So I shouldn't need to do any worm meds or anything this season, correct?

I am hanging what I haven't cut all for myself right now..hahha, I have some nice sized plants so there is enough for all of us

...Thyme, Lavender, oregano..basil is gone now- frost took it out & they are NOT getting what i am growing in the house..hahaha

The bird(Cordon) is a BLRW-Blue Laced Red Wyandotte..she is the best looking one right now..hahaha, everyone else is molting pretty good/bad..whatever..
I have 2 Blue laced, 2 Black laced Wyandottes , 2 BCM's- black cooper Marans, & 1 Splash Marans...7 Birds all together...as of now

yes pumpkin is a helpful-natural de-wormer & so is garlic..i think when people are doing the "natural" thing..they are giving it to them on a more regular basis..to keep it in their systems...especially the garlic...help me if i am mistaken please.

You should still keep a good eye on them, ..their droppings, if this is what your doing for them. They can get anything at anytime...as you already know...i think that is why when the natural stuff is used, it is on a continual basis...worming without findings is a personal decision, it doesn't have to be done, some do & some don't...just throwing that out there....

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

danielle, thought about you yesterday or the day before, anyway, mother earth news sent me recipes for apples, and one was the slow cooker apple butter and another, slow cooker apple sauce.
i don't know how to send a link

or i would but maybe you can get it from going on the internet for mother earth news.

oh..thank you so much for thinking of me Sharron!!

..I do believe that i have been to that site before..almost positive..hahaha will have to give it a look-see...i am not too sure right now which recipe i am going to use, this may help me make up my mind

!

Sometimes I'm amazed at how little out takes to make a good meat. I had some chicken wings left from the weekend and the the in a pot and cooked them off. Took the little meat that was there and shredded it into the stock, added some old corn that was in the freezer, some onion and celery, made rivels from some flour and a couple eggs, threw in a chopped had boiled egg, seasonings, and before I knew it, three quarts of soup from a couple chicken wings!

I didn't have any onions left from this year, so the onions, celery and flour were from the store, I must have spent a dollar on the whole pot!

One sure sign we will get no snow- I bought a new snow shovel! I can go insure it by making sure my snowblower starts easily before the cold weather sets in! And buy tie chains for the car.

well then get going !!!

....

We had a ton of mantis around this year and we've found egg masses at the top of our yews that are all around our front porch and house.

One of the things I've noticed which makes me a little worried about the winter is the number of acorns and the squirrel activity. I've also noticed our 2 older turkey hens are plumping up and our cat is also gaining weight too and she's not pregnant! Lots of wooly bear caterpillars up here too.

same here with the mantis...have had a few woolly-bear cats too..they are biggins', they have an even color of brown to black..last year had a lot of all blacks & all whites!!...

We have a bunch of little red-squirrels here..they are mean-spirited things..always pickin' on anything in their territory!...even when we are messing with the birds they are hollering at us & throwing pine cones...yeah..have to watch you don't get clunked in the head..