Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Amirah]

I currently live in SF, but may be relocating to PA for grad school! Anyone close by the Wilkes-Barre area?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I'm cooking the first bird that I actully raised and butchered tomorrow. Making chicken noodle soup lol. Question though for those who make bone broth. I attempted it the other day and I left it go in the crock pot on low for 3 days because for some reason, I thought that was how long you were supposed to let it go. I didn't add anything to it, just chicken bones. Do you think it's ok to add to my soup or did I overdo it? I don't want to mess up my first.

On another note, the dogs thoroughly enjoyed the soft bones lol.

 

[Amirah]

If the heat was on consistently, and the temperature was over 212 degrees at some point it should be sterile enough to not have gone bad. three days does sound like a long time! haha I would trust my nose on this one.

In some cultures, people cook bones for 24-48 hrs to make bone broth for therapeutic purposes. So you haven't deviated too far!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

breakfast anytime..anywhere is always a winner!!
Yeah..not so much a "dust" bath..more like a "damp-soil" shower... ..mine do the same thing...yucky...
Good luck with your renovations!! They are a bit inconvenient anytime.
awesome!!

Thanks! It is a minor inconvenience, but when I think of what other people in the world go through everyday, it doesn't bother me a bit! We are so very lucky to be in this country.

Yay!

Tonight I got startled when taking care of my girls. Went down after the sun went down to lock up my girls and gather up any eggs from the boxes. As I am walking in the dark down the hill I see a light parallel to my septic mound, looked like it was a few feet from my mound, that would be on my property. I think someone was spot lighting back there. I shined my flash light (almost dead) and the light turned off really quickly. I was scared, didn't know what to do, Did my rounds and grabbed my cat and ran up the hill to my house. Told my hubby and tomorrow he will be going out with me!

That is creepy. I'm glad you have a big strong man to escort you tomorrow.

Technically mountain lions do not exist along the east coast..... I think its a bunch of b.s

I have heard from two different people,that they saw and reported "Cougars" (mountain lions) to the game comissioner, only to have the GC say they don't exist. In the first incident, the farmer shot and buried the animal after it showed up on his property a second time. I suspect they are tagging and trying to protect them.

By the way, we just ordered a DVD documentary called "Blue", kind of an answer to the "green" movement. Looks interesting. I don't want to start any fights, but the website is www.bluebeatsgreen.com

 

[wingstone]

I'm cooking the first bird that I actully raised and butchered tomorrow. Making chicken noodle soup lol. Question though for those who make bone broth. I attempted it the other day and I left it go in the crock pot on low for 3 days because for some reason, I thought that was how long you were supposed to let it go. I didn't add anything to it, just chicken bones. Do you think it's ok to add to my soup or did I overdo it? I don't want to mess up my first.

On another note, the dogs thoroughly enjoyed the soft bones lol.

I often cook broth for days, a long as the heat was on the who,e time, it will be fine.

 

[SilkieSensation]

[COLOR=0000FF]The welded wire worked great and is holding up. In hindsight, we would not have used it for the roof of the run. We've learned how important it is to keep a dry run, you can't really tell in the pictures, but 1/4 of the run is covered in PVC? roofing sheets. We also had an owl reach through the welded wire along the roof line and severely injure a leghorn that was roosting on a joist. The bottom 2 feet of the run has additional covering to keep out raccoon paws. Another hard lesson to learn.[/COLOR]

 

My intent was for those runs to only be used in fair weather and that the birds would stay inside when it got nasty. That works great for the chickens, but the turkeys, guineas and peas don't seem bothered by the rain, even when it's really cold rain, they stand out in the run all day. Last winter they figured it out when it got really, really cold, but not before we lost a pea and a turkey due to exposure. In the end, I had to remove all roosting places from the run and put a night light inside the coop. They sure were happy last spring when I put the outdoor roosts back up. Peas and turkeys are truly outdoor birds, we keep some chickens in coops with no runs, but I don't think that's a good idea for the other birds.

I wonder how ducks and geese react to super cold weather. Are they smart about coming inside like chickens, or do they sit out like the turkeys? I'm guessing being waterfowl they are even less bothered by rain and snow.

My ducks are pretty stupid when it comes to snow & ice, especially the young birds. I had 4 young birds in with my older flock when the first snow (over 7 inches) hit this year. I lost all 4 in 3 days because they sat too long in 1 spot, metled the snow with their body heat & then froze to the ground. My older birds seem to understand that they need to keep moving around to prevent this but still stay out in the snow an awful lot.

What should I make for dinner tonight? This is my kitchen today....

I'm making eggs and toast and sausage on my electric skillet in the living room, I think.

To keep things chicken related, my girls were dust bathing today in the garden, which was quite moist still. Yeesh, you'd think they'd be so cold!

Ummm, yup, that looks familiar. All my kitchen has so far is 3 outlets, fridge, folding table with electric roaster pan, hot plate, toaster oven, toaster & can opener on it, a set of plastic drawers under the table, boxes of dishes under the table, and the pressure tank for the water in the corner with a hose & 5 gal bucket for a sink. Bathroom is pretty similar: 1 outlet, porta potty in the corner, shelf to hold towels & tp, and a small seashell shaped kiddie pool for baths. We just make do with what we have...lol

Yes, eventually I'll have sinks, shower stall & a real toilet...but money doesn't grow on trees so ya do what ya gotta do in the meantime.

 

[SilkieSensation]

None of my birds are currently laying. Some are just finishing up molt, so that may be the majority of the issue but I want to try to get ivermectin on everyone asap as well just to make sure.

I am looking for hatching eggs. I can trade homemade soap & bath salts for them if anyone is interested.

I'm interested in just about any chicken breed as I have a mixed flock of layers. Cold hardy breeds are preferred. Peacombs are a plus. I also raise polish & silkies, so would love to add some new blood there. Open to ducks (especially call, ancona, muscovy & pekin), turkeys (any heritage), coturnix quail of any color & guineas.

Just pm me if interested in a swap.

 

[barbiegirl]

I currently live in SF, but may be relocating to PA for grad school! Anyone close by the Wilkes-Barre area?

I am about 1 hour away. That is close in Pennsylvania terms lol. I am in the Pocono Mountains

 

[18angovem]

Well the game commission says that both sub species of mountain lion are extinct on the west coast and all the ones that are found are lost pets or escapies from a wildlife place. I dont think this is true AT ALL. Unless like a million people spend thousands up thousands to get a pet cougar and get the permits and facilities and then just "lose" them. Does not sound possible to me. They also told us that fishers dont exist in my area (fishers are a large breed of weasel about the size of a large cat) when my uncle (also my neighbor) trapped 1 and I saw one running away with one of my ducks in its mouth and had two ducks killed that were killed the exact way fishers kill their prey.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I often cook broth for days, a long as the heat was on the who,e time, it will be fine.

Wing, can you use egg cartons? I have a few available.

Well the game commission says that both sub species of mountain lion are extinct on the west coast and all the ones that are found are lost pets or escapies from a wildlife place. I dont think this is true AT ALL. Unless like a million people spend thousands up thousands to get a pet cougar and get the permits and facilities and then just "lose" them. Does not sound possible to me. They also told us that fishers dont exist in my area (fishers are a large breed of weasel about the size of a large cat) when my uncle (also my neighbor) trapped 1 and I saw one running away with one of my ducks in its mouth and had two ducks killed that were killed the exact way fishers kill their prey.

Sounds about right.