Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[wingstone]

I am waterlogged...

Guess that is better than snow bound....

We made the decision to o ahead and plant a few artichoke in the spring and just see what happens..we are gonna try to get a few of the short season variety.

 

[dheltzel]

Awww yay!! But boy what a day for her to have them lol. It's cold cold cold windy and rain and snow. Hope the will be ok

Post some pics!!

Don't want to take the gloves off to work the camera

If the make it, I'll suggest to my niece that she give them wintry names like others here have done.

I rigged up a heated water dish filled with wet sand and put a chick waterer in there. It fits real nice, I just hope the momma doesn't knock it over or fill it with shavings, she acts all crazy whenever anyone comes by.

I love those heated water dishes on days like today (and weeks like the one coming up)!

 

[dheltzel]

Rainy days lke this are bad for me, my mind gets into to much...
I am not really looking for the occasional treat,..
Most of us here would like to be self sufficient, well I take that a step farther and would like my pets and livestock self sufficient.

Not sure I explained that right, again, just a thought.

wing, I have to think that mice will not be a cheap or efficient way to get protein. Plant proteins, like from legumes (beans and peas) will be much cheaper to produce. The people who raise rodents as feeders do it because their stock will not eat cheaper forms of protein.

Eggs are perhaps the cheapest animal-based protein, other than processing by-products. That is because layers are very efficient at converting cheap plant protein to expensive animal protein, at least compare to mammals. Fish are even more efficient, but the infrastructure cost is much higher than birds, unless you already have ponds.

 

[wingstone]

Can not get rid of the wet chicken poop smell today, and it is not even from my birds...
All of the neighbors have been taking advantage of the frozen ground and spreading poop...

 

[wingstone]

Rainy days lke this are bad for me, my mind gets into to much...

I am not really looking for the occasional treat,..

Most of us here would like to be self sufficient, well I take that a step farther and would like my pets and livestock self sufficient.


Not sure I explained that right, again, just a thought.

wing, I have to think that mice will not be a cheap or efficient way to get protein. Plant proteins, like from legumes (beans and peas) will be much cheaper to produce. The people who raise rodents as feeders do it because their stock will not eat cheaper forms of protein.

Eggs are perhaps the cheapest animal-based protein, other than processing by-products. That is because layers are very efficient at converting cheap plant protein to expensive animal protein, at least compare to mammals. Fish are even more efficient, but the infrastructure cost is much higher than birds, unless you already have ponds.

Don't forget to add the entertainment value of watching the birds with a treat....just kidding....

Still working on those fieldpea's...I do have the hubby o where he is asking questions...doesn't seem to be much of a local market though.. seed salesman think you are nuts when out ask them...

My birds must get plenty of extra protein right now since all of the muddy really dirty eggs get fed back.......spent my day cleaning and putting thick bedding in the nest boxes in anticipation of bad weather......they still me how my eggs n the muddiest spot.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I can really tell that the girls weren't feeling it today. Only got 4 eggs total. I had 8 yesterday. They don't like this nasty weather anymore than we do!

 

[dheltzel]

I finally got to take some pics last week. This is the brooder I put the hen and chicks into.
Like how I repurposed that parking sign? As long as someone already painted the plywood I could be lazy and slap on a few hinges.


This is a pic of the new coop I built late last fall, it's 24 ft wide and 12 ft deep.
Shown next to the machine shed on the farm for scale. I'm counting on that shed protecting it from prevailing winds.

Closer in, showing the "boardwalk" up to the front door. Love those free pallets.


Front door. I've since put a better panel in the door window. The door is from an old children's playhouse, that is why the knob is unnaturally low.


View from the side. 2 sides are solid and 2 are wire. The wire is covered with clear tarps for the winter. It lets enough light through for a sort of greenhouse effect.


And a back view. The 3 panels on the top swing out (hinged at the top) for summer breezes.
In the spring, I will be adding runs out the back, so each of the 6 smaller pens inside have a private, secure run.


Finally, a view from just inside the front door. The midget white turkeys are the only birds you can really make out.
There are 6 - 4x6 breeding pens in the back (left side of this photo), and 2 - 6x12 pens in the front, this one with the trio of turkeys and the one straight back with Rhodebars (11 hens and 2 roos).

All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to re-use as much as I could, but still have several hundred dollars in it, but still pretty cheap for a 12x24 coop. Lot of 2x4's and wire.

 

[wingstone]

Dheltzel. Great job, I lie the ramp idea, and that doorknob is just right...
We use the barn as wind break for the layers, so I get that idea.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I finally got to take some pics last week. This is the brooder I put the hen and chicks into. Like how I repurposed that parking sign? As long as someone already painted the plywood I could be lazy and slap on a few hinges. This is a pic of the new coop I built late last fall, it's 24 ft wide and 12 ft deep. Shown next to the machine shed on the farm for scale. I'm counting on that shed protecting it from prevailing winds. Closer in, showing the "boardwalk" up to the front door. Love those free pallets. Front door. I've since put a better panel in the door window. The door is from an old children's playhouse, that is why the knob is unnaturally low. View from the side. 2 sides are solid and 2 are wire. The wire is covered with clear tarps for the winter. It lets enough light through for a sort of greenhouse effect. And a back view. The 3 panels on the top swing out (hinged at the top) for summer breezes. In the spring, I will be adding runs out the back, so each of the 6 smaller pens inside have a private, secure run. Finally, a view from just inside the front door. The midget white turkeys are the only birds you can really make out. There are 6 - 4x6 breeding pens in the back (left side of this photo), and 2 - 6x12 pens in the front, this one with the trio of turkeys and the one straight back with Rhodebars (11 hens and 2 roos). All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to re-use as much as I could, but still have several hundred dollars in it, but still pretty cheap for a 12x24 coop. Lot of 2x4's and wire.

Amazing.

 

[barbiegirl]

Barbiegirl, update on the basement fish please.
Dheltzel, how about a trade on some guinea when you start hatching them...
Anne, It will be about 2 months before I have rabbit ready again..you may want to give CC a holler, ....and I am not sure of others, but I label mine as human grade pet consumption..

They are doing much better since we added a heater in the pool. I thought that having the wood stove right next to the pool they would be warm enough but it wasn't enough. They need mid to upper 70's to be active and eat. They are starting to grow very nicely now. We have a couple that are about 8 inches. Not bad from the little fry when we got them