Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Quote: Wow! That looks amazing! Mine will be probably, a bit more rustic.

We'll see how that goes. I'm so excited to have space in the basement also to start seeds. I looked it up and saw that you can start seeds under LED bulbs. I found a shop light at Costco for $20 before the holidays. I may go back today and see if they have another.

Quote:
Also an excellent idea!

Your backyard.

I LOLed at that.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Wow!  That looks amazing! Mine will be probably, a bit more rustic.    We'll see how that goes.  I'm so excited to have space in the basement also to start seeds.  I looked it up and saw that you can start seeds under LED bulbs.  I found a shop light at Costco for $20 before the holidays.  I may go back today and see if they have another.


Also an excellent idea! 
I LOLed at that. 

You CAN start seeds under LEDs but they must be a certain type designed for plants. Walmart has cheap, florescent lights that would work well for seed starting.

 

[kie4]

Kie4:

There's a few feed suppliers around us....

Tobin's RT 352 1/2 way between Malvern and Media....same prices as pickering feed.....
Pickering Feed on RT 113....
AGway right off RT 202....(near the intersection of Fern hill RD, or Matlack ST???)
TSC Parkesberg Right at the end of RT 30 Bypass) ....my goto.....

Blarney uses a feed mill somewhere west of West Chester.....

Thanks for the tips @stake , I really like the TSC in Parkesberg. It's just a little bit further away than the Pottstown one.
I'll be checking out Tobin's and the West Chester Agway because they look quite close to us.

 

[dheltzel]

I'm so excited to have space in the basement also to start seeds. I looked it up and saw that you can start seeds under LED bulbs. I found a shop light at Costco for $20 before the holidays. I may go back today and see if they have another.

My "go to" for starting seeds indoors are the cheap 4 ft flourescent fixtures with Cool White bulbs. Be sure to put them on a timer. Harbor Freight has a digital timer I really like for coops and it would be perfect for lighting seedlings as well. Digital ones have a battery and don't lose their current time if they get unplugged or power gets lost. Definitely worth the extra buck or 2.

The biggest mistake people make when starting seeds indoors in starting them too soon and the seedlings get tall and leggy from insufficient light intensity. Once the weather warms a bit and you can get them outside on warm days (bring inside at night) then they grow much better. It is far better to have a small, but vigorous plant than a tall and leggy one. Tomatoes are most forgiving in this regard, but still a pain to deal with a leggy tomato.

This year I might try sweet potatoes. Sandhill Preservation has a lot of heirloom varieties and gives good info on growing them. It sounds far easier than I expected, and you can plant them late and get a better crop for it,

 

[stake]

You CAN start seeds under LEDs but they must be a certain type designed for plants. Walmart has cheap, florescent lights that would work well for seed starting.

For my two cents, you can research the light band width and match a 'warm temp' light with a 'cool temo' light to get the bandwidth of light needed to grow....the measure is in kelvin.....my two cents.....

 

[rachelsflock]

Hi from a Detroiter visiting Breinigsville! I was missing my chickens, khaki ducks, and chocolate muscovies and the Michigan thread was very quiet, so I figured I'd pop over here and see what people are up to in the neck of the woods I'm currently stuck in. I might come and hang out on this thread more often as my family comes down to visit the in-laws two or three times a year. I also popped by Craigslist to see what people are breeding and selling around here. Wow, it was refreshing. Not an extra Greenfire Marans or Legbar cockerel in sight-a pretty stark reminder that the rural area around Detroit is gentleman farmsville (not that there's anything wrong with cream crested legbars, silkies, or marans). Wish I had extra room in the car for a tested nigerian doeling goat or two. Prices are up the wall expensive back home, and decorative breeds/lines reign supreme unless you head up north.

Regardless, it's really nice to read the chicken chit-chat. I miss my birdies, especially with all the work I did with the birds to get ready for this week-long vacation away from them-coop work, shoveling, finishing wormings, a massive drake cull all by myself (I did five in one day and I'm very proud of it-new plucking record for me), stockpiling feed for the sitter...Oh man I miss my birds.

This year I gave up marans because I got sick of hatching mystery dark eggs and untameable hens, pullets, and cockerels and got this cute little guy. This is him (blinking, sorry) about three months ago before the weather turned cold, hanging out with the duckies before he got bigger and "rose to power" in the coop. I recently aquired a 18 month old red, black and a couple of lavender orpington hens, so it looks like this is going to be the year of the orpingtons/english orpington crosses. They're already a lot more friendly than my crabby marans hens that would bite me when I'd go and mess with the birds in the dark (meanies). We'll see.

Wow, looking at this picture makes me realize just how much Mr. As-of-yet-nameless-cockerel has grown. He's a huge orange striped puffball now, which I admit, looks funny when he tries to act all roostery and all-not usually what I go for in a cockerel. At least he's mild-mannered and good with kids, and he's growing on me, I admit.



Anyway, hi out there! Here are some pictures of things on our wooded, almost urban acre.






And here's the chair that between the toddler cryptonians and the poultry/waterfowl I never get time to sit in. Not that I'd want to sit still that long.


HURRY UP SPRING SO I CAN SIT STILL EVEN LESS!!!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

 

[BullChick]

Hi from a Detroiter visiting Breinigsville! I was missing my chickens, khaki ducks, and chocolate muscovies and the Michigan thread was very quiet, so I figured I'd pop over here and see what people are up to in the neck of the woods I'm currently stuck in. I might come and hang out on this thread more often as my family comes down to visit the in-laws two or three times a year. I also popped by Craigslist to see what people are breeding and selling around here. Wow, it was refreshing. Not an extra Greenfire Marans or Legbar cockerel in sight-a pretty stark reminder that the rural area around Detroit is gentleman farmsville (not that there's anything wrong with cream crested legbars, silkies, or marans). Wish I had extra room in the car for a tested nigerian doeling goat or two. Prices are up the wall expensive back home, and decorative breeds/lines reign supreme unless you head up north. Regardless, it's really nice to read the chicken chit-chat. I miss my birdies, especially with all the work I did with the birds to get ready for this week-long vacation away from them-coop work, shoveling, finishing wormings, a massive drake cull all by myself (I did five in one day and I'm very proud of it-new plucking record for me), stockpiling feed for the sitter...Oh man I miss my birds. This year I gave up marans because I got sick of hatching mystery dark eggs and untameable hens, pullets, and cockerels and got this cute little guy. This is him (blinking, sorry) about three months ago before the weather turned cold, hanging out with the duckies before he got bigger and "rose to power" in the coop. I recently aquired a 18 month old red, black and a couple of lavender orpington hens, so it looks like this is going to be the year of the orpingtons/english orpington crosses. They're already a lot more friendly than my crabby marans hens that would bite me when I'd go and mess with the birds in the dark (meanies). We'll see. Wow, looking at this picture makes me realize just how much Mr. As-of-yet-nameless-cockerel has grown. He's a huge orange striped puffball now, which I admit, looks funny when he tries to act all roostery and all-not usually what I go for in a cockerel. At least he's mild-mannered and good with kids, and he's growing on me, I admit. Anyway, hi out there! Here are some pictures of things on our wooded, almost urban acre. And here's the chair that between the toddler cryptonians and the poultry/waterfowl I never get time to sit in. Not that I'd want to sit still that long. HURRY UP SPRING SO I CAN SIT STILL EVEN LESS!!!

Greetings!

 

[fisherlady]

Hi from a Detroiter visiting Breinigsville! I was missing my chickens, khaki ducks, and chocolate muscovies and the Michigan thread was very quiet, so I figured I'd pop over here and see what people are up to in the neck of the woods I'm currently stuck in. I might come and hang out on this thread more often as my family comes down to visit the in-laws two or three times a year. I also popped by Craigslist to see what people are breeding and selling around here. Wow, it was refreshing. Not an extra Greenfire Marans or Legbar cockerel in sight-a pretty stark reminder that the rural area around Detroit is gentleman farmsville (not that there's anything wrong with cream crested legbars, silkies, or marans). Wish I had extra room in the car for a tested nigerian doeling goat or two. Prices are up the wall expensive back home, and decorative breeds/lines reign supreme unless you head up north. Regardless, it's really nice to read the chicken chit-chat. I miss my birdies, especially with all the work I did with the birds to get ready for this week-long vacation away from them-coop work, shoveling, finishing wormings, a massive drake cull all by myself (I did five in one day and I'm very proud of it-new plucking record for me), stockpiling feed for the sitter...Oh man I miss my birds. This year I gave up marans because I got sick of hatching mystery dark eggs and untameable hens, pullets, and cockerels and got this cute little guy. This is him (blinking, sorry) about three months ago before the weather turned cold, hanging out with the duckies before he got bigger and "rose to power" in the coop. I recently aquired a 18 month old red, black and a couple of lavender orpington hens, so it looks like this is going to be the year of the orpingtons/english orpington crosses. They're already a lot more friendly than my crabby marans hens that would bite me when I'd go and mess with the birds in the dark (meanies). We'll see. Wow, looking at this picture makes me realize just how much Mr. As-of-yet-nameless-cockerel has grown. He's a huge orange striped puffball now, which I admit, looks funny when he tries to act all roostery and all-not usually what I go for in a cockerel. At least he's mild-mannered and good with kids, and he's growing on me, I admit. Anyway, hi out there! Here are some pictures of things on our wooded, almost urban acre. And here's the chair that between the toddler cryptonians and the poultry/waterfowl I never get time to sit in. Not that I'd want to sit still that long. HURRY UP SPRING SO I CAN SIT STILL EVEN LESS!!!

Hello and welcome! Always room here for another chicken person! We can all sympathize with your recent flurry of activity and especially the missing of the birds part...