Raise your own meat.

[Bitterroot]

lol no problem. well before you clear too many trees check ths baby ou . I so want to try it. But I live in rocky clay. My summers also are harsh making veggies difficult to grow. but I finally developed a killer formula and found out too late in the season lol. Next year will be different.

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/build-underground-greenhouse-garden-year-round.html

Thanks for the greenhouse link. That thing is GREAT! I've really been wanting one, but our high winds out here demolish anything freestanding. That baby is low profile enough to make it through. Now to find someone I can bribe to come dig a big hole ...

 

[Chic CAN]

Quote:
Yeah I know right lol. My only concern is water.. does it fill with water Behind our house the gofer holes pour forth springs in the winter after it rains, but depending on where you live I guess its okay. Good luck with the bribing he he.

 

[Chic CAN]

THat mix of organic non- GMO looks good enough to eat for my breakfast!!

I was just eying the 2 muscovy drakes that I need to process. Maybe when my son gets home and then he can help me catch them. We processed a young 3-4 month muscovey the other day due to an injury and boy they have a lot of breast meat. Just not a lot of leg meat. ALl tasted good though. yum!

It does and it smells great! My ducks eggs are not overly strong in flavor on this feed either. It's like a beefed up chicken egg.

Yeah I like my Pekins, they are meat weight at 8 weeks and I get about 2 eggs a day per duck. I do find they have a low hatch rate *sigh* maybe its my mother hen ha ha ha

 

[Arielle]

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/build-underground-greenhouse-garden-year-round.html

THis is a wonderful idea--- helps to be on a south slope, of have a hill to cut into. And have a fe teenage boys with nothing better to do!!

I'll have to read futher and find out if there is an effective size. I'm wondering if a small structure like 10 12 can be made and then use a thick blanket over night as insulation-- not sure if this is necessarry, just know that heat will go back out the plastic roof and the heatsink needs to be large enough to account for this.

Thanks for sharing this greenhouse.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: What strain is your pekins?? two eggs a day is . . like a miracle or is that typical of the pekin? Or the effect of a great diet??

 

[Chic CAN]

Quote: What strain is your pekins?? two eggs a day is . . like a miracle or is that typical of the pekin? Or the effect of a great diet??
Dunno they are feed store bought I have bred 1. I had 2 hatchlings not make it. They were laying 1 a day but it ramped up this summer. I got them on the feed last winter they laid 1 egg a day all winter. They are back down to 1 egg a day. On occasion they did not lay 2. but I was quite impressed at how regular it was. One female is 2 he other 1 and the 3rd is 3 months old. I have the one male I am keeping that is massive and he had a pluffy cotton ball on the back of his head. I am going to try and hatch a bunch of them in February so they will be born sometime in march.

 

[BettyR]

I wouldn't buy a single thing from Walmart, but that is just me. Cheap crap in my opinion. If Walmart sells it, then I probably don't need it.

It would be different if I had a choice but I don't. The nearest town to us is a 30 minute drive and it only has a population of 8,000 people. Walmart is all there is unless you want to drive 2 hours to go into Houston. So it's Walmart or nothing.

 

[Chic CAN]

yeah all we have is walmart too. But I find on-line shoppingto be more agreable mostly, and then do an occasional trip 90 minutes for stocking up. But my food I try to stick local.

 

[handyman42]

In the past I've raised rabbits for meat and that was fun for a time and just about the healthiest meat you can eat. Highest in protein, lowest in calories and fat, and very good. This past year was my first to raise meat chickens though and I gotta say the difference in the taste was amazing. SO MUCH BETTER THAN STORE BOUGHT!! I'm looking into raising meat ducks next year and keeping enough for me to breed in the future but am torn between Muscovies and Pekins. Which breed do you think I should get?

 

[Chic CAN]

I love the pekins. They grow very fast and get along fine with my chickens. Good layers too.