Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[queenchick16]

10 eggs from 13 girls today. Little Jewel is so cute telling me she has just laid an egg.
My silkie is being a real trooper having drops put in her eye twice a day. By the end of it all she'll probably never come to me again.

Lettuce, purslane, and carrots are up.....

 

[JerseyHen]

Quote: I am cool with the creepy crawlies as long as they stay out of my house. This is a wolf spider with a leg span about 2 inches. That is something I don't need wandering about the house and I am not going to catch and release.... I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. It isn't nearly as bad as the gigantic black, bulbous, hairy, 2+ inch long thing in our kitchen a last year though. I swear that one was a mouse spider or trapdoor spider, even though they are not supposed to be around here (or are very rare). I should have taken a pic of that one before we disposed of it.

 

[JerseyHen]

10 eggs from 13 girls today. Little Jewel is so cute telling me she has just laid an egg.
My silkie is being a real trooper having drops put in her eye twice a day. By the end of it all she'll probably never come to me again.

Lettuce, purslane, and carrots are up.....

Poor silkie. I hope her eye is getting better. Make sure she gets lots of treats! My peas have finally germinated. I am not sure if I will get any again...

You grow purslane intentionally? Just kidding. I know it is super nutritious. I am not super fond of the texture. Do you find it invasive? I have it growing wild all over my property.

Pickled Purslane
1 quart purslane stems and leaves
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 quart apple cider vinegar
10 peppercorns
Clean the purslane stems and leaves by rinsing with fresh water. Cut into 1″ pieces and place in clean jars with lids. Add the spices and pour the vinegar over the purslane. Keep this in the refrigerator and wait at least two weeks before using. Serve as a side dish with omelets and sandwiches. You can pickle the purslane raw or blanche it for two minutes in boiling water first, but cool off quickly in ice water.
Purslane salad from Crete:

* 2 1/2 cups of strained, thick yogurt
* 1 cup of purslane, coarsely chopped
* 1 cup of romaine lettuce, chopped in chunks
* 1 teaspoon of mashed or minced garlic, about one
* 1/4 cup of olive oil
* 3 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons of capers
* salt
* freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and refrigerate for a half hour to an hour

 

[ChickenAl]

Hi everyone,

Had our first chicken death today. Found one of our girls upside down with what appeared to be a bloody butt. They all looked fine yesterday and I don't know if it is a contagion or something like a prolapse. Dug a hole and buried her as I once read is suggested to do so as not to spread anything.

Our girls are three years old now and I guess we've been lucky up till this point.

 

[JerseyHen]

Hi everyone,

Had our first chicken death today. Found one of our girls upside down with what appeared to be a bloody butt. They all looked fine yesterday and I don't know if it is a contagion or something like a prolapse. Dug a hole and buried her as I once read is suggested to do so as not to spread anything.

Our girls are three years old now and I guess we've been lucky up till this point.

Al, sorry to hear you lost one of your girls.

It does sound like it could have been a prolapse, and the others may have been pecking at her vent.

 

[ChickenAl]

Al, sorry to hear you lost one of your girls. It does sound like it could have been a prolapse, and the others may have been pecking at her vent.  

Thanks for the kind thoughts. The more I read about it the more I think you are right about prolapse.

 

[queenchick16]

Hi Al, sorry you lost one of your girls.

Christina, I like purslane in salads and stir-fry. I'll have to try one of the recipes.

Not enough hours in the day.

Been working on a baby quilt with appliqué bunnies. Going to be very cute. Want to make sure it's done before the baby starts college.

 

[JerseyHen]

The pumpkin patch. Weeds and brush removed, tilled, rocks pulled, and raked. The grape vines and rise bushes put up quite a battle. We made wreaths with the vines for fun. This patch is about 1000 sq ft. Next up... a fence to keep the deer out. Then planting.

 

[JerseyHen]

DD's fairy garden no. 1 (she wants to do more). This one will lot better as it fills in and she adds more trinkets.

 

[LSzajko]

The pumpkin patch. Weeds and brush removed, tilled, rocks pulled, and raked. The grape vines and rise bushes put up quite a battle. We made wreaths with the vines for fun. This patch is about 1000 sq ft. Next up... a fence to keep the deer out. Then planting.

Looks good !!!

DD's fairy garden no. 1 (she wants to do more). This one will lot better as it fills in and she adds more trinkets.

Beautiful !!