Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

Ok I am bored . Still snowing . Couple of cold days in store then a warm up . I hope DW does not need to go anywhere . Then I can let the drive self clean . Not sure if I shared my preference for pink tomatoes . Best tasting . Brandywine has won a lot of taste tests . Really most pink ones are really tasty . The seed I planted is a accidental creation . A pink large cherry or at least it was when I saved the seed . Probably Brandywine and a Compari or Sapori type cherry that DW buys in the winter . Since red is dominate last years were F2 to get pink skin . Just a volunteer that I let live . See what I get this year . I saved some Better Boy seed so may plant some just to see what they throw . Might be some pink ones . Big boy is a red x pink hybrid so maybe Better Boy is also . I also like Great White beefsteak . Best white I have tried .

Two words for best tomato ever, Jerry.

Purple Cherokee.

I grow them on my deck and there are never enough. They are sweet as a peach.

 

[jerryse]

Two words for best tomato ever, Jerry.

Purple Cherokee.

I grow them on my deck and there are never enough. They are sweet as a peach.

Ahh always wanted to try that one . Held off because of reports of low production . But then I think slow production is the norm in your cooler summers . Tomatoes love heat and we get it here . Really rampant growth here on weeds and such . My tenative tomato growing up there left me wondering if they would ever do much . Same with my late attempt of green beans and zuccinni last year . Would have worked fine here but not enough heat units throws off maturity dates .

 

[EMorical]

Hi Chicken friends! Cold wind here - but I'll take it over the 60 inches of snow that some parts of Montana just got

Don't envy the producers who have to deal with that.

I have a question. Is there visual clue - when you look at a hen - to see what color egg she throws????....I have a batch of girls who are EE type mutts starting to lay (yaaaaaaay!) but besides sitting out monitoring all day (um, no) I was wondering if there was a correlation to the little patch of skin around their "gill" area...right behind their poofs....to the color of egg? I am to understand that egg color is nothing but a pigment gene - but is there something on the hen that will point that out????.... I will go out this afternoon and take a few pics. I only ask b/c I have noticed some color differences between hens. And my older EE hen who gives me colored eggs - her "spot" is about the color of her egg. Or just coincidence

 

[Bogtown Chick]

EMorical from what I know: is that there is some correlation with their earlobe

color and eggs...sometimes. It is not always the case though and I know you were looking for a different answer. LOL.

Some people will put a dab of food coloring on the vent of a suspected hen to confirm. I understand there is quite a variety of colors available these days. That approach will get you in the know with your hens and keep you warm. I myself am keeping an eye on who is checking out nest boxes and such. But you have maybe more hens than I do. I can tell the eggs between my two blue Ameraucana. One bird gives me an olive egg with a bit of pitting on one end. And the other has one little pock mark. Sylvia would usually have a wrinkle in hers. Pearls is Ocean blue. Lucy is giving me gargantuan 3 year old brown eggs with spots. Waiting on a Welsummer and another little Black Ameraucana.

60 inches of snow in Montana....Sweet Hey-sus. No thank you....

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Jerry I would say that Purple Cherokee does not give the numbers. For sure. I think Heritage breeds are like that though. Amana Orange (a double like beefeater) has also been delicious. But Purple Cherokee still sweeter. I gave my uncle a bite of one--he's a tomato guru/gardening fiend and he couldn't believe it was a tomato. They are that good. Also just an FYI squirrels come looking for that tomato on the deck as well. Dang them. I've never had that for any other tomato. Crazy.

 

[jerryse]

Hi Chicken friends! Cold wind here - but I'll take it over the 60 inches of snow that some parts of Montana just got

Don't envy the producers who have to deal with that.

I have a question. Is there visual clue - when you look at a hen - to see what color egg she throws????....I have a batch of girls who are EE type mutts starting to lay (yaaaaaaay!) but besides sitting out monitoring all day (um, no) I was wondering if there was a correlation to the little patch of skin around their "gill" area...right behind their poofs....to the color of egg? I am to understand that egg color is nothing but a pigment gene - but is there something on the hen that will point that out????.... I will go out this afternoon and take a few pics. I only ask b/c I have noticed some color differences between hens. And my older EE hen who gives me colored eggs - her "spot" is about the color of her egg. Or just coincidence

Not really but since Legbars have white ear lobes and Ameraucana have red ear lobes yet both breeds lay blue eggs . So with that said generally speaking red lobed breeds lay brown or tinted eggs . White lobed breeds lay white eggs . There are exceptions . So in mixed mutts with the blue egg gene there will be a tendency to follow that example . If indeed red lobed brown laying breeds are in the mix then the eggs will tend to be greenish . If white lobed breeds that lay white eggs are in the mix then the eggs are likely to be blue . Throw in the fact that EE and Ameraucana often have pale lobes that can be mistaken for white until they color up at point of lay . Confused yet ? That little patch of skin is known as the ear lobe .

 

[jerryse]

Montana wins ! Anytime people in MN and NoDak say no thank you I will keep my weather you got some bad weather .

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh also...if you want to make your sliced tomato platter really colorful (and delicious) The Green Zebra was also VERY sweet. But I was not totally sure when I should pick it. LOL. Tricky. I lucked out . I started to see it split and others were ripening so gave it a pick and it was sweet.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

This makes me want summer....

 

[EMorical]

EMorical from what I know: is that there is some correlation with their earlobe

color and eggs...sometimes. It is not always the case though and I know you were looking for a different answer. LOL.

Some people will put a dab of food coloring on the vent of a suspected hen to confirm. I understand there is quite a variety of colors available these days. That approach will get you in the know with your hens and keep you warm. I myself am keeping an eye on who is checking out nest boxes and such. But you have maybe more hens than I do. I can tell the eggs between my two blue Ameraucana. One bird gives me an olive egg with a bit of pitting on one end. And the other has one little pock mark. Sylvia would usually have a wrinkle in hers. Pearls is Ocean blue. Lucy is giving me gargantuan 3 year old brown eggs with spots. Waiting on a Welsummer and another little Black Ameraucana.

60 inches of snow in Montana....Sweet Hey-sus. No thank you....

I have only 10 hens right now - 2 old(ish) farts EE'ers; 2 8 month old EE mutt home breeds; and 6 EE mutt home breeds who are my little egg machines now!!! I know what the two oldies lay; but now I have those others that are giving me these cute little pullet eggs and SOME OF THEM ARE COLORED!!!!!!!!!! I am just so egg-cited. I think I might end up sitting out with them on Friday since it's supposed to be 43 degrees here in SW ND and see if I can do a little sleuthing. I think I'll believe it when I see it on the weather tho haha

Your hens sound sweet. I only name the naughty ones haha.

Not really but since Legbars have white ear lobes and Ameraucana have red ear lobes yet both breeds lay blue eggs . So with that said generally speaking red lobed breeds lay brown or tinted eggs . White lobed breeds lay white eggs . There are exceptions . So in mixed mutts with the blue egg gene there will be a tendency to follow that example . If indeed red lobed brown laying breeds are in the mix then the eggs will tend to be greenish . If white lobed breeds that lay white eggs are in the mix then the eggs are likely to be blue . Throw in the fact that EE and Ameraucana often have pale lobes that can be mistaken for white until they color up at point of lay . Confused yet ? That little patch of skin is known as the ear lobe .

THANK YOU!!!! I was hoping you would pipe in

I noticed that on the bottom of your posts you have you little signature and it seems like you would know something about EE and americaunas etc. I think the general gist with EE is you never really know what the back breeding truely is...??? Right? I have a few that look like some Wyndottes (aka Winnies cuz I can never spell or pronounce it correctly) were a strong influence but other than that the others just look like chickens to me

Thanks for the anatomy lesson! I knew that somebody would know what I was trying to talk about ---- I still might call it a gill hehe.