Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

Few questions for you winter tolerant folks... do you feed in or out of the coop? I hear mostly out, but winter too? How about water? I can run extension cord in winter but no power so was thinking water inside at least in winter and switching out to prevent freezing (horizontal nipples). Looking at grandpa’s and or bucket no waste feeders once chicks bit bigger. Thoughts?

Here’s what I do: I keep feed in the coop because I think some of the laying hens are up and off the roost way before me & hungry. Water is kept in the run unless it’s waaay below zero then I bring the fount in the coop where my birds are spending the day. Like R2Elk I have two water founts alternating. One is thawing or thawed in the house. The other is in the run. The birds learn when to take their drinks. If it’s a super frigid night I’m making sure I bring another open fount before roost time. Water helps the metabolism of keeping warm.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

TFred do you think he hears the other chickens in the neighborhood?
Sentry is a good boy....

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Phage you are welcome to be here. I thought you were already in the door?!
Did you say Montreal has nice people or this thread? Lol. Welcome also newbies and Nodakers.
Layers that baby calf is to die for there on the prairie. Awe such beautiful life.
Fawns are dropping up here. People finding them in their yards and such.

 

[Phage]

Phage you are welcome to be here. I thought you were already in the door?!
Did you say Montreal has nice people or this thread? Lol. Welcome also newbies and Nodakers.
Layers that baby calf is to die for there on the prairie. Awe such beautiful life.
Fawns are dropping up here. People finding them in their yards and such.

Thank you - it is nice to be official !
The people I met in Montreal were really genuine good people. Much like the people on this thread but a tad less crazy/entertaining. Crazy is good.
This is my fav byc thread.

 

[duluthralphie]

Thank you - it is nice to be official !
The people I met in Montreal were really genuine good people. Much like the people on this thread but a tad less crazy/entertaining. Crazy is good.
This is my fav byc thread.

Welcome to the thread......even though in the board meeting we recommended against the acceptance of any more members from the Great Wasteland to the North....

Luckily, for you, our CEO, suffers post winter brain freeze and forced us to accept you....

In other news, the incredible breaking cat has broken into pieces. There is at least one piece in the box moving around. Saint Judy claims she saw a little tail. The breaking cat is purring like crazy with no human interaction. The Breaking Cat is not welcoming of my presence let alone a pat on the head. I realized this before I obtained a deep paper cut on my hand.

Jerry, I am surprised I have to wait until next spring to graft. I assume this means I should throw away the scions I cut last winter?

I think I will move a couple of the root stocks into the orchard where I planned to plant the trees when done. This would allow the root stock to take root there and not be transplanted in a year. Is this a good plan or not?

I read up on bud grafting, it seems complicated. But I have enough root stocks to give it a try. I bought 25 of them. I only need a few trees to complete the orchard.

Anyone need a piece of the incredible breaking cat, let me know.

 

[jerryse]

Welcome to the thread......even though in the board meeting we recommended against the acceptance of any more members from the Great Wasteland to the North....

Luckily, for you, our CEO, suffers post winter brain freeze and forced us to accept you....

In other news, the incredible breaking cat has broken into pieces. There is at least one piece in the box moving around. Saint Judy claims she saw a little tail. The breaking cat is purring like crazy with no human interaction. The Breaking Cat is not welcoming of my presence let alone a pat on the head. I realized this before I obtained a deep paper cut on my hand.

Jerry, I am surprised I have to wait until next spring to graft. I assume this means I should throw away the scions I cut last winter?

I think I will move a couple of the root stocks into the orchard where I planned to plant the trees when done. This would allow the root stock to take root there and not be transplanted in a year. Is this a good plan or not?

I read up on bud grafting, it seems complicated. But I have enough root stocks to give it a try. I bought 25 of them. I only need a few trees to complete the orchard.

Anyone need a piece of the incredible breaking cat, let me know.

Give it a go . I just assumed you had no scion wood . Mostly because those grafting new rootstocks bench graft then plant . My bad .

 

[jerryse]

Cloudy and 50s here . Amazing how cold 50s feel after you have had 70s and 80s or how warm 50s feel after zero .

 

[ejb3810]

Pollination was poor here due to the weather . So probably the same or worse in your area . You may get some as I have but not a full crop . Wild plums and domestic plums have nothing . Even the self fertile Ayers pear has a poor set .

I agree with Jerry here. Little or no pollinator activity due to weather. If you get any set you will be fortunate. Up here beyond the Banana Belt it may be somewhat better as nothing has started to blossom other than Forsythia.

 

[jerryse]

So we are predicted to get 1 to 2 inches of rain through Wednesday night . Berries are starting to bloom . Hoping for good pollination . News said only 25% of corn planted and 9% of beans . Been a wet May .

 

[duluthralphie]

So we are predicted to get 1 to 2 inches of rain through Wednesday night . Berries are starting to bloom . Hoping for good pollination . News said only 25% of corn planted and 9% of beans . Been a wet May .

As of this moment I have 0% of my planting done..

2 days of rain in the forecast. Not much going to be done outside.