Texas

[A1momof3]

We are also slowly working on being more self reliant. This year we had great success growing things in the garden during winter by using plastic covered hoops over the beds. This year I'll be trialing our new multi-phase approach to outwitting the locust horde that plagues us every summer.

Pressure canning seems intimidating but it isn't. I'm big into making broth and seasoned stock from chicken carcasses, so I'm pressure canning about once a month just for broth. And we do butcher our own chickens, so we get some nice broth from the bones and meat scraps from our own birds. I use a canner with the weight that goes on it, is that what you have?

Clovisman and bnjrob, pressure canning is much better now a days than it was way back when. My canner is an old one where you have to worry about it blowing its top. LOL But I think the ones now days are pretty safe. I use to do a lot of canning but only things like pickles, tomatoes, salsa, jelly from the skins and seed of my peaches that I would put up every year, figs.... just stuff like that. I have an aunt that cans EVERYTHING. If she makes soup and their is anything left over, she cans it. LOL Waist not, want not.
I am going to try to get back to that. I have not done it in years. But I have planted a small garden this year, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, cilantro, yellow squash, zucchini squash, radishes, onions cucumbers and cantaloupe. The cucumbers I am growing up on a piece of wire fencing on two T posts. Once we get a water well, I will plant a bigger garden. But getting the water is a big thing. My entire married family is in the oil business drilling wells and I can't bring my self to pay someone else to drill me a water well. There has got to be a way for my people to do it. LOL

So What would you like to know about canning?

 

[A1momof3]

BIG FYI

The velcro strips that I tried for leg bands did NOT work for me. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right but those little peckers are to smart! They left them a lone for the first 10 minutes or so because I put some fresh dug up grass in there box and it had them distracted. But once they find one and got it off, it was like an Easter egg hunt and they were looking for them. Once they found one the race was on. I mean the pine shaving was flying. I nearly killed myself trying to retrieve all those things. Luckily I only put 5 on. Funny enough, the red one I put on my girl with the pooping issues 2 days ago is still on her and they don’t bother it. Which is good, I need to keep her tagged. SO I am going to order the ones on line. I guess. I would try to tie wraps but I am just worried about removing them. I guess it wouldn’t be that hard. They were pretty good for me when I was putting the velcro on, so I guess I could see my self cutting them off. I don’t know. Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Hey Why can't I make things a different color and different size???

 

[SlipsWife]

Lol
Lol

I asked first!

Ok, ok...You can go first...but what am I suppose to do with all of the seeds I started yesterday?! No seriously...why did I start seeds with no where to put them yet? I can't even keep the chickens off of the back porch furniture, how do I plan to keep them out of a garden? An imaginary garden at that!

 

[jajeanpierre]

BIG FYI

The velcro strips that I tried for leg bands did NOT work for me. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right but those little peckers are to smart! They left them a lone for the first 10 minutes or so because I put some fresh dug up grass in there box and it had them distracted. But once they find one and got it off, it was like an Easter egg hunt and they were looking for them. Once they found one the race was on. I mean the pine shaving was flying. I nearly killed myself trying to retrieve all those things. Luckily I only put 5 on. Funny enough, the red one I put on my girl with the pooping issues 2 days ago is still on her and they don’t bother it. Which is good, I need to keep her tagged. SO I am going to order the ones on line. I guess. I would try to tie wraps but I am just worried about removing them. I guess it wouldn’t be that hard. They were pretty good for me when I was putting the velcro on, so I guess I could see my self cutting them off. I don’t know. Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Hey Why can't I make things a different color and different size???

If you use zip ties, make sure they are really lose. Their feet will keep them on.

 

[SlipsWife]

I have an electric pressure cooker. I don't use it near as often as I should but I've canned jalapeno jelly. I also love it for cooking beans. I did a roast in it once but shouldn't have added the veggies at the same time, they were mushy.

We have a glass top stove that's built into our kitchen island, separate from our oven, and I've read its not good to keep them up on high temps for extended periods of time. I think if it were with an oven, it might not be an issue. The only downside to the electric pressure cooker that I've had is the really large tall jars, like what you would use for storing a large family size of spaghetti sauces, are to tall.

There's a 'Pressure Cookers for Dummies' book that I bought and I wish I could remember the other one, that have good recipes and ideas. Pinterest is the easiest place to find pressure cooker recipes.

 

[bnjrob]

Clovisman and bnjrob, pressure canning is much better now a days than it was way back when. My canner is an old one where you have to worry about it blowing its top. LOL But I think the ones now days are pretty safe. I use to do a lot of canning but only things like pickles, tomatoes, salsa, jelly from the skins and seed of my peaches that I would put up every year, figs.... just stuff like that. I have an aunt that cans EVERYTHING. If she makes soup and their is anything left over, she cans it. LOL Waist not, want not.
I am going to try to get back to that. I have not done it in years. But I have planted a small garden this year, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, cilantro, yellow squash, zucchini squash, radishes, onions cucumbers and cantaloupe. The cucumbers I am growing up on a piece of wire fencing on two T posts. Once we get a water well, I will plant a bigger garden. But getting the water is a big thing. My entire married family is in the oil business drilling wells and I can't bring my self to pay someone else to drill me a water well. There has got to be a way for my people to do it. LOL

So What would you like to know about canning?

I wish I had started pressure canning sooner. Just couldn't stand the prices of pressure canners but finally broke down and got an inexpensive one from Walmart - now I can't believe I went for so long without one and I want a bigger, better model. Being able to pressure can really opens up more canning options.

Can relate about the water - hate to have to pay someone to do things when we can do so many things ourselves. Usually ends up that if we have to have something done in a hurry, then we'll pay to have it done. Otherwise it sits and waits until one of us or our family can get it done.

 

[bnjrob]

BIG FYI

The velcro strips that I tried for leg bands did NOT work for me. Maybe I wasn’t doing it right but those little peckers are to smart! They left them a lone for the first 10 minutes or so because I put some fresh dug up grass in there box and it had them distracted. But once they find one and got it off, it was like an Easter egg hunt and they were looking for them. Once they found one the race was on. I mean the pine shaving was flying. I nearly killed myself trying to retrieve all those things. Luckily I only put 5 on. Funny enough, the red one I put on my girl with the pooping issues 2 days ago is still on her and they don’t bother it. Which is good, I need to keep her tagged. SO I am going to order the ones on line. I guess. I would try to tie wraps but I am just worried about removing them. I guess it wouldn’t be that hard. They were pretty good for me when I was putting the velcro on, so I guess I could see my self cutting them off. I don’t know. Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Some one just tell me what to do please! LOL

Hey Why can't I make things a different color and different size???

Tried the Velcro bands - they didn't stay on long at all before the chicks were ripping them off each other's legs.

I use a pair of bandage scissors to cut off any zip ties that I put on - works fine for me and no worries about stabbing an antsy chicken while you're cutting it off.

 

[bnjrob]

Ok, ok...You can go first...but what am I suppose to do with all of the seeds I started yesterday?! No seriously...why did I start seeds with no where to put them yet? I can't even keep the chickens off of the back porch furniture, how do I plan to keep them out of a garden? An imaginary garden at that!

Wildlife netting which you can cut down to a shorter size to maximize your use of it, or the plastic "chicken wire" in rolls - get some wood/metal garden posts or the step-in fence posts, use cable ties to attach the netting to your posts, and then put around your plants. Easy to move but provides a chicken barrier.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Oh and the proper phrase is... Men... can't live with them, can't kill them and get away with it.... unless you are in the swampy backwoods of select areas in east Texas and parts of Louisiana>> (we need a redneck looking smiley guy to go right here) LOL

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

Ohh I like that! Yes, make it for her and then put me on that growing list. Am I number 4?

We are also slowly working on being more self reliant. This year we had great success growing things in the garden during winter by using plastic covered hoops over the beds. This year I'll be trialing our new multi-phase approach to outwitting the locust horde that plagues us every summer.

Pressure canning seems intimidating but it isn't. I'm big into making broth and seasoned stock from chicken carcasses, so I'm pressure canning about once a month just for broth. And we do butcher our own chickens, so we get some nice broth from the bones and meat scraps from our own birds. I use a canner with the weight that goes on it, is that what you have?

I want to try winter gardening. I'm looking forward to growing lettuce and other cool season crops. My stuff I planted in February has sprouted. I doubt I will get any broccoli, hopefully the other stuff will grow.

Ok, ok...You can go first...but what am I suppose to do with all of the seeds I started yesterday?! No seriously...why did I start seeds with no where to put them yet? I can't even keep the chickens off of the back porch furniture, how do I plan to keep them out of a garden? An imaginary garden at that!

My garden is fenced in with chicken wire. I had to put something around it to keep the dog out. I think it would keep chickens out too.


I'm going to work out the final touches to my coop and hopefully start building it this fall/winter so that I will be all ready for chicks come next spring.

 

[henless]

Here is some one in Hawkins that has silkies for sell

http://easttexas.craigslist.org/grd/4397413212.html

Those are so cute!

So...How many of you are closet Survivalists/Preppers and chickens was just another step in your quest for self-effeciency and sustainability? Well, I have a confession...

I'm not like one of those people you see on TV marching around their neighborhood wearing an NBC suit and carrying an AR-15...besides I don't own an NBC suit.

I'm more like the greenie/homesteader-type that wants to live off-grid as much as possible and have as little Government intrusion as can be had in this day and age. As a free people I believe we are entitled to that. Over the last few years I have being gathering skills and knowledge to basically try to live the way our depression-era relatives lived. I've actually found it hard in that some of the items they used on aregular basis are not readily available without ordering from the internet from nether regions like Nepal. Take washboards for example. One cannot simple walk into Mordor (Walmart), and buy a washboard. (Let me know when you get that pun.

).

The end goal is to be able to grow/produce atleast 80 percent of my families annual intake and be able to trade/barter for the rest. Someone please chime in if they wanna teach me how to use my pressure canner...

We are trying to do more for ourselves. We usually have a garden, but the last two years we haven't due to me having surgery. I plan on doing one this year, if I can get my raised beds in. I can't do the bending over, in the ground garden anymore. Chickens are one step closer. As soon as we clean out the freezer, I'm wanting to get grass fed beef. DH has even talked about getting a calf to raise and butcher out. Seriously thinking about it. I'd rather have a horse, but a calf would be more practical.

Serious note, just talked to the power company. Looks like we're not going to have power until Thursday or so. Makes me worry a little about the itty bitties I've got growing in the brooders. Guess they'll be okay, safe in numbers anyway. We're past all the cold stuff. Thankfully the neighbor has a built in generator attached to his house, so he and his wife ( both in their 80s ) won't over heat or go hungry. They have electrical everything.

Front fence is on hold now, the official count for felled trees in our property is ten. We've got some cutting to do! Barbed wire to re stretch! Thankfully the dog yard came out in scathed so no free running tiny terrorists to annoy the neighbors. All two of them ( neighbors that is... )

DF and I are in town eating lunch at the local cafe, and I'm mooching power and WiFi because.... Its free!

We lost our lights yesterday, but they were only off for a couple of hours. Hope you get yours on sooner than they are saying.

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

LOVE these!!!! I'll gladly get on the waiting list for these. So, how much are you charging your fellow BYC'ers to make these?

I plan on using cinder blocks to make my raised beds. We had thought about using cross ties, but we didn't want the creosote leaching into the veggies.

Shelby's new babies. I guess they are my grand-chicks! Lol

Buff

Black

White
Now these are my first Sillies. I can't tell if they are bearded or what. So Silkie x-spirts what can you tell me?

Awww, those are cute silkies! I'm not really a silkie fan, but these are adorable!!!


DH and I went to Lowes this morning and picked up a few things. I got my other roost board, and he picked up some to start the chicken run. It was so nice today, I decided to let my babies out in the big coop. They loved it! They had a high ho time scratching, running and finding dirt to bathe in.




But I want to go over there!!!




They even learned to walk up/down their ladder! This one was temporary. They now have one that has "rungs" on it for them. But they were doing pretty good without them.

They stand in line better than some people I see at Walmart! LOL




I also got my roost up today. I did it all by myself. I can do a lot of things by myself if given enough time.





I plan on putting another roost in front of this one (brown board along top of brooder). As you can see, the chickens spent a lot of time going up and down the ladder. I guess it was fun for them?