The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[seminolewind]

seminolewind, When my parents moved to KY, their soil was NOTHING like what they were used to dealing with down here. They too had that clay. In rainy season it was muck. In dry season it was hard, almost like cement. My mother did raised beds for everything up there. It was easier, and cheaper to do the beds, than to try to make the clay workable.

Yea it's real slippery when wet. Or like cement, I agree. I had alot of horse manure compost from last year and it makes clay much nicer. There's a place in town that sells everything like lime rock, garden rocks, mulch, compost, -everything. On occasion I send hubs over there and they dump some in the back of my pick up. Haha, their "compost" is the equivalent of what I call "garden soil".

Cyn, what's your soil like up there on the mountain?

 

[speckledhen]

Cyn, what's your soil like up there on the mountain?

It varies from loamy to red Georgia clay and all undercut with ribbons of sandstone, being on a mountain. Our soil in the gardens that have been developed with our poopy barn shavings is rich soft black dirt that grows just about anything. This year the tunneling voles have eaten quite a few plants in spite of the castor oil granules I watered in and the used coffee grounds with which I mixed in cedarwood oil, peppermint oil and other aromatic oils. It's been a real battle lately.Thankfully, my cat ousted a nest of baby rabbits that was inside the main garden and I had to locate where mama bunny got into it in the first place. My poor cat can't keep up with acreage and he has a cataract so his eyesight is not the best, but his hearing sure is! If you want to see the gardens, check out my videos on the homesteading/frugal living channel Roots, Rocks & Feathers

 

[seminolewind]

That's what I strive for, rich soft black dirt. Way back when we used to call that "Black Gold". Glorious.

Voles and Moles. I don't know, it's a never ending battle. In the past I have ended up using a stick and water to collapse the tunnels around the plants-every morning. With my roses they tunneled around the plant and I didn't realize that I was watering them and the water was disappearing thru the holes. I don't know what to do with voles.

 

[seminolewind]

Off topic, Hey Cynthia do you remember "Ruth" and the long tale/thread of when she bought that antebellum house that was literally burried in vines?? I read that so many times.

 

[speckledhen]

Off topic, Hey Cynthia do you remember "Ruth" and the long tale/thread of when she bought that antebellum house that was literally burried in vines?? I read that so many times.

Was that Ruth or MissPrissy? Gosh I do remember Ruth and Angie (MissPrissy). Those were fun stories! I remember one whole wall was needing to be torn down, right? The newbies don't know what they are missing. I don't even go to Family or Random at all. Personally, many of those posts bother the heck out of me and I'd rather talk about chickens. There is a lot of stuff on here that is much, much too personal. BYC has lost the vibe it used to have to a large degree, I hate to say. I also stay out of emergencies unless someone tags me because people just refuse to listen to voices of experience all telling them the same things. Got too frustrating. And I really do not like games so that section is out for me, though on occasion a game is played and my name mentioned, something like who are you most scared of on BYC, LOL. Then, invariably, someone will ask if that person is still active. Yeah, but I hang out in cozier places!
We can all hang out here with Atlas, though my old man won't always be around. Poor thing outlived five hens and he's left with Dru who can't even really live with him, she's so crippled. I actually have only four truly elderly birds left now: June at 14, Dru at 11, Mina at 10 and Atlas at 8 1/2. I consider Atlas elderly for a large fowl rooster, yeah.
Then, we jump down to Atlas's daughters, Zara and Athena, who are about four months older than Hector and Jill at 6 1/2. Hector, Jill, Bash and his hens are turning 6 years old in a couple of weeks, then Hector's daugher, Maddie, and Bash's daughter, Cora, are 5 years old. After that, the Dirty Dozen Plus One turned a year old at the beginning of last month.

 

[getaclue]

My, how the time flies. Yes, BYC has lost it's vibe.

 

[seminolewind]

I come here, and sometimes I go thru the list of questions and answer the ones with the least amount of replies. Or address an ailment without stepping on toes (LOL).

Getaclue, What kind of chickens do you have? Where in Fl. do you live?

 

[seminolewind]

I've spent seven grueling days getting my garden cleaned up, planted and mulched. I think I'll take the day off today, LOL. And I have to stop looking at flower/veggie magazines. Did any of you plant anything this year?

 

[speckledhen]

Planted a lot. Have to in our current world situation or we may not eat. Our heirloom Crowder peas, purple hull peas, Romano bush beans, Dragon Tongue bush beans, okra, some beefsteak type slicing tomatoes, grape tomatoes, some paste type tomatoes, three types of bell peppers and lots of flowers and some herbs for medicinal purposes. Of course, our elderberry bushes are getting flower heads on them, probably will put up more elderberry syrup to keep ahead of that.

 

[getaclue]

I have Black Australorps (SOP) mainly. I do have a pen with some unknown breed hens, most likely Black Sex Links mixed with something else. I have a duck too.