The Old Folks Home

[ozexpat]

Oops I did. Lol

 

[chickisoup]

I just saw on the tv those 40 cars carrying the victims of the MH17 atrocity to the place where they will be identifying the dead.

I feel for those poor families.

Such a random act of stupidity.

I will be on one of those 777 in less than a month and last was on one just two weeks ago.

My brother in law is one of the Philippine Airlines pilots for 777. I had talked to him a couple of weeks ago about their new routes to Europe. He was saying they were looking forward to flying north of the Himalayas and over that area. There were 55 planes that flew that route that day. The Singapore airlines plane was just 12 miles away.

So random.

I can't imagine being a family member and have to watch the videos on the news for days as their loved ones just lay on the ground. So incredibly wrong on so many levels.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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Some thoughts on the corn...any idea how long to mature and is it near that date or? Could be quite rich and prosperous (maybe more water than its seen in generations?) were you planted it and it's adapting to the better growing conditions by leaps and bounds...it is thriving so to speak under your better care?

No tassling, so it is not like there is an issue with pollination in that the rows are too wide or some such thing...it is just not fruiting up!

Sounds stupid but was it the EARS of corn that were fed to the elephants, right? Not the leaves/stalks...we have a field of corn I see growing in the same place as last year and it is grown to feed cows...so lots of green stuff, not so great on the cob part.

Course I'm just the village idiot gardener so maybe there are some more "corny" experts on here to know better on this interesting happening.


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So we have always always fed species specific pelleted or crumbled rations to the birds. Turkey, waterfowl and chicken base rations...kinda like a multivitamin and main stay mix so we know they are getting the basics to which we add whole hard red wheat, heavy whole oats and cracked corn. The birds can choose how much of each to eat and balance their own rations so to speak for each individual need of theirs.

Put out the fresh water, always have the granite grit and oyster shell on offer, add in the bird treats like cases of Romaine lettuce and alfalfa put up dry hay and time outside weather permitting to nip grasses and chase bugs...soak up sunshine and nap in the shade, that be that--all that life needs to thrive and prosper are complete.

We know people have their own way to feed and I respect their decisions to do that--birds are their property to do with as they so please...but I always wondered about "grain from the bin" being the only foods on offer to poultry. It never seemed all that right to Rick and I. I always feel that makes for an inferior critter...just grain.

There are those that swear by just some grain from the bin. I am talking mostly cheap barley (which I hate...I am quite fine with in the formulated rations because the right mix of chemicals are added so birds like the chickens can properly digest the barley and not get pasty poos from it) but many just feed poultry some grain, offer water and good enough. What the birds manage to harvest up in our short GREEN season out and about is what they get to add to the grain and I have never really SEEN such a vivid example of how you can improve on a just grain diet for the birds.




Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

Thanks for the ideas. I had pondered some of that. She didn't know if they used the corn for silage (which I considered since they need so much food) or for grain. Perhaps it was developed for green volume. I also considered that they have a long growing season - like forever. So, there's no rush for maturity. I don't consider where I have it planted to be that great of a garden spot. Actually it's where I've never planted anything and is pretty rocky. In more fertile areas where I've grown corn before I've never had corn grow so tall.

I completely agree with your comments on feeding. I have a (IMO) fairly short foraging season and I know yours is shorter. With so much research over the last 100 years in poultry nutrition, we know what nutrients and in what ratios are essential for good growth and health at various ages. At least that's true for broiler and layer breeds that normally live 6 weeks and 2 years respectively on farms the research was intended to benefit.
We extrapolate that information for heritage birds that may live and be productive for many years.
I try to complement the prepared chicken feed with as many natural things as possible, i.e. succulent green forage, insects and fruits whenever possible. I assume the heritage breeds were developed with these food choices depending on the region of origin.

Do you pray? If so, please pray for my mentally handicapped sister. She has been living in a special home. They went swimming at a lake here. She was found listless in the water. She wasn't breathing, someone got her to start breathing a bit until the medics got there. She is inti bated and has a breathing tube. The dr. gave us all of the different scenarios. 72 hrs. they will know better how she will be. She was still unconscious. I can't believe this happened. There will be an investigation.

So sorry. I hope you get good news soon.

Now, exactly WHO decided to let Alaskan stay up so late?

Brain, where is the brain?

QUICK! Help me find it!!!!

Quote:

It's late in the day already, 11AM. You're just geographically challenged.

I was getting up when Alaskan was going to bed. Funny how geography works.

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It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

It's noon somewhere, must be time for a beer.

For those that need it

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I vote for a physical therapy certificate.... So all the cramped up muscles from arthritic and a messed up back can be smoothed away.

Or, little monsters to chew on the arthritic hand..... Gotta help better than Aleve.

How about just a gift certificate for a weekly massage, with aromatherapy.

Broodie pros HELP! Why won't the hen let me hold the poults they are a week old now. When I try to put my hand down near any of them or her she puffs up like an attack dog!
I want to hold them so they get used to me....

She's doing her job. I don't mess with them but I don't have a breed that would like me holding them even if I held them every day.

Grand prize for the most chatty should be a scooter!!! A really COOL scooter with racing stripes, streamers on the handlebars and REALLY REALLY annoying horn!!!


ETA-oops, sorry. computer being a computer and didn't do the edit on the first post.

I have a plan to install 4 extremely loud horns under my car pointing forward, backward and to both sides. When I'm in traffic at a stoplight adjacent to someone with such a loud radio that I can't hear my own, I'll have the opportunity to drown out their boom box.

Do I sound like a cranky old road lady?

I just saw on the tv those 40 cars carrying the victims of the MH17 atrocity to the place where they will be identifying the dead.

I feel for those poor families.

Such a random act of stupidity.

I don't mean to sound judgmental even though I'm sure it does but I have a lot of Ukrainian and Russian friends. Most would agree that their countrymen do careless and stupid things even before this incident.

I am not going to post 18000

 

[ozexpat]

Thanks for the ideas. I had pondered some of that. She didn't know if they used the corn for silage (which I considered since they need so much food) or for grain. Perhaps it was developed for green volume. I also considered that they have a long growing season - like forever. So, there's no rush for maturity. I don't consider where I have it planted to be that great of a garden spot. Actually it's where I've never planted anything and is pretty rocky. In more fertile areas where I've grown corn before I've never had corn grow so tall. I completely agree with your comments on feeding. I have a (IMO) fairly short foraging season and I know yours is shorter. With so much research over the last 100 years in poultry nutrition, we know what nutrients and in what ratios are essential for good growth and health at various ages. At least that's true for broiler and layer breeds that normally live 6 weeks and 2 years respectively on farms the research was intended to benefit. We extrapolate that information for heritage birds that may live and be productive for many years. I try to complement the prepared chicken feed with as many natural things as possible, i.e. succulent green forage, insects and fruits whenever possible. I assume the heritage breeds were developed with these food choices depending on the region of origin. So sorry. I hope you get good news soon. Quote: I was getting up when Alaskan was going to bed. Funny how geography works. It's noon somewhere, must be time for a beer. For those that need it

Corn is grown all over the Philippines as a staple and I have not seen super tall varieties there. Times zones are a fascinating part of our world. I live in two at any given time. At 4pm Los Angeles it's 7am tomorrow at cocopoultry farm. I get my animal health report from Dominic via WhatsApp and have skyped Mrs Oz and the kids before they head to preschool. If Mrs Oz is getting supplies for the farm she normally does it between 6pm and midnight my time and sends photos using WhatsApp from the store to make sure she is getting what I think she is getting. At 2am egg counts, hatch reports and photos of the days progress on any projects are received. Sometimes I need help with translating from Mrs Oz but most of the time I can figure out basic updates. Any dramas that need to be dealt with are then taken care of. The kids and Mrs Oz go to bed at 6am. My best chance for sleep is the two hours from when the kids leave for school until stores open and 11pm til 2am while the kids have their nap and Mrs Oz is either doing the same or working on her dissertation.

 

[ozexpat]

I don't mean to sound judgmental even though I'm sure it does but I have a lot of Ukrainian and Russian friends. Most would agree that their countrymen do careless and stupid things even before this incident.

The missile hitting the plane was unintended to be sure. It's not the first and it won't be the last. As long as we have weapons that can shoot planes out of the sky we will.

The thing that I find reprehensible is the days following. The failure to get those broken people out of the fields and into a respectful location is abominable.

 

[Highcotton]

I usually convert a gallon to about 4 liters (close enough for both the US and British gallon), making a quart about a liter.

You can also convert a meter to a yard.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Corn is grown all over the Philippines as a staple and I have not seen super tall varieties there.

Times zones are a fascinating part of our world. I live in two at any given time. At 4pm Los Angeles it's 7am tomorrow at cocopoultry farm. I get my animal health report from Dominic via WhatsApp and have skyped Mrs Oz and the kids before they head to preschool.

If Mrs Oz is getting supplies for the farm she normally does it between 6pm and midnight my time and sends photos using WhatsApp from the store to make sure she is getting what I think she is getting.

At 2am egg counts, hatch reports and photos of the days progress on any projects are received. Sometimes I need help with translating from Mrs Oz but most of the time I can figure out basic updates.

Any dramas that need to be dealt with are then taken care of.

The kids and Mrs Oz go to bed at 6am.

My best chance for sleep is the two hours from when the kids leave for school until stores open and 11pm til 2am while the kids have their nap and Mrs Oz is either doing the same or working on her dissertation.

Sounds pretty complex.

This picture was from about a week or so ago. The corn still isn't fruiting.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The missile hitting the plane was unintended to be sure. It's not the first and it won't be the last. As long as we have weapons that can shoot planes out of the sky we will.

The thing that I find reprehensible is the days following. The failure to get those broken people out of the fields and into a respectful location is abominable.

Absolutely.

Catastrophe, especially in the area of civilian aviation needs rapid unfettered access no matter where it is.

Unless one wants to declare themselves uncivilized.

 

[ronott1]

Sounds pretty complex.

This picture was from about a week or so ago. The corn still isn't fruiting.

Corn is supposed to be "As High as an Elephants Eye"?