Washingtonians

[SadieSue]

It is a bit early, but I'm trying to get my snacks, my BYOB's and myself together before we venture out into the cold to make an appearance at a few parties we're invited to. I am grateful for the friends and family I have and blessed to have them. It will be an honor to spend New Year's Eve with them, but darn if there isn't a big part of me that kind of just wanted to rent a couple of movies, get my jammies on and stay in tonight!

Whatever you choose to do and where ever you all end up, Happy New Year to you, your families and all your feathered and furry family members! See you in 2011!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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And BE SAFE!!!!! IF ya drink don't drive!!! I wanna see ya all back here next year !!!

 

[hallerlake]

I tried giving the girls some re-hydrated alfalfa today. They were unimpressed. Maybe it's just too new. They reacted to BOSS like that the first couple of times, too.

How do mangel beets differ from regular beets?

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I feed mine a handful of pellets everyday, not too much as they do swell as they rehydrate, rabbits chew them up, chickens do not, so do not give your birds a bowl of the pellets !

Oh no, never! But if you soak them in warm water FIRST to rehydrate them, it'd be like the fines mentioned above soaked in water. I bet they'd love it when it's cold out.

 

[jbear]

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Oh no, never! But if you soak them in warm water FIRST to rehydrate them, it'd be like the fines mentioned above soaked in water. I bet they'd love it when it's cold out.

lol~ me too-- They were warm and everything.. They liked the suet much better...

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

Well not sure about mangel beets. I've never grown them but from what I gather they are a forage beet. I ran across the name when I was looking into getting heritage pigs since they can be pasture raised and the pigs love them as part of their pasture. I have thrown regular beets into their pen and they only eat the greens part. My chickens were weird about the BOSS too but gobble them up now. They have gotten hay sweeping from the barn quite a bit so they are familiar with alfalfa, just the dry hay, not soaked. So rabbit chow is not tiny alfalfa pellets? What is in it?

 

[jbear]

i was just skimming thru the last issue of Backyard Poultry last night, and there was an article in it about those beets-- funny timing! I have some regular ol' beets in the garden that no one but me (and the goats n chickens??) will eat. How DO they differ from regular table beets?? Just curious.

Stay warm everyone!

 

[Rainwolf]

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I'm curious about this too.

Stay warm and have a great new years!

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

OK, just did a bunch of google searches. First, Purina rabbit pellets are first ingredient Alfalfa, then wheat, soybean, oat hulls. there are vitamins and minerals and the only other thing that might make it special is some probiotics and yeast. It is 16% protein.

Mangel beets are primarily grown for animal fodder. Extremely hardy and can grow very large, like 10, 20 + pounds. They are edible for people too but ran across some blogs where people say they have a weird after taste. You can plant,grow, harvest and store them. Some animals like them cut into smaller pieces. Can be fed to all livestock but horses don't seem to like them. I have fed soaked beet pulp to my horses and it is an aquired taste for them. Prior to storage the animals like the tops also. Seems to be an inexpensive way to grow and supplement your own animal food and very nutritious.

 

[jbear]

I was thinking I might look into getting some mangel beet seed and see what the fuzzbutts think about them in the cold non green months of winter

I found this about Territorial and Monsanto---it is a VERY good read, and worth the time.

http://pintsizedpioneering.blogspot.com/2010/05/territorial-seed-co-in-bed-with.html

 

[Chickielady]

Jen...thanks so much for the yule log, T tried to tell me the family history, but it is too pretty to throw in the wood stove !!!
Thanks you are sooo wonderful, I have the spirit now !!!

And T is a hoot with the twin 16-yo girl and their girlfriend who is 4-H raising pigs, we are talking serious energy vitality and beauty here in these 4 women...awesome, and I have a big pack of sky blue giant duck eggs to set in a few minutes...HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!