What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

We did have a lot of mature trees and smaller lots in that home. Here, there are some trees big enough for a squirrel to be interested, but not too many. I will trap them if any squirrels give me garden grief. If they just go about their business of being cute and leave my pants and garden alone, then they will not get trapped.

I guess I've been really lucky. I have dozens of tree rats around my property. Lots of giant oak and evergreens too. So far, they have left my garden alone.... I am a bit concerned that they will raid my hazelnuts and pecans once they get old enough to start producing....but that's still several years away.

 

[Acre4Me]

started some flower seeds yesterday, walked around the garden. Today it is cold, rainy and not a gardening day.

The chicken run has been fairly quiet since we sold half the flock (including 2 boys). But, now we have removed the brooder fence and the chicks can run around, and have to put up with the hens. Of course, now that I am typing this, I just now realized that I left the brooder pop door opened, which means the nosy hens will be in the brooder, and eating all the chick feed So far, only 1 BR hen has been harassing the chicks, but seems to always be related to a chick trying out the hen feed when a hen wants to eat. There are 18 chicks, so they run as a herd right now - they stick pretty close together.

When I dropped off the chickens to the auction, I did not stay. But, the auction posts on fb the overall results of the auction. They state that they sold 345 chickens on Sat (among all the small animals), and sale price ranged between $1.00 - 22.50 per chicken. Assume the $1 is possibly for chicks. But, just depends on who is there. This always makes me curious as to what mine sold for. I'll get a receipt and will know what each one sold for, but I wont know which one sold for how much (they just say 1,2,3,...).

 

[Sueby]

@Acre4Me what happens if yours don't sell - what do they do with them?

That's what I ran into this morning.

Same here.

I guess I've been really lucky. I have dozens of tree rats around my property. Lots of giant oak and evergreens too. So far, they have left my garden alone.... I am a bit concerned that they will raid my hazelnuts and pecans once they get old enough to start producing....but that's still several years away.

They don't eat anything in the garden, but they dig for acorns & my tiny starts get trampled. I'm sure they are going to LOVE your nut trees! We have a walnut (?) tree here & they get up in the tree, run from branch to branch & chew off the nuts & drop them. Then they run down & collect them all. They don't even let them mature enough to fall.

So some of you remember my issue with the Nesco electric canner & how it wasn't working right...Well I got the 2nd one in & I can for sure tell you the issues is the gasket. The new one is so tight, I can barely move it & when I pulled it off it took me 5 mins to get it back on. The original one does not fit like that! It's been working for the most part, but I contacted Nesco to get a couple gaskets.

Double canning action going on.

 

[GingerRose]

.....watched some baby bunnies eat my tender rattlesnake bean plants...
Hubby said "bunnies gotta eat too"...

 

[TJAnonymous]

They don't eat anything in the garden, but they dig for acorns & my tiny starts get trampled. I'm sure they are going to LOVE your nut trees! We have a walnut (?) tree here & they get up in the tree, run from branch to branch & chew off the nuts & drop them. Then they run down & collect them all. They don't even let them mature enough to fall.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about! Well, I have at least 5-10 years before I have to figure out how to keep them out of it.... I planted the hazelnut trees last year and the pecans this year.

 

[Sally PB]

I have dozens of tree rats around my property. Lots of giant oak and evergreens too. So far, they have left my garden alone.... I am a bit concerned that they will raid my hazelnuts

The "tree rats" (love that term!) got all my hazelnuts. Then Japanese Beetles killed the trees. I think I got a dozen nuts all told.

 

[TJAnonymous]

The "tree rats" (love that term!) got all my hazelnuts. Then Japanese Beetles killed the trees. I think I got a dozen nuts all told.

Good to know about the japanese beetles. I will be on the lookout for them! The trees are still really small (about 4 ft tall) so they should be easy to spot. Chickens love Japanese Beetles, don't they?

 

[Sally PB]

Good to know about the japanese beetles. I will be on the lookout for them! The trees are still really small (about 4 ft tall) so they should be easy to spot. Chickens love Japanese Beetles, don't they?

My chickens LOVE JBs! From early July through August, I go around and collect JBs, then take them to the run and say, "Bug snack!" They know what that means.

JBs are easy to catch. Their defense is to drop from whatever they're on. So I have a wide mouthed jug with about an inch of water in it. I hold that under the leaf they're on, tap the leaf, and the bugs fall into the water.

 

[Sueby]

My chickens run from them.

 

[Acre4Me]

@Sueby - I’ve asked at the auction what happens. The response is that “everything sells”. So, I’ll assume that they -or someone e else buys them cheap and some may reappear at the next auction the following month. In reality, I do know that there are people there to specifically buy up chickens for meat (yes, even roosters of unknown age), and rabbits too. I was talking with one buyer last year. He worked for a business that processes meat rabbits for restaurants. So, they are an inspected facility. But he goes to auctions to buy meat rabbits. So, rabbits and chickens go for meat, if nothing else.

When I sell at the auction, it is convenient. I drop off, they sell - even if for a low price. As long as my combined sales, minus commission are $10 or higher, they mail me a check. I try to “market” my birds to appeal to a BYC type person, so they are labeled with easy to read signs with breed, age, color egg laid. Always in clean box with wire so they can be easily seen. I always try to drop off on the early side so they are there for the two hours ahead of the start of the auction, so potential buyers see them. But, always depends on turnout and what the buyers want. One year I sold the rooster that won Grand Champion for breed, and labeled him as such. Sold with female if same breed and line - they sold for about $30 each. Another time, I sold a cream Legbar hen and there was a bidding war! It also sold for a decent price. But, normally, I’ll get enough to pay for a bag or two of feed.