What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

Ugh, right? Do you think it's cruel to keep her by herself? In a coop & run inside the big run where they all hang out right next to her during the day - she'd just be alone in her own coop at night. It feels mean. I guess my other options are a bullet to the head or I could try & give her away.

 

[Smokerbill]

Same. I gave up on bush beans, waaaay too hard on the back. Everything here now grows vertical or it's going in a greenstalk.

Nice day today. Have a HUGE pot of stock cooking on the stove. Going to make some turkey soup & store the rest tomorrow. Not sure if I'll can it or try & find room in the freezer. Made what I'm calling a Thanksgiving Shepherds Pie with all the leftovers, the fridge was way too crowded.

Let my feather picker back in with the rest of the flock & she started plucking feathers immediately. Grrrrr. It's unfortunate she is one of the few still laying or she'd be in the pot with the turkey! Not sure what I'm going to do with her. She was a new POL pullet this spring, I need her.

Have you considered trying those pinless peepers?

 

[NanaK]

Let my feather picker back in with the rest of the flock & she started plucking feathers immediately.

I had a Marans like this a few years ago. She was also a repeat offender.

I ended up keeping her separate for about 4-5 days. Fed her extra protein while she was separate. I think it also helped that this rearranged the pecking order a bit. She is 5 yrs old now and never had a problem from her since. She is in a flock of 25.

Good luck!

 

[Sueby]

Have you considered trying those pinless peepers?

I have found that they can't use my waterers with the peepers on (heated nipple buckets). I had a mean old bully that I tried them on, she did great with them on till winter came & the nipples came out...

I had a Marans like this a few years ago. She was also a repeat offender.

I ended up keeping her separate for about 4-5 days. Fed her extra protein while she was separate. I think it also helped that this rearranged the pecking order a bit. She is 5 yrs old now and never had a problem from her since. She is in a flock of 25.

Good luck!

She has been separated 2 weeks with high protein feed for 1 week. It didn't help a bit. Within the first minute she grabbed a feather from the head hen who was not happy with that. But she went on to pluck her sister right after her beating, lol. I don't think there is any reforming her - she's a plucker now.

I had an old red who would do it occasionally, but if I separated her for a couple days she'd stop still someone looked weird or off, then she'd start again.

 

[NanaK]

I have found that they can't use my waterers with the peepers on (heated nipple buckets). I had a mean old bully that I tried them on, she did great with them on till winter came & the nipples came out...

She has been separated 2 weeks with high protein feed for 1 week. It didn't help a bit. Within the first minute she grabbed a feather from the head hen who was not happy with that. But she went on to pluck her sister right after her beating, lol. I don't think there is any reforming her - she's a plucker now.

I had an old red who would do it occasionally, but if I separated her for a couple days she'd stop still someone looked weird or off, then she'd start again.

Oh, I'm sorry. She sounds more like a bully too. That may be hard to break.

Stuff like this always makes me wonder what is going on in those feathered heads.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Yes, this, exactly! Beans, peas, and vining stuff like cucumbers, melons, and squash can take advantage of the vertical space.

I've never done melons or squash on a trellis; I've heard heavier stuff might need a sling for support.

Some people grow tomatoes up by weaving them through a fence of some kind, and pruning the plant to a single stem.

I grew watermelon on a trellis this year... Be prepared for them to have funny shapes. Mine all ended up egg shaped.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Onion and madarin orange bags work great for larger support for slings.
OR
you can hit the thrift store for some bras

I cut up old tshirts to make slings. Worked great...

 

[TJAnonymous]

NO one needs a feather plucker.

Unless you want them to do the work for you right before you butcher...

 

[TJAnonymous]

Finished up the cold prep... Well, sorta. I just realized that I forgot to hook up the de-icers for the ducks, bachelor pen, and my buck (goat) whose currently separated from the herd. Looks like I'll have to deal with all that in the morning.

I did get both outdoor water pumps covered and the outdoor spigots on the house. One of the new covers is missing pieces so DH will have to take it back to Lowes tomorrow and swap it out.

I got my herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme, and oregano) covered up for the night. Anyone know off the cuff what the cold tolerance is for these herbs? Just wondering if I should bring them in the garage. Or maybe my new gardening shed. Not insulated but at least they'd be out of the elements. I can always plant more from the gazillion seeds I have but what I've got growing now is really nice...

 

[Sally PB]

I got my herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme, and oregano) covered up for the night. Anyone know off the cuff what the cold tolerance is for these herbs?

The only one I know anything about is oregano. Once it's established, it's well nigh indestructable. I thought mine was dead last fall. Nope. It came back bigger and better this spring.