What did you do in the garden today?

[Acre4Me]

Hubby ordered a pair of grow lights. We're going to set up a shelf and try to sprout some peppers. They grew very slowly and were only about 2" tall when I set them out in the garden. Hopefully getting them started here in the house under grow lights will get them bearing some peppers before ... September.

We started many pepper plants 10 days ago on a heat mat. They are just popping thru over the last couple of days. A few varieties haven’t yet. But they take a bit! Hopefully you’ll get August peppers!

 

[igorsMistress]

I pulled the stuff out of the front of the shed but didn’t want to pull out everything until the threat of rain is gone. So I put some compost in a few beds and mulched today. Also got the last three pots out of the garden and got the corn ready to go in tomorrow. Pardon the mess, it’s windy and I have stuff to go out in bulk trash tomorrow.

 

[WthrLady]

I love when I find someone who cares so much for their chickens comfort! Good on you! My 13 year old Cochin will be spending the cold snap in à pet play pen in my guest room. My 6 year olds will stay in the coop but will have an oil filled radiating heater to cuddle up to.

I have a lot of 7 and 8 year olds. The rest range from 1-5.5 years.

 

[WthrLady]

We moved all the hens to the heated shed. Back and forth and back and forth up and down the snowy hill. I left the dim bathroom light on so they can find a roosting spot.
I did decide to cull two tonight. They've been struggling all week and it just seemed like a humane time.
Their age and the hard, long cold winter was just catching up with them. One was the old matriarch of the coop. She was nice to me, but she was a total Bit$sh to all the other birds. She killed so many chicks, and 4- 9 week olds (which cost me a fortune (I got older ones thinking she'd leave them alone, nope)). I should have culled her a LONG time ago for her attitude alone.
The other was almost 9 and she took was having a rough go of it with the cold and not even bothering to wiggle her way into the flock for the hot food in the morning. So ya.....
The part I do NOT like...sigh.
5x15 is the best I could manage
but they'll be fine until Friday or Saturday next week

 

[cj2024]

200 pounds!

I am trying 1-part Kellog raise bed potting mix, 1 part steer manure, 1/2-part vermiculite, 1/2-part perlite to two-part peat moss and then mixed in about a 3/4 cup of organic tomato fertilizer in a filled 15 gallon grow bag. I never used vermiculite or steer manure before, so I don't know what will happen.

 

[dirkandlorie]

We moved all the hens to the heated shed. Back and forth and back and forth up and down the snowy hill. I left the dim bathroom light on so they can find a roosting spot.
I did decide to cull two tonight. They've been struggling all week and it just seemed like a humane time.
Their age and the hard, long cold winter was just catching up with them. One was the old matriarch of the coop. She was nice to me, but she was a total Bit$sh to all the other birds. She killed so many chicks, and 4- 9 week olds (which cost me a fortune (I got older ones thinking she'd leave them alone, nope)). I should have culled her a LONG time ago for her attitude alone.
The other was almost 9 and she took was having a rough go of it with the cold and not even bothering to wiggle her way into the flock for the hot food in the morning. So ya.....
The part I do NOT like...sigh.
5x15 is the best I could manage
but they'll be fine until Friday or Saturday next week
View attachment 4050410

That was a lot of work taking care of those babies. Looks like a good setup. So sorry about the culling, it really is the worst part of keeping chickens.

 

[WthrLady]

That was a lot of work taking care of those babies. Looks like a good setup. So sorry about the culling, it really is the worst part of keeping chickens.

It really is.
Our high temp this week won't make it higher than 6F. Not including the wind. I'm happier they'll be inside.
Plus they can listen to 80s rock 24/7.

 

[TJAnonymous]

It really is.
Our high temp this week won't make it higher than 6F. Not including the wind. I'm happier they'll be inside.
Plus they can listen to 80s rock 24/7.

Sorry for your loss. Even if it's necessary, it still sucks.

I seem to lose a lot of birds around age 3. Not sure why they go downhill and die. I've got one now in quarantine. A 3 yr old Cream Legbar hen. I noticed she was all puffed up. Clearly cold and trying to stay warm. Barely moving around. Wouldn't eat. I picked her up and realized she is SUPER thin. No meat on her at all. I honestly didn't think she would make it through the night. That was 5 days ago. I did worm her and been giving her antibiotics every day. She seems to be eating now because her food dish is empty unless it's just getting dumped or rats/mice. Anyway, I had an 8 yr old Buff Orpington hen that I had to put down less than 2 weeks ago. She had water belly... End stage and couldn't breathe.

Anyway, just sucks. I'm sorry...

 

[Molpet]

We moved all the hens to the heated shed. Back and forth and back and forth up and down the snowy hill. I left the dim bathroom light on so they can find a roosting spot.
I did decide to cull two tonight. They've been struggling all week and it just seemed like a humane time.
Their age and the hard, long cold winter was just catching up with them. One was the old matriarch of the coop. She was nice to me, but she was a total Bit$sh to all the other birds. She killed so many chicks, and 4- 9 week olds (which cost me a fortune (I got older ones thinking she'd leave them alone, nope)). I should have culled her a LONG time ago for her attitude alone.
The other was almost 9 and she took was having a rough go of it with the cold and not even bothering to wiggle her way into the flock for the hot food in the morning. So ya.....
The part I do NOT like...sigh.
5x15 is the best I could manage
but they'll be fine until Friday or Saturday next week
View attachment 4050410

Sorry about having to cull. Definitely the worst part of having animals

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Only because they're plants but an observation from the Lazy Boy recliner. The past two yrs the Crocus popped up in January, this year mid February, not this year Scooter too cold, not even breaking ground BRRRRR, 24F at 10 after 7 AM.