What did you do in the garden today?

[oldhen2345]

It really has been a great fall for leaf color. Here are our Sassafras trees, it's so hard to get pics of things around here that don't have equipment like trailers or tractors in them, lol.

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Oh how beautiful- around here, it is just looking kinda brown. Do you make sassafras tea? I love that stuff

 

[oldhen2345]

Boy, you got that right!! This morning neither of them had their cone of shame on and Zelda not only had hers off, she had ripped it into 2 pieces! She still had on the collar that was supposed to keep the cone on her.
I went ahead and gave them their pain meds for today and again this evening, but they do not act like they are in any pain at all! I have 2 more days worth but I don't know if I'm going to give it to them. I gave them both sedatives this morning, but you couldn't tell it. They are back to acting like they did before the surgery. We are keeping them inside more in order to keep them cleaner. It's been raining the past 4 days so it is pretty muddy outside.

I butchered one of my meat chickens today. She weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces dressed out.
I still have 7 more that I need to butcher. She was actually getting close to point of lay because she had 4 or 5 egg yolks of decent size in her, but she also had a lot of fat build up too.

I also made Zucchini relish today. I started it last night and finished it this afternoon. It had to sit for 12 hours to get the salt to draw out the extra moisture. Now I only have 11 zucchini on my counter.

I think I will make a chow chow tomorrow to use up all of the green cherry tomatoes and hopefully I can use up some of the tomatillos too! I've never made chow chow before. Do any of you have a recipe that you love?

Egg production is way down here now. I only got 4 eggs today. 1 egg from the coop with no light and 3 eggs from the coop with lights. I have 28 female chickens, at least 20 of which are layers ( maybe a couple more than that) the others haven't reach POL yet. I have 6 roosters ( 2 of which are in the meat chicken group). 3 of the roosters were hatched this year and are all in the same chicken yard. I need to watch to see who is top rooster and then think about culling ( butchering) the 2 extras.

My garden is pretty well cleared out now except for the marigold plants and the cherry tomato plants ( which are dead, I just need to finish pulling them out).

WOW you have been a busy bee. I have sort of sat back and taken it easy the last day or so. While I was at the store, saw some zuccini( haven't planted any in a bit) Well, now I will make chocolate zuccini bread- mmmm. Still have to rake leaves under the magnolia tree- grr, and neaten up the gardens. Also want to completely wash off the patio and porch furniture and cover them for winter. Maybe tomorrow...

 

[igorsMistress]

Everything looks so nice and tidy, I am pea green with envy

Thank you but that’s funny! Tidy is easy in the shade garden, no chickens allowed. There’s usually wood chips all over the patio and walkways but I’d rinsed it all off before pics.

 

[WthrLady]

So it’s not hot like chicken poop?

nope

 

[BReeder!]

So it’s not hot like chicken poop?

Especially not when diluted. I actually seen a youtube video just yesterday where chicken manure was being mixed with water and then applied to a garden regularly. Diluting it thins out the concentration of Nitrogen so that not such a strong dose that results in burnt roots.

 

[Acre4Me]

WOW! 77F as a high today! and the sun is out!!


Peas! Look at the garden spider in the background - it has been eating well, apparently.

Another pea variety - finally flowering.

A third Pea variety - these are about 5-6' tall!!

Cover crop is doing well - Rye and Winter peas. Three beds look like this, and a fourth bed I planted a little later looks like the seeds have germinated, but not above ground yet.

Have seriously been having issues with the #@*! Cabbage lopers. Look at the eggs AND baby caterpillars. I think we need to use row covers for these in the future. Ive sprayed and inspected, but they are getting eaten up.

My Brussel Sprouts have been in the ground for more than 90 days....and this is the size of the sprouts - and this is the most "mature" plant.

Removed all the gourd vines. Picked the birdhouse gourds so they can dry. I'll need to hang them up. Thinking of hanging them up out in the covered run, using the rafters of the run roof. They will stay dry, and out of the sun that way.

Age 7 weeks - they are quite big. Two have died - we are not sure why, but one was on its back, so I would imagine that if it got rolled onto its back somehow, it could not right itself. No predators got in, so not worried about that. Notice the one in the middle of the pic? He has splay legs pretty bad. There was no issue when he was young and in the brooder the first 3 weeks, so not sure how this got so bad. But, he is able to get to water and food, and is alert. We may butcher him early, though.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@Acre4Me I LOVE peas! Nothing like grabbing a handful out of the garden and eating them still warm from the sun.

Do you leave feed out for those meaties full time? Those are huge! Have you weighed any of them?

 

[igorsMistress]

Especially not when diluted. I actually seen a youtube video just yesterday where chicken manure was being mixed with water and then applied to a garden regularly. Diluting it thins out the concentration of Nitrogen so that not such a strong dose that results in burnt roots.

Thanks! I haven’t ever done that with chicken poop but I have just dumped the pool they pooped in into the garden daily without issue. It’s not in the same place of course but the tree in there seems to love it.

 

[igorsMistress]

nope

Thank you! I’m liking the sound of ducks more and more.

 

[Acre4Me]

@Acre4Me I LOVE peas! Nothing like grabbing a handful out of the garden and eating them still warm from the sun.

Do you leave feed out for those meaties full time? Those are huge! Have you weighed any of them?

Peas are pretty yum, aren't they?

For this batch we have left feed out 24/7. However, in the future, we might restrict feed after 5 weeks...they are really big.

I have read that it is beneficial for meat birds to get food sooner vs later after hatch - they will gain more size. I guess this makes sense as their whole purpose is to turn feed into muscle. So, we do pick up our meat chicks at the hatchery and they get food within 24 hours after hatch. And for the last 3 batches we have given them 24/7 access, but this is the first batch in the larger outdoor pen. Previously we would have them sleep in the indoor brooder at night, and spend the day outside in a penned off portion of the run.