Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Annarie the leg band you ordered the snap bands from foy's, been using those for a few years
the small ones are good for chicks, med for larger chicks, the 10-18 mm ones for adult birds, i keep a box of 3 colors each of all the sizes (4 for the sm and med) and a sharpie to mark a number on them if needed. going on 3 years for my free range hens wearing them. the only time I have a problem with them falling off is if they are not snapped right, no problem with them getting brittle

 

[Hens and Roos]

Good morning- looks like it will be a nice day!

to all those who are new-glad you stopped by.

Seems like everyone is busy, have been keeping up on the reading of the post and not much time to post.

Helping the kids finish getting ready for Dane Co fair which starts July 14th but judging for some of the projects starts Sunday! DD(10) is in the Dog Project and will be showing our Irish Setter tomorrow so we will finishe grooming today. Today we will also be washing the chickens and turkeys that she is showing so that we have enough time to get everyone done-she will be taking 6 chickens and 5 turkeys- told DH that he would have to help with the turkey as they are BIG- of course just when you have things semi-figured out he had to run into town this am because of a couple of tenant needs.

DD also needs to put together a couple of fresh items for judging Monday and has a couple of items for cake decorating so we will fit that in around everything else.

We will be hanging out at fair pretty much everyday.

Off to get some breakfast and then onto grooming the dog.

Have a great day!

 

[Amyable]

Good luck at fair, H&R! Bring home the blues

BCC, thanks for the tips on leg bands. Does Fleet Farm or any other local store carry them?

Raiquee, this year I ordered 5 kinds: Manitoba, Northern Delight, Whippersnapper cherry, Plum Lemon, and Hungarian Italian paste. I saved 3 from last year: Yellow Banana, German Red Strawberry, and White Currant cherry (-my volunteer variety, maybe about 5 plants). Saving seeds is awfully simple. Just take ripe tomatoes from your best plants, squeeze out the insides and place in a jar with some water for a couple days. A scum will form on top, that's good. It will help separate the seeds from the gel. Then I strain the seeds out and lay them on a paper towel till good and dry. Then into an envelope and a sealed mason jar in the freezer til next year. I don't think you have to worry much about cross-pollination with tomatoes, although you could separate your varieties to be sure. What do you have this year?

As I type, I see about half my flock under the big spruce in the backyard, happily munching away. Always makes me smile. Then 2 Polish see one of the cats meandering up to the house and follow him up onto the patio. Kitty turns to see what's that, and takes off running, with the birds in pursuit! Now that makes me LOL!

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I've never been able to find them any where else, but with foy's shipping its one price no matter how many band you buy, if you only buy bands.

 

[Raiquee]

Quote:
Well for my tomatoes I have the ones listed before, which is the Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Black Krim, Lemon Boy, San Marzano (i'm not sure whats up with this plant tho, I hope it gives me a few toms), Black Prince. My mystery ones from the sitter I have no clue, but I don't think Heirloom. My volunteers MAY be beefsteak, or they may be just a "grocery store" tom. I usually buy Romas tho, so we will see!

I think that's it. Next season I definatly want some of the Casper eggplants, Rosa Bianca eggplants, Listada de Gandia eggplants (can you tell I like eggplant?), and some other heirlooms of different plants. Need to do more research. It's my first year with heirlooms.

Thanks for the tip on the tomato seeds! I will definatly be saving seeds this year!!

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
I was actually thinking I could number them with Sharpies if I needed to!

I was worried that it'll wear off with the ducks being in the water all the time though.

But, like I said, I've worked it out in my head, and as long as I don't get any more birds, I shouldn't have to number them! And I still have a huge box of little rubber legbands for chicks and ducklings that I'll keep reusing for at least another year...maybe then I'll get some of the smaller snap-ons for young birds too.

Had a good time at the fair last night...I wanted to bring home a pair of Mallards that was for sale, but I don't have anyplace to put half of the birds I have now, let alone some new additions. The champion chicken was a gorgeous, HUGE Langshan rooster - my sister, the sister who runs away screaming from my Bantam Cochin roosters when they go after her, asked me "Why don't you have some of those? You should get some."

And then we went to the 4-H food booth to get Root Beer Floats, and the 10-year-old running the calculator and collecting the money tells us that 5 of them at $1.75 is going to be $24.50.

Anyways, I should probably clean the brooders and feed the ducklings. Those two female Call ducklings from AlpineRanch can get LOUD when they're lobbying for food, which they're doing every time they see me (even when there's still food in the bowl!).

 

[Amyable]

Quote:
Oooh, I wanna try those

Have you seen pics of one called Black Sea Man? Red and green and dark brown, so weird! It was on my list but got bumped off. Almost everything in my garden is heirloom; I save seeds from tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, cukes, squash, borage, maybe some more. And of course I have more than I need, so anything you want I will share

Ahh, Langshans...

Proud of you Annarie, you showed good self-control! Don't let it be catching though.

 

[raimnel]

It's raining AGAIN! we we're ummmm taking care of the fatties today and got 15 done and then the clouds rolled in and we cleaned up. the buyers for the 15 chickens came and picked them up already YAY! hopefully tomorrow we'll get the rest done. I have wash and wash my hands and still I can smell chicken

we had our family pics taken Monday and they turned out really good. I love them.

we're thinking about how to build a duck coop. Its gonna have a drawer type floor for easy cleanning. since they seem to think there pigs. it's gonna be a small coop just big enough for about 4 ducks. Whats the ideal square footage per duck? Any one? Annarie?

Thinking maybe up on legs so we can put the food and waterer under it to keep it dry. Hmmmmmm....... thinking..... thinking...... these things really need to be moved out doors. (there on our sun porch, technically NOT in the house. thankfully)

to ta loo for now!

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
A minimum of 2 or 3 square feet/duck in a nighttime "coop", and then 8 to 10 square feet per duck in the outside run area (unless they free-range, in which case that second part doesn't matter). That is, if we're talking big ducks like 'Scovies. Trios of itty-bitty Call ducks do great in 3'x5' raised hutches.

Personally, if the ducks are going to be locked in a pen overnight, and let out during the day, I like to make the nighttime pen as small as possible, right around the 2 square foot/bird minimum, because it's all going to be a mess no matter how much space you give them - they'll get 30 square feet just as mucked up as 300 square feet overnight, and I'd rather do less cleaning.

Edit: Oh, and I completely folded and am getting a pair of Butterscotch Call ducks when I go to get my Whites in a week. I sort of figured, if I'm driving ALL THE WAY down there, why come home with just two ducks...when I could come home with twice as many?

I've said it before: it's a sickness.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Well got a good amount of work done today-the dog is all groomed for the show tomorrow, DD and DS made the cupcakes they need to decorate and DD made her cake that she needs(with some help of course) now they will need to frost and decorate.

Washed all the chickens and all but 1 turkey(will do him Monday when it is sunny out hopefully), was doing good until one of the tom's she had picked out to take hurt it's leg to the point of not being able to take him-he is in freezer camp.

Off to relax for the night-have a good one everyone!