Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[unkadan]

OH,,,,and Terri I am making slow roasted pulled pork for dinner with some sweet potato fries and ho-made baked beans

 

[delisha]

Lockdown day!!!!

I'm so excited. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Wow- I think I could open an ice skating rink on our driveway. Had to hold on to the kids on the way down to the bus. The thunder and lightening woke up our 3yr old, so he was crying and ended up in our bed. I wish I could have just stayed snuggled in bed. Hoping it dries out a little today. I would like to go to the feed mill to get a bag of starter feed and the others need feed soon too. Last time I was there a 50lb back of laying mash was just under $14. Hope the prices are the same still.
Annoyed though. Two weeks ago an insurance sales man came around for the second time. The first time DH told him to come back a different time because I was the one to talk to. I tried to dismiss him and tell him we weren't interested but he insisted that it would only take 15min. and then rattled off the names of a few of our neighbors that he had already talked to. Well needless to say he is coming today at 11. I really need to learn not to be so meek and be more assertive

Anyway- hope you all have a great day.

Combined Insurance Company of America probably.
Trained to get a yes..

 

[unkadan]

Jim here's a link to some of the best Barred Rocks around,,,

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/399477/barred-rocks-good-shepard-poulty-ranch

most of the pics on here are the Reese line, the kid in Nebraska, Jeremy Woeppel has some of the best in the shows right now

 

[delisha]

I like the color on the top bird the best. However she looks to have wry tail..could be the camera guy too.
I do not have this variety of rocks, but, agree they look a bit small..again could be the camera.
I have white only, and only two hens left. I have not kept a male since my daughter was about 12 and in 4 H.
Some of the best show rocks come from a guy in Wisconsin.

 

[Terri O]

OH,,,,and Terri I am making slow roasted pulled pork for dinner with some sweet potato fries and ho-made baked beans

So how far away are you again??? I am making either fried/breaded chicken (finally have made some GF bread crumbs) or Gizzards and rice. Two of my kids' fave dishes but DH is not crazy for G&R and he is gone in LaCrosse still so that might be it....

I STILL need to go out and let everyone out but I wanted to get throught the SIXTY FIVE posts first...good thing they werent all really long ones (yeah--where's Frenchie been anyhow?) And Jeli I have a pick of a little coop I built...will post it later. Maybe I will take another pic too cause you asked about PVC for a run....and I personally like Jet too Dan! I kinda spit some coffe when I read Letliner from Kristi! Too cute. My kids are always going on about "**** you auto correct." They love it....oh oh I typed the real name; I wonder what will happen? LOL--

OK Carol says she is coming today...since I have enjoyed nearly a whole pot of coffee already I guess I better get the waders on and head out! The call ducks are having a blast in the spring puddle out there and the Blue Am flock is finding all sorts of seeds that they must have missed under the bird feeders. AND, the grass is greening up! WHoo-Hooo--sure wish it was late March instead of late Jan!
Have a good one! TerriOtypingfastnow

 

[Jelinek11]

good morning,,

looks like we had a good amount of rain.. about a quarter inch of ice on everything..
UndaDan, I am guessing there are much worse conditions to the North of me..

I didn't want to get dressed and then undressed to take my shower after letting the birds loose, so I went out with my slippers and a jacket.. It was that warm.. I will not have to water today, there are plenty of puddles to choose from..

Is Amber "Jetliner/Jelinek" ?? I missed something here..

Amber, is your DH in on the chicken raising ? Is he going to build your coop ?
I would not consider a chicken tractor .. they are OK in the summer, but can be a headache in the cold months.. if you build a coop, a concrete floor is a must, IMHO..

the first thing to consider is ease of cleaning.. that is an unsavory chore to begin with so you want to make it as painless as possible.. hence the concrete floor..

I can help with the construction of your coop if you want help.. I have lots of building experience.. I have all the tools needed..

If you want some coop ideas, come visit me.. I have 3 different designs.. but I would still like to build my dream coop someday.. but then if I did that I would have to get about 100 more birds.. can't have a coop setting empty can we ??

I think I will be building a peafowl breeding pen soon.. I figure about 10 x 13 at least.. maybe 10 x 24.. 8 ft high and covered..

I just have to find a good spot to put it.. I don't plan on moving it once it is set..

the peacocks are not going to like that one bit..

I forgot to mention that I backed down on to a patch of Ice with Ollie yesterday.. I was stuck, make no mistake about that.. Good thing Annie was here to drive the Blazer.. I had to caution her about being in 4WD.. You don't want to spin the tires .. she wanted to spread sand.. where do you get enough sand to cover 25 feet of ice ?? I mostly ignored her and linked up 3 chains to make 30 feet.. she was amazed how easily the blazer pulled Ollie..

this is mostly the post that I lost last night, so I am sending it now before I lose it again..

...jimhopingforagoodsubmit..........

Not sure how jetliner came about....it should be Jelinek11, or Jelinek, or just plain old Amber..lol I might take you up on the offer to come and check out your coops. My husband is not.....well....excited I guess you could say, about the chickens, but he is ok with it. Yes he is planning on building it, but to be honest, I think the biggest thing he has build is a dog house and shelves in the garage He would love to learn more, so if your up for helping, we may take you up on that. Our backyard is fenced in, so we are trying to figure out the dimensions and exactly where it will go. Might have to wait a bit till the snow and ice is gone...dang winters!

If anyone knows where we can get cheap/free wood or someone selling a coop, please let me know. We know we will have to spend money making the coop, but we would like to keep it down to a minimum. If our backyard is fenced in, do you all think that we will still need to use the hardware cloth? Thanks much!!!

 

[jvls1942]

Thanks for the links,, I will check them out later.. looks like the weather is supposed to get bad, so I will have all evening to do so..

I am thinking I might do away with all the chickens I have right now , and start over.. Now I am thinking of going to white rocks after this spring's hatch of the barrocks is over..

having so many breeds is too complicated for separating and breeding

 

[Celtic Chick]

Not sure how jetliner came about....it should be Jelinek11, or Jelinek, or just plain old Amber..lol I might take you up on the offer to come and check out your coops. My husband is not.....well....excited I guess you could say, about the chickens, but he is ok with it. Yes he is planning on building it, but to be honest, I think the biggest thing he has build is a dog house and shelves in the garage He would love to learn more, so if your up for helping, we may take you up on that. Our backyard is fenced in, so we are trying to figure out the dimensions and exactly where it will go. Might have to wait a bit till the snow and ice is gone...dang winters!

If anyone knows where we can get cheap/free wood or someone selling a coop, please let me know. We know we will have to spend money making the coop, but we would like to keep it down to a minimum. If our backyard is fenced in, do you all think that we will still need to use the hardware cloth? Thanks much!!!

Check Craig's List for coops and/or wood.
Depending on the predators you have in your area will determine if you need hardware cloth. I think it is always a good idea to be more cautious.

Menards has a cute little shed that would make a nice coop. If you're building one from scratch, check out the shed styles at Menards & Home Depot to help give you some ideas. And Jim (JVLS) will have tons of good ideas on coops too.
http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...-x-8-cumberland-kit-only/p-1459418-c-9658.htm

 

[jvls1942]

for me, Amber it is.. I am not a large fan of nick-names.. or pen names, or whatever the people use.. I built a house just about a block off of Jelinek, or was it Alta Verde ??..(or both)? It was a long time ago..

If you don't mind the chicken sh!t ,, and if the chickens do not go over your fence, the fenced in yard is great.. of course only 8 chickens would hardly be noticeable in a big yard.. they do like to eat or sample flower gardens.. and their favorite dusting hole is always in the middle of your favorite flowers.....

I often toyed with the idea of letting the birds free range as they do now,, only building a fence all around the house.. like the ranch houses on the big prairie..

one thing to consider if you buy a coop.. you have to lift it over that fence..

I am a builder, so I have never had to buy any type of building.. I find it offensive and expensive..

the original coop will seem expensive, but stretched out over the next 30 years, it won't be that bad.. do it right the first time, and you won't have to spend money on top of money replacing something that you did not really like in the first place..

In your case, you can always say you are building a play house for the kids.. It wouldn't be a lie, because many people call their chickens their kids..

I love building things.. so I would be happy to help you out..

......jimwhowastedenoughtimealreadytodaygoingtotown..........



here is the dog house I just built this fall.. It is suspended from the loader on Ollie, the Oliver tractor.. I designed it so that the eaves are strong enough for it to be lifted thus..

 

[delisha]

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/3481282979.html