Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[irishrovr]

Something else that holds down weeds and holds in moisture is heavy layers of newspaper. Decomposes nicely into the soil as well.

I tried newspaper between the rows in the garden one year and it was a mess. Went back to rototiling between the rows and It's much better.

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

Hey y'all--it's been ages, and I had to get out of chickens and angoras for a bit, but I'm worming my way back! How is everyone?

 

[babylady4]

Irish I hear you on the allergies, I have been taking Claritin since last week.....

Made the kraut a nice German dinner last night: ham hocks, hm kraut, spätzle, and rye bread. Happy hubby here.

Nice to see you keedokes!

 

[Angiebubs]

We use the winter coop bedding (thats been deep littering all winter) around the asparagus. (ChickenShip also tills down 3-4 inches about now, then covers with the composted bedding)

I hear you with the allergies...I pretty much lost my voice last week-not sure if I had a cold with it or not but YUCK

Its so odd, I put up ads for Pre ordering Salmon Faverolles chicks to determine how many to set, and I am instead getting a ton of people looking for SF roos LOL (I guess the sweetness of these roos is what sold me on the breed, so I shouldnt be so surprised) I literally have names of a couple people wanting roos when they come available.

 

[jvls1942]

good evening,

we cut the asparagus and then I mow it as short as I can after each cutting. later on we let it grow up and go to seed
In the fall I would mow the whole mess down and that is when we rototilled it shallow but thoroughly and fertilized and mulched it..

that was when we had a nice row of it.. the black walnut trees killed the whole row.

today was our last day of bowling for the season. I bowled my highest scratch game ever.. 221 ..

..........jiminwisc..........

 

[Cindlady]

Hi All!

Yea, DH has asked for spatzle a few times recently. We like it fried with cabbage too.

Congrats on the score Jim.

I found out that flying herons when they call, sound enough like turkeys to make mine call back! LOL

Night All.

 

[kristip]

Hey there everyone... bad day for rainy weather as my new box of bees is coming today... was supposed to be here yesterday but the guy bringing them up from Cali got stuck in a snow storm along the way. Rainy and cloudy weather makes them super agressive... fantastic!!!

Question I know I have asked before...I noticed that two of my girls have no feathers on their heads and necks...could be molting or mites... best solution if it is mites? they are hard to get ahold of and I feel like it stresses them to snatch them up. Need to finish the big spring clean. One coop down and one to go!

Otherwise I am in the crazy of soccer madness with two kids!

 

[jvls1942]

Hey there everyone... bad day for rainy weather as my new box of bees is coming today... was supposed to be here yesterday but the guy bringing them up from Cali got stuck in a snow storm along the way. Rainy and cloudy weather makes them super agressive... fantastic!!!

Question I know I have asked before...I noticed that two of my girls have no feathers on their heads and necks...could be molting or mites... best solution if it is mites? they are hard to get ahold of and I feel like it stresses them to snatch them up. Need to finish the big spring clean. One coop down and one to go!

Otherwise I am in the crazy of soccer madness with two kids!

It sounds more like mating than mites to me.

Hey, they are only chickens.. snatch them up if you feel like it.. don't worry if they squawk .. that is what chickens do,, it doesn't stress them to be caught and let go..

..........jiminwisc........

 

[chikenscratch]

Ok cs, it looks like your coop pics were taken even before day one minute zero.

So you can't open up that door on the enclosed area, park a wheelbarrow right in front of it & rake it out? Bummer.

Ouch. With a concrete floor, either don't make the roosts very high or try to have deep litter to keep them from injuring their feet. Bumblefoot could occur.

Jim, a poop board under the roosts is awesome. I think the birds crap more over night than they do all day long. Ye gads! It makes cleaning the coop much easier since the majority of the doo is on the boards. Just clean off the boards every few days, then you don't have to clean out the rest of the coop for longer periods of time. This works especially well if you do the deep litter method.

Glad to hear the fertility was a little bit better than expected Bigz.

Absolutely, CC, these were taken before minute zero! Definitely, doesn't look that clean now! Due to the angle of the roof, the door, which swings from left to right, hits the roof. So I only get it open 50% of the way (also I have the feeders having behind the door too).

Thank you all for the suggestions. Let me clarify, that photo was an example of poop boards, not my coop. We did have chickens when I was growing up so I am very much aware of their incessant bowl habits, lol. The poop boards would not keep the coop spotless, but would save some cleaning time since the hens will spend a fair amount of time in that particular area of the coop. I will be able to add one more chicken at most to our flock of five as we currently have 2 buffs, 2 ee and one barred rock. That is unless one turns out to be a roo, then he will be culled and replaced next year. Best to ease hubby into the whole process, he was a city kid...
The wide door wheelbarrow suggestions were something I had not thought of so that was great. Our coop will be very similar to what chicnscratch has. How large is the run space below the actual coop? We will have wood floors in the coop and dirt outside and we are also planning to build a low tech tractor to move the hens around the yard. Nesting boxes will be off the floor and double doors will access the 6 foot side of the coop with no lip for easy cleaning. Trying to design a floor plan that makes feeding and watering during winter as easy as it will be to collect the eggs.
Neighbors down the street stopped by to give their support. We don't really care what the ones across the street think.

The enclosed space/run is the full length of the building, but I let them out into the yard as well. I'd advise the lip to help against rodent entry. Wheelbarrows can always be lifted over the lip.

Great turkey Brent, hope you feel better Cindy, bummer on your turkey nchls, I filled my doe tag that way once....yippie for grandmas in the world and Jim.. your feeder is very nice. Did I miss anyone?
Let's talk winter.
How large is your water bucket, do you use a tank heater or a bottom heater, have you had water freeze, bottom nipple, side nipple, open water?
My coop will be a reach in, not walk in.
Do you insulate, heat, infrared, let it go?
Egg boxes inside or outside of main coop? Have you had eggs freeze ever?

As far as heaters go, this is the one I use. I wondered whether a set up using nipples would leak and/or freeze, so I avoided them.

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/624017-allied-precision-heated-flat-back-bucket.html

I agree that you should have let the chickens feast. A possum in our yard is a dead possum. I know they are supposed to eat ticks and such, but they also carry disease.




I have 17 adult and 10 chicks that have never been wormed. I am new to all of this. Should I worm them? If so, how much would I need and how much do you want for it?

I've never wormed or otherwise treated my birds. I also am on the side of "If nothing is wrong, don't bother".

Hi Jim!!!!

Hey Big Z!

When is the bash this year? KNow who all is going yet? I would really like to make it depending on which weekend!

Here is the bash link Angiebubs, https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075619/seventh-annual-wi-cheesehead-bash/10#post_16837870

I tried newspaper between the rows in the garden one year and it was a mess. Went back to rototiling between the rows and It's much better.

Yeah, we laid down newspaper one year and came home to newspaper blown all over...not doing that again!

 

[Daethen]

I tried newspaper between the rows in the garden one year and it was a mess. Went back to rototiling between the rows and It's much better.

I didn't mean between the rows, but around the plants in the rows. I always till between the rows to keep the weeds down.