Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[jvls1942]

mission accomplished,,
the lean to is all down, and the coop bedding is all scraped down to dirt.
I have Ollie parked in the spot now.
that gave me an idea of just making a parking spot with a roof over it. just for Ollie.
I could leave it open at both ends and be able to drive right through..

 

[chickisoup]

I have a tape like that for whitetail deer...it to is pretty darn close.
Picked green beans yesterday...oh my were they delicious...bring on the harvest.

bigz

Did my first greenbean harvest on Saturday and we absolutely pigged out on them! Just a nice steamed chicken breast and few freshly dug small potatoes to go along side. Yesterday more beans with nice small steak and potatoes on the barbie and a small salad of goodies from the herb garden.
I'm thinking there is not going to be enough left to process by the time we get done munching!

 

[Daethen]

Picked the garden yesterday. My tomato plants are 6 ft. tall. Cherry tomatoes are starting to ripen. Picked some zucchini and made 7 large and 7 mini loaves of bread. YUMMY!!! Got the lawn mowed. Still need to re-vamp the mushroom area and finish weeding the garden.

 

[chickisoup]

Good crispy 40o morning everyone!

• 

That should shut the tomatoes down for a day or two, darn. Just being lazy until it warms up enough to let the littles out of the coop. They just turned 5 weeks and not quite fully feathered yet so a very wet, 40o grassy run is a bit too much for my spoiled babies so they are suffering in their brand new large fully equipped brooder and being forced to eat the most expensive chick starter Nutrena makes and hunt in the fresh hay for their mealworms treat to keep them busy till it warms up a bit more. Poor little birds.

Did I mention that I really really really dislike the way the new gallery pictures thing works?

 

[jvls1942]

good morning,
I am spending a lot of time this morning corresponding with puppy seekers.
some of them really rile me.
a couple here and there think that if a dog does not have "papers" it is less of a dog.

back to the puppy grind.

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

 

[Daethen]

Tired this morning for some reason! Forgot to mention that I made 20 cups of fridge pickles a couple of days ago. Planning to make some dills soon. In fact, I should go check the cukes and see what is available. Mushrooms are starting to produce again thanks to all this rain. Hoping that my EE start to lay soon. The rest of the chickens seem to be going through a partial molt. No one is bald, but there are feathers everywhere and they are not laying worth a poop. Getting a couple of large aquariums soon to set up in the kids' rooms. Anyone got some filters or pumps they want to get rid of?

 

[jvls1942]

good afternoon,
my project is at a dead stand still.
I backed the tractor in where I am going to pour the cement slab.
Annie went to check for eggs and came in and told me there is a screw sticking out of one of the back tires and it is flat.
now I have to figure out how to get at it to fix it.. I can't/won't do it alone..
the tire is full of fluid. too heavy to toss around.
........jiminwisc.......

 

[speckled6]

So much going on with everyone! Y'all are so busy!!!
As for us...well, I could use some input if you care to share any ideas.
Chickens will be 16 weeks old next Monday. Trying to complete the nest boxes today.
I read the article about sand in coops. I'd like to try it, but I have 1 concern and one question about it...
In WI... would it be too cold for the chickens over a cement floor? Does anyone here have any experience with sand in coops...good or bad?
My question is about the nest boxes. Do you still put pine shavings in them? Sand? Something else?
I have no idea and I feel like I'm starting all over with chickens as we move closer to laying.
Speaking of which... should I start giving them layer feed when I'm out of this bag of chick starter? I think I read that somewhere.
I have a few white leghorns that might start laying in the next couple weeks, but the rest are I think will take a few more weeks to start laying...so
Any help is much appreciated.
jean

 

[tk10]

Jean, I read on here that they should be on grower until all are laying. You can offer crushed oyster shell on the side so that the layers get enough calcium. Some continue this set up always.

I'm still looking for buyers for the Sebastopol geese. I'm fairly certain I have a trio . I wish I could keep them.

 

[jvls1942]

Jean, keep feeding them what you have.
No need to get too concerned about oyster shells until they start laying for awhile.
oyster shells are cheap, so just put some in a pan somewhere where they will stay relatively clean. that is, a little way off the ground so that the chickens don't scratch a bunch of dirt over it..
chickens love to pick up individual pieces of whatever. so maybe just toss a handful onto the ground where they walk.
It doesn't have to be ground up smaller.
we found a quarter in a chicken we butchered once.. how she swallowed it, who knows ??

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