YO GEORGIANS! :)

[Rocky Rhodes]

Is there anyone living in or around the Blue Ridge GA area? My DH and I will be heading that way this fall and would love to know of great places to visit. We love handmade crafts like pottery, wood working, jewelry and I knit. Also if anyone knows of beautiful mountain views to see in the area. I know we will be visiting Mercier Apple Orchard and a few places downtown but is there anything out of the way to see?

I live about 5 miles south of Blue Ridge and I would recommend a visit to The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.http://toccoariversiderestaurant.com/ The Apple Festival is October 11th and 12th and 18th and 19th. Also, Hillcrest orchardhttp://www.hillcrestorchards.net/ on Highway 52 east is on the way to Amicalola Falls, and is a great place to visit( Merciers is overrated). Shallowford Bridge is a neat sight, it's just past Toccoa Riverside Restaurant http://bridgehunter.com/ga/fannin/11150070/ You can drive across it and I would recommend it. Some of the best things to see in Fannin or Gilmer County are little out of the way homesteads, most of which are disappearing fast due to the constant influx of half-backs and land developers. Try to get lost on the backroads and you will definitely find a few hidden treasures. If you come when the leaves are at their peak, please pull over to look at them! We call folks that drive really slow to look at leaves "Lookie Loos" and other choice words that I won't repeat here. We love tourists, just remember that guy behind you who's running late for work might be me.

 

[valleychicks]

We rent out our log cabin! Bear Ridge Lodge - we still have some weeks left!

Your cabin is beautiful! We decided to stay at a hotel because it will just be the two of us and we will be in and out just long enough to get some sleep. Plan to stay on the go and see everything. Last year our daughter and son-in-law were with us when we stayed at a cabin. Their Lab had a ball playing in the creek.

 

[valleychicks]

I live about 5 miles south of Blue Ridge and I would recommend a visit to The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.http://toccoariversiderestaurant.com/ The Apple Festival is October 11th and 12th and 18th and 19th. Also, Hillcrest orchardhttp://www.hillcrestorchards.net/ on Highway 52 east is on the way to Amicalola Falls, and is a great place to visit( Merciers is overrated). Shallowford Bridge is a neat sight, it's just past Toccoa Riverside Restaurant http://bridgehunter.com/ga/fannin/11150070/ You can drive across it and I would recommend it. Some of the best things to see in Fannin or Gilmer County are little out of the way homesteads, most of which are disappearing fast due to the constant influx of half-backs and land developers. Try to get lost on the backroads and you will definitely find a few hidden treasures. If you come when the leaves are at their peak, please pull over to look at them! We call folks that drive really slow to look at leaves "Lookie Loos" and other choice words that I won't repeat here. We love tourists, just remember that guy behind you who's running late for work might be me.

Oh yes, we ate at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant last year and really enjoyed it. I don't remember a bridge but it was dark when we went to eat. We'll have to check out the bridge this time. We will also have to check out Hill Crest Orchard. We went to Mercier last year and it was rather busy. Went to a wine tasting too. I love getting lost! We don't really fall under the Lookie Loo category. We like to stay close to the speed limit and can't stand slow people. We know all about trying to get to work and people holding you back. My husband works in Athens and it takes him 1 hr and 10 min to get to work from our home. If he can keep from getting behind a slowpoke or 2, school bus or 2 and a tractor or 2 it is a perfect day.

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

Oh yes, we ate at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant last year and really enjoyed it. I don't remember a bridge but it was dark when we went to eat. We'll have to check out the bridge this time. We will also have to check out Hill Crest Orchard. We went to Mercier last year and it was rather busy. Went to a wine tasting too. I love getting lost! We don't really fall under the Lookie Loo category. We like to stay close to the speed limit and can't stand slow people. We know all about trying to get to work and people holding you back. My husband works in Athens and it takes him 1 hr and 10 min to get to work from our home. If he can keep from getting behind a slowpoke or 2, school bus or 2 and a tractor or 2 it is a perfect day.

I forgot to mention that my wife is a Hostess at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, her name is Tammy, she'll take good care of you. Oh, and if you take Stanley Creek Road, which is straight across the Road from Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, go about 3 miles and just a short walk off the road is Fall Branch Falls.https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=e...=X&ei=7mbtU9XhBMScygTlroHoAQ&ved=0CIkBEKIqMBA

 

[amandarc]

I'm using fermented feed. I make it with layer crumbles, alfalfa pellets(cause my girls ate everything green in their pen), Sprouts, a little scratch, veggie scraps, and occasionally a little UPACV. My feed bill is significantly lower than my Mom's and she is feeding laying pellets. I'm using the one bucket method(I feed them FF in the am and then again at lunch, throw in more feed and a little rain water, stir, cover and it is ready the next morning). In the late afternoon I feed them the sprouts I didn't put into the FF. I don't have a scale to weight them but they are not light! Their feathers have a shiny appearance.

where do you buy alfalfa pellets? I need my chickens to gain weight. They seen under weight. I'm feeding them organic laying pellets by coyote creek. Also I give then yogurt on occasion and scrambled eggs only once when I thought one was lethargic. They won't eat cabbage.

 

[GAMarans]

where do you buy alfalfa pellets? I need my chickens to gain weight. They seen under weight. I'm feeding them organic laying pellets by coyote creek. Also I give then yogurt on occasion and scrambled eggs only once when I thought one was lethargic. They won't eat cabbage.

Alfalfa pellets are sold at most feed stores. Not sure about organic ones, though.

Another way that we add greens ... when I go to the grocery store I watch for marked down produce. I frequently find 3 heads of romaine for $.98 ... bag of spinach for $1.29.

Of course right now I'm not having to buy any greens ... I'm turning over my garden for the next round and throw the pulled plants into the chicken yard. So far their favorite is the green beans.

 

[Missyktsm]

Hi All. This is my first post for quite a while, I haven't been on in ages. Life's been getting in the way and all that. Anyway, I've decided to downsize a little and get rid of most of my LF Cochins. Most of them are Roos but I do have a couple of hens to go with the boys. I've posted pics and info on FB Chicken Swap of Georgia page if anyone is interested. Hope everyone is doing great!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/251761151513389/792965727392926/?ref=notif&notif_t=group_comment

 

[Flowerbh]

where do you buy alfalfa pellets? I need my chickens to gain weight. They seen under weight. I'm feeding them organic laying pellets by coyote creek. Also I give then yogurt on occasion and scrambled eggs only once when I thought one was lethargic. They won't eat cabbage.

Omg! Send your skinny chickens to me. Mine are all fat! I have been cutting back on the bad fattening leftovers from our renters! Fat chickens = low egg production. So now all they get is leftover protein things. (Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, etc)

Just sold three young roosters and one non laying hen. I told the man the truth. Sbhe has crop issues and eats all day and doesn't lay eggs. He took her anyway and paid $5 for her to boot! Said he would put her to pasture with his other chickens to see what happens.

 

[Noobie farmer]

I'm using fermented feed. I make it with layer crumbles, alfalfa pellets(cause my girls ate everything green in their pen), Sprouts, a little scratch, veggie scraps, and occasionally a little UPACV. My feed bill is significantly lower than my Mom's and she is feeding laying pellets. I'm using the one bucket method(I feed them FF in the am and then again at lunch, throw in more feed and a little rain water, stir, cover and it is ready the next morning). In the late afternoon I feed them the sprouts I didn't put into the FF. I don't have a scale to weight them but they are not light! Their feathers have a shiny appearance.

I have found a recipe that really works and makes use of the stuff I grow for free from the garden. We have all kinds of fruit trees too. I just take 1 large cucumber, 2 large summer squash, and 1 apple as a base, along with whatever other optional fruit and veggie scraps you may have (like I often use carrot scraps and grapes). I chop them into big cubes and liquify them in the blender with a splash of water just enough to keep the blade turning well. I pour that into a large mixing bowl and add a couple cups of wild bird seed mix (A spoonful of baking yeast is optional but I use it, as well as a fist full of hardwood ash from the stove to balance PH and add minerals). I then add an equal amount of store bought feed by volume. I mix it well and fold it into a dough. I have a big plastic tray I dump it out on in the sun and mash it down until its about half an inch thick almost like ginger bread or something. I lay that out in the sun for 1 hour until it forms a sort of uniform consistency. I then take it and break it up into a bunch of big chucks to increase surface area and speed up drying. I continue to slightly break down the big chunks a little at a time every hour or so as it dries in the sun. This leaves a nice texture the chickens love when its finally fully dry and broken into bite sized chunks. When its too wet its very soft and will crumble into powder if you try to break them up too small too fast and the chickens prefer chunks to powder. Its a big hit with them. You can do this experimenting with different kinds of veggies but this combo works well and my garden produces TONS of this kind of stuff to use. Our feed bill is very low and our chickens are healthy, happy, shiny, pretty and actually getting kinda fat.

 

[Noobie farmer]

Agree with Flower all those festivals are awesome the only one I haven't been to yet is The Apple Festival in Ellijay hopefully next year.There is also the October Fest in Helen it's a replica of an Alpine Village,German Food,Pastries, BreauHaus it's a lot of fun

Apple festival is pretty cool. I've been a couple times.