Surviving Minnesota!

[holm25]

Just thought I would share a few pics. I love how Lucky and the Buckeye are coming along!!

 

[Dandelioness]

I have tentatively decided on my "new" fufu breed for next year.

I am asking for your input into them, I do not know much about them. I am trying to pick a heritage breed off the threatened or endangered list.

The tentative choice is:::::   Trumpets playing........


Silver Duckwing Yokohama...


The bad part is I am stuck starting with hatchery stock. Hopefully I can improve upon them with time.   Cackle is the hatchery I am looking at. I have never bought from them before so input on them is needed too..



None of this is in stone yet..

I've ordered from cackle a few times and been very happy with my birds. I'm more into egg production, looks, and colourful eggs, though. I have no idea about SOP conformity.

I've looked at those birds, too. Very striking, and I have an affinity for almost anything Japanese. A little too fu-fu for me, but then I have fallen in love with those silly silkies.

 

[Dandelioness]

Good morning all. Lots of happenings in the past 10 days. My family and I just returned from a 10 day road trip out west. 3900 miles, 7 states, wow do we live in an amazing country. If you ever get the opportunity I strongly encourage everyone to visit glacier National Park. I also found trail Ridge Road going into estes park colorado to be amazing.

It is an amazing country, so much to see. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and are back safely. Any losses? Whenever I leave, something dies in some bizarre accident.

Hello all and happy Sunday!  Was a great day and got a lot done until it started to rain.  Sooooo....today was the first day I let the chicks free range.  spent all morning securing chicken wire to fences, gates, etc....then installed a 5th hotwire rope close to the ground so the chicks would get the idea that they must remain in the pasture......well...there is one spot and they FOUND it, where they walked right under.  their backs touched the rope and no shock?????  So back to the main line...I turned the fence off and re-installed the wire that connects all 5 strands.  now my fence tester gave me all red beeps up to 7000 volts.... we will see next time they are let out.  I am also going to place some logs in the areas where the rope is not low enough to the ground to inhibit their trying to walk under. 

Geesh...the work never ends.

It wasn't as hard as I thought getting them back into the run...I have them trained now when they hear the bag of dried meal worms shaking...they come running...FAST!  We had a few stragglers that were easily rounded up!

I call out the same vocal pattern every time I feed, so it's no problem for me to lure them back if I'm holding a bucket and calling. I always have a little grain, so as not to create trust issues! LOL

As far as keeping them in a fence, I have found just making sure if there is a hole that it's easy for them to get in and out of works well for deterring predators. Maybe you're trying to keep them out of stuff? Then I just use cheap step-in posts and floppy deer netting around anything I don't want them getting into.

A real chicken fence is still in the works, though.

 

[Dandelioness]

Man, it's been hot lately! I have some last minute veggies to put in and a couple perennials I'd like to get in the ground. But in 90-degree weather, I've been holding off. Tomorrow!

But tomorrow is horse day for the girls and I'm not sure it'll happen until Tuesday.

I have a good batch of organic birds to send to camp Kenmore, probably after the 4th. Lots of orders for the conventional batch coming in July. Wish me luck, I've never raised 100 birds in one go, 75 was my largest batch.

I have two quarantine pens going, too, and with the heat it's kind of a chore to get out there and make sure everyone's okay.

My husband finished another multi-species paddock today, so the horse (my sister's) and my ram wethers are happy in their new pasture. No-climb horse fence is so expensive. Anyone run sheep or goats with horses and steer with 5-strand barbless wire? I'm concerned about the horse breaking a leg with lesser woven wire fencing, but $600 per paddock is killing me! My sister is footing the bill, but I'm wondering if the 5-strand is feasible. Always looking for safe ways to economize.

Hope you all are staying cool. Take care, all ~

 

[I Love Layers]

Tomorrow I am showing 1 dozen blue/green eggs, 1 dozen brown eggs, 1 dozen white eggs, and 6 duck eggs.
And also the record books for livestock is tomorrow.
I also have a Volleyball camp from 9am-11am and also 2pm-4pm

 

[ejb3810]

There must be a problem with my computer updating, as I see no post from this morning?
Ralphie, in case you would have an interest. Dennis Heltzel wrote a post on the Ameraucana Alliance blog this morning regarding sex-linked pullet production of EEs which closely resemble a Black Ameraucana pullet. He uses California Grey pullets with a Black Ameraucana rooster to produce the black pullets?
I suspect that Jerry might shed some light on this. Potentially this would be an avenue to produce and sell EE chicks that are pullets? You could definitely charge more for a sexed chick than straight run.

Thanks for the thought on the Guinea keets, but I think I will hold off on them.

 

[I Love Layers]

Heading out for the volleyball camp now. Took care of the birds and put the cochins in their outside cage, I am going to have to wash their leg feathers on Wednesday night cause the hens are a bit dirty, and I never washed my bantam so he needs at least a wipe off.
Someone from Minnesota was interested in the Apps, but I told them where I was and they said no. I was also not interested in having to deal with all the paperwork etc.

 

[Siggie]

It is an amazing country, so much to see. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and are back safely. Any losses? Whenever I leave, something dies in some bizarre accident.
I call out the same vocal pattern every time I feed, so it's no problem for me to lure them back if I'm holding a bucket and calling. I always have a little grain, so as not to create trust issues! LOL

As far as keeping them in a fence, I have found just making sure if there is a hole that it's easy for them to get in and out of works well for deterring predators. Maybe you're trying to keep them out of stuff? Then I just use cheap step-in posts and floppy deer netting around anything I don't want them getting into.

A real chicken fence is still in the works, though.

yea, I am contemplating just surrounding the entire lower fence with chicken wire solely to keep the chickens in. I definitely have to keep them in because of my dogs. The dogs respect the hot wire and will not try to enter the pasture but if the chickens start roaming the driveway and yard outside the pasture, it's only a matter of time before one of the dogs has a chicken dinner. They have never been around chickens and one of my dogs will chase the rabbits and kill squirrels when ever she gets the chance so I am betting she will kill a chicken.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

I have tentatively decided on my "new" fufu breed for next year.

I am asking for your input into them, I do not know much about them. I am trying to pick a heritage breed off the threatened or endangered list.

The tentative choice is::::: Trumpets playing........


Silver Duckwing Yokohama...


The bad part is I am stuck starting with hatchery stock. Hopefully I can improve upon them with time. Cackle is the hatchery I am looking at. I have never bought from them before so input on them is needed too..



None of this is in stone yet..

I am going to Holm's on the 2nd. Judy and I are taking a road trip to give Mr T a physical!

You're going to have to start your own chicken salon with that breed =)

I expect to get a mini Mr. T from you next year, so hopefully the physical goes well. If not, well, I guess he can come live with me.

Good morning all.....dark clouds are brewing here on the North Shore.... which means I will get nothing done on the greenhouse

so we are going to take a run to Duluth to get some parts for my bike, Duluth Harley Davidson has a 15% off deal going on right now........need some highway pegs. I'M GOING TO STURGIS!!!!!

Do you buy Kuryakyn accessories? If so, we tend to buy a lot of our online through Dennis Kirk. The parts are more reasonably priced than dealerships. I've ordered from J&P cycles before as well. I bought my Cobra pipes on ebay last year about $150 cheaper than anywhere else. Brand new from Cobra, free shipping, and they also sent me the Jet kit I needed for my bike. I also find that if we go to dealerships, we think we need something else

 

[jerryse]

There must be a problem with my computer updating, as I see no post from this morning?
Ralphie, in case you would have an interest. Dennis Heltzel wrote a post on the Ameraucana Alliance blog this morning regarding sex-linked pullet production of EEs which closely resemble a Black Ameraucana pullet. He uses California Grey pullets with a Black Ameraucana rooster to produce the black pullets?
I suspect that Jerry might shed some light on this. Potentially this would be an avenue to produce and sell EE chicks that are pullets? You could definitely charge more for a sexed chick than straight run.

Thanks for the thought on the Guinea keets, but I think I will hold off on them.

I have cuckoo and lavender cuckoo project colors . I have produced sex links with them . I left a reply on the Aliance .