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  1. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    I processed two NH cockerels at 40 weeks and the carcasses weighed right at 5 pounds each, skin off. The RIR hen is more aggressive than the NHs, but the RIR cockerel never caused problems. I have two 17 week old RIR over NH cockerels that look like they'd process out at 4 or 5 pounds already...
  2. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    I have feed-store New Hampshires and had a pair of RIRs, but the RIR cockerel was processed after he fathered a batch of RIRxNH chicks. Still have the hen for the time being. I have a younger batch of chicks that are straight NH. For meaties my plan is to breed for size by pairing the largest...
  3. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    It's nice not obsessing over a bunch of seedlings this year. If I get a smaller and/or later harvest it'll be a fair exchange for the time and effort saved by not starting seedlings in the house. I've been focused on my chickens anyway, having 24 now spread out in four age groups. Trying to...
  4. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    Two of my raised beds are pretty much weed free now. Next they'll get topcoated with compost, then I'll start planting some seeds. And there are two more beds to work on after that.
  5. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    I knew that about tomatoes but not about peppers. Since potatoes are in the same family I'm guessing you could root cuttings from them too. I'm not growing potatoes this season but maybe someone could try it.
  6. Smokerbill

    Fertilized eggs?

    Try a cell phone flashlight.
  7. Smokerbill

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    It's cooling now.
  8. Smokerbill

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    I need to set up a nipple watering system. I have both vertical and horizontal nipples on hand, just haven't used them yet. Got a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread going in the machine. I'm using the King Arthur recipe ingredients list, and measured the flour by weight for the first time ever.
  9. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    Have you tried catching voles with mousetraps? I caught one inside the shop once, so it can be done. I found this method online. Haven't tried it myself. https://ucanr.edu/site/mg-sonoma/catching-voles
  10. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    I agree. When the garlic I planted last fall started sending shoots above ground something kept nipping them off and eating them, and I suspect it was voles. Now that the garlic is a lot taller they leave it alone.
  11. Smokerbill

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    @TeePants , I thought blood in the stools was the sign of coccidiosis, but I might be wrong. Maybe she's just stressed out from the change in her environment, being alone in a bathtub. I know stress can give me digestive issues.
  12. Smokerbill

    What did you do in the garden today?

    I started cleaning the weeds from the garden beds today. The chickens are enjoying them. I'm going to take it easy with the gardening this season and direct seed everything in the garden, tomatoes included. No seeds started indoors. I had three tomato plants last year that were direct seeded...
  13. Smokerbill

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    13 eggs is a lot. My six older pullets are laying good now, 4 to 6 eggs a day, and the four younger pullets are starting to get red combs so they're getting closer to laying. Glad my neighbor likes eggs. LOL I think I'm going to take the easy way out with my garden this year and direct seed...
  14. Smokerbill

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    I have 6 cockerels now, and one of the older ones is attempting to mate the pullets. It's time to put all the cockerels together into the bachelor pad and move the younger pullets in with the older ones. Do you still want to buy a few pullets @pennyJo1960 ? If you don't, no problem!
  15. Smokerbill

    Tips on restraining a chicken for inspection?

    I've learned that using a flashing/strobing light at night disorients the chickens and makes them even easier to grab from the roost. I tried a leg hook one time and it didn't catch the cockerel but made him go crazy trying (and succeeding) to escape the run.
  16. Smokerbill

    One of my chicks contracted patty butt

    I believe that it's an unabsorbed yolk sac as mentioned in the following thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/unabsorbed-yolk-sack-help.463890/#post-5873691
  17. Smokerbill

    Benadryl to Euthanize Chicken?

    Cervical dislocation is the method I use to dispatch chickens. I set up a simple device that is much easier to use than a broomstick held down with my feet. I drove a foot long, 3/8" diameter spike halfway into a section of railroad tie, then bent it over at an angle, with the gap at the open...
  18. Smokerbill

    Do you use a secondary temp/humidity meter?

    I have a NR 360 incubator and never saw humidity levels that low. I have a secondary meter inside the unit and it always reads around 10 points lower humidity compared to the built in meter, ~45% compared to ~55% shown on the built in. Temperature runs about 1 degree cooler inside than the...
  19. Smokerbill

    Marans genetic and how to breed them to SOP

    Very nice!
  20. Smokerbill

    What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

    The smoke alarms in my house are hardwired, and have 10 year backup batteries in them that need no replacement. I believe that at the ten year point the alarm starts chirping or something to let you know it's time to replace the unit.
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