Good Morning! 2019

[baronrenfrew]

So I've spent as much time as I could in the woods the last month, and took this pic. I stepped right by it and it didn't move. I went back 4 minutes later and it still hadn't moved.

[kenya]

Yes I had one like that in the backyard but it did move and I admit I squealed, I'm such a baby sometimes. Snakes normally don't bother me.

[JimW]

Wow did Fall ever set in quick, guess I need to put the summer clothes away and dig out some cold weather gear. Still waiting to hear from my cardiologist about plan to treat my clogged arteries, hopefully I will hear something soon.

I downsized in bird numbers... a friend of my took my fancy quail and said I can have them back, if I want when I am healthier. Re-homed a few surplus hens and pullets. Processing a few extra roosters, a bunch of male coturnix quail and a couple guinea fowl this weekend to downsize some more. I posted on FB that I might have re-home most of my flock due to health reasons. I had a couple people "swoop down" like vultures offering to buy all my hens (no roosters) or some of my breeding groups or to "adopt" my birds and give them a new home, aka me give them to them for free. I also have had a few great people offer to take some of my birds ad look after them until my health improves or come over and look after my birds during recovery if I need surgery. I am very grateful for those offers. SO I am hoping if I need surgery I will be able to keep a bunch of my breeding birds, that will be hard to replace.

My adult Beltsville turkeys finally finishing moulting and looked decent for a day, until they decided to hang out in the part of their run that is not covered during the storm the other day, now they are kind of mottled brown Beltsville turkeys.

I hope everyone is enjoying this Fall weather. I am hoping for a long Fall, say until March. lol

JimW

[Bayvistafarm]

I think Jim we are all hoping for a nice fall, lol. Yeah... March sounds about right for spring to start again.. skip winter all together. Hope it all works out with your birds, because it just sucks to give it all up totally.

I had to REALLY downsize some.. because my back 'L' shaped barn is caving in. Lucky I got all the birds out before it came completely down. Its still looking the same, but I dare not go in there. The cement floor has dropped about 8 inches from the walk thru door... which it was nearly level before. Scary. All that weight up there... and Colleen and I and Dave and Gary catching pigeons down in the basement of that barn there the fall before. Already you could see joists down below all that cement, were shifting, and laying down flat up on the 2 long beams that joined and ran down the center. Ugh. Scary. I know Colleen... I made you go down there, lol.

About 2 weeks ago, I peeled and sliced 1/2 bushel of apples and made 2-10inch deep pyrex pie pans of apple pie for the freezer. And 4 aluminum 9 in pies for myself and 3 of my kids and their families. I ended up taking Heathers back for a dinner we were invited to, lol. Yesterday I peeled another 1/2 bushel and made 4--- 9 inch aluminum pies, one for Heather, one for me... lol... and 2 for the freezer. Yesterday I also made 2 of those square bigger pans lined with parchment of lasagne's.... one for my niece who broke her leg... and one for my freezer, as well as my metal lasagne pan full of lasagne for the freezer, to feed a crowd.

About a month ago, I made some Jalapeno poppers for the fish fry we have yearly.... and froze them on cookie sheets, and then used my friends vacuum sealer thingy and sealed them. So nice. It happens that we (Jess and I), made fresh poppers for the fish fry, and so now I have bags and bags of them all to myself!! I also on the fry day, made a few bacon wrapped poppers for myself. I will bake those in the oven at some point during the winter. Those tasty appetizers are so nice to bring to say a football game party night, or to someones house for dinner. There are still tons of them in the garden, as well as sweet peppers, now of various colours. I've been dicing them and freezing them on trays too.

Earlier in the year, I diced 54 cups of Jalapeno's and made jars of the Cowboy Candy... which are so good on burgers, or grilled cheese, or salads... or anything, lol.

Well.. its nearly 9:30pm. Bed time!

[JimW]

Bayvistafarm,

You must live in some kind of time warp.... with more than 24 hours in a day. You are non-stop!!! I think I need to grow some Jalapenos next year. :)

[kenya]

Wow did Fall ever set in quick, guess I need to put the summer clothes away and dig out some cold weather gear. Still waiting to hear from my cardiologist about plan to treat my clogged arteries, hopefully I will hear something soon.

I downsized in bird numbers... a friend of my took my fancy quail and said I can have them back, if I want when I am healthier. Re-homed a few surplus hens and pullets. Processing a few extra roosters, a bunch of male coturnix quail and a couple guinea fowl this weekend to downsize some more. I posted on FB that I might have re-home most of my flock due to health reasons. I had a couple people "swoop down" like vultures offering to buy all my hens (no roosters) or some of my breeding groups or to "adopt" my birds and give them a new home, aka me give them to them for free. I also have had a few great people offer to take some of my birds ad look after them until my health improves or come over and look after my birds during recovery if I need surgery. I am very grateful for those offers. SO I am hoping if I need surgery I will be able to keep a bunch of my breeding birds, that will be hard to replace.

My adult Beltsville turkeys finally finishing moulting and looked decent for a day, until they decided to hang out in the part of their run that is not covered during the storm the other day, now they are kind of mottled brown Beltsville turkeys.

I hope everyone is enjoying this Fall weather. I am hoping for a long Fall, say until March. lol

JimW

It's too bad you had to see the ugly side of humanity, aka the vultures. Thankfully you also saw the good side as well. Goodluck with your surgery, keep your pride and joys you will get better faster and let someone look after the rest until you are ready for them once more.

[Killerbunny]

Well we have officially got the first ice on the waterers! It's not supposed to be cold at night for the next few days though. I am hoping the cooler weather pushes the turkey feathering in time for the show. The old females only have half length tails and the young birds all decided to go through moult to their adult plumage! I never seem to get the timing right. My old males though are looking lovely.

[Jaye]

Frosty here too.
We've had a bit of a rodeo going on with the quail the last few days ... two escapees that we finally managed to catch and return to the fold yesterday after several failed attempts at capture. Two days and one night out fending for themselves somewhere in the underbrush or in the cedar hedge or who knows where. The good thing is that it seems both birds wanted back with the flock because they kept coming back to hang out their flockmates on the outside of the tractor fence. One of them is in the infirmary because she managed to get injured, so I had to do some cleanup and dressing and will do a followup this morning. The other is back where she belongs. I removed another from the bachelor pen this morning that I had obviously not vent-sexed correctly, and I have also discovered that there are still three roosters in the hen tractor that will need to be integrated into the bachelor pen somehow. We will have to decide soon which colour varieties of roosters we want to keep over winter for spring breeding. Fun and games.

[Ontario Chick]

So I've spent as much time as I could in the woods the last month, and took this pic. I stepped right by it and it didn't move. I went back 4 minutes later and it still hadn't moved.

Eastern Ribbon snake???
It is rated of "Special concern" on list of threatened species.
I was pretty concerned when I almost stepped on it, don't think I would have noticed it if it wasn't for @baronrenfrew post with pictures.
Came across one yesterday, trying for a bit of sun, just lifted it's head poor thing, not much heat to be had anymore.

[Killerbunny]

So I've spent as much time as I could in the woods the last month, and took this pic. I stepped right by it and it didn't move. I went back 4 minutes later and it still hadn't moved.

Eastern Ribbon snake???
It is rated of "Special concern" on list of threatened species.
I was pretty concerned when I almost stepped on it, don't think I would have noticed it if it wasn't for @baronrenfrew post with pictures.
Came across one yesterday, trying for a bit of sun, just lifted it's head poor thing, not much heat to be had anymore.

Excellent - another species of Special Concern. That should help with the neighbour issues!