Good Morning! <=2017

Flat Rock Farm · Post by **Flat Rock Farm** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:00 pm

The Guinea Hen X Easter Egger looks kind of cool. The naked necks.....Eeeeek!!

Post by **WLLady** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 11:18 pm

Thanks baron. We have decided against ground source geothermal-but man did our propane company tick me off today....so we may switch away from them entertaining heat pump or different propane company...
But its been a horrendous couple of days-i may be a bit jaded...i will see if i still hate them tomorrow after a good nights sleep. We use a lot of wood. We have a good supplier, need to start cutting our dead ash....it is a lot of work....

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 9:23 am

Yeah and with your back buggered up you're already pushing it with all the things you do already. I'd check out the solar heater for cansolair, and online lots of "do it yourself" plans even one from Popular Mechanics mag. I am sure Martin could handle that.
http://stonehavenlife.com/7-diy-pop-can-solar-heaters/

Post by **WLLady** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 9:39 am

Lol-my hubby already is scheming/plotting off grid for us after our solar contract is up...and solar heated water...lol.
We may be able to get our wood guy to cut here...maybe.

What a beautiful day! Have to let the one tom out...that broody mom hatched 3 i finished another 3 in the incubator and she adopted them right away! Another 3 are pipped in the incubator so if they hatch she will get those too. Poults are eating and drinking...so looks like i have a good mom! She is just under a year old too! My red is sitting now too....so boys get to go to the other horse stall and barn hallway now. Then thinking of dividing the one pen and putting girls on either side with their kids. Unless i process grow out boys and move mom into the grow out coop. Lol. For now i need caffeine and breakfast lol

Post by **Killerbunny** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 9:45 am

Great news Kathy!

Post by **WLLady** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:16 am

She got tired of me i think...i got hissed at just looking into the pen lol. Opened the barn up wide. Such a nice warm day here! Fans going in the loft windows and doors open. Hope this weather stays!!

Flat Rock Farm · Post by **Flat Rock Farm** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:07 am

Good Morning and what a BEAUTIFUL weekend!! What a difference a week makes.

Finally have had a chance to have a good go at the gardens, so many plants have really popped in just a few days........along with the weeds

Enjoy it all :wink:

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:28 am

Another beautiful day in Lowbanks today. Yesterday chicks out on grass and broody mama took her babes for a walk (supervised via me). I raked and raked and well, did a lot of chick and chicken watching. So easy to lose time when you sit with a coffee and just watch the playing and flying around. Everyone will be out again, just waiting for it to warm up a bit more.

I had a few bees show up, check me out and then leave. Such a difference in behaviour than the as*hole wasps. Too many wasps already flying around already. No-See-umm are swarming so I'm covered in clove oil when I'm outside. I'll take mosquito bites over no-see-umm any day. Hummingbirds, the males, should be arriving soon. Time to make them some sugar 'nectar' and get it hung out today. More raking today, except when I make a pile it's getting put into wheel barrow right away. Yesterday 3 piles got 'inspected' and needed to be raked up again.

BBQ ribs and grilled vegetables for dinner!!!

Googled Mt. forest. Wow. That's far. Might go if I can swing my trip to Arthur in the same day,

GSD pup arriving end of July. I will be away for a week in August for a trip. Timing is terrible, but you can't have it all and I don't dare complain. Josh will be in charge. A few ducklings, too many chickens, 2 cats, Drake and a 3 month old GSD pup and 2 beehives. I smell chaos. I have some reliable help for him and Nonna's will also be here to help (not really help but he loves his nonna) :) so it's all good.

Quarter end is fast approaching. Bunkering down this week to get'er done.

Have a great day and enjoy the weather :)

Cheers!!

Bayvistafarm · Post by **Bayvistafarm** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:34 am

Good morning!! I hear you on the weeds FRF. I've not cleaned ONE speck of my gardens last fall. The one by the house, well, I've pretty much abandoned it. Just cut it with the lawn mower. Its full of lambs ears. Terrible evasive plant!! Because I've been allergic to the bees... right in front of the hive just grew ragweed/pigweed. What a mess. Hoping to get out there, and pull the dead stuff, spread the seed heads of course, and broadcast some borage there, and hope something comes up besides weeds, lol.

I've gotten my strawberry plants from Vesesys, but NO where planned for them at all. Where I wanted to plant them, I had tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes. So... you KNOW whats going to come up there, after I rake off the dead stuff, and rake those seeds into the dirt, lol. Ugh. So much to do.

Right from winter, to well, some semblance of spring... it was so cold the last 2 days, everyone talking about short sleeves... we were in toques and warm coats, because of the blasted east wind. It never reached double digits yesterday, and felt like 7C. I'm sure hoping today is different. I've been hoping that for every single day since March, lol.

Took 31 eggs out of 2 brinsea's last night. Sheesh. So... one is locked down, with 12 eggs. The other has 7 good ones left... and not due for a week. WTH? I gave a classroom eggs from these same birds, I sure hope that they are fertile. I was eating the eggs from the ones I kept from.... I put them to the rooster every 3 days... and watch them do the deed, and put her back in her single cage. They WERE fertile, but do hens throw the odd NOT fertile?? Who knows.

Out of 3 turkey eggs i put a week earlier in the one... ONE is good. So... it will have 6 chicken friends, if they hatch at all.

Thinking maybe some of the eggs were too chilly when I collected them. Quite a few of them started... then quit.

Ok.... bush walk today, then hotdogs and I have to make a potato salad after chores. Have a great Sunday!

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:43 am

beautiful day out yesterday, perfect for celebrating Gages 4th Bday. 24º in the shade, sweating my butt off, eventually put shorts on and got rid of the shirt. now im sunburnt HAHA. had our first fire and BBQ on an open flame. mmmmmm gooooooood! we all had great day and Gage had an awesome bday!

today feels like another beauty! got some more chicks to move out to a brooder, not sure how many 22-24 ish. will update soon.

have a great day everyone!