Good Morning! <=2017

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:38 am

We didn't get quite a much snow here as expected, but it is blowing around pretty good. The kids are home because no school buses, 2nd time this week. I have been sick with cold since Saturday, so I stayed home to work from home today as well.

A couple more cold days in the forecast then warm weather next week. We really only had 1 month of winter, but it was definitely a crazy month. Bring on Spring!!

ross · Post by **ross** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:12 pm

Man 2hrs to blow snow around barn , path to barn & 1/2 circle lane . Lot more than it looked like from inside .
Ready to start fishing Haheee . Tight lines .

Rhonda · Post by **Rhonda** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:20 pm

Snow blowing around here today too. Driving down the roads with hay fields on both sides the snow is level across the field, the ditch and the road. Just watch the fence lines and stay right in the middle...the road should be there somewhere!

Had a rather gross discovery today. When the weasel slaughtered all my birds hubby did the clean up for me. When I got the new birds I cleaned the chicken house right out, however since it was during that really cold period some of the shavings were frozen and I could not get it all dug out. Went out to feed today and as I am leaving the hen house I look down and there is a chicken head laying there...eyes and mouth wide open. I quickly spun around and did a head count...all 7 present and accounted for. Must have gotten mixed in to the shavings during the slaughter then frozen in during my clean up. Warmer weather now so the new guys must have managed to dig it back out. Yucky.....not a nice way to wake you up in the morning!

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:32 pm

Good way to start the blood circulating Rhonda, better then caffeine

Almost cleaned up here...

windwalkingwolf · Post by **windwalkingwolf** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 3:37 am

Good Morning, everyone!!
Well, it looks like my gut was wrong about the sexes of the first two beebees of 2016. Not a surprise, since gut feelings have no scientific basis, but, ever hopeful, I thought they were a female poult and a pullet chick. WRONG. Little Justin the turkey (son of Pierre) has shown me several adorable baby struts, and Joeson the chick has "boy" middle toes (long), and makes come hither noises when he eats, even at his tender age of only a few days old. Pullet chicks rarely make that noise, I've had enough "onlies" to hear the noises they make when they eat. Much more difficult to pick out individual sounds when you have more than one. Looks like it's going to be a Year of the Cockerel if these are any indication. They are getting along famously now that Justin has moved past his OOH, SHINY EYE, PECKPECKPECK phase. Baby turkeys are like goldfish: they forget what they've learned/seen after 3 seconds, and will repeat what they had done, over and over until it sinks in, whether it's poking at something shiny, tasting poo, or trying to commit suicide in new and interesting ways like walking into the mouth of a yawning cat or jumping out of a box onto the floor four feet down. One thing I have to say is that BSW poults are tough. I probably should have named him Bumble (because Bumbles bounce).
Either way, 5 more incubator beebees have hatched, 4 chicks (also Joesons/daughters) and a gosling. Still waiting on a few more chicken eggs, and the one goose is sitting AGAIN, but I personally will not be setting any more eggs nor allowing birds to set them until weather turns for good. The last turkey eggs in the incubator didn't make it, and the girls have gone on strike again for the time being.
We are finding ourselves in the position of wanting to go whole hog with 'the farming thing', and are in the middle of drafting a business plan. How we got from wanting a handful of chickens for eggs and meat, to large animal husbandry and harvesting our own animal food, and considering beef cattle breeding stock is beyond me, especially at our age, but it's here and we're running with it all guns blazing. Hell, if you'd asked me even 5 years ago if I'd ever consider raising pigs (or goats, or cows, or, or, or), I would've called the white coats on you. I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm loving it. My oldest son, after hearing some of my ideas, has also caught the bug and is considering giving up electric/electronic engineering...talking about working here full time for practically nothing, and only doing his gizmo projects as a hobby instead of a living. In his words, "farming is challenge after challenge, while my work is just too easy". I probably should be frightened, but I think I'm numb lol. I wonder if, now that he's officially on the downslope towards age 30, if he isn't undergoing some sort of pre-midlife crisis. His wife is supportive, enthusiastic. I think she's

. I think I'M

, considering taking on a mortgage at my age.
In other news, Big Daddy the boar very suddenly went down and died, and Big Momma the sow didn't appear to take, so Hank the boar will have to be moved in with her. He's done his job with Pink, Spot and Limpy the sows, and they are due end of May-ish. Gotta find the time to get Whitey the pig into the freezer, not to mention all the extra bird boys from the last two years. Feeding them all got a little silly a long time ago. SO ready for warmer weather.
Beefsteak, Brisket and Minimoo are growing like crazy. Still look "just Jersey" to me, if there's Simmental in there I'm not seeing it. I really don't care, they'll taste good anyway. Beefsteak and Brisket are finally weaned thank goodness, and Minimoo enjoys his bucket as much as his bottle so even though he's much younger, he's not far behind. Going to steer him soon. Looking for heifers, to eventually breed our own. A system where a calf is taken from it's mother, so more milk can be sold, to turn into calf milk replacer to feed back to the calves that were taken from their mothers, is just STOOOPID.
Aggie and Ma the nanny goats still haven't kidded yet, but soon. Richard was hoping for babies ready to wean by Ostara, but that's not happening obviously. Aggie is a first kidder and keeps giving us false alarms--changing behaviour suddenly, acting odd and uncomfortable, showing discharge, but then going back to her normal self. Ma's belly and bag are so big she waddles like a lame duck. Hilarious.
Speaking of ducks, I brought my oldest duck in the house day before yesterday--she was hock-walking, and I wasn't sure if she was suffering a nutritional deficiency, or had frozen her feet, or WHAT, but after a warm bath, a huge meal of soaked dog kibble, and a night near the woodstove, she's walking normally and almost back to her old self. No sign of frostbite, just a voracious appetite. She's very thin and I think maybe the other ducks are keeping her from eating. I think I'm about done with the ducks, and will be freezering them when I do extra roosters/toms/ganders etc. I'll stick with the muscovies and freezer the regular ducks. Yep, uh huh, sure.
Peppers and tomatoes have been planted. About 300 of each. Tomatoes are already poking up. Luckily my son the electrical engineer has made me a fantabulous grow-light that would near put Sun Tech to shame. Guess we'll soon find out if my tomato varieties like it or not. If they don't, thankfully they only have to put up with it for a couple or three months. If that sounds like a lot of plants, consider I have about 3 acres to fill. Cabbages and other Brassicas are on the to-do list this week. As are building brooding pens. I need a few of those round tuits.
My youngest son turns 25 this month. Kind of trippy. OK, a LOT trippy. But then again, lots of things have been trippy this past couple of years. In a good way. Still leaves me with my head spinning and wondering if I don't have a few

in the belfry LOL

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:14 am

So how am I going to break it to Stephen that's he's a Grandpa???? That is such good news that his progeny have bred! My BSW girls haven't started laying yet. In the chicken coops have a suspicion I may have an egg eater. One of the hens is just starting to lay again and the shells are a touch thin and that may have started it. Going to have to watch out. If I find someone actually trying to break eggs I'll have to cull them. They have all been quite unsettled since the attack but the 2 Spencerville girls really helped to settle them down.

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:44 am

Good morning all, and special bow to the brave turkey people !

Jan, it sounds like you really need a hobby, what with all the extra free time you have?
Apropos to nothing, WHERE is Andy ?????
Have a safe one!

Post by **WLLady** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:08 am

Morning everyone!
Snow quit. Freezing rain quit. now it's going to snow again this afternoon apparently...guess winter isn't ready quite yet to relinquish it's grip....although it's only had a grip for what, 5 weeks?

feeling SOOOO much better than i wonder actually just how long this stupid strep had been doing its thing....which is good because the last thing i want to do is go and spread strep throat to everyone in the spine clinic. tomorrow is the big day....

i hate being happy about seeing a dr!

7 turkeys are all doing wonderfully! yay! one more -15 night tonight so staying in the house another day, and then their little fuzzy butts are being kicked out the door. they're all eating and drinking and carrying on. just in time to lockdown the next incubator full of turkeys....they will all go into the SAME brooder once the new ones are taught to eat and drink-which now that i know i have to do it, should be easier. the 7 are total sit-in-the-hand turkeys. they actually push each other off to get a spot! put both my hands together and had 5 pile in....but they're cute little boogers. didn't realize that turkey down feels totally different from chicken down. fuzzier in a way....looks like 5 royal palms and 2 from the bronze/red slate pair....the two in the bottom right are the ones from the bronze/red slate pair, i think one red slate and one bronze or bronze/narry depending on what mom's exact background is....

although my notes say i locked down 5 royals and 4 bronze/slate 1 royal didn't hatch and then the 1 died the first night (it was a yellow chick too...) so....my genetics prediction thought that all the bronze/slate mixes should be either yellow with reddish brown "frosting" or brown stripy....so. so someone is masquerading, because there should be at least 3 from bronze/slate pair.

i've been holding off planting seeds for the garden until i see what the surgeon says....so hopefully tomorrow i'll have a bit more information and can either put them away into storage for the year, or get some started on the weekend...fixed the greenhouse last weekend, so at least all that freezing rain and snow didn't end up IN the greenhouse! that would have been a mess.

WWW if you get a minute to propose dates that would work for you for the piknik thingy, i can work on putting a vote/poll thingy together for everyone to vote. I also wish i could be brave like you, and just take the plunge and sever the cord on the 9-5. LOL. but i like my 9-5 (which is really 730-330) so i guess i'll live my other livestock dreams vicariously through your stories!

looking forward to a hopefully quiet weekend

at least there's nothing written in the calendar except sleeping in and moving chickens and turkeys around :rooster7:

and only one more day to go to seeing the surgeon, and to the weekend! hope everyone has a great day!

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:34 am

Good Luck with the surgeon.

Colleen Kinzie · Post by **Colleen Kinzie** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:12 am

Good luck with your appointment at the surgeon