BarredBuff's Homesteading Shenanigans

BarredBuff

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Well March is Bi-Polar!!! Tornadoes, and egg sized hail one day, now half a foot of snow :lol: Oh well :p

I appreciate that everyone was worried about me. Little Buff was fine and dandy, just had our internet knocked out.

I have several SS projects going on right now, we sowed our seeds Friday afternoon. We have LOTS of tomatoes out, plus our peppers, cabbages, broccoli, and she tried carrots for some UNKNOWN reason. We are gonna sew our lettuce bed and large patch of peas this week sometime. We can't do potatoes yet. We still have 10 weeks before our last frost.

I have got eggs in the incubator, in attempts to rebuild our flock. 19 Buff eggs, and 5 BSL eggs. I have 5 Buff Hens sold, so hopefully we will have several. I need them to replace my older girls. I need about 20 hens. Then some Tennessee lady is supposed to be sendin' some Delaware eggs to me tomorrow :D :D They'll be used to replace my older ones as well. Whodat from my first hatch is a HEN!! :woot Big girl too, she is in her own cage in the coop now. I figured since we just had one that she'd get picked at a lot, so I have separate until she is bigger. That little mix is pretty as well, so a few more of them wouldn't hurt. :D

Oh yeah my duck is setting a clutch of 11, she had 13. But kicked one out, and the other was, well I dont know where it went. The chicks and ducks are supposed to hatch on the same day. Which is around 21 st and 23 rd.

Then I have 5 pregnant rabbits. :D They are for sure pregnant this time!! Two of them had them yesterday, and they were warm and moving in the back of the box about 10 minutes ago. Then two have pulled hair, no babies from them yet. The other hasn't done anything yet. But all of my French Lops have/are having them. SO THAT IS AWESOME!! :yay :yay

:bow :bow to God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all I have to share for now :D
 

Wannabefree

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Sounds like a good week Buffster :D Congrats on all the good stuff going on! Doncha just LOVE Springtime?! :lol:
 

BarredBuff

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Wannabefree said:
Sounds like a good week Buffster :D Congrats on all the good stuff going on! Doncha just LOVE Springtime?! :lol:
I do LOVE it!!!! Even with all the snow.
 

Denim Deb

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Hope they all live, and that you get a whole bunch more buns!
 

BarredBuff

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Denim Deb said:
Hope they all live, and that you get a whole bunch more buns!
Me too DD! :fl I have three cages to fill....... :D
 

BarredBuff

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The first two litters are doing great, they made it through twenty degree lows last night. :D The two older ones haven't had them yet, but nests are being built. I suspect one will tonight. The Velveteen hasn't pulled hair or nested any so I don't think is going to have them. :/ Which is alright because now I don't feel obliged to keep a buck for her.

My incubator is on Day 5 tonight. I candle in three days :D :D :D And we got the incubator setup at the high school and it's ready for Delaware eggs. :D :D I can't wait!! :weee :weee

The Barn is going to be postponed until the Fall which is fine. Works better actually, we get free labor and half off (almost) for materials. So it's going to be much bigger than our old plan. So far it is going to have: two cow stalls, four breeding pens (maybe more) , hay loft, and equipment/tool shed. And we are officially on the look out for a Jersey calf. :ya :ya I have almost 150$ put up in the fund to purchase a young calf, and the supplies she requires.

But my untold (to you guys anyway) is that I am going to attempt to set up breeding flocks for multiple breeds. :D In attempts to satisfy those folks at the Kentucky FFA Association on all my forms, AND more importantly fund the homestead, and myself. :D I want to spend the summer acquiring eggs to hatch for my breeding pens. I have been thinking of breeds to house and maintain for the pens. I will be doing Delawares for sure, Buff Orpingtons (the heritage SS type, not my ole girls), Rhode Island Reds (True Reds), Barred Rocks, and Mom will probably want to do Australorps as well. Then all my laying girls...of course. Question right quick though, if all of the girls free range together and the boys are separate how long does it take for the eggs to be fertile???
 

Denim Deb

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Buffy, you might want to have something separate for your hay for just in case. Remember, if it's not dried properly, it can undergo spontaneous combustion, and burn the barn down. I know a lot of people have it in the loft, but I've heard horror stories of people losing not only their barn, but all their animals as well.
 

BarredBuff

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Denim Deb said:
Buffy, you might want to have something separate for your hay for just in case. Remember, if it's not dried properly, it can undergo spontaneous combustion, and burn the barn down. I know a lot of people have it in the loft, but I've heard horror stories of people losing not only their barn, but all their animals as well.
I'll make sure it has seasoned properly. I think wet hay also loses nutritional value as wel, right?
 

Denim Deb

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Not sure, but it can get moldy. Then, you can't feed it to your animals.

You can tell if it's been baled wet-it will feel warm. If you're buying hay, and it feels either cool or hot, don't buy it! The hot will catch on fire, the cool may still be wet, and could either mold, or catch on fire.
 
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