NH Homesteader's journal

[NH Homesteader]

Yep winter stinks. Feeding all these goats and no milk... Feeding all these chickens and no eggs... Lame!

Piggie will be gone this weekend, so that's a load off the feed bill. Turkeys will start laying around February, they're pretty well like clockwork, February through August. We'll need to incubate quickly to get butcher ready birds by Thanksgiving.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hard to believe it's almost time to start incubating eggs! Are you gonna do a bunch and try to sell some poults?

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh I hope not, lol! Think we're just hatching enough of everything for food. I haven't found a place to get chocolates other than hatcheries so we might not get more breeders this year either.

We also have to hatch some pure Cornishes and doms, and then do a rooster swap and cross the two breeds. We were supposed to do a 3 breed plan but the dorkings quit so here we are!

Headed into a warm spell... So happy about that!

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm still "toying" with the idea of a few meat birds and a few turkey poults. I've read the poults are not the brightest bulb in the box. Saw an article where one lady hung feather dusters on the side of the brooder cage for them to nestle into. Said it helped prevent the piling she'd had in other years. Guess they don't know what the heat lamp is for either . Years back..almost 50 of them...I had a couple month olds and they ate like you would not believe!! Not so sure I want heavy eaters, just to be eaten.

Did find feed store guy raoses several type quail. Now, there's a little bird I might do for a couple months. Of course, FEM has showered us with advice on keeping the cage door shut! I do have a large brooder box I built for chicks, can put that in the barn & be OK with it.

These "good ideas" can soon mount up into a huge amount of work!!! I'm seeing this tendency here at my farm Maybe just garden!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

These "good ideas" can soon mount up into a huge amount of work!!!

You are right about that!

 

[NH Homesteader]

My heritage turkeys aren't stupid. Or huge eaters. If we could free range them, they would eat even less! They do have poor eyesight so have to put something shiny in their feed dish so they can find it as poults.

We raised broad breasted turkeys once also, not brilliant. But not as dumb or as big eaters as Cornish X chickens. I like raising turkeys a lot better than raising chickens.

I've thought about quail too. Not adding anything to the homestead for the foreseeable future though. Sheep someday... At least a year or more away though. Oh, except bees. We'll add them as soon as we can, but no learning curve there, DH knows what he's doing with them!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Bees would be cool. I'll follow along ya'lls adventure with them. DH has made noise about wanting some - but since I know it would end up falling on me - I'm not going for it, lol.

I have thought about raising Midget White turkeys, because I'm kinda leery of a 40 lb bird, lol. But, I don't really need any extra work so....

I'm excited about these quail - they are really big. Need to get a light on them so they'll start laying. If I had enough quail I wouldn't need chickens!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Not needing chickens.... Would be awesome!

Heritage turkeys don't get to 40lbs, but a grown tom with an attitude is a scary thing! Fortunately mine seems friendly so far, actually out of 4 toms we've had, only one has been mean. And he was frightening lol!

DH had bees before we were together so he knows bees, but I don't. I think he really misses having them so I'm going to try to make it happen as soon as we can. Only fair with my 6 goats in the barn he built me right??

 

[baymule]

Gotta keep him happy!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Today is supposed to be pig day... DH is super grumpy and coming up with all sorts of reasons to not do it today... We'll see what happens... It's gonna be either grumpy husband or grumpy wife. I'm hoping for grumpy husband, he'll get over it lol