Rebeccas journal-it ran!!!!!!

[rebecca100]

Yeah he said thanks! He seemed down on his luck. Maybe it helped him. Seemed funny he broke down by the driveway when I had just been saying the day before that I needed that stuff hauled off and he only had a small load and was able to fit most of it on. I lost 3 baby quail last night and today. Don't know why-they just fell over. The only thing I had changed was the waterer and added a little cider vinegar to their water. Since they were a week old I put a bigger one in. Still kept it I thought where they couldn't drown. These were all 3 dead at different times in the middle of the brooder. Maybe they aspirated. The old waterer had pebbles where they could just dip their beeks enough to get a swallow. The new one didn't. Either way I hope I don't lose any more. I put the old waterer back and put in regular water.

 

[Wannabefree]

Yeah it sounds like they aspirated probably Sorry Rebecca

 

[rebecca100]

This morning my quail chicks were kinda cool. The light was on but it was a cold night and it just didn't stay warm enough with one bulb for their comfort. So I added a light to warm it up some more with the intent of turning it off before I left for church. I forgot. I came home after church to half of the babies dead. 11 were still alive but 3 of them were really weak. One of them died. I honestly will be surprised if the other 2 make it. Last check though one was running around eating and the other was standing and chirping. They were both down. The other 8 seem to be okay though.
I found some seedlings coming up in the garden! The peas, turnips, and spinach are all sprouting! So far no lettuce, or beets. Greenhouse took some damage in the high winds. One of the end pvc rafters came loose. Wind worked the nails loose holding the PVC to the wood posts. At least that's what I think happened. It's an easy fix and I'll add some extra support so the PVC doesn't move as much. Not really sure how in the world it worked loose enough to come undone, but it did. Also got the first fish in the aquaponics tank! About a 1 lb drum. NOT what I had hoped would be in there! Oh well they are edible, just not very good IMHO. Need to get a bunch more fish! I'm hoping I can save enough to get some catfish in there. I've also got the pump going. All I lack so far is to drill a hole in one of the growbeds for the overflow and the growing medium. My first choice for a growing medium was creek rock. We live close to a creek and it's free. Unfortunately all I have is a car. I can't get real close to the creek, so we have to carry buckets and from the creek to a tote in the trunk. Creek rock is HEAVY. It is uphill to the car. It is hard to carry and my poor car is already abused enough. It took a whole 15 minutes to realize that creek rock was not going to work! I'm going to go with peat moss. Not my first choice at all, but it's light, cheap and my car and my back can handle it! Lol

 

[pinkfox]

would love to see your aquaphonics set up
im planning a project probably for next spring if i can run power to the spot i want a pond, i want a pond so it might as well serve double duty so im thinking of running aquaphonics strawberries and goldfish

if it works out well eventually id love to put in a system in my eventual greenhouse with tilapia

 

[rebecca100]

I seriously considered tilapia and catfish both. Catfish won out, but since this is a trial/learning experience we are going with free fish that come from a hook and line and survive the trip home. The ones that don't survive the trip go in the freezer. My camera is broke and now missing so no pics. Plus I'm broke and not very talented so I'd be embarrassed to post pics anyway. It's all salvaged material.
It has rained and poured ALL day. Started some time last night and hasn't stopped. It went from about 65 degrees to 35 this evening. It's lightninged and thundered all day too. I noticed the peas in the garden look like they've jumped darn near an inch. Whole garden is sloppy and the yard is a big puddle. Part of the garden looks washed out too.

 

[Wannabefree]

Rebecca don't feel bad, that's why I won't post pics of my "coop." Pinky has seen it in all it's pathetic glory But hey, it works! My camera is missing as well I miss it!!! I want to post pics of my new goaties and the inside of the greenhouse and all te work I have been doing around here....but i can't

 

[pinkfox]

nothign wrong with "put it together with things i had layign around" lol
If it does its job who cares!?
sure it would be nice to have all shiney new matching buildings and fancy planters and a huge fancy system...but thats NOT what this forum is about...

 

[rebecca100]

Yeah it was all stuff laying around! Bathtubs from the place the tornado got and a hard plastic pond liner I was given and a 300 gallon plastic tote with the metal cage. The big tote is the fish tank, the bathtubs are grow beds and the pond liner is the sump where the pump goes. The pump was the fountain pump that comes with the rigid liner for the preformed pond kits. I need to figure out how to get a hole in the tub for the overflow. I need a 3/4 inch hole that I can attach a pcv fitting to. I'm not really sure on how to do that yet. It's going to be an ebb and flow system if I can get it set up right. I'm really learning as I go. I really don't know anything about building stuff so after I build something it is usually got some obvious mistakes!

 

[Wannabefree]

My "coop" is part of a partially burned down old as Methusaleh gazebo, old hard side swimming pool, left over rusty tin, and a few sheets of cheap OSB for the walls. I actually bought the wooden nest boxes

 

[rebecca100]

I went and got feed today. That was $40 and no hay. Of course they had myfavorite breed of chicks in that they've never had before and my fav baby ducks and I'm totally broke and couldn't afford any. Anyway I've started soaking the feed for everything and I'm going to sprout or ferment the oats. Need to make the most of my feed. Still going to feed the same amount, just trying to eek a little more out of it. My beets and lettuce are finally sprouting! I can't wait until my garden starts producing. So far everything but the taters are up. When all this rain is over I'm going to add on to it and almost double the size. This year it is really going to count. The eggs in the incubator are due in 6 days!!!! It has gone by so fast!