TTs Chicks Pics and Ramblings

[modern_pioneer]

I got dead sticks in my grape rows, but thats okay, they are still sleeping.

One note on the D.E. make SURE its food grade.

Sorry about your lost, losing some hens, I can't advise you but there are people here that can.

I can't remember your neck of the woods or where you live, I live in deer tick central. Of course this will be my first year for (sp) ginneys too. *chuckle* Its spelled like it sounds, ginneys.

Also they are good alarm birds for your flock, I was reading Storeys tonight and it mentioned how ginneys warn the standard chicken flock of danger. From my reading tonight chickens pass-out when they roost, they mention having a ginney stock close by to alarm chickens.

DW has ordered Virbac yard spray for the last two years, I have refused to use a chemical spray for ticks.

1. We drink from well water, and share our water supply with many animals.

2. The spray/chemical is so powerful that any drinking water or spring in the area will be effected.

So we are getting some ginneys...

 

[TTs Chicks]

We are in North Florida. We have well water too, so I try to be careful what we put out there.

Guineas are good watch "dogs" The one's at Mom's go nuts when someone comes up. I am actually looking forward to having them. It's always fun getting new critters.

I rented a tiller today - so tomorrow my patch of grass will offically become my garden.

 

[TTs Chicks]

I knew I had'nt posted in a while, but didn't realize it had been 3 months! Not much to post about just taking one day at a time and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. I haven't gotten much from my garden - lots of tomatoes, but seems the bugs and heat get to it before I do. I've learned a lot though about what NOT to do so that's a good thing. We have finally started to fence our property - something I wanted to do at the first of this year. I have to do it a little at a time. The guineas I got from Mom are growing like weeds and finally sound like guineas and not babies. I got some Royal Palm turkeys from a BYCer that lives fairly close to me. They are doing well - they look like giant chicks still. I have lots of dreams and plans, but it takes time, money and patience - we'll get there

I had 3 mutt banty hens go broody - they hatched 3 but only 1 has survived - the other 2 apprently were trampled. I put the rest of the eggs in an electric skillet (don't have a bator) for about a week but nothing.

 

[Dace]

Nice to see you back

It all really does take time and money doesn't it. There is so much i would like to do and get frustrated that my hands are kind of tied.

Sorry to hear about your garden not being as productive as you would like, there is a lot of trial and error with gardening!

 

[TTs Chicks]

Well - I spend a lot of time reading everyone's journals and trying to keep up I don't post much. Not much going on - one day at a time. Since I only ended up with one chick from the broody's I decided to order some meat birds for the freezer - they'll be here next week. I don't at the moment have an empty spot to put them because the brooder that I normally use has my lone turkey in it. I lost 2 for no apparent reason, just came home and they were dead. I tried putting them out in thier pen which currently has the momma hen and the guineas - that went okay or so I thought. I went out the next day and the momma had apparently attacked one and he was near dead - brought them in and tried to save him, but couldn't so now my one little turkey is back in the house in my brooder.

I spotted an old cattle water trough - it is oval shaped ones and is probably 5 or 6 feet long - at the dump a couple of days ago and my son and I went down to get it. It probably doesn't hold water anymore and is a little bent - I plan to turn it into a brooder

 

[Dace]

Sorry about your chick. I have not had to deal with a death yet, but I know it is just a matter of time.

The trough sounds like a good brooder....very clever!

 

[TTs Chicks]

Thanks Dace - I really like turning old unuseful things into something useful.

 

[Henrietta23]

Sounds like a perfect brooder!

 

[TTs Chicks]

God is Good!! I just had to share -

first a little background - we live in a small town with a horrible public school system. My boys were accepted to a charter school which is invitation only. The down side to that is there is no bus other than private contractors and the school is 40 miles from our home.

I work in the same town so getting them to school isn't an issue - getting them home is. I ended up having to put them in the after school program this year which is about $250 a month. I have been stressing over that for a couple of weeks. Saturday (2 days before school started) I had a lady call and offer to pay 1/2 of my gas to take her son to school in the mornings and then she called back on Sunday asking if I could take another lady's son and she would also pay my gas That means the after school program is basically paid for and I don't have to figure out where the money is going to come from. Just in the nick of time He works it out if we will just be still and let Him.

 

[TTs Chicks]

09/12/09

My meat birds are in their cattle trough brooder - I just put wire over the top and covered 1/2 with a piece of old tin. They are some piggy little things!

I turned my guineas out last weekend and so far they have stayed close to the chicken pens. They roost on top of the chicken pens and night so hopefully once they get braver and roam farther they'll still consider that home.

We have put posts in on one side of our property and about 1/3 across the front - need to start putting up wire that we already have.

I have finally realized that I have too many chickens - My 2nd fridge is full of eggs - I had a sign up, but the insurance company consider it

and threatened to cancel my home insurance! I have given away 10 - 12 dozen at a time at work hoping to get some customers. I put an ad on craigslist and got a couple questions but no sales. I have to do something.

Plus my roosters are a little too aggressive - I think space is part of that, my poor hens

Today I plan to sort my chickens into 2 pens - the ones I definitely want to keep and the ones that I can part with. I will try to sell or give away any that I can if that fails I guess they'll go in the freezer. I need to down size so they are happier and I don't have eggs going to waste.

I'm also going to put my turkey outside today - now that I have his pen empty he's grown alot and needs the space.

Maybe one of these days I can get some pics uploaded and posted.