RD & Gwyn's In-Town Homestead

[tk]

WE always gathered eggs in morning and evening the morning eggs went into a 5 gallon bucket of clean cold water. then the evening eggs got gathered and left to soak a while . Then the kids scrubbed eggs and dryed them and then they went in the fridge or in the basement. I kept eggs in fridge for quite a while . Most times though they were sold so fast we had to go up and sqeeze the hens to have eggs for breakfast. They don't all lay every day. They do drink a lot more water than you think. Water and feed = eggs. Extra and broke eggs = dog food. In fact I like to give my dogs 1 or 2 raw eggs every day It makes for a shiney coat Your well on your way to start an egg route. Have fun with your new adventure.

[nichevo]

My chickens won't touch any type of greens. Now give them blackberries, strawberries or grapes and they go nuts!

[Gwynmael]

So far they're going to town on the mulberries and lambs quarter. The lambs quarter grows all over the yard. There are a few places where's it has gotten quite large, so I cut a bunch of that and tossed it in. Half of it is gone already.

I have put mint and oregano leaves in the nesting boxes and throughout the coop. They seem to like it, especially in the nesting boxes, because it was almost all gone so put more in today.

Yes, Tex, I know they are just chickens. The mint & oregano is for specific purposes. It helps with "smell", it's fly & wasp repellant, antibacterial, and antiviral. I have also sprinkled DE when adding hay. I figure doing small quick things as I go is worth the preventative factor.

[Gwynmael]

22 eggs/3 days + 9 on Friday + 9 today = 40/5 days = 8 a day average. I'm pretty pleased with that.

[nichevo]

An egg sucking alien must be stealing our eggs. We were getting 12/day and now down to 4/day

[Gwynmael]

40/5 days + 8 Sunday + 6 yesterday = 54/7 days = 7+/day average. That's exactly what I figured using the average of 5 eggs per bird a week.

The drop to 6 yesterday I am attributing to all the rain we got on Sunday, which means they weren't eating as much nor able to scratch around in the decayed logs for bugs and worms. Is that maybe a factor for you nich?

It's not completed yet, have to wait until payday, but here's a look at the additional 1x2 welded wire we've added to the bottom of the fence. I had attempted to do this, but was struggling with getting the fencing to "bend" how I needed it. RD took over, fixed what I had been able to do, and completed with what material we had available. The bit of hardware cloth at the end will be replaced with 1x2, when we get more, and then used for overlay on the gate gaps.





Hmmm. Guess I didn't get a pic of the hardware cloth area. I'll get one later.

The hens have pretty much decimated the standing lambs quarter in the pen. I've been snapping some off from other places in the yard and tossing it in for them every evening.


Here's a shot of the decayed log area. Every time either RD or I go in the pen and head to that end, they gather around waiting for us to turn/move some of the larger logs for them.

[Gwynmael]

Garden update --

It's amazing what can happen when you're focused on something else for several days.

Green Beans (3 have officially survived) / Sweet potatoes / Straightneck Squash



Beans


My poor eggplant. Yes, Dode, it's been attacked by flea beetles. Sprayed it down and I'll keep at it. It will likely be taken over by the squash tho. lol


Another pic of the squash. We're having to make adjustments to the crime scene fencing (lol) as I had to unravel/remove the squash, sweet potatoes, and beans from it.


Lettuce. I need to harvest a bunch as it's getting ready to bolt from the heat.


Carrots and peas (almost done)


Tomatoes and peppers

[doublel]

Its beautiful Gwyn!! My garden seems so far behind!! The only reason I would leave my sweet Wyoming home is for a better growing climate.

[Gwynmael]

The "warm" season stuff just took off this past week from the rain break and heat. We're getting more rain, but still making it into the 80s by late afternoon.

RD's getting a little concerned about the tomatoes and peppers. If we don't start getting more sun soon, they may not do well. We typically are able to eat at least one tomato from our plants on the 4th of July. Not sure if we'll make that benchmark this year.

[DMH]

I really enjoy looking at your homestead pics. Especially love the last pic!

[tk]

I just went up and looked at mine everything is growing like crazy including the weeds. To wet to get in there and hoe. But we did get some sun this evening witch will help.

[airdrop]

Has your birds got Bird Flu http://www.gemplers.com/tech/avianflusigns.htm Got another sick bird or at least the other ones are picking on her so watching for more signs .

[Gwynmael]

air - praying that's not what is going on with your flock!

[Gwynmael]

8 eggs yesterday, today gathered 5 from one box with a hen taking her sweet time in another. C and I did some other chicken chores, trying to give her some time to finish. He helped me fill their water bucket and fill both tube feeders. Well, actually he helped hold different items for me while I did the actual part.

Tomorrow, I'll take him to wally and get him a pair of muck boots. Then I'll let him come in the pen and see how he does without having a fence between him and the hens.

That last hen still wasn't finished. She let me half shoo her to a standing position so I could gather the rest of the eggs in that box. Gathered 4 from that box, so 9 total. I might check that box this evening or I may just leave it for the morning, but it means they all laid today, and that's a very good thing to know.

[Gwynmael]

I did check for and gathered that 10th egg on Wednesday. Yesterday, gathered 7 eggs. Today we got 10 again!
Had to do some research, several off the egg shells have been pale pigmented. Weird to see a pinkish egg from a brown egg layer. The shell thickness is fine. What I came up with is either the heat or some other stress causing them to produce less pigment. I think it may have been a combination of the heat and the greenbelt on the other side of the fence getting mowed. Seven of the 10 eggs today were pinkish. Darn, forgot to take a pic of that.

Here's one of the hens working hard at taking a dust bath today.




Garden -- ***need some suggestions here!!!!

The straight neck squash has gone crazy. It's overtaking the planting bed. The sweet potatoes are sending out very long vines trying to get some sun and the squash is already overshadowing my one eggplant plant and nearly ready to overtake the beans!
Is it possible when they're this large to transplant? I wasn't expecting 100% germination from the heirloom seed exchange swap seeds, but that's what I got. There are FIFTEEN squash plants in there! I do have a use for it all, though --- puree and can it up for Little Miss.

If transplanting isn't an option at this point (the stuff in the South bed is almost finished, so I could move some to there), then I will need to put some stakes out around the bed and "fence" that off, removing/moving the current fencing. I'm thinking that's the best option at this point, but any help/ideas are appreciated. (for visual reference, some of those large leaves are as big as a turkey platter!)







Tomato and pepper growth (Yes, that's a squash plant there in the middle. I think Raven transferred a seed on her romps)