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Posted: 3/12/2023 8:56:03 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Chickies 2023.. Yeah, we are a HUGE chicken operation. NOT.  I wanted some Easter Eggers, but gave that up when I realized I would be lucky to get ANY baby chicks this year. We were down to four hens. They produce more eggs than we can eat, but we support a cast of regular characters who can use some farm eggs once in a while, so uxb (who works at a hospital now) takes a dozen eggs every few days to give away to folks who work with him and have less. I'm fine with that. One lady is raising her grandson. He won't eat eggs from the grocery store, but he likes the eggs she gets from us. I have no idea why. But...if it helps her, Thank God for my four sweet little hens who keep giving us eggs. Here are the babies for 2023. Six Black Sex Links (you don't google that from a corporate computer) and six Brahmas. I have to say..these are the worst "feed wasters" we have ever had. I'm throwing the bedding (mostly the wasted chick starter thrown out of the feeder) into the coop with the current laying hens, just to hope for some return on investment.  Trying new breeds...we will see. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118038/Chickies_2023_spring-2742781.jpg They need a new, bigger tub like...tomorrow. Honest to God...I've never seen chicks grow this fast. I bought the same size tub I use every year. These outgrew it in half the time. I might have to go back to Buff Orpingtons and Domineckers (barred rocks). They grow slower. ETA: The camera lies here. They are not as crowded as they look. They can actually run around. But not much. Tub shopping tomorrow. We have the black sex links as well. Also known as black stars. Got them from McMurray 2 yrs. ago. They lay very good. We call them our little athletes. One will get to running, flapping it's wings and clucking like crazy. Which gets the others started. It can get loud for about a minute or so. As for the tea. Reminds me of an Italian guy we new years ago. He said you American, I swear you all can never make up your mind about anything. Somebody says, what are you talking about. He says take tea for example. You heat it to make it hot, put ice in it to make it cold, put sugar in it to make it sweet, lemon in it to make it sour. Make up your mind already. We all got a kick out of that. |
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Posted: 3/12/2023 8:59:33 PM EDT
[#2]
Oh that's what I should have said to the poster who wants to take a vacation where it's warm.
Drive til every restaurant has sweet tea. 
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Posted: 3/12/2023 9:09:30 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Oh that's what I should have said to the poster who wants to take a vacation where it's warm. Drive til every restaurant has sweet tea.
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Posted: 3/12/2023 9:16:29 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Faded-Brakes: I prefer my tea without the sweet. With lemon. I am now at the point where I have to cut it...half sweet, half unsweet. I've gotten used to very dry wine, so super-sweet things are just too sweet now. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 3/13/2023 10:16:34 PM EDT
[#5]
Here’s what my grandfather and uncle ran cattle on until a couple months ago- hopefully I can put a few head on it soon
 Also a road doesn’t qualify as “bad” until both axles on a 9k dually start sliding   |
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Posted: 3/14/2023 1:46:54 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rifleman_556: Here’s what my grandfather and uncle ran cattle on until a couple months ago- hopefully I can put a few head on it soon https://i.ibb.co/QK1xbPR/8-CC4291-A-84-C8-48-D8-9867-037-B86252-EFE.jpg Also a road doesn’t qualify as “bad” until both axles on a 9k dually start sliding https://i.ibb.co/H44XN7z/533-A0-CAC-9-A5-B-4204-80-DA-D8-CF2-C533-CF7.jpg That ain't a road. That's a cow path!
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Posted: 3/14/2023 5:48:39 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Rifleman_556: Here's what my grandfather and uncle ran cattle on until a couple months ago- hopefully I can put a few head on it soon https://i.ibb.co/QK1xbPR/8-CC4291-A-84-C8-48-D8-9867-037-B86252-EFE.jpg Also a road doesn't qualify as "bad" until both axles on a 9k dually start sliding https://i.ibb.co/H44XN7z/533-A0-CAC-9-A5-B-4204-80-DA-D8-CF2-C533-CF7.jpg |
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Posted: 3/16/2023 12:22:53 PM EDT
[#8]
Warmer today. But cold again this weekend.
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Posted: 3/16/2023 5:13:08 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Warmer today. But cold again this weekend. I'd like to hear a bit about that, as I've played guitar since I was 9 years old and really like music. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 3/16/2023 5:55:31 PM EDT
[#10]
Howdy distant neighbors! Enjoyed reading this new thread and will for sure keep checking in.
We had chickens up until the coyotes penetrated their defenses. I guess I got complacent as they had been safe for 3 years and then in one night poof they got all 8 of them. Planning on getting a few more this year just gonna wait til the weather settles down. We have family that have large flocks and we can have plenty of eggs with just a few hens. |
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Posted: 3/16/2023 8:18:31 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WayneB: Howdy distant neighbors! Enjoyed reading this new thread and will for sure keep checking in. We had chickens up until the coyotes penetrated their defenses. I guess I got complacent as they had been safe for 3 years and then in one night poof they got all 8 of them. Planning on getting a few more this year just gonna wait til the weather settles down. We have family that have large flocks and we can have plenty of eggs with just a few hens. I made sure when I placed the chicken coop I put mesh hardware cloth into the trench I dug around it and haven't had any issues yet. I did see some raccoon tracks in the mud and some digging around, but no breakthrough. Once the weather gets a bit better, gotta get into the woods and eradicate some of natures critters! |
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Posted: 3/17/2023 12:48:24 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: So did you write and sell songs in Nashville? I'd like to hear a bit about that, as I've played guitar since I was 9 years old and really like music. I did write. Still do a bit, but not professionally. It's a bit complicated how that works. Mostly the way it worked (when I was there) is that you write and work with publishing companies who might either sign your song or get it cut by a big artist, OR, sign you to what we called a "writer's deal" where they would pay you a salary to write and turn in so many songs within a given time. (It was not that many--very reasonable). This was a good deal. You got to work at writing, and they would set you up to co-write with other, often well-established, writers, and sometimes you found the magic that would work and get a song cut by a big artist. That does not a career make, but it was good money, back then, if Faith Hill or Garth Brooks, etc, cut your song. Things are different now. That way (the "writer's deal) is still happening I think, on some scale, but the way artists approach the industry has shifted. Since the digital age, folks can produce their own work and distribute it to the world outside the major labels. Will it get radio play? Not likely, as an individual artist, but once you start to gain ground, you get offers from the big labels. Offers from the big labels is how you get to tour on big stages. A lot of people want that. As to the songwriting end of it.... Honestly I'm not even sure how that works now. I've been out of NashVegas long enough that things have changed. I'm just really appreciative of the education I got...Writing with and learning from the best songwriters on Earth. It is a rare gift. |
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Posted: 3/17/2023 12:49:15 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WayneB: Howdy distant neighbors! Enjoyed reading this new thread and will for sure keep checking in. We had chickens up until the coyotes penetrated their defenses. I guess I got complacent as they had been safe for 3 years and then in one night poof they got all 8 of them. Planning on getting a few more this year just gonna wait til the weather settles down. We have family that have large flocks and we can have plenty of eggs with just a few hens. Time for electricity I would guess...before you get the new ones? |
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Posted: 3/17/2023 6:29:58 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I did write. Still do a bit, but not professionally. It's a bit complicated how that works. Mostly the way it worked (when I was there) is that you write and work with publishing companies who might either sign your song or get it cut by a big artist, OR, sign you to what we called a "writer's deal" where they would pay you a salary to write and turn in so many songs within a given time. (It was not that many--very reasonable). This was a good deal. You got to work at writing, and they would set you up to co-write with other, often well-established, writers, and sometimes you found the magic that would work and get a song cut by a big artist. That does not a career make, but it was good money, back then, if Faith Hill or Garth Brooks, etc, cut your song. Things are different now. That way (the "writer's deal) is still happening I think, on some scale, but the way artists approach the industry has shifted. Since the digital age, folks can produce their own work and distribute it to the world outside the major labels. Will it get radio play? Not likely, as an individual artist, but once you start to gain ground, you get offers from the big labels. Offers from the big labels is how you get to tour on big stages. A lot of people want that. As to the songwriting end of it.... Honestly I'm not even sure how that works now. I've been out of NashVegas long enough that things have changed. I'm just really appreciative of the education I got...Writing with and learning from the best songwriters on Earth. It is a rare gift. Thanks for the education. |
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Posted: 3/17/2023 6:50:49 AM EDT
[#15]
Tagged for a nice place to come to and just chill.
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Posted: 3/17/2023 11:18:48 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hillbilly69: Tagged for a nice place to come to and just chill. Welcome! We hope to be just what you have said.
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Posted: 3/22/2023 11:48:56 PM EDT
[#17]
I have never seen anything like the way these chicks are growing.
The Black Sex Links are growing at a more normal pace based on my experience with many years of raising chicks. The Brahmas? Holy Smokes! I brought them home as baby chicks on Feb 22. I was waiting at TSC when they brought them out from the back, just picked up from the post office, so....maybe two or three days old? Not sure about that.  This was them on March 12 in a tub on my washer.  So exactly four weeks (ish) from the day I brought them home, here is one of the Brahmas. They are now in an extra large dog crate. That waterer is a gallon, and is setting on a platform that is two bricks high. The sign said Brahmas are big chickens and they are friendly. So far both is true. They come running to the front of the crate when I open the door. The Sex Links, not so much.  The Brahmas are Chickzilla. |
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Posted: 3/23/2023 6:33:36 PM EDT
[#18]
When you're raising chicks how often do you change out the bedding?
I got my chickens when they were already grown up. I have all the stuff to raise chicks except a heat lamp, just haven't had the need yet. And what's a good mail order place if I don't get them locally? |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 3/23/2023 7:52:14 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Rifleman_556]
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: When you're raising chicks how often do you change out the bedding? I got my chickens when they were already grown up. I have all the stuff to raise chicks except a heat lamp, just haven't had the need yet. And what's a good mail order place if I don't get them locally? I think we started off changing every other day, and then went to every day as they started generating more poop. We moved them outside fairly quickly though. Edit: 15 chicks in a standard size plastic tote, so not much space Now we have 14 Blue Plymouth Rocks (the originals), 3 more Blue Rocks (hatched out last spring), 2 Wyandottes, and a Cinnamon Queen (bought from Rural King). They produce enough eggs so that when the surplus is sold it doesn’t cost anything for feed, so I’m happy. Now if I can finish fencing at the house maybe I’ll get a few feeder pigs next year- the neighbors probably won’t be happy but the land is zoned agricultural so |
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Posted: 3/23/2023 10:42:15 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: When you're raising chicks how often do you change out the bedding? I got my chickens when they were already grown up. I have all the stuff to raise chicks except a heat lamp, just haven't had the need yet. And what's a good mail order place if I don't get them locally? I only have six, so I don't change the bedding very often. The first two weeks, I change the bedding like once (but I put it down pretty thick when they are babies.) As they grow, the poop increases, so you have to change more often. Once they get feathered out, once a week has worked. This ALL depends on how many chicks you have and the size of the space. I use pine shavings now (used to use cedar--never had trouble with that but it is apparently not the thing to use, so I have switched.) I'm at the point of every three days for these babies in the big dog crate. (It's extra-large like for giant dog breeds). I have also learned that they throw the food out of the feeder and waste half or more of it. So I have taken to letting them go a few hours with the feeder on "empty"--there is some in the bottom. It's never completely empty--just none left in the jar. They start to scratch and forage on the crate floor and eat some of what they have thrown out. I do this not just to save feed, but because I think it encourages their natural instinct to scratch and look for stuff. |
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TN, USA
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Posted: 3/24/2023 1:33:32 PM EDT
[#21]
dang comfortable out today.
fixed my water pump that i thought froze but didn't, so now i have a spare water pump. got my replacement gaskets for jerry can donkey dick so now i don't spill diesel all over the heater. got some more snacks in the fridge good day so far. need to get the yellowjacket traps up soon. |
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Posted: 3/24/2023 4:23:55 PM EDT
[#22]
When I do go ahead and get some chicks, I'd probably only get no more than 5.
I've heard the same thing about cedar shavings, must be the oil in it or something. I'll just wait until my hens slow down on laying and start a new batch. I believe it's about 6 months before they start laying. |
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Posted: 3/24/2023 10:19:38 PM EDT
[#23]
Y'all pray for Mississippi.
Rolling Fork and surrounding areas have been leveled by a major tornado. |
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Posted: 3/24/2023 10:53:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#24]
I did such a stupid thing.
Went to TSC and they had Olive Egger pullets. I got six. I did NOT need more chicks.  Now I will have 17 chickens (counting the rooster) if everybody makes it. These girls are much more frail and fragile than the last chicks. Maybe just the breed, but we are washing hands and changing clothes....We have African Pied Crows. Family members could die of Avian Flu, so we take it seriously.  Bleached everything the older chicks had touched, so hopefully everything these little girls touch will be safe. |
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Posted: 3/25/2023 9:44:07 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I did such a stupid thing. Went to TSC and they had Olive Egger pullets. I got six. I did NOT need more chicks. Now I will have 17 chickens (counting the rooster) if everybody makes it. These girls are much more frail and fragile than the last chicks. Maybe just the breed, but we are washing hands and changing clothes....We have African Pied Crows. Family members could die of Avian Flu, so we take it seriously. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118038/Olive_Eggers_late_March_2023-2757978.jpg Bleached everything the older chicks had touched, so hopefully everything these little girls touch will be safe. Seems like lots of us have poultry here, dealing with/prevention of, avian flu issues could be a good topic here. Curious what all everyone has been doing, lessons learned, best practices, etc. |
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Posted: 3/25/2023 10:02:35 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FZJ80: Seems like lots of us have poultry here, dealing with/prevention of, avian flu issues could be a good topic here. Curious what all everyone has been doing, lessons learned, best practices, etc. Yes. That probably is deserving of a thread. You want to start it?
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Posted: 3/25/2023 10:08:11 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#27]
Sooo.....just got back from the grocery.
Went through the self check lane cuz I like the self check lane. Rang up $94 worth of groceries and some change for us and uxb's dad. uxb was over there with me, futzing with what goes in what bag and being generally distracting, aaaaannnnnd... We pushed that cart right out of there and over to the car. We were loading when the nice young man came out and said, "uh...excuse me...did you guys pay?" Me: Yeah. Uxb: Show him the receipt. Me: Stalls out, stares into space. "OH. MY. GOD." That's right. I could not remember paying. I said to the young man...."Will the screen be still up if I didn't pay? Was it $94 dollars?" He said, "I don't know the amount. The girl said a couple left without paying and came this direction, so I came to ask." I walked back in with him. It was me. Yep. I walked out of Kroger without paying for $94 worth of groceries. I've walked out with a carton of milk from the dollar store before, but stopped half way to the car and turned around. Never done this before. Might need to do some meditation or something. In my defense, we have a chicken that may have Bumblefoot. Never had that before. It could be something else. I am distracted by that but still....
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Posted: 3/25/2023 11:17:25 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By taliv: dang comfortable out today. fixed my water pump that i thought froze but didn't, so now i have a spare water pump. got my replacement gaskets for jerry can donkey dick so now i don't spill diesel all over the heater. got some more snacks in the fridge good day so far. need to get the yellowjacket traps up soon. What is a "jerry can donkey dick?" Ya...I don't know.
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TN, USA
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Posted: 3/26/2023 8:20:37 AM EDT
[#29]
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/us-military-style-reproduction-steel-jerry-can-spout?a=904142&szc=000&clrc=000&pm2d=cse-spg-15-pla&utm_medium=pla&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=ci&gclid=cj0kcqjw2v-gbhc1arisaoqdky0yg5ey9pp-nbiqfkrgla0uljmkersf5o88ydf0xninyhplaqg5p-eaas3fealw_wcb
Pretty sure it’s the official military term |
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Posted: 3/26/2023 11:11:05 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Sooo.....just got back from the grocery. Went through the self check lane cuz I like the self check lane. Rang up $94 worth of groceries and some change for us and uxb's dad. uxb was over there with me, futzing with what goes in what bag and being generally distracting, aaaaannnnnd... We pushed that cart right out of there and over to the car. We were loading when the nice young man came out and said, "uh...excuse me...did you guys pay?" Me: Yeah. Uxb: Show him the receipt. Me: Stalls out, stares into space. "OH. MY. GOD." That's right. I could not remember paying. I said to the young man...."Will the screen be still up if I didn't pay? Was it $94 dollars?" He said, "I don't know the amount. The girl said a couple left without paying and came this direction, so I came to ask." I walked back in with him. It was me. Yep. I walked out of Kroger without paying for $94 worth of groceries. I've walked out with a carton of milk from the dollar store before, but stopped half way to the car and turned around. Never done this before. Might need to do some meditation or something. In my defense, we have a chicken that may have Bumblefoot. Never had that before. It could be something else. I am distracted by that but still.... Totally forgot to pay for the gas. On the way home I said to my self, OH SHIT!!! Called the gas station and told on myself. They said we're glad you called because we were just about to call the cops. Went back first thing the next morning and paid my "bill" haha. He was very understanding and I apologized for my mind slip. |
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Posted: 3/26/2023 12:51:00 PM EDT
[#31]
Here’s a fun one……
Lady bugs Asian lady beetles Every spring they come out of the woodwork (literally) at our place in Southern Illinois. I just vacuumed up about a million live and dead ones of the windows and sills. Then they vanish for the summer….. About October they are back…..like locusts! They bite/sting a bit. Once it’s cold enough they vanish again…… Any ideas? |
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Posted: 3/26/2023 1:36:54 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: A couple years ago I filled up at a BP gas station, went in and bought some stuff. Totally forgot to pay for the gas. On the way home I said to my self, OH SHIT!!! Called the gas station and told on myself. They said we're glad you called because we were just about to call the cops. Went back first thing the next morning and paid my "bill" haha. He was very understanding and I apologized for my mind slip. My parents did that a long time ago. That was before cell phones. They went back to pay later in the day. They were understanding but did say they had called the police. |
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Posted: 3/27/2023 12:48:58 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: A couple years ago I filled up at a BP gas station, went in and bought some stuff. Totally forgot to pay for the gas. On the way home I said to my self, OH SHIT!!! Called the gas station and told on myself. They said we're glad you called because we were just about to call the cops. Went back first thing the next morning and paid my "bill" haha. He was very understanding and I apologized for my mind slip. It's nice when they appreciate honest folks. I know they get mostly people who intend to steal from them. The worst thing is thinking they believe *I* am that person.
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Posted: 3/27/2023 12:49:57 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Doorman63: Here’s a fun one…… Lady bugs Asian lady beetles Every spring they come out of the woodwork (literally) at our place in Southern Illinois. I just vacuumed up about a million live and dead ones of the windows and sills. Then they vanish for the summer….. About October they are back…..like locusts! They bite/sting a bit. Once it’s cold enough they vanish again…… Any ideas? I certainly don't have any. My vacuum works overtime when it's Asian ladybug season. |
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Posted: 3/27/2023 12:53:21 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Nobody69s: A couple years ago I filled up at a BP gas station, went in and bought some stuff. Totally forgot to pay for the gas. On the way home I said to my self, OH SHIT!!! Called the gas station and told on myself. They said we're glad you called because we were just about to call the cops. Went back first thing the next morning and paid my "bill" haha. He was very understanding and I apologized for my mind slip. It is sad, isn't it? That we are so distracted by life that we do stuff like this? I didn't do stuff like this in my 20s. But now...it happens way too often. |
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OR, USA
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Posted: 3/27/2023 1:44:27 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Doorman63: Here’s a fun one…… Lady bugs Asian lady beetles Every spring they come out of the woodwork (literally) at our place in Southern Illinois. I just vacuumed up about a million live and dead ones of the windows and sills. Then they vanish for the summer….. About October they are back…..like locusts! They bite/sting a bit. Once it’s cold enough they vanish again…… Any ideas? We're dealing with brown marmorated stink bugs. All of wester Oregon is infested.. Kill many, seal the house, poison the ones you can't see. |
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Posted: 3/27/2023 2:27:53 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By withoutremorse42: We're dealing with brown marmorated stink bugs. All of wester Oregon is infested.. Kill many, seal the house, poison the ones you can't see. I hate stink bugs. Sometimes I pull back the covers and there is a dead one in the bed. No idea how it got there.
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Posted: 3/27/2023 8:01:22 AM EDT
[#38]
We don't have much of an issue with stink bugs, but drain flies are another story. We get them and they will annoy the crap out of you in the bathroom. We've tried everything short of removing the drain lines an re-plumbing the bathroom.
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Posted: 3/27/2023 4:20:29 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: It is sad, isn't it? That we are so distracted by life that we do stuff like this? I didn't do stuff like this in my 20s. But now...it happens way too often. I just chaulked it up to a long day at work. |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 8:06:47 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Doorman63: Here’s a fun one…… Lady bugs Asian lady beetles Every spring they come out of the woodwork (literally) at our place in Southern Illinois. I just vacuumed up about a million live and dead ones of the windows and sills. Then they vanish for the summer….. About October they are back…..like locusts! They bite/sting a bit. Once it’s cold enough they vanish again…… Any ideas? A lot of people around here spray the outside of their houses with an insecticide in the fall. I can't remember what it is, but the local farm supply carries it. Some of the local pest control businesses offer the service too. The last few years they haven't been bad around here, not sure why. |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 10:09:28 AM EDT
[#41]
Great thread idea, OP!
I'll post up something... Like many, my layers quit laying (practically 100% stopped for 3 months) and when I read/heard about it possibly being related to the feed I was getting from Tractor Supply, I switched to the local feed mill - where I'd gone in the past, but the owner is a dick. Anyway, their production picked back up almost immediately and I happened upon a twitter thread about it where someone was saying they add alfalfa pellets to their local mash, to strengthen/augment the nutrient value. So, I went and got a bag and, night before last, I soaked a bunch of pellets overnight and mixed it in with the mash and.... HOLY SHIT!!! My girls went nuts over it! I no sooner dumped the first scoop in the feeder than they rushed the hen house to get at it! I'm guessing they smelled it, but it was remarkable because I'd tossed a bunch of fat into their yard (cut off steaks - which they normally fight/compete over), but the ones without a scrap of fat in their beaks abandoned the chase to get in and attack the feeder with a vengeance! They're already producing again like mad, but I'm curious to see if the alfalfa pumps up production even more, or if it changes the flavor of the eggs (which are freakin' fantastic, btw). In any event, I thought I'd pass my experience onto my fellow homesteaders (although, my set-up is very modest compared to many). Oh! I set up three more bee hives last weekend too and have 30,000 bees arriving next Friday! I think we're going to split our existing two colonies and end up with seven. We're still very much beginners at bee-keeping, but it's conceivable they're going to represent a nice chunk of extra change in our pockets this year - a fact I'm very excited about! (Thank God we bought our centrifuge/extractor last year! I'd bet they've gone up quite a bit since!) Anyway, have a super day everybody! |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 10:30:37 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I suggest middle Tennessee. Specifically Southeast TN if you like hills. Nashville is great for music but it's a city, so I never choose that for a vacation. I want beach or the Appalachian mountains or a harbor town. Gatlinburg is a fun place to go. It is touristy, but lot of arts and not just tourist trap places. The smoky mountains are wonderful, though January is about as ugly as they get. A cabin somewhere in the mountains would be a very nice getaway if you'd rather avoid people. If you want a beautiful, truly warm January destination, choose Savannah, St. Augustine, or even Charleston. There is lots of interesting architecture, history, etc in any of those three destinations. However, they are also "cities" but not in the same way Nashville is. The history and old buildings make it different. I would have to go all the way to Florida to feel "warm" in a normal January, but you are used to much colder, snowier weather. I think you would likely think any of those places is warm. My "kinda sorta GF" and I almost sold my place in PA to move to TN (east of Nashville) late last year. An old friend of hers offered to sell us 5.5 acres (on a sales agreement) with nice, cleared ground bordered by a stream w/a .5 acre pond (in desperate need of work). Then, when discussing the house we'd build, we got in a big fight and called it off (!). Personally, I think I dodged a bullet, but it COULD'VE been nice (with the right partner, anyway). TN is indeed a beautiful state and one of only a couple I'd consider moving to. |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 10:38:20 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Former11BRAVO]
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I did such a stupid thing. Went to TSC and they had Olive Egger pullets. I got six. I did NOT need more chicks. Now I will have 17 chickens (counting the rooster) if everybody makes it. These girls are much more frail and fragile than the last chicks. Maybe just the breed, but we are washing hands and changing clothes....We have African Pied Crows. Family members could die of Avian Flu, so we take it seriously. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118038/Olive_Eggers_late_March_2023-2757978.jpg Bleached everything the older chicks had touched, so hopefully everything these little girls touch will be safe. I understand and appreciate your caution regarding avian flu, but I'm convinced it was a manufactured scam/scare to reduce the poultry population to drive up costs/put small operations out of business - and hurt the middle class, of course. I know this isn't a conspiracy theory thread, but when it's soooo n your face all the time, it's hard (for me) to think otherwise. ETA: as for precautions, there's really not much I can do for prevention. I'm surrounded by woods and I've every kind of wild bird imaginable, so (other than keep an eye on them and keep em in fresh food/water), I don't believe there's much I can do. |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 12:14:45 PM EDT
[#44]
Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum, but I'll share a current project. Most of the work will be done by a friend, because I can't physically do it, but it's all my idea.
I'm at the end of a long hall, and to go outside I have to go through most of the house to the back door. I have a couple windows next to my desk, so I bought some doors to replace the windows. After that, there will be some kind of deck and wheelchair ramp, where I can get down to ground level or just sit outside. The shelter where I keep my Rzr will moved near the ramp, so I can go almost directly to it in a very short distance. This will be huge for me, because I don't leave my room very often, partially due to the logistics of getting to/out the back door. |
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Posted: 3/29/2023 9:18:43 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 67Firebird: Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum, but I'll share a current project. Most of the work will be done by a friend, because I can't physically do it, but it's all my idea. I'm at the end of a long hall, and to go outside I have to go through most of the house to the back door. I have a couple windows next to my desk, so I bought some doors to replace the windows. After that, there will be some kind of deck and wheelchair ramp, where I can get down to ground level or just sit outside. The shelter where I keep my Rzr will moved near the ramp, so I can go almost directly to it in a very short distance. This will be huge for me, because I don't leave my room very often, partially due to the logistics of getting to/out the back door. This is great news!!!! Out more is excellent.
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Posted: 3/29/2023 9:20:26 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Former11BRAVO: I understand and appreciate your caution regarding avian flu, but I'm convinced it was a manufactured scam/scare to reduce the poultry population to drive up costs/put small operations out of business - and hurt the middle class, of course. I know this isn't a conspiracy theory thread, but when it's soooo n your face all the time, it's hard (for me) to think otherwise. ETA: as for precautions, there's really not much I can do for prevention. I'm surrounded by woods and I've every kind of wild bird imaginable, so (other than keep an eye on them and keep em in fresh food/water), I don't believe there's much I can do. Well...Avian flu has been around for a good while. We have always been cautious about handling outdoor birds and then coming inside to our pets because it kills so quickly. But we are in the same boat...songbirds eat out of the chicken pen and not much way to keep them out. Dealing with Bumblefoot for the first time right now, which I hate for our girls. |
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Posted: 3/30/2023 9:10:44 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Well...Avian flu has been around for a good while. We have always been cautious about handling outdoor birds and then coming inside to our pets because it kills so quickly. But we are in the same boat...songbirds eat out of the chicken pen and not much way to keep them out. Dealing with Bumblefoot for the first time right now, which I hate for our girls. Huh! I don't think I've ever heard of that. |
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Posted: 3/31/2023 1:59:45 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#48]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Former11BRAVO: Huh! I don't think I've ever heard of that. It's my fault. Bumblefoot is a staph infection in the chicken's foot. They get it from cuts or scratches on the bottoms of their feet. I pulled this from the web, but...This is sort of what mine looks like.  I've never had this, in decades of keeping chickens. BUT...I had a trailer load of ornamental grass from trimming a customer's property. I thought, "why can't I use this as bedding?" So I put it down in the chicken run. And two weeks later, they had bumblefoot. The edges are sharp. I should have realized...I came home with cuts all over my arms from handling the grass. But I never thought about the chicken's feet, because you think...they have hard scales. But not on the bottoms of their feet. So I screwed up and made my chickens sick. So now I have to fix it. |
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Posted: 3/31/2023 6:14:01 PM EDT
[#49]
Watching these tornadoes.
Prayers to all of our members in the path of these storms. |
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Posted: 3/31/2023 10:08:43 PM EDT
[#50]
We're supposed to get high winds tomorrow and more rain. Tired of this weather. I'm ready to be working on outdoor projects
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