It's April already!!!

LOL, I can imagine Hineni in the basement, not that she cowers easily!

Robin, that's lots of rain. Do you have any cachement system, rain barrels, etc?

Caj, no the old fridge is still sitting in the yard, uncleaned. I'm not sure I ordered the right controller for it. In any case, I have to do some major electrical work and plumbing in the root cellar to make a spot for it.

Yes, you can incubate the eggs. Depending on the dose and type of wormer, you may not get the best hatchrate in the world, but what else are you gonna do with those eggs? I mix DE with my chicken feed, and throw it in all their dust holes. I don't have issues with worms or lice or mites.

Darius, could the farm you get milk from, not refrigerate that morning. Seems you'd get clabber just fine. Do you have a link for the new carephilly recipe? Stinks about the press, same here. Things seem to be breaking down faster then we can fix them, much less build something new. Got to take a deep breath at times and remember how far we've come :0)

Cajun, It does sound like we eat nothing but cheese.lol Not the case. I won't be making much cheese or butter come July. Kitchen gets too hot in the summer. And the fall milk will feed the pigs. Which we are now in too far over our heads not to raise this fall. I have half a freezer full of eggs for them.lol

I used Wazeen (sp?) for round worms a few years back and told not to incubate. Don't know about other wormers. They do make an ivermectin (eprinex?) now that doesn't bind to fat molecules. It's sold as a dairy wormer, but can be used on chickens with no withdraw time. I don't really trust labels like that (it's just me?lol) but feel better about refeeding the eggs.

Heavens Robin,That's a lot of rain! Is your garden suffering?

No, I cannot get fresh milk anymore.

Drats! Perhaps you could save your cheese profits and invest in one of these.
Wait, do you hear that?
Dari.uh.u.u.u.s :0)

This message was edited Apr 26, 2011 1:37 PM

Oh God, he/she is SO cute!! Actually I'd have a couple of does now if I had the $$ for fencing.

I know! That goat makes my teeth hurt, it's so sweet!lol

We're headed to the basement in about 30 minutes. I keep hoping that the storm would die down, but luck has run out and it's getting bigger, and headed this way. We'll be fine downstairs, but I'm worried about Podster and Lizard's Keep. Looks like some strong super cells are popping up in their area. Keep them in your thoughts!
Let us know when you can, that you are ok.

Lulu, what a sweet baby!

You all take care. We've got thunder rolling now and according to the radar, it's going to be another long night.

Oh that is not my baby..I wish. Just a cutie I found on the web to entice :0)
Take care and stay dry, Robin!

We squeaked by, yet again. Storms parted to the north and south. But tornados all around us. A neighbor was concerned and brought his little girls over to wait it out in the basement. A basement full of kids and a drum set...it was quieter outside.lol

Weather is nice here. Praying it stays that way but what Robin is getting may come this way.

I wormed them with wazine. Two of the 3 are BSLs I have in with my EE roo so they'd just be mutts. The one I'd like to hatch off is the bantam's eggs. Just for kicks I may put the 4 I have collected back in with her and see if she will go broody. She has never set and she is 2 years old now so it's high time. My bantam that passed was the broody girl.

I lost another RSL yesterday. They were all fine in the morning when I fed. In the afternoon when I went to gather eggs I had a dead hen stretched out in the pen. No marks on her but she had some yellow to orange serum drainig from her vent. She had not layed an egg. I wonder if it could have been heat related.

I went scrounging this evening. I had seen something interesting looking in the big open dumpster at the fire department which is across the street from where we have 2 of our horses. I rode over there and it was the rigid siding from a plastic pool. It was rolled up neatly and tied so i don't know how long it is but it looks to be about 3ft high. It will make a nice roof for my goat house.

Made it though Round One. This one went just north of us by a couple of miles. Watched the wall cloud over the hilltops and a small tornado forming, which touched down a few miles east of us. The thunder is starting to roll again. Just talked to Hineni and she's got a storm going on now and she's a little over 2 hours SE as the crow flies, so anticipate several rounds tonight.

Darius, I forgot to ask if you got your truck fixed.

Cajun, great score for the goat house roof. Free is always good!

Good to hear, hope round two is gentle and there is no round three ;0)


Cajun, so sorry about your RSL girl. Did she die before or after worming?

Looks like we are in the "really red" band of dangerous weather today, and also under a high wind warning until tonight. That means trees down over electric wires, so possibly no power/internet. So far we have been spared any real damage; the storms have split to either side of us. That may not continue. Sigh.

Robin, I haven't had the truck repaired yet, and can't, until my June check gets deposited. Meanwhile it's chewing gum, bailing wire, and daily refilling the hydraulic fluid chamber. I do have 2 new tires on order ($200), to come out of my May check. Who needs to eat? LOL.

Food? C'mon growing season. I love the goat photo but I'd be plain happy with chickens till I hear of Cajuns' losses and friends encounters with the chicken and egg eatin' snakes!

Hoping everyone survived last nite and stays safe today. Thanks for the well wishes and hope everyone checks in with little damage. Weird weather all around the country and world!

We got rain last nite. It came down hard, fast and furious! We rec'd 1 & 6/10s inch. It mostly ran off and at least it help to raise the level in the pond. Still looking for 35 mph winds today so that should evaporate the good that it did. Am I ungrateful? Don't mean to be, I'll take it however it comes. At least I know the tomato blooms are getting pollinated with all this wind.

Lizards_keep ~ just read your post before I sent this. Last night was our turn! Thanks for sharing... lol

Off to assess the garden damage.

Lynea, I meant to ask what kind of cheese are you making on your goal for 15-30 pounds?

The RSL was in a pen I have not wormed yet. I was feeling really bad that day or i would have done a necropsy on her. I'm wondering if she had a broken egg but doesn't that just make them sick slowly rather than sudden death? I have had bad luck with the RSLs and won't be going with them again. Going to stick with the Golden Comets and EEs for now.

No bad wether here last night but tonight may be a different story. Calling for severe weather tonight and rain to start after lunch today so I need to get the work done. Pulp is soaking so I have to wait on that before feeding the horses but I can get everything else done. I have a goos start already. Been out weeding and transplanting in the garden. Got the eggs washed and dishes done. Finally finished my coffee after reheating it 3 times. I need to fill the feed barrel so I'd better get to work.

The van is fixed and DH has gone to the hospital for his treatment. Last one is tomorrow. He sees the doc then and I think they will be getting him some special shoes made. Didn't need the skin graft!!

You guys stay safe. Praying those of you who need rain get it and those who don't need it miss it.

Good to see the Texans checking in! Hope Robin and Hineni didn't wash away!



Darius, it's that same homestead washed curd that I make more then anything else. I'll see if I can find a link that explains it better then I could. The simple short form of the recipe goes like this:
*****************************************************
1-5 gallons milk (whole or skimmed) warmed to 78 degrees or room temp

1/4 tsp powdered meso, or 1 'ice cube' frozen per gallon
let sit 1-2 hours

1/4 tsp rennet per gallon used, diluted into about 1/2 cup milk, (stir in, 15 seconds-2 min. depending on amount of cream)
sit 45 min.-1 1/2 hrs
cut into 1/2" to 3/4 cubes
sit 15-30min. stir and cut down remaining large curds.

repeat stirring and breaking up the curd every 15-30 minutes (usually 3 times total) until curds have settled and enough whey it on top to remove, replace whey with hot tap water. Stir, breaking up curds. This is done 3-5 times. The last 'washing' should be almost all hot tap water.
The curds will be warm. Completely drain.
Add 1 tbsp salt per gallon used, milling into the curds.
press 12-18 hours with 40-50 lbs.

Dry 1-2 days in fridge or countertop.

Wax or vacuum pack, age 3 months or longer at 45-55 degrees.
*********************************************************
See why I'm so fond of this recipe? lol I can actually get other things done without being tied to the kitchen. The cheeses never taste exactly the same...we have never thrown one out, they're all good!

I've gotten semi-soft havarti like cheeses, as well as colby, cheddar and even one swiss tasting cheese. At three months, I have a good idea of what they taste like and can reseal and guestimate a label. Makes it easier if I need a particular tasting cheese for a recipe.

Cajun, great news about your husband!

Sorry, If the wormer didn't cause problems. I have no clue what could have killed her. I know you mentioned the heat, but our girls can go broody and sit in a coop when it's 114 degrees outside. Not good for them, but its never killed them. I never had to deal with an egg bound hen either. Ours are all mutts,lol they may not be pretty, but they are pretty hardy. Where did you get the RSLs?

Can't wait for all those May flowers we're going to have! {spoken with just a tad bit of sarcasm}

We are at 16 1/2" of rain since April 4th. Storms weren't too bad for us last night. Mostly just a rain event. More expected today. Looks like Darius and Cajun are in for some major stuff.

Podster and L_K, hope you get a little more rain that actually soaks in.

Cajun, great news on DH. Sorry to hear about your chicken losses.

Lulu, you make it sound so easy...lol

Thanks. I've not yet made a washed curd.

I am wanting to raise a few chickens. We always had Rhode Island Reds. but my coop will be a wire cage that i can make. I'd like it to be moveable. So i can move it when one place is bare of vegatation. I was thinking of feeding just chops too. How big a square would i need for about 6 chickens? I would need a protected corner for a small roost. The cage would be in a very large dogpen for protection from varments.
TIA
Vickie

Would the chickens get to go out in the dog run during the day?

Wind all night drove me out of the bedroom and into the living room to sleep. The windows in the bedroom were rattling so loud I thought they were going to blow in. My sofa is pretty comfy, though. There was no rain. Just huge amounts of wind. Hope for enough eggs to finish filling the incubator today. It's still too wet to garden, so I'll be doing some more woodwork today.

We had lots of rain, T&L last night but no wind. I was worried all the rain would beat the garden down but it looks fine this morning. Wish I felt fine. Think I have a stomach virus and since I already have ulcers, a virus kicks my hind end. Work will be done late and slow today.

I have blooms on the Sugar Ann peas! Strawberries about as big as my thumbnail. Praying we don't get any late cold. Potatoes are up, too.

I may be offline for a while. A tornado wiped out the town south of me, where our cable/internet comes from. 10 dead so far, town flattened. (I'm at the library.)

Hope everyone survived all the rain and storms. My heart goes out to those struck by the tornados.

We're going to try to work in garden a bit today, if we can walk around without breaking our necks from slipping and sliding on the slick mud. We have sun today, so hopefully it will dry out a bit.

Does anyone here do hydroponics? I have plans for growing cucumbers in a closed trashcan, but need a reliable source for the fertilizer.

Darius, is your place OK? No flooding I hope.

Oh no, grateful your safe, Darius! My thoughts and prayers for the town. Scary to think, we still have plenty of "storm season" left.

Glad to see most reporting in... my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones, to the incredible damage done to homes, communities and lives. Such devastation and it is so early in the tornado season. Where will all this weather lead us to?

Any bad weather up Hinenis' way?

MsRobin ~ I bought some materials for use in semi hydro but haven't experimented yet. I will see if I can find their link for you.

Cajun, I worried about the abuse the vegies got from the pounding rain and wind here to but they are amazingly resilient. Don't we wish we were too? Hope you get to perking better.

Well at least my filing system didn't fail me this time, my ISP did! Trying for a second post.

This is the site for hydro where I had ordered some supplies. Their site has good information in it.

http://www.firstrays.com/semi-hydro.htm

This is the recommended hydro fertilizer but I would research it for vegetable uses.
http://www.dyna-gro.com/growing.htm

You may have to shop for a better price online.
Good luck and should you do the hydrocukes, please keep us posted.

Talked to Hineni this morning and she is doing fine. No power, internet, tv or phone, but she has one of those fancy cell phones with all the cool stuff and internet, so has been kept up to date on everything. She lost a few more limbs, but no major damage. She was pretty pleased with her success of cooking meals on the grill and making a pot of coffee.

I don't think Darius had any storm damage, or she would have said so.

Podster, thanks.

Surprisingly, almost all of my seedlings survived the rain, too. I wasn't too worried about the transplant size plants, but the seedlings are less than 2 weeks old. They are barely an inch tall, but they are standing straight up.

I wish I was standing straight up. Pain in my stomach has me bent over. Be glad when this runs it's course.

Glad everyone seems to be OKAY. A friend in Arkansas sent some pics of Pocahontas, AR this AM and that whole town is underwater. In this part of the Glorious Buckeye State we have had LOTS of rain -almost the record- and some wind, but not hurricane force winds or anything. It's raining again right now.

Good Morning... By some miracle we have internet this morning. I'm really surprised considering what I have heard about the destruction and death toll just 8 or so miles from me. I-81, which runs right through the middle of the destruction, was bumper-to-bumper at under 5 MPH for 20+ miles in each direction all day yesterday. The police and rescue teams set up a command post at the Petro truck which was destroyed; parts of tractor trailers everywhere.

Our news channels are full of the royal wedding prep, and the weather channel is full of storm damage from Alabama and Georgia so I haven't actually seen the local damage. Hard to believe 300 dead from this rage of tornadoes. We have Alabama folks on this forum; I pray they are safe and will check in soon.

I only lost a big tree in the front yard (and my first Stilton cheese I was making when we lost power, internet, cable, etc.). That tells me I should have recipes with instructions in PRINT, not digital!

Glad you are okay, Darius!

Cajun, praying your pain goes away soon.

Nik, are you getting back into a routine now that your company is gone? Amazing how much we can get done when under the time pressure of company coming.

We got another 1/4" of rain last night, but the radar is clear and the sun is shining. I plan on working in the garden more today. Still lots of warm-season transplants to plant out out.

Podster, I skimmed through those links last night and that stuff looks exactly like what I need. Thanks again!

I am feeling a smidge better this morning. I have taken courage and slowly sipped a cup of coffee but have not ventured to eat anything yet.
The sun is shining and it looks like it will be a nice day. I am going to try and get out a bit.

Robin, is Al home right now to help with the garden?

Darius, glad you have the net. Sorry about the cheese. We do tend to rely too much on newfangled stuff rather than tried and true. I hardly ever write with a pencil and paper anymore.

Has anyone heard from Freedom Sailor? I am worried about him.

Please follow us to the new thread for May on the Homestead...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/pf.php


*****THIS THREAD IS CLOSED*****

This message was edited May 2, 2011 7:42 AM