Alot of folks around here use Eagle's Nest. They're pretty good, but I thought all they had was meatbirds. They were trying to sell out a couple years. They are teachers and incubating eggs was fun. I guess it turned into too much work for them. They hatched the Vantriss strain of meatbirds.I saw their driver a couple times when I was picking up hatching eggs. Mt. healthy is either awesome or the pits depending on who you ask. There doesn't seem to be a concensus. There is also Meyer Hatchery in Polk, Ohio. They send out a weekly email, AgForte` in Danville hatches turkeys. Ridgeway Hatchery in LA Rue ohio is a 4th generation business. They're also pretty popular around here, especially with me as that is where I work.
it's December already
Thanks. I'll check them out.
Got me a catalog coming from Eagle's Nest. Looking at Meyer also. Think I have about decided on Easter Eggers and Welsummers. I'd rather have Black Copper Marans but I can't afford them. Maybe when I win the lottery. LOL
Think I might order a few broilers too. Not a pen full but just a few at a time. Don't want to overwhelm myself. I was thinking about a few of those Chantelecours (sp?) too but they are expensive. They are said to lay through the cold of winter so I was eyeing up a few of them. I'd like to have a flock of just a dozen birds. That's plenty for us.
Galloway came back from the vet in pretty good shape. Still have not spoken to the vet about the prognosis but I got my best bud home with me and I am happy about that. He seems spry when you consider the surgery he had. His incision is about 5" - 6" long so it must have been pretty extensive. He is staying inside now so I can watch him and because he can't get his incision wet for 10 days. It's raining here so outside is not an option. I don't think he minds. LOL He used to be an inside dog so he knows the drill. I am praying they got everything with the surgery.
I pulled one of my strawberry buckets (20 gallons) up on the porch yesterday before the rain set in. I cleaned the dead stuff out of it this evening and tomorrow I will rework it. I bought a big plastic pot to put in it and then a smaller plastic pot to put in that one and a smaller one yet for the top. I think I will have better luck with this setup than with the strawberry jar or the hanging pots. I have never had luck with those and I have tried them about 3 times each. I have 2 buckets to rework but I haven't bought enough pots yet. Got the other 2 on sale after summer.
Going to collect me some big sheets of cardboard and put down where I want to build my new raised rows. I wanna plant beans in them. Long rows just wise enough for 2 plants. Can't have them too wide because I can't manage to reach in far to pick them. My hoop house bed is only 2 feet wide.
Gotta get ready for church.
we are the proud owners of 3 goats. :)
two doe's that are 1 yr old
and a 8 yr old doe. she was free LOL buy two get one free deal. Actually they just wanted a good home for her. I need the company .Her name is Treasure.
the other two does are Ester and Misty.
we won't get them for a couple more weeks . we need to get our barn set up and ready for them.
Whooeee, great on the goats, Sue!
I'd like a couple, but only after I can get some ducks... which requires a shelter and fencing.
You will love the goats. They are so entertaining. Are you going to breed the two younger does soon? Have you thought of what kind of setup you would like for them? Google hay racks for goats. If you don't have one for goats they waste a LOT of hay. What breed are your goats?
Darius, what kind of ducks would you like to have? I hear the Kahki Campbells (sp?) are the best layers. I like muscovies. They are bigger for meat purposes, they are quieter because they just hiss, and they can be kept like chickens requiring much less water than other ducks.
they are boar goats. we don't have much yet just the fencing.
we will breed them next year with one of her " ennobled" bucks. They were some does that i really wanted but they were not in our price range :(
next year i may do dairy goats. I just don't have the energy for dairy at this time yet.
Mine are just pets and i could not imagine being without goats.. They are sweet as all my dogs, cats and other critters..Pretty sure I am gonna have kids soon..Enjoy..Goats are fun, dairy goats will work you silly if you try to milk...
Larkie..
I milk a boer goat for about four years. They're supposed to be meat goats but ol' gertrude gave me not quite 2 quarts per milking. i had no enclosure for her for a long time, just a shelter. I would tie her to a pallet and let her graze the pasture or browse the fenceline to hearts content. once when I overslept I woke to her jumping up and kicking the door with her front hooves. I grabbed the bucket and walked to the milking stand and she just jumped up there. It was funny.Where did you get your girls? Did you go to K&D?
Buff orpingtons are great birds for laying in the winter. Nice quiet gentle and docile birds. Your biggest problem with them is that the hens will start setting almost as soon as they start laying.
Darius, how many of what kind of ducks do you want. I may be able to help. If you just want them for eggs then the khaki campbells are the tops, alon with the welsh harlequin. I raise Harlequins, which are a colour mutation of the khaki campbells. If neither of those please you then try runner ducks. Muscovies are good for meat, they taste alot like veal. But they're eggs taste like a glob of swamp mud served over a bed of camel droppings. they are nasty. And they fly, usually just around, not away. They are also very good setters and mothers. And they eat flies like no one's business.
we got our goats from a lady and daughter in West Liberty. Orchard Hills Farms.
we thought about waiting until spring but the woman told us. We picked the right time as her goats will be twice as much in spring . Wethers are more work but we still may do them those are only spring available. see what my kids want to do.
its nice not having so many chickens to clean and feed this winter but i know i will kick myself if i don't get some laying hens for spring . hmmm still deciding
my kids really love selling the eggs are market.
Ducks:
Well, Pekings are cleaner to pluck because the pin feathers are white and don't show if you miss some. As far as taste, that's the only duck I've tasted in years so I'd have to try 1-2 different breeds to select a meat duck I like. For eggs, I'd probably want Khaki Campbells.
Nik, I don't think I'd be able to handle more than 6- 8- or possibly 10 ducks, space-wise. Although we have 19 acres, it's ALL really steep except just around the house and the falling-down barn. I wish I could afford to fence the lower part of the hillside behind the house for a couple of goats, but every post would have to be put in by hand because it's too steep for equipment to get up there. And first, a path through the briars would have to be cleared for a fence line...
Caj, did you know that only the female ducks quack?
Yes, on the quacking. The drakes whistle. You could put in electric fence for your goats. TSC sells fiberglass posts for electric wire that you just push into the ground with your foot. That's what I use. It has worked great for me. There are two kinds. One has just 4 wire slots. I use those for my horses. If I have to use them for my goats, I just put in an extra strand and attach it to the posts with plastic wire ties. The other kind of post is plastic, has a metal spike at the bottom to stick deeper into the ground and it has more slots for wire. I use those for corner posts with the horses and I prefer to use them with the goats. Goat kids will try the bottom strands if they are not close together.
Sue, are boer goats seasonal breeders? I think I read that they were not.
Nik, that is a lot of milk. I don't get half that but I also latch the kids so I am sharing and my goats are pygmies. It's plenty enough for us. I think the Nigerian Dwarfs have the highest butter fat percentage. If I had the room I'd like to have one of those small breed cows for milking.
Larkie, how many goats do you have and what breeds?
This was some of the first cheese I made with goat milk. It was green onion and sun dried tomatoes. Mmmm!
Cajun,
I have a Nigerian, and a Nigerian dwarf.. Only had these 2 for a couple of months..Hope babies are coming soon.. As I said they are just pets and I have always had goats.. Last year I lost my other 2, twin girls to old age.. They were 16 years old..Marigold died and Iris followed several months later.. I really think the latter grieved herself to death. Love my goats..
Larkie
We would love to see pics of your new goats. I had 7 at one time but had a few deaths and sold a few so now I just have 2.
Here are mine. This is Maggie (smaller), and Brie..She is an older doe and we are hoping that she is pregnant.Also the smaller is is possibly also. Sue, please post yours when you get them.. Love seeing others babies.
Larkie
They are so pretty. I love Brie's face. I don't know that I have ever seen one marked that way.
I feel so bad today. Our 28yo nephew passed away this morning from sepsis. He had a large pocket of MRSA in his shoulder that could possibly have been there since he had shoulder surgery over a year ago. He went to the hospital last night thinking he was having a reaction to chlorine but they found the infection. His organs were shutting down, temp was climbing, BP was falling. He rallied after getting fluids and dialysis but his temp was 105 and climbing. It overwhelmed his body and his heart stopped this morning. He was a big, strapping young man who was quick to smile but kept his thoughts to himself. He and my son were very close and much alike.
All this grief and stress the last 6 months is beginning to overwhelm me. I would like to curl up in a ball and die but that is not an option so I forge ahead. Frankly, I don't know how much "forging" I have left in me. I can hardly take a deep breath anymore and my head is splitting. I know this will all pass but right now, it's difficult. Please keep our family in your prayers.
Cajun, you and your family have my condolences. It's never easy losing someone. Debbie lost her SIL who she had been friends with since childhood, just last week. At the same time as her funeral, I had to go to one in Lakeview for a cousin onmy side of the family. It wasn't a great time.
Thanks, Sue. I know I will get through it. It's just that I have had one bad thing after another for months now. I don't have time to shake one thing off before something else hits me. Guess I just need to toughen up and quit whining.
Nik, I am so sorry for your losses. It seems like things are so bad all over with deaths and sickness. We take prayer requests at church and pray over them in service and it seems to take longer each week as so many people are sick or there is always a death. It feels so good when somebody has a praise report about a blessing God has given or an answered prayer.
Oh Cajun, I have prayers answered everyday!!! I pray for continued health for my wife and I, and for us meeting our goals. I pray for our families health and well being and prosperity. I usually receive these things. Donna was in her 60s and Joe was nearly 70. Neither had ever taken care of themselves. Joe smoked and drank lived on donuts and sweets and regular MtDew. he had been diabetic for over 20 years and had never ever taken care of his diabetes.
When Donna was first diagnosed with cancer she went to some hex woman (she was VERY superstitious) and for close to a year you never saw her without some "conjure" as she wasted away. Finally Martie (my BIL) made her go to a real doctor, but by then it was too late. She had put her faith in the voodoo doctor and in God or real science.
I thank God everyday for my farm and gardens, and for my flocks and herds. In just a few days we will be at the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and we are still getting almost 2 dozen eggs (from 28 hens) a day. I also get 46 ducks a week from 7 duck hens.
God blessed me with Debbie after I had pretty much decided that there wasn't anyone for me. I had already had 3 marriages fail while I was at sea. But now I have Debbie and we couldn't get along better. I am blessed by God so much that I almost take for granted that he's going to bless me. I just know that he is. All I have to do is put my faith and trust in Him.
Nik, your testimony has given me courage to fight another day and I sure needed it tonight. Today was a hard day. DH went to wound care. The doc there was so happy with his stump's progress and told us the prosthetic man would surely make the mold today. We went to the prosthetic appointment next and he told DH it would be ANOTHER 2 weeks. It's always another 2 weeks. DH was so hoping to have his temp leg and be walking for Christmas. I have to wonder if it's not taking so long because we have no insurance.
We had a really nice time at church this morning. Had a special singing group, 2 young men were baptized and we all had lunch together after for Christmas. No service tonight. I need to feed the goats and dogs and then I can be lazy.
Galloway goes to the vet in the morning to get his stitches out. Incision looks good but I am still giving him the antibiotics.
Saints kicked butt today so it's been a good day. :)
it is a difficult time for me for this holiday. have not been posting much anywhere or talking much.
just thought i would come in and wish everyone happy holidays.
we decided to log our woods . did a select cut . what a mess they leave. some of my fav tree's are gone :(
its a bitter sweet for me. anyone interested in firewood contact me :) we have plenty !
hope everyone is doing well.
I cannot imagine how hard this Christmas is for you. You are in my prayers. Will your DH be home for the holidays?
Did you log for a specific reason? I was reading about curing firewood. The article in Countryside was by a man who heated with wood and cut his own firewood. He cured his by stacking it so the air could get through it and he wrapped the entire stack with plastic wrap like cellophane. Said it cured completely in half the time of unwrapped wood that was just covered. I would have to wonder where one would get such large rolls of cellophane and how much it would cost. I see pallets of lots of different stuff held together with it.
Took Galloway to the vet today to get his stitches out. They said he is doing great and to finish his antibiotics. Such a load off my mind. He was even able to get in and out of the van by himself. I think living inside agrees with his old age. LOL
After getting his stitches removed I went into town for a couple of things. Took a box of donations to Goodwill. Bought three books while I was there. One was a birding book and one was an atlas of Ky with lots of closeup stuff. Thought the boys and I might make use of them come summer. The third was a book on how to study the Bible. I need that one. I also bought myself a new backpack/purse. The one I have been using was given to me second hand 10 years ago and it is getting threadbare. After GW, I went to the feed store and got 300# of feed. Also bought some fresh eggs. They cost $2 a dozen but he was having a Christmas special and I got 3 dozen for $5. They are very good eggs and I can't raise them for that price. But I do miss my chickens.
We are going to leave early in the morning and ride down to Gatlinburg to do a bit of shopping and see the lights. We want to go to the Christian Bookstore Warehouse. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from here so I will feed early in the morning and we can get an early start. We will stay overnight and come home Wednesday afternoon in time to feed up and go to church. Really looking forward to it.
Nothing much else going on here. Hope everyone is doing well.
Sue, the Pimtown nursery is between the Mad River Farmers Market and West Liberty. There is a sign right on 68. Debbie and I went to my Mum's place in Fairfield Saturday and I made it a point to keep my eyes open for it.
We had Christmas this past Saturday and a good time was had by all. I missed my Da as Christmas was his favourite time of year. He would start hanging decorations right after (or sometimes right before) Halloween.
Everyone loved my SweetPotato Pies, apple braids, apple upsidedown bread, stollen and cinnamon rolls, and everyone loved Debbie's pumpkin cake rolls. We have pretty much been drafted as the desert makers from now on.
Debbie got some boot slippers, a throw, and some quilting tools. As a couple, we got set of flannel sheets. Debbie made my sister, her daughter, and her son each a nice quilt. Next year my other sister and her family gets them. I got a pair of slippers, some jammie bottoms, some new socks, and a Magic Bullet. I got Debbie some jewelry and she got me a Duck Commander t-shirt, a book about pottery (I signed up for a class on it) a set of kitchen knives, and some redneck stemware -mason jars on stems. hehehehe
Last night the local Amish folks came and sang Christmas carols outside off our deck. I made peppermint tea for them (an amish favourite) and gave them some oatmeal cookies. I knew they were coming so it took no time at all as I had the water hot already. and the cookies came out right as they got to the house.
Cajin, if anything I may have said on here has lifted your burdens even the tiniest bit, then I am blessed. I can talk about the Lord all day long. I know that as long as I love Him, and continue towards my goals, he will continue to work wonders for and through me. My goal you ask? I want to be at least as good a man as my dog thinks I am. I think that's a worthy goal.
oh ok Nik i know where it is. I just didn't know the name of it.
i didn't know Amish sang carols ? .
well i look around our woods and see lots of work and fire wood *sigh* oh well , i do got some nice new trails for my tractor to get in the woods to help get grapevines . thinking of making an arbor in Gigi's garden with grape vines and some of the branches from the tree tops.
Cajun we just needed the money. our woods needed a cleaning. This way we can get some wind flow and help control a blue fungus that is attacking our tree's. also helps me with controling grapevines.
Nik, sounds like all you guys made out like bandits. All the food sounds delish! I am a sweetaholic. It's my downfall for sure.
Sue, sounds like the logging was a win win. An arbor sounds like a great idea too. I would like to make a fence from limbs to go around my little garden.
high winds and a snow storm to hit us come this evening.
took cement blocks to secure jessica's garden. 12 blocks later and a thrown out back... oui !
austin has the stomache bug. hope i m not next :(
got inside and its pouring rain. good timing.
need to go into town for some grocery for austin's tummy. but he may just have to deal with out ? depending on weather and his stomach
Drizzle here but not as cold as I thought is was going to be. I need to get a couple bales of hay moved. Got the trash taken up to the road this morning, had a nice talk with my youngest DGS and had my breakfast. Mmm DH is a bit depressed this morning. Please say a prayer for him. His life is not an easy one.
Hey Sue, the Amish here are NOT AT ALL like the De Graff amish. My Amish are what they call the new order Amish. Indoor toilets, they bathe, they cook with gas and have gas refridgerators. They ride bicycles and have tires on their buggies. And they sing christmas carols. No trees or lights though.
Cajin, it's too bad you aren't in this area; you'd have more sweets and baked goods than you'd know what to do with. Yesterday I made apple braids. We took them to the pool hall and shared them with everyone. They were a big hit. I make all our bread, biscuits, scones, etc. This AM we had eggs (from our ducks), Bacon,and homemade biscuits with homemade banana butter. It was serious bragging rights.
There are some Amish and some Menonite people where our friends live in south central Ky. The Amish don't drive but the Menonites do so they work a job together and ride in the Menonite's car. I can't see the difference in owning a car or riding in somebody else's. I had an Aunt who didn't believe in having a TV but she'd come over to our house and watch ours.
Nik, there was a pool hall in the last town we lived in. It was owned and ran by the DH of one of our church members. My DH loved to go play pool there. It was a dry county so there was no drinking thus no stupidity. There was no smoking so you didn't have to worry about second hand smoke. And no bad language was allowed because the owner's 2 DGDs were in and out all the time. It was a fun place to hang out. My DH is an excellent pool player. Back in his BC (before church) days, he hustled pool and made a good living at it.
This message was edited Dec 20, 2012 3:22 PM
Dang - the 21 st is almost over and I have yet to see the first zombie?
I thought we were expecting asteroids.
We were but I still wanted zombies.
Guess the oreo was right. LOL
It snowed here all day and the wind was as cold as. Have I mentioned I hate cold weather. Had to spend most of the day in town getting errands done. Getting DH and his chair in and out in the cold wind and snow made for miserable day. But we got our errands taken care of and we enjoyed one another's company. That counts for a lot.
I have the goats shut up in the goat house tonight.
It's the 22nd and we're still here. As apocolypses go, the Mayan one was pretty wimpy. I expected to see planetoids and nukes and such but all I got was a dog with a sore foot to take care of. Let this be a lesson to you all; You can never trust the Mayas.
Since the world didn't end like it was supposed to, I'd like to wish everyone a Blessed Christmas tomorrow. Please try to remember the reason for the season.
