Plant Propagation , The Basics , December 2015

Round Ups, okay...thanks. I've never been to one. I've sprayed the mean Dad driveway though.

Sorry to hear about the eggs Gypsi, keep us updated as its very interesting.

Mmm Tamales, I've got more grandchildren coming after Christmas and expect one or more would like to help me make a batch. Jen was that the third batch you made already? Did you share with your Sister's or are they all in your freezer?

Bob has got to deliver tomorrow. But, first he is going to have to plow the driveway. I am sure it is still snowing. There were some from last year in the freezer for some reason. Not sure why I did not give them to anybody. Bob fixed some for dinner and I thought they were good, but he thought they were a little stale. So, I told him to take them to the dump when he goes. Hopefully Wednesday.

A year of holding them is probably too long. Not sure why we had them. Must have done something with them that I decided not to give them away. So, kept them myself and forgot about them. The freezer is in the basement and I haven't been able to go down there for a long time now. With all the surgeries I have had, the surgeons have pretty much screwed me up. Oh well,

Anyway, I have to rely on Bob to tell me what is in there and he doesn't do a good job of it. Guess I can''t complain if I can't do it.

Yes Gypsi, now how long do the eggs have to incubate for them to hatch? Where do you get the eggs? Somewhere locally, or do you send for them? My sister used to get hers from Mc Murrays I think the name was. Something like that. I remember the post office calling her any day, even Sundays to come down and get them. She got day old chix tho, not eggs. I think the incubating would be fun. Don't you have to keep them turned several times a day? Do you spray them with water? Did you make your incubator, or buy it? You sound so good with your hands that I imagine you made it. They always sent her about 20 extras because they would keep warmer that way, and also I think it was safer to have more in the box. Or something. Maybe they didn't get bounced around or something. Wonder how the shipping charges were. Now my other sister she gets hers from a local feed store. She put in her order for how many of what breeds and sex she wanted. She got a big variety. She liked the different looks and personalities. She gets some beautiful huge eggs. Some double yolks. She said at least once a week for those. Doubles.

$5 a dozen for fertile eggs from a friend and trading partner, locally. Incubation is 21 days give or take a day. . Costs a whole lot more for eggs to eat. takes about 5-6 months from laid fertile egg to laying hen. If I buy chicks at the feed store they are only available in March during my busy season and cost $4 per chick. I think hatching will be better. I have been keeping chickens since March 2010, this is just my first time to hatch.

And half of these will probably be roosters, which will be organic chicken dinners.

I made 2 incubators, the first one got too hot, 2nd one much better

This message was edited Dec 21, 2015 12:25 PM

This message was edited Dec 21, 2015 12:26 PM

Incubator 1, inside and out, Incubator 2 Inside and out.

Well, lost another post. Darn!!
Just said that you had a pretty good hatch for a first time Gypsi, think most new hatches normally don't make any hatches from what i see just browsing the forum. So you did good. Keep us posted on how the new ones do. Fun doing that, especially if you have time now to do it. Which it sounds like you do. You are right tho, if your busy time is March, it is no time to get new chix. They need too much attention. jen

March thru Oct is when hens typically begin to lay, Jen. Why chix are so hi$ in March. Thats when our hummers in Tx come back as well. Just a bird thing. Chicks can't handle temps lower than 50* so unless you have a hen on them, or warming lamps, that's as soon as temps get stable enough in Tx for chix to survive. What are you 'bating Gypsi? Leghorns or Rocks, maybe? I never thought my chickens were big enough at 6wks to start laying, chuckl, but I did once know how to sex the newborns.. shake head. If I get moved to Terlingua, I am going for game hens. One of these days...still tryin to figure out the planti g abilities down there... tamales, whine. The truckstops are starting to put tamale pots and individual wrapped tamales out for us, they will work til I get Jen to reteach me how to make them.

These are mix breed eggs, why they are so cheap. Americauna, Rhode island red, at least one Australian and another black one, and one white one. She has buckeyes too

Gypsi how long does it take to know what sex you have? I don't know, all the waiting, etc. might be worth it to buy the chix already sexed. And then to lose birds because they are the wrong sex, just for a chicken and dumplin/noodle dinner, not worth it to my way of thinkin. But you know what your situation is Gypsi.

I don't think you can know when the hens are going to start layin' etc. I think it depends on their admosphere, treatment, weather etc. Too many variables. The way my sister treats and takes care of her birds, they lay all the time. Not as many some times of the year, but they don't seem to stop completely. they don't molt at the same time so she has eggs pretty much continuously all year. Not saying moltin' is the only thing that makes the difference, just some.

Where is Terlingua. Kitt? and why game hens? They are sooooo good. is that why? So tell us about Terlingua and why would you get moved there?

Depending on how hungry for them you are Kitt, tamales are just as good one place as the other. Mexicans would laugh at me the way I make tamales. But, when I make them one will make a meal for you unless of course you are a real big eater. None of this eating a dozen or more and geting rid of the husks. I don't use husks. There isn't enough tamales in them. Don't want to keep piling up husks. Going to read a bit before bed, have a good night you all. ttyl, jen

I've been buying birds already sexed. In March. For $4 apiece when I don't have time Been 3 years since I bought them, got a dozen figuring I would lose half and didn't lose any, still have 9 (but one is a baby from the australorps and my buckeye roo that a neighbor's dog got). I manage a fair survival rate but I just really don't feel like spending $4 apiece for purebred pure hens when all I really want is eggs, and I don't mind the chicken dinners, I am not breeding to sell and I don't care if the birds aren't full blood anything - I keep a guard roo around til he gets too ornery anyway. And I do not have time in march to do that this year. Right now I have time to hatch.

Games because of where Terlingua is, was always fond of the Hatch Red and Frost Grey hens- even Butcher block coloring, and the roosters can be very gentle. Terlingua is in Big Bend National Park area and the Chisos Valley area. 2890' above sea level. 120* some days easy. Hadn't heard of Buckeyes, Gypsi. I do like what I read and see of them tho. And they are endangered as well...when I retire guys,chickens and gardens. Add a deep freezer, roosters can be dressed and frozen. I would move there with my honey, Jen. If we should live so long. Chuckl. Look for West Texas south along the Mexican border...middle of nowhere, sigh.

My hens lay year round, they do slow down when the weather gets cold. I don't have a rooster.

Reading and enjoying , Hen and Chicks talk ,,

Originally this was sent to me as lime Basil , it tastes like lemon cleaner , is 4 years old or so , made no seeds so far , everyone who sees it says it is a mint ,
What it probably is ,, turns red in the cold ,
Rare perennial , Red Basil Is what it seems to be , pic are fuzzy , the humidity and temp affecting the lense

Well, poo. Last pic does look like basil. Does Not look like my lime basil. Mine has a smoother leaf surface, lighter of color, and never turned red in cold. Doesnt look like the red leaf basil either, that I have grown. Doesn't strike me as mint tho. Never blooms, curious, needs more heat maybe? May have gotten crossed and muled out....how did it smell, taste?

Kitt it has bloomed , and looks like Basil when it did , once two years ago ,
Strange critter for here ..

You don't think our chicken talk is propagation JU? I think it is the coolest type of propagation. >smile< Let us know when you get your chickens. Those kits would have a ball with little chix.
Sharon gave me some red Basil last year but i didn't get it planted. Maybe this year. Speaking of Sharon, I emailed her last night and didn't get a response. Hope they are ok. If we don't hear from her this week, I will call her this weekend. ttyl, jen

Yes Jen , Find out what she into ,,
The chicks , no room here , this is a small city ,
Propagation , sure it is ,, chick , chick . chick .

That is the Basil I sent to Sharon , She said her friend said it was a mint , Catamint Basil , red mint Basil , it is , something like that , Like a northern perennial Thai Basil , so the info says ,

Calamintha, Ju.

Something like that it is , It is a variation of a few , likely .. Another interesting is it likes growing into the shade , unusual if a mint of any kind or a Basil either , Most like the hot dry sunny places ,

I was just posting to Kitt on the back porch and she seems to be pretty sure it is Calamantha or catmint. Have you guys come to any agreement as to what it really is? She said catmint, does that mean it is for cats? Do you have a clue? Did anyone taste it? jen

Yes Lisa, my sister's hens have slowed down in their laying also and we are just going into the colder part of the winter. Think she said the other day she was getting 2 eggs a day. Too bad, I'm sure they eat just as much. She said she was going to look into getting an automatic door. I was looking in that thread yesterday and there is one in there with 100% approval rating which is pretty amazing. They are kind of pricey, but I suppose it depends on how badly you need/want one.

GYPSI!! Here is a thread I think you will enjoy. Take a look at it. Jen

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/801760/

well I am alive, 2nd batch of eggs are in, thermostat just came and since it will be 76 degrees or hotter outside this afternoon I am glad that I can wire something to turn the 2nd lamp off when it gets too hot, but right now a 3 year old and 5 year old running the house.

I have grown thai basil, it is not perennial but does reseed here, and I have a catmint I bought from somewhere but neither look like that red basil.

That thermostat thread is coming in real handy, thank you Ace has that one in stock, and the house thermostat I bought probably won't work

Jen, catmint is a variety, catnip is for cats. Some cats love santolina and wont touch catnip. There was a red var on the Google, red ruffles or some such..and they have several different latin names for the var of catmint it is...

I am still trying to decide whether to play like one of Robin's grandchildren ,the Tamales .
To play like a old coyote at Gypsi's . or one of the chicks ,, a whether as to the weather thing ..
or to grab a skateboard and a polar suit and hitch a ride on Kitts trailer ,,,Grab a board and go mountain highway surfing !!! la , de da dum ,,

Lots of categories of cat plants , good and bad ...

Ya know what JU? If I could mail them to people I would be making them year 'round, so it's a good thing they wouldn't make it in the mail. >smile< The surfboard might work. Reminds me when we were kids we would wait for the lumber trucks that had to stop at the railroad tracks and then grab a chain and, as you say, surfboard on the ice. The drivers would stop, get out and yell, and shake their fists at us, and we would wait until they got in and took off again and grab hold of the chains. LOL I can see you doing that.

Ju, when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...


I hope you dance.

Rough Robin ,, really rough ,, My luck , I would be barefoot , and the floor would be High Grit sandpaper ,,
But then ,, at least the callous foot would be clean , and the old dead skin would be gone ..
"" Like Snoopy doing the Hot Foot !!!

Chuckl, all I can say, is under western skies- my bad temper mellows out dramatically... come on Ju, crack the whip. (On frozen lakes of ice with kids holding on to a car in a line behind it...)

5 year old just woke up, forgot what I was going to say. We have a cold snap coming, once I take her home I need to go through my hives and finish prepping my winter garden. Have tulip bulbs in the refrigerator that I put there in about October. Peonies still stuck in pots that need a bed cleared.

Jen, kids live dangerously...I wonder if danger is the name of the game or not even a thought?

Okay Ju, no dancing on sandpaper, might as well get the skateboard out. Come to think of it, kittens like hide-and-go-seek and anything with string games.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, while I have visions of propagating and Tamales dancing in my head.

Not even a thought Robin. The kids used to swing on a rope from the overhead highway bridge in front of the trains when they came. Dumb, foolish, thoughtless, you name it and I will agree. Not this kid did that. But others did.

Lol Jen, I'm completely amazed any of them survive to adulthood. It just makes me think about dotting parents doing everything, including going overboard to protect their offspring, only to hand the reigns over to daredevils. Such is life I guess.

I'm out in the garden today to see if any of my late seed-setters have set seeds. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Robin , Mine are growing again , a Brussel Sprout seedling , planted day before yesterday (not a good pic) .

A little mustard off to side with that

Well, just lost another post. Do any of you get the Grit magazine? A good article about winter sowing in the one I just got. I looked out on the kitchen deck and it would be wonderful to have a whole garden planted out there right now. Bob calls that his extra refrigerator or freezer. Now I see why. If I had had a bunch of milk jugs planted and out there a couple of days ago, they would be perfect right now. Oh well. If I had, it would probably be 75 degrees right now.
Gosh, ya think???? LOL I wish. jen

nope. about to get winter. IF I can get through my seed packets to see what needs cold to start maybe I can get some out in jugs

Poor Birmingham! Am in Spokane this morn in Jens part of the world. I would carry baby plants on my truck- but temp control is even worze than Ma Nature. Cold floors, dry warm air...

Kitt, where are you entering Idaho from? You're on I 90? Came from Lookout Pass? OK, that's why you are climbing. I was on the wrong side of the state. Opposite from you.

I was just saying on the Back Porch that i am watching the SunBowl in El Passo. Miami and Washington State. It is snowing harder than it is here. Probably makes Washington State players feel right at home. There's enough snow on the field that they are marking up the field when they slide or anything. Should say Welcome to Texas. LOL

Salvia pods being dusted , looks like snow Eh ? Taking out the Bug Riders , lol

Jen, THAT is Lookout Pass, not climbing, falling off the top into that cloud, chuckl. Beautiful clear air from Lookout Pass, 4th of July Pass and until I hit Spokane. Then poof! Here comes The Fog. I was growing hoarfrost is all I could propagate, chuckl

No, nowhere close to home. Will go after New Years- I am driving so younger drivers can get home to families, thanx for the well wishes. You guys are family, tooo! Merry Christmas right back at ya.

This message was edited Dec 26, 2015 9:51 PM

I hope everyone had a great Christmas with some much needed family time. Kitt were you home for Christmas?

Ju what are you dusting your Salvia's with?