| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 07:23:24 AM
for us its been buying critters. went to get feed and there they were. looking just like a spring day. peeping and all fresh new and yellow. so i bought them. i had 25 little peeps. then i bought 2 little wiener piggies (GIRLS).so very cute. i divided the house in half. pigs one end chicks other. came back to feed them and the baby pigs had eaten 10 chicks. oh my.... i had fixed it so the pigs could no way get to the chicks. well the chicks found a little bity hole and would slip into the pig side. the pigs just took opportunity and ate them. yuck. so i fixed that fast. still shopping for more pigs. since i had to put buttercup down last week i am shopping for a milk cow. i had been looking for a beefer to butcher soon. my friend has a cow that is not a good breeder. lisa and i go to get her this afternoon. we will put her at the kids place till we are ready to kill her. i have 50 more fryers to pick up next week. i am doing the broilers. my customers want white meat with basically no taste. this is what they ate berfore they became my customer. i have a good following of families for food i produce. going to get the beets etc. replanted after the rain hail flood that washed a lot of farm girl gardens down their hill. i think summer showed up yesterday. i so hope it sticks around. yesterday patti a portland farm girl and salina her daughter came for a visit. sooo very fun. a new friend i would never had known otherwise. thanks MJ. irrigation is a daily affair here in the desert. so dragging hoses happens all summer. i am just starting to do canning and putting up.
so hows your summer days going farm girls. i love cleaning with the hose on a hot day. who has new animals. i know kris just got turkeys. i need mine still. i think mona is still waiting on a calf. so am i. wow taking way too long. well lets here what farmy stuff is going on in your neck of the woods. even if its a city farm girl what yall doing? happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| barefootmama |
Posted - Jun 20 2010 : 5:17:29 PM
Wow,sounds like eveyone is so busy! I know the feeling I havent had a second to visit this site in forever!!! Between work, the garden, the animals plus kids and then a death in the family we have been swamped with so much...overwhelmed really... the chickens are doing great we recently downsized to 18 chickens and 12 ducks..the garden has grown another 20 feet and the kids started football and cheerleading this past week and I more good thing I finally got a day shift position at the hospital so no more nights for me woohoo!!!!!! Glad to see you all are doing well
Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves,for they shall never cease to be amused:) |
| Candy C. |
Posted - Jun 18 2010 : 09:48:23 AM
Thanks Teresa, that's what I was thinking but thought I would ask!
Candy C.
Farmgirl Sister #977
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jun 18 2010 : 08:44:09 AM
Candy, depending on the breed or breed mix (mine are nubian/boer cross), I butcher between 8 and 9 months old.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| Candy C. |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 6:08:42 PM
Teresa,
How old do you let the goat kids get before you butcher them? I ended up with two little boys (did wether them) and I just don't know that I want to sell them to the guy who wants to put them in a field with a bunch of old junk equipment to eat the weeds. I would rather keep them for awhile and put them in the freezer for us. At least that way I know they wouldn't get hurt on old junk laying around in the field!
Candy C.
Farmgirl Sister #977
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. |
| magnoliakathy |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 12:25:58 PM
Let's see, Sienna, our senior doe has a congested udder, home remedy treatment seems to be working well. Mi Hija delivered a fine buck kid yesteday, both are doing well. One of my Royal Palm turkey hens hatched 4 poults, they are four days old and thriving. All of my December chicks (12) are old enough to lay, and we are ready for the increase. We have 4 roosters, 2 of those are going to the stew pot. Big Al, our buck, keeps getting in where he doesn't belong, so almost every day it is fix a fence or a gate because of him. We will be harvesting the bee hive this coming Saturday, yummy. My old geese (15+ yrs) are still trying to increase their flock, no luck, but we are trying to locate someone close by and buy them some goslings to raise. The one guinea hen didn't hatch her clutch, so there are still only 4 guineas here. Hubby is having his annual contest with the squirrels over who gets the plums on the plum tree, so far it is a tie. We got out garden in late, so we are only getting tomatoes, just enough to eat every day. Big Al trimmed all the bottom limbs on the fig tree, so there will be a limited harvest there. All and all everything is good here on our farm.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 07:07:34 AM
again i say my hat is off to you girl. i skin mine no plucking.i usually have mine sold too. your price is good. its great you have help. i am alone doing it. papa will bury the offal with the tractor though. we still need to get turkeys. today planting in garden. the sun is out today. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 6:59:26 PM
My fryers sell for $3.65 per pound, and the roasters sell for $4.65 per pound, they are all natural, if they want them cut-up, I do that for free, all orders were in back in March, so there are never any extra. Oh, I do have help butchering the chickens, my D-in-Law, plus my 2 G/sons are great at getting those pin feathers out.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 6:01:24 PM
holy guacamole teresa i want to come to your house. i cant do that many birds at a time now. way toooo hard. good job. i wish i had more fruit trees. i will be busy canning too. my piggies are wieners right now. so cute. lisa and i bought to sows and 4 wieners so far, they are going out to pasture. no one here grows pig this way. i think there is a market for it. so we get nice healthy pigs. what are you getting for your fryers? i get 3.00 a pound cut and wrapped. well time to rest. have a great eve, girls happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 2:53:58 PM
If you girls are pasture breeding, there is a chest chalk vest the bull owner can put on his bull, so when he has bred a cow, the colored chalk will rub off on the cow, and you know she has been bred, they make them fo bucks and rams also. I butchered 49 meat chickens today, and in 2 weeks there will be another bunch and then in another 2 weeks another bunch, and then again 2 weeks after the last. I buy 50 day old meat chicks 4 times, 2 weeks apart, and butcher at about 8 weeks, some earlier and some later, so in the end I end up with 180 plus birds in the freezer. I sell some, I donate some and I can some for emergencys. I also have my 30 Turkeys that I got as day olds in the first of March, some I will butcher soon for barbacueing, the others will be holiday birds for my family, and the holiday dinner boxes I do every year, and I sell a few also. The fruit trees are full of fruit, the veggy gardens are doing great, it will be a busy canning season this year, but that a great thing. I will be butchering lambs and kids here soon, plus my pigs will be at that stage quick enough. I won't get much time to sit for the rest of the season, not til its time to put the ranch/farm to bed for the winter.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 12:46:27 PM
i need to order my turkeys yet. hope mazie is liking her boy friend. hows the finger kris? happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| maggie14 |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 11:06:50 AM
You all sound like busy ladies!
Hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Just a small town country girl trying to live her dreams. :) |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 6:47:09 PM
It does sound like everyone's busy. Sherry, my first 2 pigs were a little too close to a gaot that just had kids. They were trying to get under the fence and one of the pigs had the kid's leg! I am so glad I was there to get it away. I moved the goats quick after that. But yes, pigs will eat whatever gets in their way. I think that's what happened to 2 of my ducks also. Pigs got them.
Well, my heifer, Mazie, is off to her new boyfriend's. We took her up there today. They brought a trailor to load her up and there were 5 of us to do it. But I had a bucket of apples. Mazie will do anything for apples. I got in the trailor and up she came right after them. They were all amazed at that. I went with them to the pasture and she finally found some cows. I went back later to check on her and they all said that bull chased her all over the field. They never actually saw them do the deed though. So she will stay through another cycle. Poor Roxie is lonely already. I put her out back with the goats but they are not being very nice to her.
I did go Sat. and got 10 Bourbon Red turkey babes. They are adorable. And so sweet. They are staying in the Turkey B&B right now. It's hot over there. When they are about 4-5 weeks old I will take them to the Turkey Pasture and let them free range til fall. Then I'll pick the best tom and 2 hens to keep. The rest will be dinners.
I have 13 chickie babies left of the 16 that hatched. And I have to chase chickens out of the gardens all day. This is getting old.
I also have sold all the stinkin' bucks! 5 of them went to a farm in Tn. The other will be herd sire for my friend's does. He is a pretty boy. The does are all doing good. I have a few people interested in buying Faith and Sadie Mae. I have been making kefir and cheese and buttermilk like crazy. And freezing alot for my future pigs.
I found a sick hen tonight while on my egg hunt. I had noticed her being the last one to come eat the past few days. Then tonight she was in the goat barn laying in the straw real quiet. I reached down and picked her up and she didn't even struggle. I noticed her left eye was glued shut. So I put her in a crate with food and water. I'll try to wash her eye tomorrow if she's still alive.
That's about it for now. Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| LakeOntarioFarmgirl |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 1:52:55 PM
I love reading about everyone's farm animals!!
Poor Buttercup, I know how upset you were about her Sherry. What breed of milk cow are you looking for? And, oh my, I didn't know that little pigs eat baby chicks.... poor chickies, that's good to know though for someday when I have pigs!
Channah- I love hearing about your goats! I know goats can be a lot of fun! Are they loud or quiet goats?!! :) We have a bunny! Or, rather my daughter does, he is a spoiled little thing!
Oh Amanda, I can't wait to hatch out chicks next spring!! My first ever chicks are 9 weeks old now, so I have a ways to go. I keep hearing about chicks getting coccidia, I didn't vacccinate any of my chicks for anything, and of course it makes me nervous. I am hoping because there are no other chickens near us for at least 1/2 mile in any direction, that will help, and there haven't been chickens on this farm for at least 30 years. Isn't it fun trying to pick a breed though?
My 22 chickens(6 New Hampshire Reds, 6 Buff Orpingtons, 5 Gold Laced Wyndottes, 5 Barred Rocks) are settling in to their routine nicely. I hardly ever have to chase anyone around the run at night when it's time to go to bed, lol!!! I have discovered that they love small bits of bread, and now they know when I'm coming!
We have 5 Jersey Giants, 5 Speckled Sussex, and 5 Partridge Rocks coming on July 1 or 2, can't wait!!! 3 of my Jersey Giants are going to be my experiment with eating chicken that's not Cornish crosses- which are the tasteless ones to me. I want to experience what it was like 100 years to eat a heritage chicken. The other 2 will be a hen and rooster so that I don't have to buy chicks anymore!
And.... about mid July, I will become a proud fur Mama to golden retriever puppies! Our last litter was sold so fast, I didn't get to enjoy them long enough. :( They all went to good homes, and those people get first pick from this new litter. I am afraid that these are all going to sell fast again- lots of people interested, and I so wanted to keep one this time.
Keep posting the farm stories!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others teaching us along the way. Lee J. Colan
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
| msdoolittle |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 11:15:11 AM
Wow, sherry, you are BUSY. Lol.
I just hatched out 8 EE chicks and one Silkie this past week. I have 13 barred rocks and 4 EE's that are about 8-9 weeks old that came down with coccidia last Wed. I did lose 2 of them due to the infection, but everyone else is ok. Decided I already have TOO many chickens...will not be hatching any more until fall. I need to get a good breed and stick to it.
Male ducks are driving me nuts. RUnning the females to death. Thinking about cleaning them next Sunday...
:-)
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
| maggie14 |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 09:32:23 AM
Wow Sherry! You sound like one busy lady! So sorry about the chicks and buttercup....
Things are going pretty well with my 6 goats. Esther and Sadie are both producing lots of milk which is a real blessing. The twins, Eli and Elinor are growing up so fast! They are both big and healthy babies nows. Even though they were so tiny ( and I mean tiny) they have made up for it now. I am so thankful!
And Ebony and Joey are both doing great. Ebony who is now almost 5 months old is as big as her mom. It's amazing the diffrence when you let the kids stay in with the mom than just bottle feeding them.
Me and my sisters rabbits are doing great too. We are just getting ready to worm them this summer and trim nails too.
Our dog, Ginger is doing ok. I think she is going deaf. You can call her name for a looong time and no respons. We found that she has a really bad reaction to wheat, dairy products, and eggs so we have taken her totally off dog food and are now making it ourselfs. She loves it and I think the food diffrence is really helping with her hips.
My sisters new cat has finally settled in to her new mom. She is so happy to stay out there in the shed all day catching mice ( what a life! lol). We are so blessed.
And I guess thats it. We have been speading lots of time in our garden and around the house. We have been having beautiful weather so we are taking advantage of it. :)
Blessings and hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Just a small town country girl trying to live her dreams. :) |
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