Lucky13
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Re: The garden thread
2019/04/11 07:25:54
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Fisherlady2
We raise all of our chicks with broody hens. Our crazy girls raise chicks year round so always new pullets coming into lay and young roosters ready to be butchered and pressure canned. Usually do a half dozen or so at a time, only takes a short while now that we have the routine down.
I remember the first time my wife and I put up dills, we were at it all morning and half the afternoon to get out about 21 quarts. Two years, and a second canner later, we got out nearly one hundred quarts on a Saturday. It is amazing how many extra useless steps we put into the process before we got the hang of it, and the right tools!
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/04/11 09:01:44
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Lucky13
Fisherlady2
We raise all of our chicks with broody hens. Our crazy girls raise chicks year round so always new pullets coming into lay and young roosters ready to be butchered and pressure canned. Usually do a half dozen or so at a time, only takes a short while now that we have the routine down.
I remember the first time my wife and I put up dills, we were at it all morning and half the afternoon to get out about 21 quarts. Two years, and a second canner later, we got out nearly one hundred quarts on a Saturday. It is amazing how many extra useless steps we put into the process before we got the hang of it, and the right tools!
Absolutely! Butchering and processing are now 'no big deal' but used to be quite a process. We now have 2 All American pressure canners and I wouldn't trade them for anything! Pressure canning may seem scaredy or intimidating with all of the 'exploding canner' tales out there but it is actually a simple process for a great product. Best thing is the canned chicken is ready to eat right out of the jar so we can carry it on the boat and store it at camp for fast meals. And FYI.... a quart of canned chicken (mixed dark and white meat), about 3/4 cup of favorite BBQ sauce and an hour in a crock pot produces awesome shredded BBQ chicken for roll ups, sandwiches or salad topping.
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/04/14 16:41:52
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Busy weekend and beautiful weather. I swear, chicks are getting bigger by the hr. Amazing to just watch. Put cabbage in today and garlic is doing awesome. Rain is on the way and it will get real muddy here again. Think now I'm just gonna kick back and watch TV. I haven't watched any since Thursday
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Clint S
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Re: The garden thread
2019/04/14 17:44:35
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My garlic is looking good too
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/04/17 07:30:35
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My wife had shoulder surgery yesterday so I kept the dog outside to help me work on the chicken pen/tractor. 10×16 . Gonna put the hardware cloth on and water/ food station in today. Gotta get while the gettin good before the rains come again tomorrow. Plants , pigs and chickens all doing well. Time is running out because these are in the area now
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/05/19 11:05:31
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Garden is way behind due to not enough hrs in a day. 25 tomato plants, lettuce , spinach and cabbage are all I've got in the ground so far.. I need to get busy quick. The chickens are growing fast and I'll move the pen again today. Their freezer date is June 18th. Pigs are swimming in mud. It just won't quit raining enough to dry their pen . Looks like in going back to throwing endless bales of straw down to bind up the mud. Hope everyone's garden and farm is going well.
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Clint S
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Re: The garden thread
2019/05/19 18:04:07
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Too wet to plow, but finally got the gardens turned. Plant date will be as always, memorial day week. Chickens will be about the same as you HT and the younger layers and turkeys are doing well. New pig is growing and cows pasture out good. Two more apple a peach and five blueberry bushes planted. A rock the size of the fridge dug out of the back lot. Been mowing around it for years lol
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/03 17:56:17
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Been awhile but now I'm back on track. 95% of my veggies, herbs and new fruits are in. So far so good. Pigs are growing nicely and smell twice as good with all this rain. Have moved the chicken pen weekly. I lost 4 birds out of my 50 and son lost 1 out of 25. That sucks. I'm getting another 25 in July for a fall harvest. QUESTION for the experienced farmers: My birds are 8 weeks old and 6-10 are very harvest size. I'm planning on slaughtering some in next 2 weeks. I been giving them a broiler mix feed from our local farm. I've been told by someone to give them straight cracked corn in last 2 weeks to add fat, marbleand flavor to their meat . Any thoughts ? Or should I just keep with the grower mix? Thanks. I'll have pictures to share soon.
post edited by hot tuna - 2019/06/03 17:58:52
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/03 18:29:42
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I have never added straight corn, but have always treated them with some cracked corn and oats mix as scratch after they were 3 or 4 weeks old. I believe it is a french routine to go with a milk based feed routine the last 2 weeks for some of their fowl.... probably many different 'finish' methods based on regions.
I hate the loss from 'flips' as we call them. Congestive heart failure is pretty common with broiler types. We usually begin butchering at 7 or 8 weeks. Any who seeming sluggish or with mobility or breathing issues are marked with a spritz of blu-kot when we see the problem and they are butchered on the first run. Then we just butcher off biggest by weight in groups of 6 or 8 for a couple weeks until final butcher of last 20-25 at 10 or 11 weeks, depending on their finish growth rate. If we have 3 or 4 which seem really healthy we will let them go a couple extra weeks for over sized roaster birds. I think the biggest were dressed out about 9.5lbs. Make an awesome smoker bird!
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/04 19:43:31
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Thank you fisherlady. Ive been researching and conversation that straight corn is all carbs.
Your response was very helpful especially the timing of harvest.
I have 6 birds that I don't want to lose and their time is coming sooner than waiting.
Eating store bought tonight, yuck. We cant wait for fresh real protein again as those freezers that were once full in November, now only contain protein of the water
"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/06 19:16:07
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After last night's rain I moved the pen this afternoon. I typically move it once a week. 5 moves in 5 weeks. I have improvements planned for next batch in late July. Bit the bullet and bought the yardbird chicken plucker last night. It will get put to use this weekend. Last year each bird took us 15 minutes, hopefully this pays for itself by October. So far my 49 birds are eating 150 lbs feed a week. My 3 pigs about 125 . The total investment on 75 chickens in my first season is $28.00 a bird in 12 weeks. Most was all start up fee. By October I expect that cost to drop to $10.00 a bird and next year $5.00. My pigs initial investment was $3.05 a pound, this year it's about $1.50. I'm happy to be raising and growing our own food. Labor of love. Buying a priviledge hunting/ fishing license is a great mix to harvest food also. Farmers markets are also where we shop for produce we don't grow. Quite a difference than buying food in the supermarket.
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Clint S
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/08 21:42:35
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I lost one to a broken leg last weekend. It was a big Roo so I butchered him and all the roo's they were close to 9 # at 8 weeks . I will finish the hens tomorrow. I only do like 10 birds as freezer space is limited. The plucker would be nice LOL. Garden is in so everything is looking good.
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/08 22:10:27
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We did 12 today. Plucker works like cats meow. 2 birds at a time, 15 seconds clean.
Money well spent so far.
"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 09:36:53
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Can't say enough on how amazing the chicken plucker was. It was pricey but I couldn't imagine going back to doing it by hand again. Guess what we had for dinner last night.. Today is get the pool running. Next weekend I'm off to RIP some trout lips on the ausable river then the following week its 7 days clamming in Rhode island. I can say , its going to be a heck of a bbq throw down here independence day weekend
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 09:56:46
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Looks good HT! I agree on the plucker, we got one a few years ago and it is night a d day different on meatie processing days! We just skin the barn yard mixes since we normally debone and pressure can them anyways.
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 09:57:58
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Hey Clint, how far are you from the city of Erie?
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 11:04:09
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Hooking up another automatic water system for chickens. Only way to go imo. It worked great for the pigs and having to fill water bowls 4 times a day sucks, especially when I go away I have to worry someone else will. We have hundreds of these clean barrels at work and they said take all I want. I'm going to set up my garden with these also.
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 13:34:58
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Please show a couple more pics of the chicken water system. We are at camp most weekends and cleaning and filling 8 or 10 waterers is a PITA. We have a 250 gallon tank we could set up for gravity system, just hadnt gotten it done yet.
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 15:03:32
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Little giant automatic waterer. I have my pigs set up and only have to fill barrel about every 2 weeks. For them because they are sloppy, I use a wet shop vac and suck out the bottom after a week or so. All the solids settle to the bottom leaving clean, clear water on top. They just muddy it up as I took this picture but we love it. Not cheap at TS but you can find some deals
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/09 20:48:07
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We harvested about 30 garlic scapes today.
My garden and farming is set for this season.
Gonna be very busy from July until winter.
Homegrown, the way it should be.
"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/10 17:23:38
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So here is the setup chicken water system. I was missing a connection yesterday and kinda threw it together quickly tonight because its raining. I just need to basically level it a little better. Chickens figured it out quick. Huge time saver for me
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/10 17:50:40
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So here is my meat bird pen. Its 2' H X10wX16L It houses 50 birds easily. The roofing and small 2x's supports were free materials. The framing, nails and fencing cost came to about $125.00. The new auto waterer was another $25.00 on discount. The top 4 - 4x5' frames are removable for access. It has 2 heavy duty bolt through eye bolts at each en in which I lift with ATV winch, put beads underneath as skids and drag with ATV. My upgrades will be to put studs through bottom frame, lift and put wheels on studs to make moves easier. Hope it helps for meat birds. I'm looking at egg layers next spring and intrested in ideas for a year round coup.
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Clint S
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/10 18:58:58
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Fisherlady2
Hey Clint, how far are you from the city of Erie?
If your talking Pa, 5 hours or so. I am making a drill powered one to try. Only doing 10 birds at a time most years. I split them as there are only 2 of us, so we can have chicken about once a week for the year its not too bad. If I get into more I may have to break down and get one. I have a old wash machine I could probably make one but time is more precious than money now.
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/10 20:26:41
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☄ Helpfulby bigbear2012 2019/06/11 09:39:47
So to clarify, me and my 2 sons bought 75 birds to split between 3 families. I'm raising 50 here as my one son has no space.
We were so pleased with the results that i ordered another 35 chicks to come last week of July and i will split them with myself and daughters family.
Basically I'm raising and sharing some food for 4 full families ( myself included).
Remember we have 9 growing grandchildren.
The thing that is great is they are all learning about garden and farming.
Last year we did 2 hogs and got 262 lbs processed meat. That meat is gone.
This year we are doing 3 hogs and 1 is my son's. For sure we will increase to 4 hogs next year.
We shot 3 deer, that meat is gone.
Currently my freezer only has perch,striped bass and the recent chickens from my harvests. We canned over 100 quarts tomato sauce, vegetables, pickles , fruits and dehydrated herbs. That is all gone.
It's a lot of work and it seems to be the large scale is the best way because it provides for many without the extra effort.
We wholeheartedly feel the food tastes better and our grocery bill can be reduced.
Peace and tuna
"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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Clint S
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/10 21:51:21
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Great to hear about the family involvement. My wife helps a little, but as far as growing, prep and storage its just me and pops. Dad does what he can on keeping the pig and cows fed and my brother helps out in haying and keeping the buildings in repair. I share what I can and give stuff away at work when I have extra.
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/11 20:16:09
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Harvested about 20 garlic scapes yesterday. We passed about 12 to friends and ate the rest tonight on a killer farm raised tbone with our own grown lettuce and spinach . Topped off with a homemade garlic/ basil vinaigrette dressing. Cabbage almost ready.
Life is good folks and getting better everyday.
"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
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BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/11 20:49:28
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Don't forget to turn some of that cabbage into sauerkraut. Life definitely gets better. 🍻
Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~  Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/12 12:40:05
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hot tuna
So here is my meat bird pen. Its 2' H X10wX16L
It houses 50 birds easily.
The roofing and small 2x's supports were free materials. The framing, nails and fencing cost came to about $125.00. The new auto waterer was another $25.00 on discount.
The top 4 - 4x5' frames are removable for access. It has 2 heavy duty bolt through eye bolts at each en in which I lift with ATV winch, put beads underneath as skids and drag with ATV.
My upgrades will be to put studs through bottom frame, lift and put wheels on studs to make moves easier.
Hope it helps for meat birds.
I'm looking at egg layers next spring and intrested in ideas for a year round coup.
We also have the studs on base with wagon wheels we slide on for moves, works great. If I were setting up another coop and didn't want to stick build it in a dedicated location I would go with a camper coop. Find a really old 18 or 20 foot camper, strip it out and put in roosts and cut a pop door or two. Then it can be moved if needed and can set in middle of any fenced area. Area underneath makes a good dusting area and sun shade. You have good mobility, weather protection and windows for ventilation. A lot of ancient campers without inspections or registrations can be had for well under $500... You can't stick build that kind of square footage for that price with lumber and plywood costs. If you have access to roughcut sawmill boards you may still be ok with stick building price.
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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/12 17:32:51
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Thanks for the suggestions Fisher. Lots of our local farms do just that and other types of things like mobile homes or contractors trailers. They raise many birds though ( egg birds). I'm only looking at 6-12 total egg layers and not really the route I'd prefer. Absolutely right, trailers and campers are a dime a dozen and make good utility trailers. Given my idea, our hunting camp is logged and my relative owns 2 full time saw mills. I can actually build cheaper than buy. Well not counting labor and non lumber materials. I built my smokehouse ( everyone thought it was a chicken house) for less than $70.00. I have a planer to do rough cut lumber and all the necessary tools.
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BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: The garden thread
2019/06/15 21:40:21
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Howdy howdy guys and gals, So I'm surfing the news net and I run across this story I thought yinz might find interesting. I wouldn't have bothered except the info has been provided by the CDC, not that I believe everything coming from that agency but I thought, better to be safe then sorry. Maybe yinz have already seen the story or similar info. Sorry I could only provide a link for the time being. https://www.foxnews.com/h...rd-poultry-expands-cdc
post edited by BeenThereDoneThat. - 2019/06/15 21:52:00
Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~ Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way.
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