Baymule’s Farm

[baymule]

Baby chicks. Cute now, but by 3 weeks, cuteness will be replaced by half feathered eating/pooping machines.

 

[digitS']

Outside??

OMG They will freeze!

Texas . I started about that many chicks in the greenhouse in March, one year. Furnace was on but the heat distribution isn't great with such a big, plastic wall. The box was right down beside that wall, actually, beside the concrete foundation. You know, outta the way of the activity around the plant starting.

Worked really well. And, I didn't even use a heat lamp . Instead, I had a low wooden stool. There was a scrap of shag carpet that I tacked on the underside of the seat. Pushed lots of wood shavings under there with the feed and water out in the open.

Raised a half dozen Black Orpington pullets for a laying flock and 20+ roosters for the freezer. They had the run of the greenhouse floor when they were too big for the box. In those weeks, I still didn't need the lower benches for the plants and they couldn't reach the upper bench and shelf . The coop was available and the weather warm by the time they began trying out their wings.

Steve

 

[AMKuska]

We're getting ready for chicks too! In our area people are lining up to buy chicks. The tractor supply can't keep chicks in stock. Seeing as they're going for $10 each mixed breed, I decided to hatch some out. I'll sell them when they're still cute and fluffy. ;-)

 

[digitS']

My neighbors did not know that I had chickens until I allowed them into the yard to forage, late on nice afternoons.

Even after that, the guy over the back fence said he didn't know until he visited my backyard.

Chicks make noise like the sparrows. It's only after the females begin to lay that they do much squawking. Kids playing in the backyards even dogs -- barbeques, yardsales ... never one complaint. One, even said that she enjoyed seeing them. However, when there was something going on, on the other side of the fence where the coop was, I would take the opportunity afforded by my patch of mint growing there. A little trimming, and the area smelled of mint, mint, mint!

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Here is my Armadillo. He was from a shop in Monterey CA that was going out of biz about 20+ years ago. I raced down there to see what they had. Sis got an alligator and I got this one. Its about 2.5' long and extremely heavy! He's moved everywhere with us.

 

[baymule]

Baby meat chicks are getting wing feathers, brought chicken tractor frame home yesterday. I have to put hardware cloth an tin on it and put the lift up top on. I have the pieces cut to make another one, need to get on it.

Fancy, my black and white friendly little ewe lamb, is still my self designated best friend. She refuses to eat at the feed bunk with the other sheep. No, she wants me to hand feed her, twice a day. So of course I do. Then she figured out The Texas Five get alfalfa pellets and nothing would do but she gets some too. How can I resist that sweet face? Fancy gets what Fancy wants.

Today is burn pile day. Neighbor Bennett came over yesterday with his big tractor and pushed up 2 big piles for me. I’ll tend to the fires all day. There’s lots of little pieces for me to pick up, put in the tractor bucket and dump in the fire. Low winds for next 3 days. Normally it’s too windy for me to feel comfortable with fires. I’ll be tired, smoky and dirty by the end of the day.

 

[AMKuska]

I take it Fancy is not going to be for eating? Perhaps she has seen where lambs with names like Lamb Chop and Dinner go.

 

[baymule]

Fancy is a keeper. Had 5 lambs in January, 3 are ewe keepers! Have 2 ewes due, one April 7 and one April 16. Eve is due 4/7 and she is huge. Just breathing is difficult, especially when she lays down. Her breathing is so loud, I can hear it 100 feet away. I feel sorry for her. She always has twins and once she had triplets.

 

[baymule]

Burn piles this morning.

 

[AMKuska]

I must say, what a beautiful space. I can't wait till I have a big open field like that to play in!