Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Back in for a sandwich. Went up to the farm and spent about 1 1/2 hrs... putting staples in posts... Did most of the line of fence they had gotten up along the bull alley ....maybe 20 or so posts..... except for about 5-6 posts where DS had mentioned he wanted to cut one "hump" of dirt down and spread to a low spot. So did not do those posts there so the wire can move up or down a bit. He will staple the bottom wire and one along the middle/top when he gets it where he wants it... then I can do fill in... Right side of my right hand got pretty numb, so it was time to quit, anyway. So a little more done. It was mostly cloudy.... high clouds just blocking the sun, so very comfortable.
Stopped and got a 5 gal bucket of chicken feed from the bin to bring home. Checked the 2 calves, and they were out in the field and were nursing the cow, so they are up and going. Should be completely numb now so that is good. When I go feed some grain in the barn for all the ones that come in, later this aft/eve... I will look at them to make sure there is no swelling... They should be "cold" to the touch with no blood flow within 24-48 hours... and then just start to dry up. But it was good to see them up and nursing.

Put a bag of the collected grass/leaves from last fall when I used the lawn sweeper; in with the chickens since the pen cannot be moved since the treated 2x6's are not on the bottom yet... with all the rain, it got a little muddy, but the chickens have pretty much eaten all the grass that was in there. Something new for them to scratch around through. @fuzzi 's birds love her giving them fresh... I figure this is better than not giving it to them, and will just collect more for this coming winter....Glad I have it to give to them.

Sun is out more than it was before, but I am going back out to see about doing the rest of those planters/tubs. Got the truck backed up and everything ready to start filling them with soil and all that....

Got a tick off my ear... that makes 5 so far this year. Sorry SOB's.... They are gross... HATE TICKS..... Going to have to wash my hair again to make sure there aren't anymore lurking...

Ready to go outside for a bit again.

 

[fuzzi]

Back in for a sandwich. Went up to the farm and spent about 1 1/2 hrs... putting staples in posts... Did most of the line of fence they had gotten up along the bull alley ....maybe 20 or so posts..... except for about 5-6 posts where DS had mentioned he wanted to cut one "hump" of dirt down and spread to a low spot. So did not do those posts there so the wire can move up or down a bit. He will staple the bottom wire and one along the middle/top when he gets it where he wants it... then I can do fill in... Right side of my right hand got pretty numb, so it was time to quit, anyway. So a little more done. It was mostly cloudy.... high clouds just blocking the sun, so very comfortable.
Stopped and got a 5 gal bucket of chicken feed from the bin to bring home. Checked the 2 calves, and they were out in the field and were nursing the cow, so they are up and going. Should be completely numb now so that is good. When I go feed some grain in the barn for all the ones that come in, later this aft/eve... I will look at them to make sure there is no swelling... They should be "cold" to the touch with no blood flow within 24-48 hours... and then just start to dry up. But it was good to see them up and nursing.

Put a bag of the collected grass/leaves from last fall when I used the lawn sweeper; in with the chickens since the pen cannot be moved since the treated 2x6's are not on the bottom yet... with all the rain, it got a little muddy, but the chickens have pretty much eaten all the grass that was in there. Something new for them to scratch around through. @fuzzi 's birds love her giving them fresh... I figure this is better than not giving it to them, and will just collect more for this coming winter....Glad I have it to give to them.

Sun is out more than it was before, but I am going back out to see about doing the rest of those planters/tubs. Got the truck backed up and everything ready to start filling them with soil and all that....

Got a tick off my ear... that makes 5 so far this year. Sorry SOB's.... They are gross... HATE TICKS..... Going to have to wash my hair again to make sure there aren't anymore lurking...

Ready to go outside for a bit again.

My chickens love last year's leaves, too. Fun!

 

[farmerjan]

Monday.... 55 last night, more like normal temps for here. Sun is out, warming up.

Something dug up the dahlia plant I put in the big planter last night... thinking skunk, coon, maybe possum... neighborhood dog? Trap is getting set tonight. I managed to replant it and water it in good... broke off a few leaves and one flower... BUT... just P.O. about it.
I got most of everything planted yesterday afternoon/eve... got a few more things to get settled in. Some of the pots are not as big as I wanted, but getting the "reduced" berry and grape plants into dirt was better than not... will replant down the road in the ground... but need to be able to have them moveable for now... I am going to try to finish up the last couple of planters today...
The obedient plant from @fuzzi is getting potted for now... trying to decide on a permanent place...
It is supposed to rain again tonight into tomorrow, so want to have things planted to get "watered in"..... then we might get a week of dry.... We had 5 inches last week total... what a game changer...

Hay is all heading out, ready/past ready to make... we are behind already with all this fence building... just trying to get things done as we can... EVERYTHING is going to be behind this year I am afraid. But... once this fence project gets done... it will not have to be done again in my lifetime... except for replacing some perimeter fence as normal wear and tear... this fencing project at the farm(s) is all interior/cross fencing that is covered by this grant program... except for having them pound posts also where we needed to replace some "exterior" fences that will not qualify but desperately needed replacing... broken posts and all that. My house is not covered under this... I am paying for it myself... and the owner of the pasture "behind" my house is paying for the post driving and we will get the wire up after haying... no cows will go back in there once we move out the cow/calf pairs next week. That pasture is always left fallow for the summer and we move them back in the fall, where we winter cows with new fall calves.

I went and set up at the farm I am going to test this afternoon. Farmer was there so had to talk to him a few minutes...
Then went back to the co-op about the tire... They got another one... and it is not any better... We even discussed the possibility of the rim being bent but pretty close scrutiny it doesn't appear to be. Plus the fact that I didn't have this tremor/shimmy in it with the old tires at all... The guys have said they have had some other problems/concerns, just recently, about Cooper tires since they have completely "rebranded" their tires... So, I am waiting to see what will happen. I told the guys that if I had to live with it, put it on the back and I will just deal with it... I don't blame them... but they weren't happy with the way that they had to use weights to get this one to "balance"... so they were going to discuss it with the "higher ups".... found out they have 2 other tire issues that need to be resolved... one is with Cooper tires again. The last ones I had were Falcon... and they had gone up to $189/ per tire so I went with these at $145.... I will go back to the Falcon tires next time around and pay the "premium" price...

Made some lunch... Going to get the bottles in the tray for this afternoon's test... I have to go this afternoon and back in the morning... I will take the samples tonight this month to get it out of the way.

I am going back out to see if I can get the last few things into pots before I go to work. I was going to see about mowing again... but it will just grow faster with another rain in the next 2 days... so will wait.

The chickens spread out all the grass/leaves I had in the bag and it looks much better and drier. I need to make some sort of roost pole for them to use... Have a plastic crate that they roost on at night... The other pen is basically done except for the piece that Deb is making for the top edge where we changed the way the "top panels" sit on it with shortening the length... But the top is on that one... so can be used now. I need to put something on the sides in the back corner to keep any blowing rain off... the roof does not cover as big an area since it is single roof panels instead of 2 side by side... so just needs a corner "wind/weather" break...

 

[fuzzi]

Monday.... 55 last night, more like normal temps for here. Sun is out, warming up.

Something dug up the dahlia plant I put in the big planter last night... thinking skunk, coon, maybe possum... neighborhood dog? Trap is getting set tonight. I managed to replant it and water it in good... broke off a few leaves and one flower... BUT... just P.O. about it.
I got most of everything planted yesterday afternoon/eve... got a few more things to get settled in. Some of the pots are not as big as I wanted, but getting the "reduced" berry and grape plants into dirt was better than not... will replant down the road in the ground... but need to be able to have them moveable for now... I am going to try to finish up the last couple of planters today...
The obedient plant from @fuzzi is getting potted for now... trying to decide on a permanent place...
It is supposed to rain again tonight into tomorrow, so want to have things planted to get "watered in"..... then we might get a week of dry.... We had 5 inches last week total... what a game changer...

Hay is all heading out, ready/past ready to make... we are behind already with all this fence building... just trying to get things done as we can... EVERYTHING is going to be behind this year I am afraid. But... once this fence project gets done... it will not have to be done again in my lifetime... except for replacing some perimeter fence as normal wear and tear... this fencing project at the farm(s) is all interior/cross fencing that is covered by this grant program... except for having them pound posts also where we needed to replace some "exterior" fences that will not qualify but desperately needed replacing... broken posts and all that. My house is not covered under this... I am paying for it myself... and the owner of the pasture "behind" my house is paying for the post driving and we will get the wire up after haying... no cows will go back in there once we move out the cow/calf pairs next week. That pasture is always left fallow for the summer and we move them back in the fall, where we winter cows with new fall calves.

I went and set up at the farm I am going to test this afternoon. Farmer was there so had to talk to him a few minutes...
Then went back to the co-op about the tire... They got another one... and it is not any better... We even discussed the possibility of the rim being bent but pretty close scrutiny it doesn't appear to be. Plus the fact that I didn't have this tremor/shimmy in it with the old tires at all... The guys have said they have had some other problems/concerns, just recently, about Cooper tires since they have completely "rebranded" their tires... So, I am waiting to see what will happen. I told the guys that if I had to live with it, put it on the back and I will just deal with it... I don't blame them... but they weren't happy with the way that they had to use weights to get this one to "balance"... so they were going to discuss it with the "higher ups".... found out they have 2 other tire issues that need to be resolved... one is with Cooper tires again. The last ones I had were Falcon... and they had gone up to $189/ per tire so I went with these at $145.... I will go back to the Falcon tires next time around and pay the "premium" price...

Made some lunch... Going to get the bottles in the tray for this afternoon's test... I have to go this afternoon and back in the morning... I will take the samples tonight this month to get it out of the way.

I am going back out to see if I can get the last few things into pots before I go to work. I was going to see about mowing again... but it will just grow faster with another rain in the next 2 days... so will wait.

The chickens spread out all the grass/leaves I had in the bag and it looks much better and drier. I need to make some sort of roost pole for them to use... Have a plastic crate that they roost on at night... The other pen is basically done except for the piece that Deb is making for the top edge where we changed the way the "top panels" sit on it with shortening the length... But the top is on that one... so can be used now. I need to put something on the sides in the back corner to keep any blowing rain off... the roof does not cover as big an area since it is single roof panels instead of 2 side by side... so just needs a corner "wind/weather" break...

Some people use an old wooden ladder for roosting, I use a 2x4. In the winter they sit on their feet.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday. Lunch time. 52 COOL degrees overnight. Sun is out and warm enough... mid 70's probably by afternoon. It is supposed to cloud up and get some rain tonight into tomorrow...

Went to test last evening and back again this morning. They are up to 60 cows; after selling 100 when he and son went their separate ways... went to 35, milking 3x a day... now back up to 60 and back to 2x a day but I have to go both milkings... Had a bunch of heifers come fresh, and now has quite a few of the cows out dry so will get back up to 75-80 by end of summer.

Did all the computer stuff, pulled meters off the milk/wash line and back in the car. Went from there to co-op... they are going to replace all 4 tires with a different brand... better tires.... no cost difference for me.. Got to leave the car next day or 2... maybe can get DS to bring me home, if I drop it off in the morning..... I have a farm scheduled for Friday and don't want to take all the meters and all out of it, transfer to the forester... P.I.T. neck .

Samples are packed ready to go out to UPS. I am going out to put the mower in the carport.... had it out to move some stuff around with the cart yesterday. Brought the trap up from the garden and set it but nothing last night; plants are all okay this morning. I will continue to set it. The stray cat was in the house stealing food when I had the door open while it was nice out, and went after my cat... so it wrote it's ticket out of here... I will keep the doors closed so that it will go in the trap eventually.

Want to weed eat and get the electric netting all moved from near the garden so that there is no chance it will get messed up when they start to do fence posts next week. Need to weed eat some of the tall grass out around the garden, The orchard grass/mixed grasses are playing HE// with my allergies.

Got a list of some stuff to pick up at the groc store..... things I forget when I leave the list at home... I do need sugar... haven't bought any in at least 6 months...before the holidays.... but I do use it in the tea I make...so it is past time.

So, time to get back outside and do something while it is nice enough out there...

 

[Baymule]

I buy Michelin tires, have for years. Have always been happy with them.

That is some good customer service that you got. That’s taking care of the customer!

 

[farmerjan]

DS is going to meet me at co-op in about a half hour so up and dressed and going to leave to go down there shortly. 10 min from the house.
We had some rain overnight.. a little wet out there... sprinkles now. Supposed to be cloudy most of the day with a possible shower or 2 later this aft.

Took an allergy pill first thing as eyes are already watering.... It is worse this year than I remember it being last year but ... very possible I don't remember correctly.

Got everything "in dirt" yesterday afternoon.... Some in the planters I wanted them in, some repotted in bigger pots for the time being. Got the last of the irises in planters for now so they have a chance to root and put some life into their leaves. Had some from another friend that tore them out and got rid of them. Probably only the plain common blue ones... but they are still pretty. Too bad the flowers don't last longer.
Planted the gladiolus bulbs that I had, too. Got all the grape vines into dirt and all well watered in, this rain will help and being cloudy for a day won't hurt as they get started. Hope that the ones I "salvaged" will still have enough life in them to start to grow.

If the sprinkles stop I might see about going down and doing some staples . DS got another stretch of fence up yesterday he said. It is nicer to do it when it is cloudy so no hot sun to contend with.

Did not get any weed eating done, and it is too wet right now. Maybe will dry off later.

Time to head down to co-op with the car and wait for DS to come.

 

[farmerjan]

Well... Thursday and what an unexpected but productive day.....

Yesterday they got the tires on the car and called and said it was done and "good".... I was doing something... and got the message. So, I went down in the early afternoon, and traded the red forester for the green outback and drove it... Yes, it is much better... no shimmy... So I have 4 brand new tires... a little "better" quality... cost about $10 tire more that they absorbed... and JR said that they didn't have to put very much weight on them to balance... compared to the other ones... so we are good to go.

I went up to the pasture later and fed the calves in the barn bunk like normal... most were in the barn just lounging around... and when I went out... there are 3 nursing on one cow... these are all 1st calf heifers... and she had 3 on her... God bless her.... I hope that the other 2 momma's are co-parenting and letting other calves on them... and I may just NOT "manage" to catch this cow and her own calf up and keep it there with the longhorn and her calf... so that this calf gets enough to eat... I don't mind the co-parenting... and it makes it good should a cow die (happened once and the calf kept going on the other cow it was "stealing off" and that cow did a good job of raising 2 when she only had one... BUT.... not so good for young first calf heifers like this as you never know if if their own calf is getting enough... it is the youngest calf born up there.. but we will see.
DS and the older guy who works for him some... went around and did the whole fence at the other farm DS has down near the GF house.... so it is ready for cattle... We may start moving them out this weekend... Bulls can go in at all these pastures.... so might get some of them moved out away from the barn... and the heifers with calves at snyder's.... minus the one pair I think... got to work the bull calves and give them all a blackleg shot... DS is royally ticked because the neighbor guy was pushing out autumn olives and pushed them against a whole bunch of fence between him and DS.... he does not maintain any fence... if it gets done we do it... and we have come up missing a couple calves in the past... but then we wound up with a couple others that were not ours... so we are about even... he always says he doesn't think any of ours are over there... and said that the 2 we had one year couldn't be his because he wasn't missing any... and they were not our eartags... no other cattle anywhere remotely near... so we just brought them home... Kept them for nearly 2 months in case someone else called saying they were missing some... and then they got sold with the rest of ours... so we are even as far as numbers... but with what they are worth this year... we are going to double tag all the cows and the calves... we never double tag the calves but it will be worth the couple dollars per tag to have 2 tags in them...
This guy also has some pigs that are constantly out loose and now they are getting in the pasture and tearing up the grass... the renter at the house sent pictures of the most recent "trip" into the pasture and their actual yard... DS said he is going to have a talk with them... They might just not make it back home into their pen one day if something isn't done. It is ridiculous.... neighbors are complaining a little now...said they don't do anything to fix where the pigs are getting out....

So... today I went to GF house to pick up DS to go to the dr appt.... he has been driving her car back and forth to the farm since it is alot better on gas than the 3/4 ton diesel trucks.... since the 2 wd drive gas p.u. had that leak... and it is finally fixed... so this way he could leave her car there and will have his truck to start driving back and forth...... and we went south. Planned enough time to go to Rural King before his dr appt at 11...... I needed a few bags feed... once the calves are mostly all moved there will only be a few there to feed... and when we walked in... they know DS pretty well.... one of the girls said,,, you gotta go buy some chicks... they were on special...
Well, it seems their store manager had ordered another 900... different breeds... and they still had quite a few from the last order of 2400 they got a week or 2 ago... No one had chicks forever...TSC and Rural King and our local feed co-op were all out, and limiting what they had been getting in...... now the hatcheries are catching up... so they had all these brand new ones and not enough places to put them... so they were trying to "move" the little bit older ones.... Chicks were $1.00 each... Turkeys were $5.00 each.... Now, realize the chicks are $3.50-5.00 for the different ones... and the turkeys are normally 17.99 EACH.....
On top of that... for every one you bought... for $1.00.... you got one free... so 2/$1.00 ..... and same for the turkeys... $5.00 each and for everyone you got one free 2/$5.00 basically... I had decided on a total of 10 turkeys... and told DS... we go in different directions usually when we go in.... and when he came by... so I got him to come over to the chicks... he wound up picking out a total of 6 bantams.... and I got 6 of the "sapphire gems" ???? a "blue" colored laying hen... supposed to be very good forager... and lay 275-300 eggs a year...
I then was looking over the turkeys and said, know what. I will take the rest... so wound up with a total 25... paid for 12 @5.00 , got 12 free and they threw in the last odd one.... There are 5 that are either narragansett or bronze... the rest are white but some have a cinnamon colored head... might be some bourbon reds in there... we'll see....
Should've gotten 100 chicks of the laying breeds... don't know where I would put them as they still need heat... I have to go back to Roanoke tomorrow for my chiropractor appt... tempting to go further south, and see what they might have left... and get any of the laying type ones... and just raise them and sell the extra pullets in the fall....roosters for butcher.....
It was a matter of the right place at the right time.... that is why I decided to go on and get all the turkeys....Been saying I wanted some turkeys... and been looking at some poults at $15-20 a piece from these hatcheries...

I may wind up having to sell some stuff at the Poultry swap in Sept... and I am seriously thinking that they will be 16 weeks by then... so close to ready to lay.... I have this greenhouse that is not put together... might have to get it up and together for a place to raise some pullets....
I must be nuts... but they sure are alot cheaper than buying them at the full price and raising them up.... Pullets are bringing $15-20..... roosters are worth $10-15... @Mini Horses and @canesisters and @fuzzi all saw what people were selling chicks for and started pullets are bringing $15-20 or more, ready to lay...

Oh well.... So, I have the poults in a good sized box in the laundry room with a heat light... the good thing is since they are already 1-2 weeks old... the worst of the "sick and die" ones are culled out... and these are eating and all that... DS took the 6 chicks of mine and the 6 bantams he got, to his house to put in the brooder.... he just brought home some that his father had hatched out... he has a 3 section stackable brooder... so will get the 2nd one going for the chicks... to not mix them right now... then can put them together in a week or so...

I have been saving some eggs from the leghorns and the black langshan bantams... and DS said he had 2 incubators that were his fathers' that I could use one.... hopefully will get one this weekend set up... I would like to hatch a dozen or so of the leghorns and maybe 20+ of the langshan bantams...
UH-OH.... got chicken fever again... The good thing is that the culls can go to someplace like the swap at Gilman's.... and get sold.... and with the fence hopefully going to get put up here sometime this summer once the posts are in... then I will have plenty of space to let the turkeys out ot roam...

So... that is my day... EXCITING... unexpected... like @Mini Horses getting those buff orpingtons... for a good price...

Got to head up to feed the calves in the barn...

 

[Mini Horses]

Every once in a while we get a DEAL....

We'll both be on incubator watch, then chick raising

 

[fuzzi]

Well... Thursday and what an unexpected but productive day.....

Yesterday they got the tires on the car and called and said it was done and "good".... I was doing something... and got the message. So, I went down in the early afternoon, and traded the red forester for the green outback and drove it... Yes, it is much better... no shimmy... So I have 4 brand new tires... a little "better" quality... cost about $10 tire more that they absorbed... and JR said that they didn't have to put very much weight on them to balance... compared to the other ones... so we are good to go.

I went up to the pasture later and fed the calves in the barn bunk like normal... most were in the barn just lounging around... and when I went out... there are 3 nursing on one cow... these are all 1st calf heifers... and she had 3 on her... God bless her.... I hope that the other 2 momma's are co-parenting and letting other calves on them... and I may just NOT "manage" to catch this cow and her own calf up and keep it there with the longhorn and her calf... so that this calf gets enough to eat... I don't mind the co-parenting... and it makes it good should a cow die (happened once and the calf kept going on the other cow it was "stealing off" and that cow did a good job of raising 2 when she only had one... BUT.... not so good for young first calf heifers like this as you never know if if their own calf is getting enough... it is the youngest calf born up there.. but we will see.
DS and the older guy who works for him some... went around and did the whole fence at the other farm DS has down near the GF house.... so it is ready for cattle... We may start moving them out this weekend... Bulls can go in at all these pastures.... so might get some of them moved out away from the barn... and the heifers with calves at snyder's.... minus the one pair I think... got to work the bull calves and give them all a blackleg shot... DS is royally ticked because the neighbor guy was pushing out autumn olives and pushed them against a whole bunch of fence between him and DS.... he does not maintain any fence... if it gets done we do it... and we have come up missing a couple calves in the past... but then we wound up with a couple others that were not ours... so we are about even... he always says he doesn't think any of ours are over there... and said that the 2 we had one year couldn't be his because he wasn't missing any... and they were not our eartags... no other cattle anywhere remotely near... so we just brought them home... Kept them for nearly 2 months in case someone else called saying they were missing some... and then they got sold with the rest of ours... so we are even as far as numbers... but with what they are worth this year... we are going to double tag all the cows and the calves... we never double tag the calves but it will be worth the couple dollars per tag to have 2 tags in them...
This guy also has some pigs that are constantly out loose and now they are getting in the pasture and tearing up the grass... the renter at the house sent pictures of the most recent "trip" into the pasture and their actual yard... DS said he is going to have a talk with them... They might just not make it back home into their pen one day if something isn't done. It is ridiculous.... neighbors are complaining a little now...said they don't do anything to fix where the pigs are getting out....

So... today I went to GF house to pick up DS to go to the dr appt.... he has been driving her car back and forth to the farm since it is alot better on gas than the 3/4 ton diesel trucks.... since the 2 wd drive gas p.u. had that leak... and it is finally fixed... so this way he could leave her car there and will have his truck to start driving back and forth...... and we went south. Planned enough time to go to Rural King before his dr appt at 11...... I needed a few bags feed... once the calves are mostly all moved there will only be a few there to feed... and when we walked in... they know DS pretty well.... one of the girls said,,, you gotta go buy some chicks... they were on special...
Well, it seems their store manager had ordered another 900... different breeds... and they still had quite a few from the last order of 2400 they got a week or 2 ago... No one had chicks forever...TSC and Rural King and our local feed co-op were all out, and limiting what they had been getting in...... now the hatcheries are catching up... so they had all these brand new ones and not enough places to put them... so they were trying to "move" the little bit older ones.... Chicks were $1.00 each... Turkeys were $5.00 each.... Now, realize the chicks are $3.50-5.00 for the different ones... and the turkeys are normally 17.99 EACH.....
On top of that... for every one you bought... for $1.00.... you got one free... so 2/$1.00 ..... and same for the turkeys... $5.00 each and for everyone you got one free 2/$5.00 basically... I had decided on a total of 10 turkeys... and told DS... we go in different directions usually when we go in.... and when he came by... so I got him to come over to the chicks... he wound up picking out a total of 6 bantams.... and I got 6 of the "sapphire gems" ???? a "blue" colored laying hen... supposed to be very good forager... and lay 275-300 eggs a year...
I then was looking over the turkeys and said, know what. I will take the rest... so wound up with a total 25... paid for 12 @5.00 , got 12 free and they threw in the last odd one.... There are 5 that are either narragansett or bronze... the rest are white but some have a cinnamon colored head... might be some bourbon reds in there... we'll see....
Should've gotten 100 chicks of the laying breeds... don't know where I would put them as they still need heat... I have to go back to Roanoke tomorrow for my chiropractor appt... tempting to go further south, and see what they might have left... and get any of the laying type ones... and just raise them and sell the extra pullets in the fall....roosters for butcher.....
It was a matter of the right place at the right time.... that is why I decided to go on and get all the turkeys....Been saying I wanted some turkeys... and been looking at some poults at $15-20 a piece from these hatcheries...

I may wind up having to sell some stuff at the Poultry swap in Sept... and I am seriously thinking that they will be 16 weeks by then... so close to ready to lay.... I have this greenhouse that is not put together... might have to get it up and together for a place to raise some pullets....
I must be nuts... but they sure are alot cheaper than buying them at the full price and raising them up.... Pullets are bringing $15-20..... roosters are worth $10-15... @Mini Horses and @canesisters and @fuzzi all saw what people were selling chicks for and started pullets are bringing $15-20 or more, ready to lay...

Oh well.... So, I have the poults in a good sized box in the laundry room with a heat light... the good thing is since they are already 1-2 weeks old... the worst of the "sick and die" ones are culled out... and these are eating and all that... DS took the 6 chicks of mine and the 6 bantams he got, to his house to put in the brooder.... he just brought home some that his father had hatched out... he has a 3 section stackable brooder... so will get the 2nd one going for the chicks... to not mix them right now... then can put them together in a week or so...

I have been saving some eggs from the leghorns and the black langshan bantams... and DS said he had 2 incubators that were his fathers' that I could use one.... hopefully will get one this weekend set up... I would like to hatch a dozen or so of the leghorns and maybe 20+ of the langshan bantams...
UH-OH.... got chicken fever again... The good thing is that the culls can go to someplace like the swap at Gilman's.... and get sold.... and with the fence hopefully going to get put up here sometime this summer once the posts are in... then I will have plenty of space to let the turkeys out ot roam...

So... that is my day... EXCITING... unexpected... like @Mini Horses getting those buff orpingtons... for a good price...

Got to head up to feed the calves in the barn...

I'm still thinking about those RIR bantams...