Larsen Poultry Ranch - homesteading journey

[Bruce]

Can you just make a moveable pen with a solar charger and step in posts?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I don't know if that would work, there's a lot of tree cover so I'm not sure how well solar would work.

I think we are going to take this first weekend to figure out how we want the layout, and how much remodeling/repairing is needed. Then work on remodel/repair during the week since it will be dark and difficult to work outside in the evenings. Then have a big push to get most everything moved next weekend. Husband wants to move all the shipping containers on the same day as he thinks that will save money.

 

[thistlebloom]

Things are moving forward for you! Pretty exciting to have your own place finally!

You can contact your County Extension office and get info for someone to come and look at your trees and id them for you. Also might be handy to have a look at the weeds and see if any are noxious/toxic to goats.
There are some plant ID apps, I can't remember the one I used, where you take a pic and it gets id'ed, but it was wrong a a few occasions so I quit using it.
It would also be good to know who put the fences up (might be impossible to find out) and if they are on the property boundary or set in on neighbors land. If they are the neighbors fences you cannot attach to them and will have to put your own up.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

The dirt looks mostly like red clay dirt? It's reddish and hard. Not sure how well plants are going to grow. The lower area that had brush all over it looked like it had a small layer of brown dirt over the red, I bet due to composting of the vegetation/fallen leaves. Anyone have suggestions for building up the soil besides raised beds?

I think I have some clover seeds, and lots of rabbit manure to compost and add on top of it.

 

[thistlebloom]

If it's clay it has a lot more minerals and nutrients for plants, just harder to deal with. I've never gardened in clay so don't have any first hand experience.
The rabbit poo is excellent for any soil!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Incubator 1 is locked down. 12 Celadon eggs in a hatching cage surrounded by a sea of mixed color coturnix. Should hatch on Halloween. Incubator 2 gets locked down either tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

I wish Mr. Greybeard were still on the forum, as he would certainly know where to find them, but I was unable to find them while looking just now. There exists on line soil composition maps for your area which will show you your soil type.

What does it mean by locking down an incubator?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I wish Mr. Greybeard were still on the forum, as he would certainly know where to find them, but I was unable to find them while looking just now. There exists on line soil composition maps for your area which will show you your soil type.

What does it mean by locking down an incubator?

Hmm, I will try to look online for the dirt info, or contact the county Ag department.

When you incubate eggs, the first part of the incubation (14-15 days for quail and 18 days for chickens) you are turning the eggs at least 2-3 times per day and keeping the humidity on the lower side. At the end of that time you increase the humidity and stop turning the eggs altogether so the chicks can get into position for hatch, and you want to avoid opening the incubator during this time so the heat and humidity will stay constant. It takes 2-3 days and then the chicks start hatching. It's called lockdown because you have to leave the incubator alone.

If you open the incubator while a chick is in progress of hatching and the humidity drops inside the incubator it can cause the chick to dry out in the shell and get stuck. Stuck chicks usually have more issues than chicks who can hatch without assistance. Staying in the egg too long can cause or contribute to leg or toe issues. Their bones are fairly malleable when they are freshly hatched so it's possible to correct some or all of the issue, but you have to catch it in time. It's very difficult to put tiny hobbles on chicks (especially quail) to give them physical therapy to correct leg issues. Tiny shoes are annoyingly difficult as well, to correct toe issues. Thank goodness for vet wrap and painter's tape.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Ugh, waiting is so hard!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

It has been recorded!!!!