Southern's (Southern By Choice) Journal- FLOODED!

[Poka_Doodle]

Now thats funny with the pups

We use to have 250+ and bred 17 varieties but we have greatly reduced our numbers and breed 5 standard varieties and 2 bantam varieties now. I don't know how many we have now but my yearly NPIP testing is coming up so I will have an actual count in a few weeks. LOL maybe 75-100 now... or so... I think...

We have about 45 chicks or so running around right now... all mutts! LOL I did not breed this year because I had no time. These guys mostly are standard/bantam crosses. They will be going in the freezer for dog meat when big enough.

Do you know what kinds of Bantams? I raise bantams for show, and those that don't show are just cute pets

 

[Southern by choice]

Modern Games
Self Blue Cochins
we also cross our Blacks and reds (Cochins) and sometimes our self blue and blacks and self blues and reds.

We are very bio-secure so no showing our poultry. The bantams are because I just love them! They are great foragers! The standard breeds are bred for hardiness, longevity, and meat/eggs.

By comparison chickens are still the most expensive animals to raise and keep. I do love our our poultry though. We have some oldies here that will live out their lives, will never see the freezer.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Okay, I have Millies, Bearded D'Anvers, and a few other breeds. None of mine are meant to be in the freezer, I just get so attached, also I only have 7 bantams, and 7 large fowl

 

[OneFineAcre]

Looking good

X2

 

[Devonviolet]

Last week flew by and this week too has disappeared.

Some of you may have already seen my new buckling on my other thread... http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/our-newest-buckling-addition.31404/

Love him! The trip was long and we did it in a day. Drive wasn't bad but we were out in the heat a long time. We all looked at each other when the breeder said lets go back to the dairy kitchen WHERE THE AC IS! Duh... yes it was hot!. My phone wouldn't even work to get pics it said it was "too hot"
Didn't realize but by Monday night I'd relapsed. My health has been doing ok, then boom...
Meanwhile I have 3 articles to finish, so many e-mails I don't know what to do but answer the quick short ones LOL.

Building is stalled because of the heat.

Neighbor wants us to put one of the pups over his place. We are sending a bunch of goats over there (lets us use his land) but our dogs don't like him. Well he was by the fence and the pups would not go up to him... same mistake he made with the older dogs.
Pups are barking and so I decide to go down and let the dogs know it's ok. Only then would the dogs go up to him. There is one dog in particular he really liked. NOT the dog I would keep, but will be a good fit and I saw how the neighbor had a big grin while he was petting him. So that is good and should be a good fit. The dog I WOULD keep is the only pup that still refused the stranger to pet him, stayed alert and watched closely.
He was the dog really going nuts when the neighbor came up. Neighbor thought the dog was "fearful". LOL I said no, he is barking because he is doing his job... you are a stranger and you are bypassing me, I need to introduce you.


We have baby chicks popping out from every nook around the farm. Now I love bay chicks but these are all rogue birds... so many mutts and we are not breeding this year.
They are really cute though.

Flies are bad this year. Did put war-paint on 3 of the dogs noses... not sure why but the flies like Pyr noses... the Toli's and the pups... no problems.

Today I wish I was moving into a bigger house with a gourmet kitchen... and was building my dream barn.

We have had a lot of milk so the kitchen is in full swing... fudge fudge, fudge, different kinds of cheeses (fromage blanc, chevre, mozzarella), ICE CREAM!, regular milk... milk for the neighbors pics... will be making cream cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese and would like to try COLBY!

Looking for good containers to freeze cheese in. Winter will come before we know it.

REALLY want an ice machine, a triple sink (Stainless steel) a giant fridge for milk only, a separate kitchen for everything dairy.

YES I am in a daydreaming mode today... it is 100+ degrees outside- heat index 104 with 39% humidity... my brain is being affected.

Oh Sweet Southern!!! You make me a bit envious with all the milk and cheese and ICE CREAM!!! My mouth is watering! I am SO looking forward to getting a couple MiniManchas, so we will have lots of rich milk to make all these goodies.

 

[Devonviolet]

Have been pretty absent from here, only peeking my head in now and again.
It has been a crazy few weeks...
I will probably need to do a few posts as I have lots of pics.

POULTRY-
Chicks are coming out of the woods like crazy...
One momma hatched 15 we took a few from her and are raising them separate, another 11, another 5, and of course the Barred Rock that had 10 has left to the woods for another clutch. The chicks are 5 weeks now.
Just found a speckled sussex under a tree covered in vines.... yep... sitting on 17 eggs.

Turkey's eggs were taken up by my son (it is his Turkey Hen) he put the eggs in the bator but she decided to brood anyway... she is raising one chick! LOL A chick, not a poult.

The poults are still hatching but I think we are up to 8 now.

Barred Rockmix chicks at 5 weeks- They completely live off the land. 2 of 10
View attachment 10558
One of the nests on the edge of the woods
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Momma w/brood (5)
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Another momma with brood (11)
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See the little feet
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Turkey hen with her "Chick"
View attachment 10563

Some of the hatched poults-
They are 1/4 Heritage Chocolate 1/4 Heritage Black and 1/2 Narragansett.
View attachment 10564

That is SO cool!

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Part- 3

Crazy laying hens!
This is nuts it includes a bunch of absolutely crazy hens and the LGD's (including 6 month pups).

We have a group of 1 year old hens we hatched out last year. These hens were raised in the area that is now where the new goat barn is. Silly chickens absolutely will not go to their own building. I guess it is so ingrained in them to stay where they were raised. Anyway- like I said they are one year old now and they have their spots in the barn... mostly the corners where they dig up the grit and lay. Here is the weird part... they will only lay if they are cuddled up to one of the dogs... usually a pup.

IT IS CRAZY! The pups get very annoyed as the chickens peck at them and their hair trying to make a nest in their coat. The pups and adults dogs will try just get up and move but of course the chickens find this rude and follow them insistent on them be their laying box.

Pups are so patient!

Eliza trying to catch some ZZZZ's
View attachment 10574

Bernard- He moved several times and finally just gave up... she cuddled under his leg. So weird!
View attachment 10575

Dog can't get a break
View attachment 10576

Annoying Welsummer
View attachment 10577

Mother and son I guess make the perfect nesting box
View attachment 10578

Lol Southern!! That's cute! And annoying for the pups I'm sure!

 

[Southern by choice]

Get this...

DD and I are out working on the section that we will floor... out of materials so we are just going to engineer our own... So we are lining everything up.. level, level, level, NOT level. HUH?
Again... then we take 4 boards down and start again... We all were thinking (DS was helping) maybe the level is broke...
Nah... can't be... was fine the other day...

I am eyeballing and the level says level and it aint level...

After finagling for an hour ... YEP the freaking LEVEL was Broke!

I announced I don't care who goes but SOMEBODY is going to Lowes and getting me a new level NOW!

1/2 hour later I had my level~

Working on the floor.

Of course I was interrupted as we are moving goats over to the other land and we put the Kikos (bucks)out in the woods.

One of the pups is going over to the land.

Another is going to the deep woods.

They will be the sole guardian for their areas. ONLY HOTWIRE!

Good test for them to be far and we (the farm) are not visible to them in either place.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

OH wow - time for the (not so) little guys to be all grown up! Scary, but exciting all at the same time.

Glad you got a new level, lol!!

 

[goats&moregoats]

Awesome journal. Loving every bit of it. Great barn! Love the hens and the dogs....just so cool. I'll be following.