Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: What's New At My House!  (Read 19180 times)

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
What's New At My House!
« on: March 25, 2009, 12:00:38 am »
Been awhile since I let people know what's been happening at the Bray Homestead.
1.  Both Goat does had kids, 1st one was born during a snow flurry, dark thirty in the morning, with temps below freezing.  It was that does 1st kid, it froze to death before she could lick it dry.  Found it frozen solid the next morning.  The older doe had a little billy, definitely shows the Toggenburg coloring, Solid Chocolate brown except for the markings around the nose, ears, and hoofs which are trimmed with light brown, makes it look like a Mars bar.  Cute kid, but I fixed him.
2. Spent the last month getting over a bad case of pneumonia, but the 2000 IUs of Vitamin D is helping the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  I now feel like getting out of bed, just in time with getting over the pneumonia.
3.  Yesterday we laid the 1st section of concrete for the new chicken house, have 2 more sections to lay between rain showers over the next few days.  Had to buy more bags of concrete as it's taking more than I calculated, but then I'm no contractor.  I will be building the walls and when that's done I'll be having a good old fashioned barn rising except for a chicken house.  I calculated the Cost of the building (3 rooms, 1st chickens, 2nd feed, 3rd Turkeys) at about $2500.00 but the siding and roofing materials comes to half that.  I'm in need of a winning lottory ticket.
4.  The Black Jersey Giants, Joe Pyle Game Hens, and Red Bourbon Turkeys I ordered back at Thankgiving is supposed to be shipped on the 30th.  Got to finish getting the brooders ready. 
5.  Johnnybigfish is supposed to be shipping me 4 white pigeons I sent him the bands for.  Hey Johnny, whats the shipping costs?
6.  Have to rebuild the rabbit hutches this summer between erecting 500 feet of pasture fence.  The rabbits ate all the wood not protected by metal covering.  The pasture fence has to be 6 foot high welded wire goat proof fence.  Can you say Expensive.  The estimated cost by a professional was $17 Grand for the whole place.
I'm doing it in monthly installments 100 feet and $250.00 at a time.
7.  I have 2 packages of bees coming the last Saturday in April and need to set up 2 swarm traps and a bait hive.  There's a bee tree  behing by younger brother's place and I hope to entice a swarm or 2, ordered the lemongrass oil.  Thanks to who ever posted the link.
8.  My 2 hives have come through the winter fine and are building up nicely.  The weather is still too irratic for any serious beekeeping yet but I need to go in within the next week and steal some empty combs for my packages and put in some swarm control empty frames (keep the brood chamber open).  I'm not having to feed as they are bringing in lots of nectar and pollen.  Maples are going heavy right now (I'm next door to 1500 acres of forest lands)and the fruit trees are budding up (there's over 300 within a quarter mile of me) so the bees should be well set going into the "summer" flow.
9.  I've decided not to do pigeon racing this year.  Too much has to be spent on projects to allow money for luxuries.
10.  I told the wife I might be able to start on her honey do list after I'm done with mine.  I hope she understands what that really means! :rant: :cindi:  2012 if the worlds still holding together then.

This is the end of the 2009 1st quarter update from  :brian: yours truly.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline oldenglish

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 272
  • Gender: Male
    • Colonial Honey Farm
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2009, 01:17:55 pm »
Sounds like you have your work cutout, kinda in a similar boat here.

1.Started the year by becoming a board member for the Northwest District Beekeepers Association. I also took over the newsletter and completely revamped the club website.
2. Decided to put in a garden (was inspired by seeing yours when I visited) I cleared an area 30x30, rototilled and raked, need to finish it up when the weather improves (just heard it was snowing at the house again)
3. Decided to change my original Apiary location so I am in the process of cutting down 5 30' alder and clearing out the salmonberry, hopefully will be done with that this weekend.
4. Still need to put up fencing to protect the hives and garden and to keep llama & goats on the property, especially the goats who have discovered that the grass really is greener on my nieghbors property.
5. Finished getting hives ready, painted and set for foundationless.
6. Finished building my first TBH
7. Need to build some swarm traps
8. Need to build a bee vac
9. Have a site picked out for a chicken coop and run, need to put some thought into the construction as $$ are in short supply and I dont want to supply a buffett to the local racoon population.
10. My bees are supposed to be here on April 15th.

Finally if I get all this done I need to do maintanance on the house which has been neglected for too many years, including finishing a master bath remodel I started 5 yrs ago  :-\

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2009, 10:04:34 pm »
Brian, oh man, oh man, oh man.  You have had your plate full of muck!!!!  And I mean that in every way you can think of.  I have been absent from our forum for a couple of weeks coming up too, ever since we took that trip to our Daughters' houses, bringing home the Grandsons for the spring break and my internet completely messing right up.  Messing up so badly that I have barely had any time on the cyberspace.  My Husband has been breaking his back trying to get everyone's routers and all working, he has learned alot, over many, many, many hours on the telephone, to find out the issues.  I think he has won.  My computer is so fast now, it is kind of giving me the willies.  It is going to take a mountain for me to catch up on what has been going on with my life.  Nothing, compared to what you have been going through.  Good to hear that all is getting well.

And Old English, you got your plate full too.  We are all heading into the busy time.  I still haven't had time to get in to check my bees, but I looked at them from the outside today, they are going gangbusters, making up for their thousands and thousands of Sisters that didn't make it through this winter.  Heads up, smiling.....spring is on it way, I know that, I hear the birds.

Still haven't heard head nor tail of the tree frogs yet, that really is the first sign of spring around here, maybe tonight, smiling......have a most wonderfully beautiful and that gorgeous day, love our life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2009, 01:21:44 am »
Oh Brian, you are busy!  That fencing  :shock: My goat stays in the 4ft if I have a hotwire a couple of inches from the top & about 15 inches from the bottom.  He is a whether though & only wants to be where we are. I do have to keep anything out of jumping range though or he will hop up & out. I'm sorry about the little kiddlin, that must have been so sad, your heart just drops when you walk outside & see.  Keep us posted & don't push it too much whilst recovering. pneumonia is nothing to take chances with & will drop you flat again!  Take care  J
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2009, 09:23:38 am »
Finally if I get all this done I need to do maintanance on the house which has been neglected for too many years, including finishing a master bath remodel I started 5 yrs ago 


No need to get in a rush about thing's :-D :-D
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2009, 11:30:44 pm »
Johnnybigfish called me this morning.  The pigeons will be here Saturday.  4 White Squeekers.

Then my older brother called and he's shipping me 7 more of special colored birds.  Bronze, self brown, violet and a stork.  A stork colored pigeon is one that is all white with black flight and tail feathers.

So my flock of pigeons will consist of: Blue Bars, Blue Checks, Red Checks, Silvers (aka red bars or mealy), Grizzles (metalic sheen), all White, Bronze Bar, Bronze Checks, Violets, Storks, and all (self) Browns.

In flight all at once they'll look like a Kalideoscope with so many colors changing position in the flock as they swoop and dance through the sky.  It's a very neat sight.  Gives you some of the Ahh moments.

On other news the Hatchery sent me an email and the chicks and turkey pults are to be shipped Tuesday with a Wednesday or Thursday delivery date.

I built 2 walls on my new chicken coop.  I told my brother that since it was going to have 4 doors it was a sedan, not a coop.
And another 1/3 of the concrete floor poured.  Ran out of Concrete ( 1.5 bags left) so the other 1/3 of the floor has to wait until payday (Tuesday)  so I have the money to buy the rest of the concrete (45 more bags).  I will also be buying the OSB paneling for the siding and corrigated roofing then too.  Should have the chicken house finished by mid-April. 

Then I have to turn my attention to the bees for the balance of the month to set up for 2 packages, a bait hive in the bee yard, and set out a couple swarm traps.  I'll be stealing some drawn comb from my existing hives for the packages which gives me the opportunity to open up the brood nest by putting foundationless frames in the 3 & 6 locations (8 frame hives) in all the brood boxes.

After that it is a fencing I will build for the remainder of the summer with some more work on building a few more raised beds for the garden.   
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2009, 12:43:36 am »
I built 2 walls on my new chicken coop.  I told my brother that since it was going to have 4 doors it was a sedan, not a coop.
And another 1/3 of the concrete floor poured.  Ran out of Concrete ( 1.5 bags left) so the other 1/3 of the floor has to wait until payday (Tuesday)  so I have the money to buy the rest of the concrete (45 more bags).  I will also be buying the OSB paneling for the siding and corrigated roofing then too.  Should have the chicken house finished by mid-April.    

Go, Brian, go!!!  YOu got your plate more than chuck plum full!!!  Who on earth is doing the cement work?  I remember last summer watching my Husband use the cement mixer, wheelbarrow and plumb hard work to put in that 14 X 14 cement pad for our Daughter's horse.  The blood, sweat and tears that I saw him go through, I can't imagine what you guys are doing!!!  And you still got 45 more bags of concrete to mix in the navi jak, crazeee,  I wanna hear more, when you have that spare moment in time.  Have a most wonderful day, night, health, love this groovin' life we love. Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2009, 12:22:22 am »
Rain and wind as kept me indoors the last few days so no progress on building the chicken house.

The Post Office called at 5:30 am and said the pigeons from JohnnyBigFish were there, could I come and get them.  4 nice squeakers, 2 all white and 2 with small saddles in the middle of the back, 1 brown, 1 black.

While I was at the Post Office I informed them that I was expecting 2-3 more shipments of birds this next week.  25 chickens, 16 Turkeys, and 8 more pigeons from my older brother.

Tomorrow I go to the bigbox hardware store to get 2 new entry doors for the studio apartment on the back of the garage.  My youngest son lives there and showed me how the used once, used twice, used 3rd time doors we put on when we built (used lumber from a tear down) it were literally coming apart at the seams.  So I now have to frame in 2 new doors.  New this time, not used. 

The bright side is that with nearly 50 pigeons, 15 chickens (currently), 1 ram, 1 billy goat, 2 does, and a kid, and 6 rabbits I don't lack for fertilizer for the garden.

Have to buy another 45 bags of concrete to finish the floor to the new chicken house.  It's a good thing I got a deal on my mixer ($179 new) cause I'm using it hard.  Work to resume Wednesday if it don't rain too hard.

Here in the PNW they say we are born with webbed feet, but I can tell you from experience, that we have learned to work in the rain until the fish start getting in the way.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2009, 12:23:27 pm »
Brian is your son helping with all this work.
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2009, 01:15:58 pm »
Brian is your son helping with all this work.


You have opened a sore spot.  I'm lucky if I can get him to feed the goats or mow the lawn which are the only 2 jobs on the place I can get him to do with and regularity.  He's also like my wife, bless her heart, he doesn't have a good spacial relationship on how things work or go together.  When I have him help I spend all my time trying to tell him how to do the job in a way he'll understand, and it still turns out wrong.  I've had him help me get hay about 1/2 dozen times now.  He still can't stack the bales correctly.  Where I, or somebody who knows how to stack hay bales, can get 40 bales into my storage area he can only get about 30.

In other words, I can usually do more faster without his help even if I am disabled.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2009, 10:39:20 am »
Brian is your son helping with all this work.


You have opened a sore spot.  I'm lucky if I can get him to feed the goats or mow the lawn which are the only 2 jobs on the place I can get him to do with and regularity.  He's also like my wife, bless her heart, he doesn't have a good spacial relationship on how things work or go together.  When I have him help I spend all my time trying to tell him how to do the job in a way he'll understand, and it still turns out wrong.  I've had him help me get hay about 1/2 dozen times now.  He still can't stack the bales correctly.  Where I, or somebody who knows how to stack hay bales, can get 40 bales into my storage area he can only get about 30.

In other words, I can usually do more faster without his help even if I am disabled.
I know how you feel got one myself. :deadhorse:
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2009, 10:10:06 pm »
Good news bad news:  The good news is that the Post Office called this morning and my Black Jersey Giant and Joe Pyle Game hens were in.  The bad news, the Joe Pyle games hens were all dead.  They were 1/2 the size of the Giants and were stomped to death as there was nearly 3 times as many there were game hens.
I got them home too late to voice my displeasure via phone--time zone difference--so that has to wait until tomorrow.  I did go the McMurray's Website and sent them a juicy  :hissyfit: email.  I even told them I considered the loss of all of the game hens their fault because they shipped birds of different sizes in the same crate without any kind of a divider between them.
I'll see what they have to say tomorrow when I will repeat my comments both complaint and constructive critisizm.
Turkey's are either scheduled or in transit which I'll try to find out more about tomorrow.

Got a signed note from the local Post Master verifying the dead chicks just in case.  My Daughter was with me and was crushed to see the baby quail sized game chicks mashed into the litter in the bottom of the shipping crate. 

The Jersey Giants are in the brooder, beaks dipped in water and mash and were merrily quaffing and munching last I looked.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2009, 08:45:50 pm »
Oh Brian.....that is awful about the stomping of the Joe Pyles.  Fourteen turkeys!!!  Are you nuts!!!  I am not impressed with the turkeys that I raised to 7 and a half months old.  Those heritage birds.  They were supposed to dress out at about 20 pounds (toms), but they were about 12 pound each (three of them, not impressed at all, must have done something wrong that they were so small).

YOu got a whole lotta Jersey Giants going on there.

I got a wack of 2 day old chicks a couple of weeks ago from the co-op, couldn't resist, all poulets, except for the buff orpingtons
13 barred rock poulets
one australorpe poulets
one silver laced wayandotte poulet
one speckeled sussex poulet
two buff orpingtons, poulet and cockeral

They are all supposed to be hens, but I am kind of wonderin'......

Have a wonderful day, life, great health.  Cindi

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2009, 12:04:09 am »
Oh Brian.....that is awful about the stomping of the Joe Pyles.  Fourteen turkeys!!!  Are you nuts!!!  I am not impressed with the turkeys that I raised to 7 and a half months old.  Those heritage birds.  They were supposed to dress out at about 20 pounds (toms), but they were about 12 pound each (three of them, not impressed at all, must have done something wrong that they were so small).

YOu got a whole lotta Jersey Giants going on there.

I got a wack of 2 day old chicks a couple of weeks ago from the co-op, couldn't resist, all poulets, except for the buff orpingtons
13 barred rock poulets
one australorpe poulets
one silver laced wayandotte poulet
one speckeled sussex poulet
two buff orpingtons, poulet and cockeral

They are all supposed to be hens, but I am kind of wonderin'......

Have a wonderful day, life, great health.  Cindi



They only guarentee 90-95% accuracy on sexed birds except for sexlinked varities. 

Stopped by the feed store on my way to the Big Box hardware/lumber store.  I bought 6 Golden Laced Wyandottes 1 midget white turkey and 1 Red Bourbon, they were the only 2 turkeys they had left and I felt sorry for them.  As for the turkeys I ordered the minimum amount-15.  I will be taking a Tom and 2-3 hens over to my brothers in the Okanogans about 30-40 miles south of your new digs. I plan on eating a bunch as it is a straight run purchase so I should have several extra toms.  I want to keep a Tom and 3-4 Hens so I can raise my own turkeys along with my own chickens.  As for the birds dressing out at about 20 lbs each that sounds about right for the medium sized turkeys like the Blue Blates, Red Bourban, Spanish Black, and Nagansatt.  They are rated as 14-23 lbs with the hens in the 14-18 and the toms in the 17-23 lb ranges.  I plan to roast 2 on Thanksgiving.  I'm more interested in getting a bird that will reporduce on its own and be of medium body size so I can handle them so myself. 

I bought some more Studs and Treated 2X4 for completing the chicken house and fence.  The loading of the 2X4's was easy, loading the 18 sheets of 7/16 OSB sheeting was a little harder.  Luckily one of the store employees noticed my cane and my limp and volunteered to help. 

Talked to the hatchery, wasn't happy with their response, too much making excuses and laying the blame on me although they did agree to refund the cost of the Joe Pyle Game hens.   While on the phone I asked about the turkey order and was advised that it was shipped yesterday so I get another call from the Post Office in the morning.  I got the 2nd brooder ready for the turkeys when they come.

After having the last Joe Pyle succumb along with 3 of the Jersey Giants I was down 15 chickens so that's why I bought  the Wayondottes.  Next year I'll buy the Dark Cornish (standard size) and I'll have all the breeds I want for starter stock on my own breed.  This fall I'll be butchering every thing over 2 years old.  That will leave me with the Light Brahmas, Wayondottes, and Jersey Giants.  I need all the Cornish to be hens so they will throw broad breasted chicks.  I'm aiming for a 8-12 lb broad breasted chicken and a Black bird with gold lacing or visa versa  I think there's a market for a broad breasted chicken in the 10-12 lb range for the cockerel..kind of a smaller turkey type bird.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2009, 09:09:38 pm »
Good Brian, you got some come back about the Joe Pyles. 

I need to know what I did wrong with my turkeys, I really need to know and I will find out.

You know my birds here.  I have Richard, the Bronze tom, Abigail and Sarah the bronze hens.  Well, I raised three of Abigails and Richard's offspring.  They were as big as Richard, and that is one honking big bird.  BUT.....these toms dressed out as 12 pounds, 14 pounds and 14 pounds, narry a one over that weight.  So.....WHERE DOES THE 20 pound bird come from.  I took my time, raised these turkeys until they were 7-1/2 months old before they were processed.  I am rather annoyed about the long time to raise them to not even get as big as I have read the heritage birds get to, and you corroborated that the toms get to be about 20 pounds.  WHAT's with me?

This is a picture of the tom's when they were all tempting the ladies to chose them.  They were big birds.  Richard is the biggest, oldest one, almost 2 years old now.  So, wanna tell me your thoughts on what I've done wrong to only get 14 pound heritage toms?  Have a most wonderful day in this great life, health.  Cindi

The two year old tom, Richard, is on the far right, the hen, Abigail is in the back.  These were fully mature birds, looking as big as their daddy.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2009, 02:01:25 am »
Belief it or not, but I can pretty well guess how much a turkey is going to dress out as by how it walks.  Birds that can walk like they were on tiptoe have small body to feather mass--less than 10 lbs, those that walk more or less normally--10-15 lbs, those that trudge will go 15-20 lbs, and the gobblers that are waddlers will go in excess of 20 lbs, the more pronounced the waddle the heavier the bird.

That biggest tom shows some Narraganset coloring so I doubt they were purebred bronze.  Narragansetts are a medium size turkey with weights in the 14-20 lb range.  The Blues are about the same size so I would say it is the breeding, or lack of it, that has limited the size development you were hoping for.  Any time you take a large animal or bird and cross it with a smaller animal or bird the ratio of sizes to the parents is something like:  Size of Large Parent: -/+ 10%, Size of smaller parent: 50-60%, and smaller than either parent: 30%.  If the Femal is of the larger breed and the Male the smaller of the 2, then you can reverse the same size and smaller ratios.  It has to do with how the genetics are transmitted between the sexes.

My turkeys arrived today, 15 rusty brown poults looking around like they were lost.  I decided to put them in with the chick since they were the same size and there was plenty of room in my brood (rusted out water trough).  In a week or so when they get a little bigger and some feathers on them I'll transfer them over to my intermediate (large chick/turkey) brooder.

My wife made me go to the doctor today because my cough was coming back.  I've had bronchitis and pneumonia so many times that if I get a cold I usually have bronchitis within 12 hours and pneumonia within 36 hours.  Wife wanted me to head this one off at the pass.  The Doc did his thing and handed me a prescription for Cipro.  Oh, well....  Wife made an appointment for me to get checked out for CPOD (Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease) for next week due to how often I get bronchitis or pneumonia.  That's all I need, another disease to add to my growing repertoire, should have 30 by the time I'm 70 the rate I'm going.

Tomorrow I should get the concrete on the floor of the chicken coop (sedan, it has 4 doors) finished and 3 walls up (Mostly sunny forecast).  I've already built 2 of the walls and will build another while my helpers pour the concrete.  I now have it set up so I can build the walls in the garage (out of the rain) so I can work on the wall sections, and later the nest boxes and roosts, even if we can't work on the building itself or while they are working on it too.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2009, 12:05:51 pm »
Brian, your wealth of knowledge and genetics has intrigued me time and time again, I love that part of you (and the other knowledgeable parts of you too, you have helped me so many a times).

I really need to get into doing some studying on those genetic things.  To be knowledgeable is an important thing to me, I am on that quest for knowledge, just wish I had more time to study.....Genetics are an important part of life....I know now that the trait of the comb of the young birds will be after the daddy, smiling....that is one little thing I have learned...and of course the body characteristics come after the mother...just a couple of bits of trivia gained from your teachings, thank you.

I understand why now that the toms were so small.  Yes, there was a blue slate (Madeline) turkey in the mothering eggs last year, along with some of Abigail's eggs, not all the poults made it, only 3, hence such a mix of genetics. 

So you think the bronze is not purebred, that is too bad, the guy that I bought off of said that someone else told him that they thought it might be part Narraganset too....so much for the pure bloodlines, smiling.  A bit smaller turkey than 20 pounds is good for a family dinner for many anyways, that way we don't get sick of the taste of turkey.

You must be very careful of your cough, your health.  You are very fortunate to have that Wife that looks after you and encourages you to see the doctor when she feels you must have that need, good thing.  Take care, hope your malades remain below the number of 30, even when you are 70 years of age, smiling.  Have that wonderful, most awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline oldenglish

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 272
  • Gender: Male
    • Colonial Honey Farm
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #17 on: April 03, 2009, 01:31:33 pm »
Cindi/Brian

You guys might want to check out this blog, very interesting and he has some really good stuff on Turkeys.

http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/

Offline reinbeau

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2504
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #18 on: April 03, 2009, 10:19:00 pm »
Oh Brian.....that is awful about the stomping of the Joe Pyles.  Fourteen turkeys!!!  Are you nuts!!!  I am not impressed with the turkeys that I raised to 7 and a half months old.  Those heritage birds.  They were supposed to dress out at about 20 pounds (toms), but they were about 12 pound each (three of them, not impressed at all, must have done something wrong that they were so small).

YOu got a whole lotta Jersey Giants going on there.

I got a wack of 2 day old chicks a couple of weeks ago from the co-op, couldn't resist, all poulets, except for the buff orpingtons
13 barred rock poulets
one australorpe poulets
one silver laced wayandotte poulet
one speckeled sussex poulet
two buff orpingtons, poulet and cockeral

They are all supposed to be hens, but I am kind of wonderin'......

Have a wonderful day, life, great health.  Cindi


That's interesting, Cindi, I ended up with a BO roo, too, I wonder if it's harder to sex them or something?  Mine were supposed to be all pullets, too.  I wish they had been, I've had nothing but trouble with Stumpy, he's one nasty roo, I had a 'discussion' with him tonight, again, he lost and ran away from me, but I'm tired of it - I wish he'd just figure out he's going to lose every time.  I'm afraid I'm going to kill him someday - then again maybe I should just do that.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2009, 02:02:27 am »
Quote
I've had nothing but trouble with Stumpy, he's one nasty roo, I had a 'discussion' with him tonight, again

I have grandkids so I have the same rules for the chickens that my grandparents did.  Any mean bird is Sunday dinner.  That takes care of the problem.  When I was a kid it was not unusual to hear of little kids losing and eye to an over aggressive rooster or tom.  My brother and I were tried by a tom turkey when I was 4 years old....how embarrassing.

Cindi: If you look at the flight feathers on that tom you will notice that they are out of "tune" with the rest of his feathering.  Those barred feathers are a Naggasanett trait.  Naggasansetts have both flight and tail feathers barred but otherwise look much like a bronze.  Any barred feathers on a turkey that doesn't include all large feathers indicates a cross breed with a Naggasanett.  A turkey with white flights and/or tail would indicate a cross with a Broubon Red whereas white feathers in a mottled fashion would indicate a cross with a Broad Breasted White, a Midget White, or Palm depending upon its size and stance as each variety has a different way of standing.  Crissing a BB Bronze with a Spanish Black, Rio Grande, or Wild Eastern, on the other hand, will produce a bird of type feathering and a bird about the size of the medium sized turkeys.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #20 on: April 06, 2009, 11:52:31 am »
Brian, I don't doubt your word for a minute about the breeding of the big tom, but I am that kind of person that always requires back up for information, so I am studying the bronze turkey, went to Wikiepedia and the picture of the bronze turkey show identical to what my tom looks like, with the barring on the flight feathers.  I need to study more.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Breasted_Bronze

And then look at all the pictures on this site.  I am pretty sure my breeder tom is a pure  bronze, I still don't discount your word, but would love to have perfect facts.

http://images.google.ca/images?q=bronze%20turkey&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKBronze.html


Beautiful day in this great life, health, Cindi



There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #21 on: April 07, 2009, 01:40:59 am »
The coloring of the fanned tail is also a give away as it has an extral lighter brown strip across it.  But if his hatchlings all dressed out at about 20 lbs then he is pure Bronze.  A Standard Bronze tom can weigh in in the mid 30's pound wise, while a Broad Breasted Bronze tom can weigh in as much as 50 lbs if allowed to grow to full maturity.  Again most medium sized turkeys weigh in the mid 20's.  Your tom is not that much larger than the Blue Slates which are medium sized turkeys so I doubt he is a purebred.

The Bronze, as was the Broad Breasted Bronze, was a hybrid that developed much the same way as Cornish crosses do, grow so fast their legs can develop fast enough to hold up their bodies.  You can get some large birds with the righ genetic hybrid.

As for me....I got my Bourbon Reds on Friday afternoon, April 3, they were all alive but spent 3 1/2 days in transit as they were shipped the morning of 3/31.  By this morning, Monday the 6th, I am down to 2.  I could not get thos birds to drink or eat.  I spent hours holding their beaks in the water then the mash in an effort to get the to eat but out of the 15 ordered only 2 decided to eat and live, the rest starved to death.  I think it was due to the long period without any food that did them in.
I call the Hatchery and told them how many of the turkeys died and how long the delivery time was.  They agreed to ship me another batch of 15 turkeys on the 14th.  Hopefully I'll get them much sooner than last time.

Spent the day doing a thorough inspection of both hives and split the Russian hive into a 5 frame nuc.  So I now have 3 hives.  I also set up my traditional bait hive (double decker nuc) and the 2 8 frame mediums for the 2 packages I will be recieving in the next few weeks. 

Also spent more time explaining chicken coop framing and construction to my 2 man work crew.  They've never done this kind of thing so are very excited about seeing the end result.  But I do have to spend a good deal of time explaining and showing them what to do.  Today I showed them how to lay out a wall.  Tomorrow we get to build the 2 walls we laid out.  Then I need to make another run to the lumbar yard as I shorted myself about a dozen studs.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #22 on: April 07, 2009, 11:05:51 am »
Brian, you are making me cry....(kidding).  I thought my bronze was a purebred turkey, now I can really see that he must be a cross with something.  I looked as hard as I could at every image I could find of the bronze turkey.  It appears that what I see mostly is that the extra stripe that you see on my bird's tail (I think you mean the one light stripe at the base of the fan) is not present or is only slightly present in pictures of the bronze that I see.  I rest my case, smiling.  I wish he was a purebred, I would get bigger food for the table.  I may invest in a purebred bronze hen and sell my hen crosses.  Our family is so big that a 14 pound bird just really doesn't cut it.  Besides, 7 months to grow a 14 pound bird, think we were throwing money out the window.

Oh what a lot of work you have performed with your poults to try to get them to eat, that breaks my heart; and I am sorry to hear of this.  I know what work goes into readying for the babies, the time, the love, effort, and then to try to make them eat, drink, and they just look at you like you are that alien from outer space, them thinking, why should I have sustanance.  Oh dear, dear, dear....

What the dickens is with your hatchery that you are getting your birds from.  Aren't they located in Washington state, pretty close to you?  I would think that it would be an overnight service, not a couple of days.  You have had terrible happenings with your young birds coming to you in bad shape and I am not impressed.

I was going to be putting an order in to that hatchery (and about 12 other people I have enlisted to help to cover costs).  I have quite a substantial order going on.  I had intended the hatchery to ship the days olds to the Sumas border crossing, along with the certificate of health and paperwork to come over the border.  But if you have had such terrible issues with their birds, I am thinking differently.  I am pretty sure that this hatchery is the same one that you used.

There is a Canadian hatchery that will have day olds (sexed, if you chose) available in mid June, the same time as the American hatchery.  I may decide to go with them instead.

Brian, racking my brains to remember who your two-man crew was.  I re-read your posts here and still can't figure it out.  I know it isn't your Son that lives in the little cabin, smiling (I know that can be a sore point, we had someone like that around here once, couldn't do a single ding dang thing, smiling).  I think it may be someone that you have employed, but I just can't remember, elaborate please.

Putting up walls, sounds like such a simple thing, it is not.  I watched my Husband build that horse barn.  He built the walls on the ground laying down and then pushed them up, well, shiver me timbers, that scared the crap right out of me.  He wanted me to hold the wall up with a 2X4, was he out of his mind?  Freak!!!!  Well, the walls went up....

I can't wait to hear of what your chicken barn looks like.  I picture that it will be a beautiful piece of work.  I am jsut hoping that one day you will be able to figure out how to use your camera, smiling and hint, hint.....

I am so proud of that light brahma rooster by the way, he is gonna be one magnificent bird.  Even Ken told me he is beginning to like him (thought he looked like a bleep before), so that makes me feel good.  Now I just need a couple of brahma hens to go with him.  Think I will put an ad on Craig's list for a couple of gals for him, smiling.  I know that in a little while he will need some friendship, he is far too big for my little hens here, think he would crush them. Anyways, today our sun is shinin' again, as I know is yours there.  Off to the fun in the sun.  Have that wonderfully great and beautiful day, health wishes, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline oldenglish

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 272
  • Gender: Male
    • Colonial Honey Farm
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #23 on: April 07, 2009, 11:57:14 am »
I was reading a blog where the guy has given up ordering turkeys as the loss/cost ratio is too high. He now raises his own from eggs and is having a much higher success rate, Brian he might also be a good source for you to get your birds, it was the blog link I posted earlier.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #24 on: April 07, 2009, 11:53:37 pm »
I was reading a blog where the guy has given up ordering turkeys as the loss/cost ratio is too high. He now raises his own from eggs and is having a much higher success rate, Brian he might also be a good source for you to get your birds, it was the blog link I posted earlier.

I've chosen a very specific breed of Turkey, Bourbon Reds, that are not nearly as common as Standard Bronze, Blue Slates, Black Spanish, Rio Grande, Eastern Wild, Broad Breasted Whites, or Midgets Whites.  Even Nagasanetts are more common.  They are more in line with had to find (rare) catagory of White Palms and Chocolates.  The turkeys when grown are a magnificent Mahogany color with white flights and tails.  Very Pretty.  They are a Heritage classed turkey so will reporduce. 

After this year, I plane to do all my own hatching of chickens and turkeys, which is why I want 15 of the things.  I want enough to select a Tom and 3-4 good hens for breeding.  I'll give some to my older brother, who keeps giving me different varieties of pigeons, so he can do the same and eat the rest.

Quote
Brian, racking my brains to remember who your two-man crew was.  I re-read your posts here and still can't figure it out.  I know it isn't your Son that lives in the little cabin, smiling (I know that can be a sore point, we had someone like that around here once, couldn't do a single ding dang thing, smiling).  I think it may be someone that you have employed, but I just can't remember, elaborate please.

I've hired to local lads who have only part time jobs and need more money.  I pay them $10.00 per hour (state minimum wage is $8.76 per hour) along with lunch, refreshments, an occasional dozen fresh farm eggs, etc.  They are hard workers but neither one has ever poured cement, framed a building, done siding or roofing, or even dug a ditch.  One of the many chores I have for them is to did a short drainage ditch.  They will also be helping me build the fence around my pasture.  I've got to do over 500 feet of 6 foot goat proof fence.  Talking $$$$ here.
Of course the Chicken house isn't cheap either but I'm comming in on budget of under $2500.00 for materials.  I figure the cost of the fencing materials will be about the same, then there's the cost of the labor.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #25 on: April 08, 2009, 10:46:39 am »
I was reading a blog where the guy has given up ordering turkeys as the loss/cost ratio is too high. He now raises his own from eggs and is having a much higher success rate, Brian he might also be a good source for you to get your birds, it was the blog link I posted earlier.

Old English, you did post the link, I did look at it, but never got to the part about the turkeys, I bookmarked it for later use, I should read up on it, as you said, smiling.  Have that great and most wonderful day, health.  Cindi

P.S.  I have raised my own turkeys from eggs that the mother sat on.  The mortality rate is terrible.  Out of 14 poults, only 3 made it to be grown ups, they seem to do the dumbest things and I think they are on a suicide mission.
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #26 on: April 08, 2009, 10:59:47 am »
Brian, OK, now I understand who is doing the work at your place.  That is generous of you to pay the lads above minimum wage.  We do that too when the older boys around here take that fancy to work, which they quite often do.  Good.  You are teaching these young men some very valuable life skills at the same time.  These are skills that will help them out in their adult life, when they go forward to more building.  That is very wonderful too, you may be paving their road to a bright future.

I looked at many sites for the Bourbon Red turkeys.  I have heard of them many times.  THey are a beautiful breed of turkey, one day I may chose to raise them myself, but for now, I must stick to my trio that I have here, no time yet for thinking of any changes, I never know when we may just have to pack up and move.

That is great that your Brother will be taking on some of your turkeys for breeding and raising. Is he as deeply entrenched into farming, as you are?  Cool.  Have that wonderful and most awesome of these days, great health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #27 on: April 10, 2009, 02:51:44 am »
My older brother and I get together once a year to swap comodities.  Last year I took him rabbits and strawberry and raspberry plants.  The year before I was a beehive.  In turn I've gottom such things as Gold Laced Wyandottes, goats, pigeons (of course), and June berries.
This year I'm taking him some turkeys (if enough live) and another hive of bees as he lost his to starvation in the "high" Okanagons.

On the other hand, with my younger brother it is all give and no return.  I've given him rabbits, various edible plants, and today I sent hime home with 1 rooster and 4 laying hens.  The most I get from him is an occasional bit of help or advice on building something but mostly he sets around a plays chin music.  Very entertaining fellow.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #28 on: April 10, 2009, 10:53:25 pm »
Brian, OK, which one is the one that thinks he is a girl?  I am rather curious, you know that, smiling...beautiful day in this great life, love our life, it is ours, health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #29 on: April 11, 2009, 01:59:14 am »
Brian, OK, which one is the one that thinks he is a girl?  I am rather curious, you know that, smiling...beautiful day in this great life, love our life, it is ours, health.  Cindi

The gender confused brother is the one that doesn't come around anymore since I blessed the property and buildings to ward off evil spirits.  I know this sounds like it should be posted in The Dark Side Of The Moon but it's true.  I blessed the property and he/she got to feeling uncomfortable and moved away a month or so later.
Haven't seen or talked to him/her since, although the wife has.  My wife is much more liberal than I am.  I refuse to call a person who'se been my brother for over 50 years by a girls name.  The Courts will let you change your name to Pineapple Upsidedown Cake if you insist but that don't mean I have to call you that.

And to think my mother had an aunt who used to stand in the middle of her lawn, arm pointing skyward, motionless as a statue.  She believed she was Lady Liberty.  Her Geography was askew, she lived in Pennsylvania not New York.

Today went good, got three more walls up on the chicken house.  I build 'em lying flat and the boys I hired to the heavy work by picking them up, carrying them, and standing them upright.  I then get to run around with a single jack in one hand and beat the walls until all the corners match up, then they do the nailing with my pneumatic framing gun.  Oh, how I love air tools. 
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #30 on: April 11, 2009, 11:05:58 pm »
Brian, thank you for the explanation, you have satisfied my curiosity -- interesting about the blessing on the farm, the power of the Melchezadec priesthood....

Good, your walls are going up, the biggest part of all.  Beautiful day in this great life, love and live it, health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #31 on: April 15, 2009, 04:04:40 am »
Well, we're still working on the chicken coop.  It so slow going because I'm spending as much time explaining how to do something as we are building something.  They get in a hurry and start before I finish and then we sometimes have to undo what they did so we can do it right.  My wife is getting a little antsy about how slow things are going and I can't really blame her.
I told one of the boys today who was text messaging every time I turned around, "If you were working for a contractor he would tell you to either keep the phone in your pocket and get to work or get the he!! of the job site."

Had to go down and buy some more lumber as I was running short of 2X4s.  In the odd jobs around here, building a pad for the cement flow, digging a few ditches, etc, we've worn out 3 or the old shovels my Dad had around here that have been in the family almost as long as I have.  So I cut the shovel handles down and made canes out of them.  They are a little more solid that the store bought canes.  So I walk into the Lumber yard and put my cane on the counter. 
The guy behind the counter says, "That looks like a shovel handle."
I said, "It was, now it's my cane."
He says, "Shovel handles are made of ash, which gives me a rash."
"That's strange," I said, "they usually give me blisters."

I older brothe called and I've got 7 pigeons coming in the mail in the morning and, hopefully, I will also have my replacement Turkeys then too, although they may not be here until Thursday morning.  So here I be, with red bourbon turkeys and bronze pigeons.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #32 on: April 17, 2009, 02:22:21 am »
Will I recieved the pigeons from my brother yesterday morning.  7 nice looking young squeakers in a variety of colors: 3 White Bandits, 1 brown & white, 1 silver, 1 self black, 1 3/4 self black, and the prettiest of the group, a Cherry Blue....Red checks on a Navy Blue body.

The Turkeys came today, the Post Office called at 5 to 5 am and said they were in.  My wife made me go get them then, so still mostly asleep I shuffled down to the Post Office and claimed my Bourbon Reds.  14 alive and 1 squished in the bottom.  Not too bad, much better than last time and there's a few that look iffy.  If 12 live I'll call it good.  I brought them home and installed them in one of my pigeon carry cages atop the washing machine, much to my wife's disapproval.  Since it was still the middle of the night (sic) I introduced them to food via a saucer of water and another of corn meal.

Buy the time I was able to transfer the Jersey Giant chicks to the older (2ns stage) chick brooder, clean and prepare the 1st stage brooder for the new turkeys I had lost another one, so I'm down to 13 but they all look like they're doing well.  But I do have 15 counting the 2 that survived from the 1st shipment so I'll call it even.

My work crew didn't show up today so I guess they got bored and quit.  It's irritating to take the extra time to teach somebody how to do something and then have them walk off the job.  I found that they couldn't identify a problem or solve it, it was like their problem solving skills had been turned off.  Are all the young people like that today?
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline oldenglish

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 272
  • Gender: Male
    • Colonial Honey Farm
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #33 on: April 17, 2009, 11:50:51 am »

My work crew didn't show up today so I guess they got bored and quit.  It's irritating to take the extra time to teach somebody how to do something and then have them walk off the job.  I found that they couldn't identify a problem or solve it, it was like their problem solving skills had been turned off.  Are all the young people like that today?

Pretty much yes, Couple years ago when Boeing was hiring, a lot of the new folks coming in were right out of college and this was their first job. I remember several of them being upset at the idea of working overtime not only that but on a saturday no less. When I was their age there were not enough hours in the week for me to work. So we are either paying them too much or mom & Dad need to learn when to cut the purse strings.

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #34 on: April 18, 2009, 11:45:39 am »
Brian, first off. I didn't realize that Mcmurray Hatchery was in California, I know now.  So good that your turkeys arrived safely and soundly, they are really quite a difficult bird to raise, I know I had 3 of about 12 that survived the second time, oh brother.  The weirdest things happen to turkey poults.  I sold Richard and the two turkey hens, it is weird aroiund my place without them.  I'lll get purebreeds when we move.

Too bad about your work crew, I have no clue what the kids these days are up to, smiling.  Have that wonderful and awesome day and life, health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2009, 02:26:35 am »
Brian, first off. I didn't realize that Mcmurray Hatchery was in California, I know now.  So good that your turkeys arrived safely and soundly, they are really quite a difficult bird to raise, I know I had 3 of about 12 that survived the second time, oh brother.  The weirdest things happen to turkey poults.  I sold Richard and the two turkey hens, it is weird aroiund my place without them.  I'lll get purebreeds when we move.

Too bad about your work crew, I have no clue what the kids these days are up to, smiling.  Have that wonderful and awesome day and life, health.  Cindi

It's not, somewhere in the Mid-West.  The turkeys were sent from Texas.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #36 on: April 19, 2009, 11:35:34 am »
Brian, what!!!  The turkeys were raised in mid-west eh?  Strange.

I was reading in the Rochester Hatchery catalogue last night about preparing for the new baby chicks.  They were indicating that it is a really good idea to mix the young newly-arrived turkeys with the chicks.  The chicks are so smart about eating (that is what my impression is of what they were getting at), that they teach the turkeys to eat and drink.  Did that make any sense to you?

I think I am going to order some other chicks from this hatchery, it is in Alberta, which is the next province over to me.  I would like to have some Rhode Island reds, and they sell straight run for a pretty reasonable price.  I would also like to get some Buff Brahmas, so I could order them too.   I know of several people that are looking for Brahmas and they aren't to be found around here, so they would take an excess of chicks from me, RIR are also pretty hard to find too, figure that one.  BEautiful day in the great life we all live, are lovin' and sharin', health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #37 on: April 22, 2009, 02:46:06 am »
Yeah, you're right about the chicks being used to train the turkey poults to eat.  I bought 6 more Black Austrolorps after my turkeys arrived and put them in together.  The chicks started eating and the turkeys started copying the chicks.  In the meantime I dropped a few more turkeys, down to 11 from the last batch of 15 but that is holding stable with the introduction of the chicks.  I picked the Austrolorps because they are a large black bird and my wife won't be able to tell them from the Jersey Giants, and they are probably the best winter layers.  Brahmas, Orpingtons, and Jersey Giants are also reported to be good winter layers but the Austrolorps are suppose to be the best of the heavy breeds.

In my new 10X10 room of my new chicken house that will house the laying cnickens I'm putting in 2 48X50 inch windows plus a skylight.  I'm designing it to make the maximum use of daylight for egg laying, I'll it almost as bright inside as outside.  Maybe I should whitewash the walls.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #38 on: April 23, 2009, 01:16:50 am »
Brian, good, so it sounds like that was some really good information about the chicks teaching the poults to eat.  I will always remember that, glad that I read it in the ordering catalogue, that has helped you and will help me possibly in the future.  Bummer that you have lost some more.  I have two Australorpe X hens (one is yours (7 months old) Australorpe X something or other, the other is an Australorpe X Rhode Island Red (one year old), and one purebred Australorpe one month old chick.  They say that Australorpes will lay pretty much the entire year.  Have a most wonderful day, health and life.  Cindi

Oooh, what a great idea about the skylights and windows.  Well, think about it, if you whitewash the inside of the house the reflection will certainly brighten things up a whole whack. Do it.
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #39 on: May 01, 2009, 01:38:17 am »
Well they are almost done with the install of the new septic system.  18 large but worth it, I hope.  They weren't suppose to start until May 3rd but showed up a week early--a different job fell through.

I'm still working on the chicken house.  Gave up on the paid help after they didn't show up for 2 days.  Now doing it with volunteer help, the best kind cost wise, but the worst if you have a time schedule.  The chickens started laying eggs in it today and I haven't tore down the old one yet though I did take off the door as it got so bad it wouldn't even swing on the hinges.

I have boughten all the lumber and fencing for the pasture I plan on doing this summer--600 linear feet.

Then the green house got delivered on Monday along with the solar power system for the chicken coop.

So this summer I have the 1. chicken coop to finish, 2. the Pasture fence, 3. The solar power system to install, 4, the green house to build, and 5. the Honey Do List that my wife wants which is to relocate build new rabbit hutches. Sounds like enough to keep me busy.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #40 on: May 01, 2009, 11:18:56 am »
Well, Brian, bust ma britches.  I think that you have a really busy time ahead of you, you aspire to great things.  I hope that your volunteered help helps out alot, that is far too much to tackle all on your own.  I have been doing alot of work revamping my chicken areas too.  The 20 little chicks are now 5 weeks old and seem to keep getting bigger and bigger, smiling.  Had to make their baby yard bigger.

This morning I am heading off to Surrey to get some two month old Blue Cochins.  I can't wait.  I have had my eye out for the blues and I finally found a gal selling some, straight run, but when I asked her she said that they are beginning to show their gender, that will make life a little easier for me.

Ivan (that Light Brahma I incubated from your eggs) is massive!!!!  He is one smoking hot beautiful bird.  I picked him up the other day, and he is heavy.  Still has lots of quills that are just getting their feathers coming out the ends, looks like hundreds of little paint brushes below his larger feathers.  Still wish I had a gal for him.  He keeps trying to have his way with the girls, but Jackson is one mighty powerful dude who is just not going along with it.  Keeping my eye out for a Light Brahma hen, haven't seen one yet though.  Have that wonderful, most awesome day and life, and health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #41 on: May 15, 2009, 12:35:43 am »
I'm still working on the chicken house, at the rate I'm making progress I'll be working on it all summer, which means I'll have to install the pasture fence in the snow and ice.   Oh well!!

I was doing a little excavating in order to install the steps into the chicken coup.  I moved one shovel full and I was suddenly surrounded by chickens looking for worms.  I drove the shovel into the dirt and had one chicken grab a worm before I could lift the sod.  Meanwhile another chicken just sits on the sod while I lift it and dump it along side the hole I'm digging.  The hen wasn't ruffle a bit until I tossed the shovel full of sod about 3 feet away.  Then half the chickens descended on the dirt scattering it going for the worms and the roots.

Went out to feed the chicks and turkeys I have let loose in the fryer run now that it's 90% finished, I still have to hang the netting to keep out the hawks.  Found a mutilated rat in the pen, those turkeys and chicks can move.  I just wonder if they played tag football with the rat as the football like the hens do. 

When I tore down the old falling down chicken coop I found rats nest with a dozen young.  Chickens went after them like they were desert a Tiffany's.  I've even seen them devour small snakes.  Snakes make for a good game of chicken rugby.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #42 on: June 27, 2009, 01:44:03 am »
Time for another update:

I've got my brother coming over tomorrow to be the 1st to test out my butchering line, call it a carcas disassembly line.
He's bring 4 ducks and a couple of egg eating chickens to butcher.  I might throw in a couple of birds myself, time to 86 the banties as the only thing they're doing now is eating a fighting.
We'll have to set up the automated feather plucker, to burner and stock pot for scalding, and the butchering table.  The table is one I got from Sportsman's Guide it is big enough for 2 people to work at at the same time and it has a hanger for a 5 gallon bucker under the hole in the middle.  It folds up and out of the way.  I guess I'll have to break out a couple of my butcher knife sets too.

The chicken house is still in need of a little touch up paint, needs the rain gutters installed, and a few other tweeks but is essentially finished.  The Solar panels are up and proviing lights and AC power through an inverter.  Installing the solar panels was not fun, I hate high places (ladders and roofs) as the vertigo I have as a result of Menier's disease makes the task difficult by itself.  Everyone has admired and commented on my chicken house.  They keep asking if that's the Cadillac of chicken houses, and I tell them no, it's the Lincoln. 

The chickens and Turkeys are about 1/2 grown now, the largest turkey might dress 8-10 pounds but none have started to show the signs of maturing (snoods and beards) so I can figure out my tom to hen ratio.  Although I do thing I have 6 toms out of 16 turkeys, that would make about 5 trios.  The Jersey Giants have matured enough to show their green sheen on black feathers so telling them apart from the Austrolorps is a snap now.

We've been working on the pasture fence for the last few days, have the post and rails up all across the back from corner to corner and started hanging the welded sire today.  The down and across the creek at both ends of the pasture is going to be the hard part.  I've giving the man and his kids that are helping me build the fence a 3 high medium 8 frame hive and a wether named Billy for their labors.  It's over 300 dollar value and we're both happy I get help on a hard project and he gets the brush cleaner and bee hive he wants for his 5 acres.  He and his wife have decide to follow the example of what I'm doing in the way of self-sufficiency and freedom from the super market for when the next crash comes.

Spent the morning repairing the garden cart.  The support for the front end was bent and one wheel was bent past fixing, Thanks to Growers Supply I know have 2 new wheels.

I've also started collecting rocks for my liear rock pile to dam up the creek, the bigger the better.  The dam is only going to be 8-10 inches high and will work like fish ladder just in case the scientists and environmentalists are correct and there really are fish in this dried up creek but I haven't seen any in in over 30 years..  Maybe if the pond I creat from the dam is big enough I can plan some of my own.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #43 on: July 01, 2009, 10:50:48 am »
Brian, wow, I can't believe what you have done in these past few months.  You have truly done a work and a wonder.  I would LOVE to see your place, maybe one day, one never knows.  It sounds like things are growing fast at your place.  That rock diversion will be a wonderful thing that will assist with the waterway, and keeping it low should keep out any environmentalists that would think that you may be wrecking the environment, you and I know better.  Fish ladders are good, smiling.

I have a picture of one of my turkey poults that I raised.  By the time that he was 7 months old, his beard was clearly becoming, as was his snood.  In this picture he had already had the showing of the beard for some time, but he was very interested in breeding with his mother at 7 months, not that Richard would let him, but he surely did want to, as did his brother, oh brother, incest in critters, guess they just don't care, smiling.  Glad to hear that so many of your birds you got as babies have grown so nicely.  I have mountains of little dudes all over my place that are getting bigger and bigger.  I have sold many a bird here in the past month.  Have that most wonderful and awesome day, health.  Cindi


There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Irwin

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2344
  • Gender: Male
  • howdy all
Re: What's New At My House!
« Reply #44 on: July 01, 2009, 12:07:57 pm »
Cindi JP can have the ducks I'll take that turkey any day :-D
Fight organized crime!  Re-elect no one.