What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

Got a great number of eggs this weekend, then the temps dropped to a HIGH of 5F yesterday (not the windchill) and those birds sucked those eggs back up so far inside, I'm not sure they'll ever come out! LOL.
It was only 4 this morning but the open air coop was 20 and the girls were raring to go. Fresh feed, sunflowers, scratch, water, a couple of mice, and a large bag of hot peas.
It was like Times Square out there.
The feather plucker is still at it. I still cannot figure it out. She rips out tail feathers, so several naked chicken butts out there.

 

[CNJ]

I'm sure you've met oregano's friend, basil? Tomato loves basil and mozzarella, and with oregano, they play bridge all day long.

The Genovese basil that I grow usually flower out and eventually die if I don't keep pinching off the flower. I will start another batch today. I have eaten it with tomato salad before, but never tried it with fresh oregano. I'll try it together as soon as I can.

When COVID first came out I think I got it. I kept chewing on fresh basil daily and I think it killed the bacteria that was causing the drip mucus to form.

 

[Sueby]

@Elyrian1 how scary! Glad he will heal up.

Another warmish day here.

I haven’t ready anything about the feed issues, I don’t use that kind of feed & I don’t feel like winter is any time to start blaming feed for no eggs. I have 1 that just started laying, 1 that just stopped & then 1 old red that just started molting (and therefore stopped laying). Certainly not going to blame feed for that mess.

I also despise mice. They are so nasty & destructive.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Hey happens allot when one quotes they do not look for the person they want to quote.

Or when you are trying to post from your cell phone without your glasses on....

 

[TJAnonymous]

@Elyrian1 how scary! Glad he will heal up.

Another warmish day here.

I haven’t ready anything about the feed issues, I don’t use that kind of feed & I don’t feel like winter is any time to start blaming feed for no eggs. I have 1 that just started laying, 1 that just stopped & then 1 old red that just started molting (and therefore stopped laying). Certainly not going to blame feed for that mess.

I also despise mice. They are so nasty & destructive.

I despise mice and ants. Ugh... I FINALLY managed to get a stray cat to hang around my barn. Hoping it will take care of the mice, rats, and snakes that follow. My only concern is the potential to attack baby chicks. So far it doesn't bother my chickens at all but a baby chick might be too much temptation. Of course DH is gonna say "you don't need any baby chicks to begin with...."

 

[Fishychix]

I agree. That’s why I stay off of them. I get annoyed at the posts where people consistently use laying feed blends even when their chickens are not laying eggs because of molting and / or low daylight during the winter. Since they don’t see the damage to their kidneys they don’t think it makes a difference, but it does. Then when their hens stop laying or just drop dead they blame it on some conspiracy by big manufacturers or corruption in the government. It’s never been anything they could have done. Sorry, there are a lot of things that can affect chickens and their laying. Mine will stop laying for a day or two after a really bad storm or if there’s been a pack of coyotes screaming through the night before. Then there’s bobcat mating season. That has always been a bit unsettling. OK, finished with my rant. With all the melting a large somewhat flat area is emerging in my former forest. I’ll have to pay attention to how much sunlight that spot gets.

Umm, i hate to admit i may be one of those. I didnt know theres a layer feed.
I do know Purina had feed specifically labeled Layer, but i buy Kalmbach 17% pellets. I don't really have many choices. I bought the feed for molting last time, but thats the only time ive ever seen it. What should they be eating over winter then?

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Umm, i hate to admit i may be one of those. I didnt know theres a layer feed.
I do know Purina had feed specifically labeled Layer, but i buy Kalmbach 17% pellets. I don't really have many choices. I bought the feed for molting last time, but thats the only time ive ever seen it. What should they be eating over winter then?

If the feed isn’t labeled specifically then I would check the manufacturer’s website for information regarding what the feed is formulated for. Layer feed has added calcium which hens need when they are actively laying eggs. You can also check the nutrition label on the packaging. If it’s just labeled poultry food with no other information, I personally would not buy it. Would you consume food that doesn’t say what it’s for? JMHO.

 

[vall]

My passionfruit in a pot was hitting the eave so it had to go in the ground. I set up a trellis, but nobody in town had t-posts over 6' so it's a little shorter than I wanted.

Watering every day this week, it's supposed to be sunny and 80+ from now till Friday. Filling watering cans at the pond is getting old. Did plenty of reading over the weekend so I see some kind of barrel + drip tape setup in my future.

I may have stumbled on the chive/onion seed germination issue - tropical onion seeds can die if not properly acclimated to humidity? Wonder if that applies to all alliums - I will follow this suggestion next time in case it helps. https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/e853fedc-7281-4742-9deb-1e4d89347e22

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Your deep freeze is headed my way at the end of the week @WthrLady. Hopefully it only lasts a few days. Right now I’m averaging 2 eggs a day with 3 - 4 occasionally. Can’t complain with these girls. They are all looking healthy now and that is more important to me right now.

 

[jerryse]

And a 70s band!

That is how I found out. They said it was a old southern saying for a really cold night.