Hi, friends.
Have you ever had a week that really flew by but at the same time seemed like it had gone on forever? Or does that even make sense? I am sooooo behind on my blogging but life just keeps getting in the way. lol
The Lord has heaped a lot of great blessings upon my lap this week and I am feeling so blessed. But at the same time, my MS has been really affecting my day-to-day living. Today is the first day in awhile that I have been symptom free and have enjoyed the day so much. I praise God for that also.
We now have 4 eggs in our nestboxes. We are leaving them for now because they may be fertilized. The chickens were in with roosters when we purchased them so any eggs laid in the first 2 weeks here have a chance of being fertile. Baby chicks would be exciting. Also, 2 of our chickens started looking bad. Their eyes were shut and they were not eating. Found out they had gotten dirt in their eyes and had become infected so we have been washing them out with a warm washcloth and putting triple antibiotic ointment in them and they look so much better. We even had to force them to drink for a bit. But they are on the mend and that pleases our hearts.
We are also now proud owners of a young pair of sugar gliders. They are so adorable and I look forward to posting pictures of them soon on here.
Well, until next time....
M
As always, please help support my blog by clicking on an ad and supporting my sponsors.
In Christ,
Melody
Loving wife of Ronald and incredibly blessed home educating mother with fantastic children.
"Tough times never last, tough people do." -Robert Schuller
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
Showing posts with label chicken farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken farm. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Hard times
In the past week, I have heard from numerous people in regards to giving away free horses. I live in a small, rural community and people are trying to give away good horses. I could not figure out why. I now know and it is shocking. The reason that everyone is giving away their own horses is because they will not be able to feed them.
It has been so dry that hardly anyone was able to plow a field once, let alone 2-3 times as usual. All of these farmers and ranchers are having to rely on the hay they have left over from last year to survive the upcoming winter and most do not have enough for all they have. I was told that in another month or two that people will be giving away calves and cattle for the same reason. One lady I heard talking said she has to get rid of at least 40 of her stock because she doesn't have enough hay to last all winter and only by giving away some of the cattle can she make it. The calves are all real tiny and puny looking too. They are not near big enough to take to market. They are usually 3 times the size they are right now.
I have also talked to a lot of chicken farmers and their chickens are dying from heat in large numbers. They said the chicken plants are having the same problems. And it is so hot that the layers aren't laying eggs. They are getting perhaps a tenth of the eggs as normal.
All of this is really making me think even harder about how bad things may get for everyone. If the cows are drying up, dying off, and a big decrease in number going to market means we will have a shortage of milk and beef. If the hay fields are that barren and dead, it is likely that wheat and rice, etc. will be the same way. Then add in chickens not laying eggs, not producing chicks, dying off, etc. and there is another big problem.
It all can really snowball from here.
We have been "preppers" for awhile but I really think we need to do more. I called a friend (she lives in a fairly large city) and was telling her about the free horses and everything else and she was shocked and clueless. I just want everyone to know of some events that are taking place so they can know ahead of time and try to prepare themselves a bit.
What kind of things are happening in your area? What are you doing to prepare? Any other thoughts or comments?
As always, please help support my blog by clicking on an ad and supporting my sponsors.
In Christ,
Melody
Loving wife of Ronald and incredibly blessed home educating mother with fantastic children.
"Tough times never last, tough people do." -Robert Schuller
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
It has been so dry that hardly anyone was able to plow a field once, let alone 2-3 times as usual. All of these farmers and ranchers are having to rely on the hay they have left over from last year to survive the upcoming winter and most do not have enough for all they have. I was told that in another month or two that people will be giving away calves and cattle for the same reason. One lady I heard talking said she has to get rid of at least 40 of her stock because she doesn't have enough hay to last all winter and only by giving away some of the cattle can she make it. The calves are all real tiny and puny looking too. They are not near big enough to take to market. They are usually 3 times the size they are right now.
I have also talked to a lot of chicken farmers and their chickens are dying from heat in large numbers. They said the chicken plants are having the same problems. And it is so hot that the layers aren't laying eggs. They are getting perhaps a tenth of the eggs as normal.
All of this is really making me think even harder about how bad things may get for everyone. If the cows are drying up, dying off, and a big decrease in number going to market means we will have a shortage of milk and beef. If the hay fields are that barren and dead, it is likely that wheat and rice, etc. will be the same way. Then add in chickens not laying eggs, not producing chicks, dying off, etc. and there is another big problem.
It all can really snowball from here.
We have been "preppers" for awhile but I really think we need to do more. I called a friend (she lives in a fairly large city) and was telling her about the free horses and everything else and she was shocked and clueless. I just want everyone to know of some events that are taking place so they can know ahead of time and try to prepare themselves a bit.
What kind of things are happening in your area? What are you doing to prepare? Any other thoughts or comments?
As always, please help support my blog by clicking on an ad and supporting my sponsors.
In Christ,
Melody
Loving wife of Ronald and incredibly blessed home educating mother with fantastic children.
"Tough times never last, tough people do." -Robert Schuller
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
Monday, August 8, 2011
Our chickens and the breeds!
Hi, everyone.
As promised I want to introduce everyone to our chickens. They are new here but are the sweetest and most loving chickens I have ever seen in my life. They love to be held and petted. No pecking on us or anything. I could hardly believe it.
We have 2 of these hens. What I love most about this breed is the color of their eggs. The lay really deep, dark brown eggs that are large in size. So dark brown that they have a tint of maroon in them. This breed originates from France and are considered heavy chickens with roosters that get between 7-8 lbs and an average hen is 6 1/2 lbs. They lay about 150 eggs a year or 2-3 a week. They are mainly egg layers but they do possess really fine meat qualities also.
We have 2 of the White Leghorns. These are just like the bird in the cartoon "Foghorn Leghorn" but the word is really pronounced "Leggern". Anyway, these are the birds that lay the eggs you find at the supermarket. They lay X-large white eggs almost every day and average about 300 eggs a year. They are really hardy chickens and can stand really cold winters and hot summers. They are considered to be medium in size and weigh on the average about 6 lbs. They originate from Tuscany, Italy. They are egg layers and not viable as a meat producer.
We also have 2 of these pretty hens. The Cinnamon Queen is also called the Cinnamon Queen Sex Link. It is called a sex link because it is a crossbreed from a Silver Laced Wyandotte and a New Hampshire rooster. The Cinnamon Queen are known for their fast body development and fast egg production. Meaning that these hens start to lay their eggs at a much younger age than most other breeds. They lay large brown eggs and are considered to be a dual purpose bird.
As always, please help support my blog by clicking on an ad and supporting my sponsors.
In Christ,
Melody
Loving wife of Ronald and incredibly blessed home educating mother with fantastic children.
"Tough times never last, tough people do." -Robert Schuller
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
As promised I want to introduce everyone to our chickens. They are new here but are the sweetest and most loving chickens I have ever seen in my life. They love to be held and petted. No pecking on us or anything. I could hardly believe it.
Cuckoo Marans
We have 2 of these hens. What I love most about this breed is the color of their eggs. The lay really deep, dark brown eggs that are large in size. So dark brown that they have a tint of maroon in them. This breed originates from France and are considered heavy chickens with roosters that get between 7-8 lbs and an average hen is 6 1/2 lbs. They lay about 150 eggs a year or 2-3 a week. They are mainly egg layers but they do possess really fine meat qualities also.
White Leghorn
We have 2 of the White Leghorns. These are just like the bird in the cartoon "Foghorn Leghorn" but the word is really pronounced "Leggern". Anyway, these are the birds that lay the eggs you find at the supermarket. They lay X-large white eggs almost every day and average about 300 eggs a year. They are really hardy chickens and can stand really cold winters and hot summers. They are considered to be medium in size and weigh on the average about 6 lbs. They originate from Tuscany, Italy. They are egg layers and not viable as a meat producer.
Cinnamon Queen
Golden Laced Wyandotte
We have one of these little pullets. At maturity, the hen will lay a decent sized brown egg 4 times a week or an average of about 200 a year. The roosters get to be about 8 1/2 lbs. and the hens weigh about 6 1/2 lbs. They are a dual purpose breed (meat (large breasts) and eggs) and make good show birds.
Silkie Bantams
Buff Silkie
Black Silkie
Blue Silkie
We have one of each of these colors: one buff silkie; one black silkie; and one blue silkie. I know they lay very small eggs but I think they are so beautiful that I was a bit impractical and bought them anyway. :-)
These are really neat because of the hair-like plumage they get and they are also different because their skin and bones are both dark blue/black and they have 5 toes instead of the normal 4. The meat is very different so they are not usually eaten but they make awesome moms. In fact, they will lay on other chickens' eggs, as well as duck or turkey eggs too. They do make great show quality hens also. Silkies are quite small with the males weighing 2 1/2 lbs. and the females at 2 lbs. They lay small cream colored eggs about 2 times a week and average just 100 eggs a year.
Well, that is it. So, what do you think of our new additions? Feel free to leave your comments and subscribe to this blog.
In Christ,
Melody
Loving wife of Ronald and incredibly blessed home educating mother with fantastic children.
"Tough times never last, tough people do." -Robert Schuller
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
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