tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post6823809223896814064..comments2024-01-03T01:40:26.911-08:00Comments on Life Drawings: 4 May 1957 “Growing Chickens, Budding Fruit Trees, Stone Walls, and No-Rise Bread”50sgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-91057287060972034342011-06-28T18:36:58.161-07:002011-06-28T18:36:58.161-07:00My friend and I use to shop every single day, fill...My friend and I use to shop every single day, filling our closets with meaningless "stuff". The simple old fashioned way of life makes us much happier :) Working full time, we manage to keep a clean house & our husbands love the home cooked meals every day with the occasional home made bread or dessert. Your blog is amazing & you're such an inspiration. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-15682280778967165072011-05-06T00:35:06.585-07:002011-05-06T00:35:06.585-07:00I love your posts about hens. I have never liked h...I love your posts about hens. I have never liked hens and now I want to have some! :)<br /><br />Bleeding Hearts, what a lovely name. In Denmark they are called Lieutenant Hearts. It is a very old fashioned perennial, at least here in Denmark. It is quite hard to find it at the plant schools. I wanted one many years ago, since I try to keep my garden “vintage styled” too. Now it is quite big and looks gorgeous. <br /><br />Your stonewall is lovely, congratulations on a well done job. <br /><br />Wishing you both a lovely weekend. :)SANNEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12973437247117000140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-35402352311009760942011-05-04T21:30:13.414-07:002011-05-04T21:30:13.414-07:00I just stumbled upon your blog. I LOVE it!!!<3...I just stumbled upon your blog. I LOVE it!!!<3<br />Now following:)StinkyMonkey4eva on IGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763196869149696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-1631604635482367652011-05-04T21:15:31.172-07:002011-05-04T21:15:31.172-07:00Last year at our local plant and garden show I bou...Last year at our local plant and garden show I bought a black currant bush in a 2 gal. pot. Right away it started blooming with ever so tiny yellow blossoms that had a wonderful strong clove fragrance. I'm not much for currants but I'd buy several more bushes just to smell that heavenly fragrance again. This years blooms are just beginning again. Can hardly wait.<br />Blessings, Janet W.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-63786107003758882712011-05-04T20:56:52.155-07:002011-05-04T20:56:52.155-07:00Thank you for the info on chickens. I must read s...Thank you for the info on chickens. I must read some of those books. <br />I'm also interested in espaliered fruit trees. I'd like to surround my raised bed garden with espaliered fruit trees (cherry, pear, apple, peach, and apricot). Did you espalier your own trees? How old are they now? How long does it take for the trees to start producing fruit? And could you recommend a good book on how to do espalier a fruit tree? I'm in my 60's and want to get started as soon as possible.<br />Again thank you for all your information and for this great blog!<br />Blessings, Janet W.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-26321927930853524742011-05-04T15:36:46.234-07:002011-05-04T15:36:46.234-07:00dang, love your tree! did you graft that branches ...dang, love your tree! did you graft that branches on yourself? and your poor dog. having his chicks grow up and hate him. haha!Atleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14522529620664675184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-75914810871277814332011-05-04T14:24:50.003-07:002011-05-04T14:24:50.003-07:00I am enjoying your new background and layout! Look...I am enjoying your new background and layout! Looks very springy! My husband and I have talked about getting chickens because nothing is quite as good as fresh eggs, but we haven't decided to make the plunge just yet. Our apple trees have already bloomed about 2 weeks ago (we live in KY) and I'm just hoping that we don't get any frosts that will be hard enough to kill them out! I love my apples!Lianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13202867104342981116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-90330154549761260932011-05-04T14:09:53.954-07:002011-05-04T14:09:53.954-07:00Well, to start out with your chickens, the ole'...Well, to start out with your chickens, the ole' chicken and the egg adage might apply here, but rather be "What do you get first the hen that sits on the chicks or the chicks to become hens that sit on the chicks?"<br />There are many ways to start out and getting full size hens is always an option.<br />For me, however, I have always like the joy of raising a chick from day one. If you handle and play with them and begin using a phrase such as "Chick chick chick" when ever you give them food, you are in essence training them to come to you. If you free range even sometimes, this is helpful skill.<br />My current chicks started out both as fertile eggs I ordred (ebay, though local farms often have fertile eggs as well and you can also order such eggs from various hatcheries). But Buttons and her sister Edith, both came to me as hatched chicks. A local man bought a large batch and sold what he didn't need through criagslist. They mingled fine with my hatched chicks (they were merely days apart).<br />As far as broody hens, that is more the breed than the handling. There are many breeds that are prone to broodiness. And in fact those that aren't simply had that breed out of them. As farmers wanted layers not setters.<br />Chochins and Orpingtons are two great breeds known for broodiness. My favorite broody hen is an Orpington. Both of my cochins went broody, but I disrupted it, as I already had my Orpington started.<br />Bantams are notorious setters. If you would like a few setting hens, that a couple Silkie Bantams will hatch out ANYTHING, though they are smaller, so be sure to raise the chicks with full size to make sure there is not too much aggresion. Or you could keep a mini flock of setters, say two silkies and a chochin hen or some such.<br />I love marans and right now, not sure why, they are SO sought after that to buy the chicks is next to immpossible and the eggs sell for $50 and more a dozen. The best bet for that is ebay for fertile eggs. <br />I say, if you like the idea of hatching, try the mixed bag like I did. Get an incubator and some fertile eggs. Then time them so you can get a few hatched chicks around the time they are set to hatch. Then they can live together.<br />Local grain and feed supplies often get in large batches of chicks early Spring. You might, as well, find signs up there for Farmers with eggs for sale.<br />I have a chicken keeping section in the corner store. Here is the direct link http://astore.amazon.com/theaprorevo-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=57 if you want to browse around a bit. <br />Good luck, I love chickens. And I love to Talk chickens, most chicken people do. It is a subject we can go on and on about, obviously.<br />I Hope this helps.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-20242518219207270762011-05-04T13:11:02.217-07:002011-05-04T13:11:02.217-07:00I am trying to learn as much as I can in preparati...I am trying to learn as much as I can in preparation for raising chickens myself. We moved to Oregon almost 6yrs. ago and it has always been my dream to have a small hobby farm like my grandparents did when I was young. They and an aunt, uncle and three cousins all lived next door to us on the same three acres of land.<br /><br />Do you think its easier to let the hen incubate eggs and raise chicks or buy chicks and raise them yourself? Do the chicks you purchase and raise have the same mother instincts of hen raised chickens?<br />Also where is a good source for Maran chicks or chickens? (I live in Oregon).<br />Thank you for all your help. I love your blog and have added it to my favorites.<br />Janet W.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-37118278844108739392011-05-04T11:43:07.225-07:002011-05-04T11:43:07.225-07:00That's a funny but sad story. Ironically, I ac...That's a funny but sad story. Ironically, I actually have a couple duck eggs under my hen (This is a better set up as mother hen just gets upset when babies swim, but no dying possible). They are from the farm Gussie works on. We are not really certain they are fertile, but if so what fun.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-9881079085294041542011-05-04T11:28:11.245-07:002011-05-04T11:28:11.245-07:00Your comments on raising baby chicks reminded me o...Your comments on raising baby chicks reminded me of the mother duck that I had sit on some chicken eggs. My Mother in law told me that ducks are wonderful sitters and that I should put some of my chicken eggs under her along with her duck eggs. Everything went wonderful(it was so much fun watching the mother duck waddle around the yard with the baby ducks and chicks). That is until mama duck decided it was time for swimming lessons in a mud puddle. I came out and found the baby chicks half drowned in a the puddle. I brought the chicks in and put them under a heat lamp which was unfortunately too hot for them and they died of heat exposure. I felt so bad. It was from the puddle to the frying pan.<br />Amy f.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com