Granite State NH

07-08-03

Hi from the steamy North! The mountains are not suppose to be so humid. It was only about 80 here today but seemed about 100 because of the humidity. I don't know if what we are doing is homesteading but hey we are trying to do most things by ourselves.

I have learned trying to raise chickens for meat can be expensive!!!! We ordered a different kind other than the white Cornish and man they can eat!!! My hubby has told me its them or me!! No not really but close--only 45 birds are going through a bag of grain (50 lbs) in 2 days!!! How is that cheaper than store bought? Trust me its not!! Oh well we live and learn, if I can ever get him to try it again I'll stick with the Cornish--much gentler too.

Hey, if something every once in a while can be put in from up North--why not. Sure you can put where we are, its the White Mountain region, in the Granite State NH. Right beside Vermont. A bit different from your area. You guys are teaching me tons though!!! I really enjoy the idea of sharing the seeds! A wonderful idea. I'm thinking about trying to start a bartering group around here. No money involved--only swapping things.

I just hope no one forgets about why we celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

Kathy

07-05-03

Usually I'm asking for the seeds that are available. Hey, we are willing to try any plant in our garden, if it grows, great!!

Anyway, about the chickens. We are lucky enough to have a friend with an incubator, and they hatched some duck eggs and a chicken (oops) egg (a RI Red & Barred Rock-- a sex link from what I've read) we also have hatched some Easter Egg Chicken (Aracandas?) We are waiting to see which are males & females right now. I think the colored eggs are so cool, they say that egg color changes from different generations. They also say that if you have a chicken that lays white eggs that if she mates with an Aranconda male that that female babe will lay colored eggs. We are trying that next. We are saving for our own incubator, it is hard using someone else's.

We have two ducks right now sitting on their eggs, we have a problem though, I can't tell the new eggs from the old eggs we tried marking them once-- but the ducks then once we have touched them won't sit on them.

Our chickens haven't had an interest yet on sitting on anything but their perch!!! We do have some several year old chickens still laying eggs, I think they are about 4 years old. We get about 4 eggs a week from her.

We spoke to an older farmer up here and on breaking the eggs several reasons, with a couple hens I wish we had spoken with him sooner. We had heard that if they break eggs you do have to get rid of them. Then we learned try a couple things. 1) Oyster shells in case they feel they need calcium. 2) See if they are still laying, if not they may be jealous of the layers and are hurting the eggs (If that's the case then there is only one option) 3) line the nest with something soft (Shavings, hay etc) Keep if fluffy so the eggs do not clink together. A hen will hear the sound and try to investigate it and end up breaking the eggs.

Yes light is way wicked important!! We learned but we put in an old aquarium light. Low cost--and it did the trick for us. We ran it so the hens got about 12 hours of light per day, if it was left on the hens were stressed the next day, I guess ours wanted dark also.

Don't know if our input will help anyone but I know yours helps us.

Kathy