Update- Early May 2010

The weather here lately has been such a roller coaster. We can go from low 60's on day with sun & a breeze to 30's with snow & rain from one day to the next. It makes gardening..... interesting, to say the least. I'm very far behind on my gardening.

I attempted to sex the bunnies again on Mother's Day- 5/9. I had Sebastion help me out for a 2nd opinion. We *believe* we have 3 girls & 3 boys. They have to be separated by the weekend, as they turn 8 weeks on Friday. I'll be calling someone who goes to our church & asking if he used to sex his bunnies when he raised them & if he's any good at it. I'm hoping he'll be able to come help me out. My plan is to do it again on Wed, separate them & pray for the best. It seems to be getting a little easier to sex them, though I've never done it before. So I could be wrong, LOL.

Floppy has been a GREAT little Momma hen. The 5 chicks turned 2 weeks this past weekend. Momma is beginning to get a little antsy. She's almost ready to be reintroduced to the flock. It cracks me up to watch them. The babies like to ride on Momma's back. They are eating, drinking & scratching. All things a baby chick should be doing.

I'm counting down now to my chick order arriving. They should be here next week. 30 meat chickens (20 are ours), 6 layers & 3 poults. Speaking of orders, I'm also anxiously awaiting a call from the processor any day now or within the next month. The beef should go to the processor within the next 5-6 weeks and as early as next week.

Prolapsed vent, redneck greenhouse, pregnant rabbit(s) & May 21st....

Prolapsed Vent.....

A few days ago I had an egg that was bloody. Occasionally, we get eggs that have a streak or 2 of blood... no big deal. Last night when I let the girls out to range the yard, there were drops of blood on the patio.... So I began checking rearends. Tina Turner was bleeding. I came in & jumped on google, and everything about bloody bums pointed to prolapse. Tina is my most standoffish hen. She just doesn't like people much & prefers to run from us. So, I had to bide my time until they roosted for the night.

I started scurrying around the 'stead- finding the chick waterers, antibiotics & kennel crate. I added the antibiotics & some raw apple cider vinegar to the water. I dug through the fridge for soft food & found some leftover brown rice. I mixed the rice with some dairy kefir. I put shavings in the crate & laid towels over the top (to keep it dark in hopes she won't lay, which can further aggravate the prolapse). I had just turned my heat lamps off earlier in the day, but knowing she would be alone & have only her own body heat, rather than the help of 9 other chickens, I set one up aimed at the crate, in hopes she'd stay warm through the night.

Once they were all in, I closed the inside door to the coop, and made my move. She didn't like me touching her, but once I had my hands around her wings, she calmed, knowing she wasn't going anywhere.

This morning when I check her at 6:15am, she seemed to be doing alright. I need to bring her in later, wash her bum, "put the vent back in place" & rub honey on it. Wish me hope. This is my first chicken "crisis." Prolapse if left untreated can be deadly in chickens. If left with population, the other chooks can let cannibalism get the better of them & peck at the vent until the affected chook bleeds to death.

Definitions of prolapse on the Web:

• slip or fall out of place, as of body parts; "prolapsed rectum"
• the slipping or falling out of place of an organ (as the uterus)
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Prolapse literally means "To fall out of place". In medicine, prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum, or for the misalignment of the valves of the heart. ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolapse

The redneck greenhouse....

Hubba has been saying for quite some time that he would be building a greenhouse for me..... Well, he hasn't even started, so yesterday I took matters into my own hands, and I produced the redneck greenhouse!!!




Pregnant Rabbits.....

Yesterday I also placed nest boxes in the doe hutches. Everything I've read says to place the boxes just a few days before EDD. I'm still pretty sure only one is pregnant, and she started pulling fur almost as soon as I placed the box.

May 21st.....

Last but not least, the lady from the feed store in Rock Springs called me to let me know that she had an estimated arrival date for the new chicks & poults!! May 21st. She was trying to order early, so she could get them early, but they wanted to send partial batches throughout the next couple months. She told them "No. I have people coming in from out of town, and they need to be here all at once." So May 21st, was the soonest they could ship everything she's ordered. She's a wonderful lady & very receptive to her customer's needs.

Seed swap list

Seed swap list:


Have:


All are from Baker Creek & from last year unless otherwise noted, stored in cool dry conditions


Tomatoes:


10- yellow pear
5- Amish paste
10- Thessaloniki
10- black krim


Peppers:


5- Gourmet rainbow mix (RH Shumway)
20- Jalapeno early (Ferry Morse, organic)


Cukes:


15- Tender green burpless (RH Shumway)
25- True lemon (Gourmet seed international, “non-treated”)


Beans:


20- Jade bush (unknown company)
20- Kentucky wonder (Territorial seed, 2008, still viable)


Squash:


20- dark green zuke (RH Shumway)
5- New England sugar pie pumpkin
8- Luffa gourd (fedco)


Melons:


20- Muskmelon (RH Shumway)
10- sugar baby watermelon


Herbs (these will be measured in pinches- at least 10 seeds- unless otherwise noted):


broad leaf sage
cumin
borage
feverfew
cilantro


Lettuce (measured in pinch, at least 10 seeds):


Rocky top mix (garden girl, pkd by baker creek)


5- Pak choi, white stem (RH Shumway)


I also have the following to share as they shipped from Baker Creek, all for this year:


5-Mountain Princess tomato
5-Omar's Lebanese tomato
5-Gajo de Melon tomato
5-Big Zebra tomato
5-Marketmore cuke
25-True old sweet corn
10-Basil- genovese
Pinch or 2-Chamomile- German
pinch Lavender
5-CA Wonder Pepper
20-Alaska garden pea
5-Crookneck early golden summer squash
5-Far North melon
5-Katanya melon
A couple good pinches-Little finger carrot

I also have a whole pkg of cilantro that BCS sent me.


Wish list (looking for organic and/or non-gmo seeds from this year or last year stored in cool dry conditions):


Mint
Purple Beauty peppers
Sweet chocolate peppers
Little Marvel peas
birdhouse gourds
Benning scallop squash (I did get the patti pan, but am still interested in the one here if anyone has it)
Chantenay red core carrots
Stuttgarter onion
Red of florence onion
Catskill brussel sprouts
Early purple sprouting broccoli
Green macerata cauliflower
Romanesco Italia broccoli

Welcome to my online mini-homesteading journal

And that's all it will really be. I don't promise to be exciting. This is simply a place to log what we are doing to self & support locally on a small in-city-limits lot. Most of my posts will be short & to the point. If I've bred a rabbit, or need to add my monthly measurements for eggs, produce or remember what orders I've put in where & when to expect them, I'll be posting it here.