Building a Hobby Farm- from woods to eggs

[tony123]

Great point!

[Tororider]

Infrared I suppose. You may want to think about that in the future anyways. If you get a red one its supposed to limit them from picking at each others feathers. I still have a yellow light ir, but think for next winter I will get a red.

[Gizmo36]

Those two boys are happier them a pig in a mud hole.I see your light in the box . I would get me a wide mouth jar and stand it up put the light in it on one end .Then lay a towel over one end of the box . that way they can go to the heat or come out of the heat.

[tony123]

Gizmo, thanks for the tip.

Today was a great day to be outside! 74 degrees and plenty of sunburn!

The day was made all the happier with my second attempt with the post hole digger. We got 13 holes done in less than an hour with not a single bead of sweat.

After my failure last time, I was very careful to ease it into the ground very slowly and lift at the first sign of roots or rocks. The technique worked great. It even did a few holes that had several carrot sized roots to break through. I found that if you limit the depth and just let the rotation break up everything, that it will go through more than I thought it would.

I had to hand dig the one hole closest to the powerline, and that was enough to illustrate what a back saver the PHD is.





If I had a straight run of posts on flat ground with no roots, I bet I could pop 30 of these in an hour.

Anyway, much better experience this go round.

[tony123]

And here's a few more chick photos...just because they're so darn irresistible.





The brownish ones are the Americanas. The blacks are the Black Stars. And the yellows are the NH Reds.

They're all still chirping away, and seem quite happy.

I was looking through a chicken forum and came across a photo of a lady that used an old baby crib for her "brooder". It just so happens that last week I tried to bring the boys old cribs to Goodwill and they wouldn't take them. (too much liability to take cribs....geeez....someone probably really needs them ) So, I've got two cribs in the back of my truck that were on the way to the dump. But now, I figure they've got a second life as chicken brooders!

[tony123]

Okay....all you guys that push me along for updates, you should be satisfied today!

I found this inspiration photo on a chicken forum by another poster. I think its a good starting point for what I have in mind. My girls will free range probably half the time, so I'm hoping that I can get away with this smaller coop.

[Tororider]

Nice work on the fence posts, looks like you had one heck of a productive weekend! Is that all the posts you have to do, if not how many more need to be done. Hand digging holes is never any fun. I am still looking for a used phd for our place.

Nice pictures of the chicks, did you decide if you are going to go back and get some buffs? Glad you had something on hand that you can use for your brooders. Where are you going to keep them?

Now you just need a couple goats and a coy and you will have a real farm, not just a hobby farm.

You inspire us all!

[KarolinaKubota]

Great update Tony!

The boys faces are lit up! Great times!

Michael

[NCGMAN]

nice looking place you have there. i've got five acres here in n.c. and wish i had more, but will stay put. my garden is about 30x100 and does enough to give the wife and i food. it also works me enough. the chickens will help eliminate the ticks if you have them. when i got my land it was all wooded and loaded with ticks. a man "gave" me 30 game hens and they eliminated the critters. i now have five chickens,, rhode island reds. some chickens lay different colored eggs, so if some are green or blue don't throw them away thinking they are bad.. you seem to be a bit younger than i am so enjoy the children and teach them what "work" is.. i may be heading up that way to go to southland tractors. i want to look at what he has. plus my daughter lives in spartanburg.. good luck and be careful on the tractor.....

[tony123]

toro, that's about a dozen fence posts done, and I'm estimating about 120 in the farm and another 60 going down the drive (which will be the orchard). I don't think I'm going to go pick up the Buffs. Six will give us more eggs than we eat, and my housing needs will stay pretty simple this way. Once all the fencing is in place and I have time to build a real coop, I'll add more chickens. I think a pair of goats will come next spring.

Michael, thanks.

NCGMan, I guess the boys will learn more about "work" than kids in a subdivision where Dad hires a yard man. But I don't pretend they will know what real farming is like. Gosh, I hope not.

Southland doesn't have a heck of a lot to see. And you may have seen on another thread, Ben is no longer there. Ben made up most of the reason for all the praise of Southland. I talked to him and it sounds as though Southland may be getting out of importing Yanmars.

Had to cover up the veggies with tarps last night. We got down to 32 for a few hours.

Set my corner posts with concrete yesterday. I put an 80 pound bag in each hole (36" hole). All the line posts are just tamped in with clay.