Do you engage in the world's oldest profession? [open]

[Wags]

Now the Lord God had planted a garden.... (Gen 2:8)

Scripture is full of references to planting and tending gardens and vineyards and looking after animals.

Take care to know the conditions of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds. (Prov 27:23)

I am always reading anecdotes about people who live in cities and how they don't have a clue where their food comes from or how it is produced. People who refuse to eat eggs unless they have white shells and come from a grocery store. Or people that are appaled to see/hear about an animal being butchered, but think nothing of stopping by McDonalds for lunch.

I wonder sometimes how much of the agricultural references in scripture they really understand.

For those of you that do garden and/or raise your own meat/milk/eggs etc... now that spring is here (well for some us anyway) what are your growing plans for this year?

As I posted in a previous thread, we got our orchard planted and have been working the garden soil. Probably will start planting after Passover. Will also be getting chicks after Passover and a couple of Nigerian Dwarf doelings in May. My goal, Adonai willing, is to be 90% self sufficent when it comes to food by 2010. Why only 90%? - becuase I like coffee, sugar and a few other things that don't grow in this climate without a hothouse. :)

[christianmomof3]

I would love to garden, but don't have the space, time, or strong enough desire to do so right now.
I have a friend whose husband gardens in his backyard. He has been growing lots of spinach and lettuce lately and we have been enjoying that. He said he just harvests the leaves and does not pull up the whole plant and these are the same plants that he planted in August of last year. He covered them a few times when it was really cold.
Right now, we have dogs who would trample or eat anything I might try to grow in the back yard. The unfenced side of the house is a slope and I don't know if that would work well.
I think it is great that you are growing your own food!

[ContentInHim]

In the early 1980's I purchased an old farmhouse and 10 acres in Virginia. About 6 acres was cleared. I planted a 2 acre garden mostly of beans, tomatoes, onions, corn (yum yum), squash which I froze and canned and dried. I also kept a nanny goat for the milk and to eat the 1" diameter poison ivy vine growing up the Bartlett pear tree. Rabbits and a sow (so sue me - I wasn't even saved yet! :D ). The chickens I actually made money on as I sold their eggs for $1/doz. Beautiful thick yellow yolks - made wonderful hollandaise sauce.

That said, I probably can't do it physically now but I would if I had to!

Your place sounds wonderful Wags!

[plum]

thumbs up for you! that's great... but wow that holds absolutely zero interest for me. I guess I'm just not the Messianic people think i should be :)

[Bon]

I used to grow most of my vegetables, but just do not have the room now. (I'm renting an apartment)...But I always figure that the time will come where I can do it again and take even further measures to become more self sufficient. It has been a plan of mine for some time now.
And God willing, it will happen also.

But like you Wags....I like my coffee too. :)

[Wags]

thumbs up for you! that's great... but wow that holds absolutely zero interest for me. I guess I'm just not the Messianic people think i should be :)

I don't think it makes you any less of a messianic.

[Kalanit]

I just planted some herbs at my parents' house... we live in an appt. so poor us, no gardening here... until we move...

We have fennel, sage, rosemary, lavender, chives, lemon balm, roses, yarrow, verbena... I might do a veggie garden after Pesach. I LOVE gardening :)

[A_Pioneer]

Shalom,
I tilled a new spot near my old hand dug well, planted onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and radishes.
I love to grow things, but we have been in a severe drought for many years and my efforts have gone for nought in those years, my old garden space was a short distance from the house, but had to be watered by the new well that does not produce enough water to water a garden in drought years. So with the move and use of the old well, just maybe I will eat the fruits of my labor.

My wife is into cutesy and has a literal "Flower bed" I plant bulbs all over, plus many flowering shrubs, I want winter to be over and see the newness of life around me.

When the dry hot time begins I have my crape Myrtles to pull me through till spring again. I am not fond of winter, have Live Oaks, Red Tip Photina and Cardinals that keep me from the looney bin for the four months between the frosts.

I feed the birds year round, Hummers from this month to October.

So, folks, send up a small prayer on my behalf for an end of the drought.

Todah rabah v'shalom

[visionary]

Love to garden, landscape and work in the orchard... work keeps me away from the yard more often than I would like. Day job gets all the sunlight hours.

[plum]

I see Wags has an orchard! Does anyone else do trees?

[Mela'h]

I see Wags has an orchard! Does anyone else do trees?Well, not an orchard by any stretch but at the house we just sold, we had a beautiful high-yield peach tree that produced such sweet, juicy peaches:yum: What a treat to walk out in your yard and grab a peach off the tree for breakfast! We also had a elephant heart plum tree and a black amber plum tree that produced huge amounts of plums. It was kind of cool to plant little baby trees,(sticks basically)tend them, and watch and wait for a harvest. We live in a fruit growing valley so you have to travel fairly far to not be surrounded by fruit.:)

We are moving to a much colder climate in a few months so I am really going to miss the fresh fruit.

[Wags]

Shalom,
I tilled a new spot near my old hand dug well, planted onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and radishes.
I love to grow things, but we have been in a severe drought for many years and my efforts have gone for nought in those years, my old garden space was a short distance from the house, but had to be watered by the new well that does not produce enough water to water a garden in drought years. So with the move and use of the old well, just maybe I will eat the fruits of my labor.

My wife is into cutesy and has a literal "Flower bed" I plant bulbs all over, plus many flowering shrubs, I want winter to be over and see the newness of life around me.

When the dry hot time begins I have my crape Myrtles to pull me through till spring again. I am not fond of winter, have Live Oaks, Red Tip Photina and Cardinals that keep me from the looney bin for the four months between the frosts.

I feed the birds year round, Hummers from this month to October.

So, folks, send up a small prayer on my behalf for an end of the drought.

Todah rabah v'shalom
Ah, you have a deep understanding of the need to pray for rain and how rain or the lack there of affects our lives. Drought it definately tough, and I'm so glad we are back to living in a greener area.

[Wags]

Well, not an orchard by any stretch but at the house we just sold, we had a beautiful high-yield peach tree that produced such sweet, juicy peaches:yum: What a treat to walk out in your yard and grab a peach off the tree for breakfast! We also had a elephant heart plum tree and a black amber plum tree that produced huge amounts of plums. It was kind of cool to plant little baby trees,(sticks basically)tend them, and watch and wait for a harvest. We live in a fruit growing valley so you have to travel fairly far to not be surrounded by fruit.:)

We are moving to a much colder climate in a few months so I am really going to miss the fresh fruit.
There are a lot of cold hardy varieties available these days. Check out www.starkbros.com and www.raintreenursery.com I've seen fruit trees that were rated all the way down to zone 3!

We have strawberries this year, and next year we will add other berries too. Starwberries are very easy to grow in containers and their is now a line of ultra dwarf fruit trees designed for container growing too. Good for small spaces, or anywhere you might need to bring a plant indoors during winter.

www.fourwindsgrowers.com has dwarf citrus trees that can be container grown indoors. Including a dwarf etrog. We plan to purchase a few trees from them next year if the budget allows.

We only have 4.83 acres, so we have to make ALL of it work as much as possible. Would love to have more acerage - especailly stuff that wasn't on a hillside, but I am very grateful for the amount of dark topsoil we do have. Sure beats the red clay we had at our last place!

[MattyJames]

Thats it, good soil and water are the essential key. I supose we're pretty blessed, cause the block we purchased used to be the local market Gardens. And so the owners have told us, it was where they grew there best vegies ever! Lucky us. And when it comes to water: if we dig about 12' down along a strip of land that runs along the the back of the gardens, we'd have a hand dug well!! LOL Its pretty rare stuff.

But despite all this, Work too has the better of me. We are planning to do a garden this year that will hopefully give us the majority of our vegies needed. For now, there is a small but largely unsucessful vegie patch, and the rest is tended to by the horses!! :doh:

As for fruit - I'd love to be able to have a peach tree or plum tree - but its just too plain hot here. We do however have Mango's, Bananas, Guava, a few hardy species of Cherry (that arn't all that tasty), Pawpaw, All types of Citrus. We actually have a local 'Bush Lemon' that grows wild. Its very much like a traditional lemon, only it is much bigger and has bumps all over it, like warts. But the juice is excellent quality!! Also strawberries, water melon, Pineapples, passionfruit and at a pinch, grapes.

And just to be nasty, we also grow much sugar here. In fact, the second largest industry in the town is sugar, which is the largest agricuture industry in the region. Originaly, the town was built around the sugar trade. Since then, the mines have taken over. To give you a picture, I think we've now got 4 sugar mills in the town. All about 15 mins from each other! LOL

Come to think of it now, in the mountains about 1hr drive from here, there are folks who grow lychees, peaches, plums, grapes ect. But I think they've got to be careful of frost. Is that why they put the large netting over the fruit??

All this talk of vegies and fruit has made me hungry. Time for Brunch!! :thumbsup:

Shabbat Shalom to all,

Matt James

[LadyGarnetRose]

Once we get some land (I'm an apt dweller with 2 cats that love to eat anything that grows out of a pot) I'm going to try and see if I can get something to grow out here.

[Wags]

The netting is to try to keep the bird damage to a minimum.

I envy your ability to grow some of my favorites. I love Guava - when I was a kid my mom used to make guava sauce (like applesauce) it was so yummy! Love Passionfruit and Pineapple too!! But I don't think I could take your temps & humidity.

[MattyJames]

The netting is to try to keep the bird damage to a minimum.

I envy your ability to grow some of my favorites. I love Guava - when I was a kid my mom used to make guava sauce (like applesauce) it was so yummy! Love Passionfruit and Pineapple too!! But I don't think I could take your temps & humidity.

Bird damage? Ok.

Haha, if only we could have it all! LOL To be honest, theres not really many other places I'd like to be than here. Although, ever since I was a child I've dreamed of owning 100,000 acres of rolling canadian prearies, with tall Oaks and lakes and flowing streams. It would be awsome.

Just think what the Promised land will be like.
:bow:
MJ

[A_Pioneer]

Praise Elohim! And thank you for your prayers, they reached the Father and he answered! Two inches so far and still raining.
The young plants are loving it!

Shalom u'vrachot

[Wags]

Praise Elohim! And thank you for your prayers, they reached the Father and he answered! Two inches so far and still raining.
The young plants are loving it!

Shalom u'vrachot
Oh that is good news. Hopefully it won't dump all at once - but fall gently enough not to wash away soil.

[Wags]

Bird damage? Ok.

Haha, if only we could have it all! LOL To be honest, theres not really many other places I'd like to be than here. Although, ever since I was a child I've dreamed of owning 100,000 acres of rolling canadian prearies, with tall Oaks and lakes and flowing streams. It would be awsome.

Just think what the Promised land will be like.
:bow:
MJ


Have you ever seen Canadian praries in winter? There is a good reason they are not to heavily populated. :D

[LadyGarnetRose]

I want to thank you who started this thread :D

I went and asked my landlord if I could have plants on my balcony. He said, "Just as long as it ain't anything illegal go ahead."

YAY!!! So, I'm going to go to the nursery and find something I can put in a pot, that won't die out here and will be something yummy :D

Praise God :)

[Henaynei]

ground too rocky to garden here - it would take a lot of back breaking work, and I was already paralyzed once, it is not worth the risk when there are tons of farmer's markets around here, although I *really* wish they would be open on some day other than Saturday :( totally missed out last year because of that - hoping to network better this year and find some road side mom-n-pops that have better hours ;)

[Wags]

I want to thank you who started this thread :D

I went and asked my landlord if I could have plants on my balcony. He said, "Just as long as it ain't anything illegal go ahead."

YAY!!! So, I'm going to go to the nursery and find something I can put in a pot, that won't die out here and will be something yummy :D

Praise God :)
Yeah!!! Tomatos are always a yummy choice, and cucumber can be grown vertically on tomato support cages too. And its probably not to late for a jar of strawberries. If you can afford it try getting one of those self watering pots. (http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/ViewStandardCatalog-ProductPaging?CatalogCategoryID=mvsKAANyexwAAAEQpLEU4e%2eA&=&=&=&=&=&PageableName=Products&PageNumber=0) You fill the resevoir and the water wicks up from the bottom. Keeps them from drying out during hot weather and you only have to water when the little gauge pops up and tells you to add more.

[Henaynei]

I know you've heard of Black Leaf, ever heard of Black Thumb? ;)

[Wags]

ground too rocky to garden here - it would take a lot of back breaking work, and I was already paralyzed once, it is not worth the risk when there are tons of farmer's markets around here, although I *really* wish they would be open on some day other than Saturday :( totally missed out last year because of that - hoping to network better this year and find some road side mom-n-pops that have better hours ;)


Have you thought about doing raised beds? That what we had to do at our last place. The ground was such nasty clay that it took two years for even weeds to grow back after the house was built. And of course container gardening is always an option. I have a few planters from Gardener's Supply Company (http://www.gardeners.com/Vegetable-Planters/default/StandardCatalog.VegetablePlanters_Cat.cat). Not cheap but they are reusable and make gardening so much easier. Even though I have great soil here, I'm still using them for the tomatoes, because they deliever water so evenly.

[LadyGarnetRose]

Yeah!!! Tomatos are always a yummy choice, and cucumber can be grown vertically on tomato support cages too. And its probably not to late for a jar of strawberries. If you can afford it try getting one of those self watering pots. (http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/ViewStandardCatalog-ProductPaging?CatalogCategoryID=mvsKAANyexwAAAEQpLEU4e%2eA&=&=&=&=&=&PageableName=Products&PageNumber=0) You fill the resevoir and the water wicks up from the bottom. Keeps them from drying out during hot weather and you only have to water when the little gauge pops up and tells you to add more.
Oh cool!!! Again thank you so much :)

I gotta get hubby to agree to go with me tomorrow so I don't have to try to lug everything upstairs :D :D by myself :)

Tomatos and strawberries sound wonderful (hubby won't eat cucumbers and I can't eat them fast enough, and last time I tried canning took me 3 days to get my kitchen clean :)

[Wags]

I love cukes too! Especially lemon cukes, I like to slice them up and marinate them in a little vinegar and water that has a dash of sugar added to it. Yummy. And of course tomato, olive, cucumber and feta cheese salads are also very yummy! Oh, I'm making myself hungry! :D

[LadyGarnetRose]

I love cukes too! Especially lemon cukes, I like to slice them up and marinate them in a little vinegar and water that has a dash of sugar added to it. Yummy. And of course tomato, olive, cucumber and feta cheese salads are also very yummy! Oh, I'm making myself hungry! :D
I love cukes too, just gotta watch how many I eat...

I'm starving myself here as well. I gotta go make dindin.

[visionary]

My little Sadie and I love gardening... weeds win because of neglect later on in the year though... Hope to do better this year.

[Ivy]

It's rocky & shady on my property, but I have a nice sunhouse & back deck, maybe I could do some stuff in containers. I love aromatic herbs like lavendary & rosemary & scented geranium.....so lovely :-)

[LadyGarnetRose]

Well, went to the nursery, they are gonna deliever this weekend the selfwatering pots I got, they are a lot like the whiskey barrel from that website.

I got tomatos, basil, peppers, cucumbers, thyme, rosemary, chives, parsely, strawberries and summer squash.

[Wags]

Well, went to the nursery, they are gonna deliever this weekend the selfwatering pots I got, they are a lot like the whiskey barrel from that website.

I got tomatos, basil, peppers, cucumbers, thyme, rosemary, chives, parsely, strawberries and summer squash.
Oh wow - thats going to be quite the nice garden!!

[MattyJames]

Have you ever seen Canadian praries in winter? There is a good reason they are not to heavily populated. :D

Yeh, I've been thinking that one through. I think migration with the birds is probably a good choice. But since I've never grown up with snow - seen it once - I'm perfectly nieve as to the hazzards. However, there is a strange beauty about snow. :wave:

Maybe you could suggest somewhere else to set my sights??

A_Pioneer - Thank God for the rain! There is currently a 5 year drought in some areas here in OZ. We, being on the coastline, have been blessed with a great wet season. I rejoyce with you.

regards,

Matt James

[Wags]

Oh yeah, the FIRST snowfall is beautiful.... the subsequent ones not so much... LOL!

If you ever make it to the West Coast of the USA you will have to come and visit us. We are about an hour from the coast and an hour from the mountains. Lovely zone 7 gardening.

My dad found a source for hazel nut trees today, so we will be getting those planted in the next week! And he found an apple tree he really wants so I told him he could get it (and anything else he wants as long as he digs the holes!). I may come home from our trip next week to find my orchard greatly expanded. :)

[A_Pioneer]

Oh that is good news. Hopefully it won't dump all at once - but fall gently enough not to wash away soil.It seems Elohim took your wish as His Command and did just that, about 30 hrs. and about 2.75". Very little runoff.

And Matt James Todah Rabah for your good comments.
So fine to be blessed with your wet season.

Shalom

[MattyJames]

Oh yeah, the FIRST snowfall is beautiful.... the subsequent ones not so much... LOL!

If you ever make it to the West Coast of the USA you will have to come and visit us. We are about an hour from the coast and an hour from the mountains. Lovely zone 7 gardening.

My dad found a source for hazel nut trees today, so we will be getting those planted in the next week! And he found an apple tree he really wants so I told him he could get it (and anything else he wants as long as he digs the holes!). I may come home from our trip next week to find my orchard greatly expanded. :)

I shall most certainly visit! I'd love to see some of america.

thanks for the email - I get the point. ;)

MJ

[MattyJames]

It seems Elohim took your wish as His Command and did just that, about 30 hrs. and about 2.75". Very little runoff.

And Matt James Todah Rabah for your good comments.
So fine to be blessed with your wet season.

Shalom

:thumbsup:

I'd have a shin dig at my place if we were near!

But for now - shalom.

MJ

[Torah]

Do you engage in the world's oldest profession? [open]
Your title through me off when I saw it. I was thinking of the second oldest profession.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden.... (Gen 2:8)

Scripture is full of references to planting and tending gardens and vineyards and looking after animals.

Take care to know the conditions of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds. (Prov 27:23)

I am always reading anecdotes about people who live in cities and how they don't have a clue where their food comes from or how it is produced. People who refuse to eat eggs unless they have white shells and come from a grocery store. Or people that are appaled to see/hear about an animal being butchered, but think nothing of stopping by McDonalds for lunch.
a man goes into a restaurant and asks the waiter what the special for today is? The waiter says “beef tough”. “That’s gross” said the man, “I’m not going to eat anything that comes out of a cow’s mouth. Just fry me up a couple of eggs.

Many years back when we were living off the land. I had a very close friend [from NY] come to visit us. It was getting late in the afternoon and he asked what was for dinner? I pointed to our Chicken coop and said “Chicken”! He looks out back and said: “Where”?
My sons and I went out back and prepared {cut head off, pull feathers, & gut them.) the chicken for the grill. When we brought the chicken in all cleaned up and looking like store bought chicken. My friend said “O-there’s the chicken”! LOL

[true story] A man I know (city boy) told me that one year he and his wife (country girl) planted an acre in potato’s (he loves frayed spuds). The plants got bigger & bigger and his wife would tell him, “only another week or two and we will get our first potatoes”. He would walk out and look and the plants and go back into his house (and says nothing). 3 days later his wife tells him that tomorrow she is going to harvest some of the potatoes. He walks out to the garden looks around then goes back into the house and says to his wife, “What are you talking about: “harvest some of what potatoes?” there is not a potato on any of the plants.

I wonder sometimes how much of the agricultural references in scripture they really understand.

For those of you that do garden and/or raise your own meat/milk/eggs etc... now that spring is here (well for some us anyway) what are your growing plans for this year?
raised bed gardening; Lots of herbs this year, Tomatoes, collared greens, lattes, squash, onion, potato’s, peppers bell & banana, & peanuts.


As I posted in a previous thread, we got our orchard planted and have been working the garden soil. Probably will start planting after Passover. Will also be getting chicks after Passover and a couple of Nigerian Dwarf doelings in May. My goal, Adonai willing, is to be 90% self sufficent when it comes to food by 2010. Why only 90%? - becuase I like coffee, sugar and a few other things that don't grow in this climate without a hothouse.


sugar; raising bees,honeyis a very good alternative to sugar and it takes only half of what you would use with sugar. If a pie use 1 cup sugar, honey use only ½ cup. And a little bees wax with tallow makes candles burn longer. I always had honey in the cone on hand as a substitute to gum, a spoon of bees way with the honey still in it could be chewed for a long time. If you have honey in a jar and it turns to crystal let it soak in hot tap water it will go back to liquid. Honey is also good in making soap.


Raised bed gardening; great for apartments, with price of tomatoes the same as gas; it’s a good idea to start one.
stacked potatoes; Good way to grow potatoes with little space. 4 or 5 old car tires, or 4 or 5 wooden boxes; 2foot by 2foot by 6in high. Lay tire flat, Fill with good rich soil, plant potato eyes. When the potato plant is big enough to stand above a second tire, place second tire on top of the first tire and fill with good rich soil. The plant must be above the dirt on the second tire before you fill the tire with dirt. Keep doing this with all 4 tires. When the potatoes in the top tire are big enough, break your stacked tires down and each tire will be full of potatoes.

raising goats; Goats can and do stink, The reason for this is that a buck will pee on his own head to make himself smell good for the doe. And she likes the smell so much that she will allows the buck to pee on her head also. This can give a strong taste to the goat meat. The best way to solve this is to; (1) keep the duck away from the doe until it’s time to breed them. And then separate them afterward. (1) slaughter your goats before the get old enough to spray themselves.

Rain: I now live in a house that my Father-in-law lived in for 3 years before he past away. In those 3 years he complained that it never rained in this area. Our first Sukkot in this house we poured water from a pitcher onto the ground here and do so each Sukkot for a bountiful rain. From our first year to this year [4 years] we have plenty of rain. In fact one of my kids last year said to me: “I thought Grand paw said that it didn’t rain much here”.


Heirloom seeds: 10 years ago I bought some corn seed from a neighbor who told me that these corn seed was from corn that has been in his family for over 150 years. And I have planted the same corn for the past 10 years and it is very good corn. I have bought Heirloom seeds and have harvest the seed each year for a long time. It is well worth the extra cost.


snakes in trees: I have a few pecan trees and have had problem with squirrel & blue Jay taking the pecan. I bought a bunch of $1.00 toy snakes and stuck them in the trees. I watch a squirrel start to run up one of my tree’s and come face to face to one of the snakes, in one leap he was out of that tree. Also you can buy a plastic Owl, place it in the grove. The only thing is, every so often you must move your “Scarecrow’s” or your pest will get use to them.

onion braid: When I grow onion or garlic I leave the green stems on them and braid them into a long stalk of onion. I tie the end of the braid with a string and hang it in the kitchen, It looks nice and is easy to just cut a onion off.

compost: A easy way to make compost is to take a heavy-duty-construction garbage bag, put it in a garbage can and throw all your table scraps (no meat) and veggie parts. Carrot tops & skin, potato skins, celery ends, Ect.. When the bag is about ¾ full put in a shovel of animal dung or some good rich black dirt. Once a month turn the bag over, in about 6 months you will have good compost.

Fun planting; put a small vegetable on the vine in a bottle and watch it grow in the bottle. Kids love this.

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Milk%20and%20honey%20soap (http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Milk%20and%20honey%20soap)

http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners/Raised-Beds.htm (http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners/Raised-Beds.htm)


http://search.peoplepc.com/search?area=earthlink-peoplepc-wssynd&cgid=176&memberID=6178156&segmentID=-1,2,-3,-4&category=peoplepal&logosrc=http://home.peoplepc.com/i/common/ppco_blue.gif&q=soap+makeing+with+honey (http://search.peoplepc.com/search?area=earthlink-peoplepc-wssynd&cgid=176&memberID=6178156&segmentID=-1,2,-3,-4&category=peoplepal&logosrc=http://home.peoplepc.com/i/common/ppco_blue.gif&q=soap+makeing+with+honey)

[Ivy]

I'm sorry but that goat anecdote just had me so cracking up!!!!! :D ^_^ :D I actually woke my daughter up with my laughter.

whew..............*wipes eyes

[Torah]

I'm sorry but that goat anecdote just had me so cracking up!!!!! :D ^_^ :D I actually woke my daughter up with my laughter.

whew..............*wipes eyes
Gives it a new meaning to when G-d said he will divide the goats from the sheep.

[Wags]

We won't be getting a buck for a couple of years, since we can use the one that wasn't the doelings papa at the place we are getting them, since its just a couple of miles away. But eventually we will.

I've been around their two Nigerian Dwarf (http://www.ndga.org/) bucks taking pictures of them, and was quite surprised that there wasn't a smell. Maybe it is just that breed. You can fit 3 Nigerian in the space of 1 Nubian and unlike most of the other breeds they breed year 'round so if all goes according to schedule you could have milk year round without any drop off in supply. Even a small holder could have 3 adorable Nigerian's. And there milk is higher in butter fat then Nubian's too - so you get more butter & cheese out of the same amount of milk.

I would like to do bees - they don't scare me in the slightest - used to catch honey bees in my bare hands without mishap. But hubby is slightly allergic and very afraid of them. Haven't figured out yet where I could put a hive or two that wouldn't have him in a sweat.

[Bananna]

I love garden threads. Though I thought this was going to be a homemaker thread... haha.

I really need a real garden plan to feed this big hord. If I could I'd spend my farm share dollars making a farm here.

Maybe I should buy a gardener.
bananna

[MattyJames]

I love garden threads. Though I thought this was going to be a homemaker thread... haha.

I really need a real garden plan to feed this big hord. If I could I'd spend my farm share dollars making a farm here.

Maybe I should buy a gardener.
bananna
:D :thumbsup:

[MattyJames]

I would like to do bees - they don't scare me in the slightest - used to catch honey bees in my bare hands without mishap. But hubby is slightly allergic and very afraid of them. Haven't figured out yet where I could put a hive or two that wouldn't have him in a sweat.

Yeh, Bee's are something I'd like to do as well. I must admit - I am scared of them - but my sweet tooth has more will power. ;)

I'm looking into those goats too. Not that we're short on space, but they could be something different.

MJ

[Wags]

Well we are now the proud owners of 12 baby chicks! Bekah and Ari are quite excited about all the peeping and even Rocky the rooster was a wee bit curious about what was in that box. :-) And just in case anyone wants to know there are 4 Rhode Island Reds (the breed our rooster is) 4 Plymouth Barred Rocks and 4 Araucans (also know as "Easter Eggers" because they lay eggs with blue/green colored shells.) Today - 3 years ago - was Bekah's due date and since she was a "spring chick" I thought it only appropriate that we get ourselves some chicks on this date.

Maybe Ari will teach Bekah how to say "chicken" since he seems to have no problems saying it.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1k5VAO9it92pO1eacov1ei9cyzuk620_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1k5VAO9it92pO1eacov1ei9cyzuk620)

[MattyJames]

Well we are now the proud owners of 12 baby chicks! Bekah and Ari are quite excited about all the peeping and even Rocky the rooster was a wee bit curious about what was in that box. :-) And just in case anyone wants to know there are 4 Rhode Island Reds (the breed our rooster is) 4 Plymouth Barred Rocks and 4 Araucans (also know as "Easter Eggers" because they lay eggs with blue/green colored shells.) Today - 3 years ago - was Bekah's due date and since she was a "spring chick" I thought it only appropriate that we get ourselves some chicks on this date.

Maybe Ari will teach Bekah how to say "chicken" since he seems to have no problems saying it.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1k5VAO9it92pO1eacov1ei9cyzuk620_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1k5VAO9it92pO1eacov1ei9cyzuk620)


LOLOLOL...now the fun begins!!

I've just finnished makeing a Chicken coop that dad designed. I'll get some pictures and post them up for yall. We too run Rodhe Reds. We also have Sussix, Bantam Game and Chinese Silkys and 3 turkeys. Apparently we've also got some newly hatched chicks - I don't know what they are yet.

Funny thing about little sisters and big brothers. They sweet talk Daddy into buying more animals, and its big brothers job to sort out the logistical problems. Not to mention all the dirty work!!! LOL :D

Family, don't ya just love 'em!

I'll work on those pics.

MJ

[Wags]

Love to see the coop MattyJames. I've got to make a "chicken tractor" pretty soon for these ladies. Want them to be as close to total free range as possible, but we have a lot of hawks and other predators so they have to have some protection.

[MattyJames]

Love to see the coop MattyJames. I've got to make a "chicken tractor" pretty soon for these ladies. Want them to be as close to total free range as possible, but we have a lot of hawks and other predators so they have to have some protection.

Yeh we're lucky in that sence. The only prblem here is wild dogs and snakes, ohh cats as well. But since we've already got 4 dogs guarding the place, most predators keep away.

Actually, I might have read something in the GrassRoots magazine. I'll let you know.

MJ

[Torah]

Wags congratulation on your"spring chick". :thumbsup:
Rhode Island Reds have been my favorite chicken to keep, there durable in all weather and strong birds’ good layers and meaty. If you’re going to build a chicken pen I would like to offer a few suggestions.

(1) Inside your roosting house, build a assess door from the outside to your laying boxes, so you do not have to go inside your roosting house to get the eggs. This is very convenient when gathering the egg’s each day, and makes it easy to put hay in the laying box.

(2) Spray paint the inside of each laying box black. Hens like it dark when they lay there egg’s.

(3) Watering: My roosting house / chicken house had a tin roof that slanted one way. I put in a rain gutter to catch the rain in a plastic 55gal barrel. I set this rain barrel on two cement blocks to keep it off the ground. I drilled at the bottom of the barrel, and placed an outside water faucet sealing it with rubber washers. This way I could turn the faucet handle on or off to drain the water from the barrel. I placed a water hose to the faucet and the other end of the hose to a chicken watering feeding. This watering feeder works like the back tank of your toilet. As the water fills the tank the float rises, when it gets to a certain level it shuts off the flow of water. I rarely had to add water to the barrel and my chickens always had water.



This is a good sight with lots of information.
http://www.poultryhelp.com/link-housing.html (http://www.poultryhelp.com/link-housing.html)

[MattyJames]

Yeh Good advice Torah. We've run outta time at the moment, but later on I'll be putting doors all around the coop so that the whole house can be opened up like a box. This will also allow the house to be jet cleaned easily.

Good idea about the drum too. We'll be doing the same.

I'll get those pics soon.

regards,

MJ

[Wags]

I am going to attempt to build something like the one pictured here:
http://www.henhouses.co.uk/groscon.html

I also have plans for an A-frame style tractor but I like the looks of the above better.

[Torah]

Very good wags.:thumbsup: It is very similar to the one I built.:wave:

[visionary]

One of the main reasons I am engaged in the world's oldest professions is for the spiritual impact on my life.

Pulling weeds reminds me of why I should shun sin with all do diligence. The roots of some sins are terrible deep and hard to pull and eradicate from the soil.

The transformation of a little bit of land from wild to beautiful, restful and full of God's wonderous creation brings joy to my soul. It takes dedication, determination, perserverence and tolerance, longsuffering work to make any headway in this work all of which teaches me resolve, vision, and unending tenacious vigilance. This will produce a bounty in beauty and good clean, healthy food to eat.

[MattyJames]

One of the main reasons I am engaged in the world's oldest professions is for the spiritual impact on my life.

Pulling weeds reminds me of why I should shun sin with all do diligence. The roots of some sins are terrible deep and hard to pull and eradicate from the soil.

The transformation of a little bit of land from wild to beautiful, restful and full of God's wonderous creation brings joy to my soul. It takes dedication, determination, perserverence and tolerance, longsuffering work to make any headway in this work all of which teaches me resolve, vision, and unending tenacious vigilance. This will produce a bounty in beauty and good clean, healthy food to eat.

And the work is never done. There will be more weeds to pull tomorrow.

brings a new meaning to 'Saved by Grace'.

well done Vis,

MJ

[MattyJames]

I am going to attempt to build something like the one pictured here:
http://www.henhouses.co.uk/groscon.html

I also have plans for an A-frame style tractor but I like the looks of the above better.

Yeh not bad, but how many Chickens you planning on running??

That coop wouldn't hold to many.

Still haven't got any photos of ours. Slack.

MJ

[ChavaK]

We tried to plant a garden the first two years but the
deer came and helped themselves to everything. I
think they thought it was their own personal salad bar.
I hate deer fencing so we gave up on the garden
idea ( I am not much of a gardener anyway).
We tried chickens once, but the dog got in and
took care of them, so that was the end of that.
It wasn't practical anyway since my husband
hates eggs, and there wasn't anyone
to shecht them.
We do raise sheep part time, but again since there
is no one to shecht them, we don't eat the meat.
We did use the wool one year though to help make
my nephew's tallis for his bar mitzvah...

[Wags]

Yeh not bad, but how many Chickens you planning on running??

That coop wouldn't hold to many.

Still haven't got any photos of ours. Slack.

MJ

Have a dozen pullets - don't expect they will all make it to laying age. But if they do that will be all we will have. Which is more than enough to supply my family and my parents except maybe in winter when production drops off.

[Wags]

I was changing the newspaper in the chicks box this morning and got a chuckle when I saw the headline of the final layer of paper I put down. It was so appropriate I just had to get the camera out. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1s6v5KnnXGgd1V3785AjLwymUzWn1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1s6v5KnnXGgd1V3785AjLwymUzWn1)
(To see a larger image simply click on the above thumbnail.)

[Kalanit]

:D That pic is perfect! lol!

I haven't read the entire thread, but Wags, are you keeping the chicks in a plastic box? Does that work well? How often do you change the box? Does the newspaper work better than wood shavings?

My parents' last chicken got snatched by an animal last week. Guess It's time to order some more.

[Wags]

Yes it is a plastic Rubber maid tub and that sort of set up is pretty common for a temporary brooder. Gotta work on a place to move my heat lamp too as they are about due for a temperature lowering. (Which means moving the heat lamp further away, or changing bulbs.)

There are folks that swear by shavings as the only thing, while others say that paper works fine them. I change the top layers at least twice a day and every other day I take everything out and wipe up anything the paper doesn't catch.

[MattyJames]

Yes it is a plastic Rubber maid tub and that sort of set up is pretty common for a temporary brooder. Gotta work on a place to move my heat lamp too as they are about due for a temperature lowering. (Which means moving the heat lamp further away, or changing bulbs.)

There are folks that swear by shavings as the only thing, while others say that paper works fine them. I change the top layers at least twice a day and every other day I take everything out and wipe up anything the paper doesn't catch.

Yeh - we just used Carboard box with newspaper on the bottom. Work fine.

Good pic Wags! LOL.

MJ

[skippys]

Now the Lord God had planted a garden.... (Gen 2:8)

Scripture is full of references to planting and tending gardens and vineyards and looking after animals.

Take care to know the conditions of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds. (Prov 27:23)

We raise horses and tried to raise cows. It is hard to eat something that you have named and talks to you when feeding it! We also have a pet zebra, elk and white tail deer. They killed the deer hunting sport in our family as well. Grocery store is easier, cleaner and you don't have to look them in the eye.

I live in Iowa so we have REALLY BIG GARDENS here! Price of corn has doubled because of using it for fuel. That's great for fuel costs but not for farmers. Food prices going up but I don't see fuel prices going down.

The only bad part of Iowa, we live next door to a pig farm. Talk about your Gentile neighbors! I chuckle over my deliverence from pork... they smell horrable and the dogs would go nutts, growling at them and the horses hate them too, they spook and shy away. My animals knew all along that these creatures just don't quite fit into the food chain. :sick:

[Wags]

This afternoon we went to see two of the three doelings that we will be getting. This one is currently called Mamie (her twin is Ike) and she was born March 14th. Couple more months before she is ready to come to our house, despite Bekah's insistence "we need to take this one home with us".

Fortunately for her (and the chickens) we are lacto ovo vegetairans so no worries about butchering what we've raised.

The other one (that I don't have a picture of) is only a week old. She has similar markings, but has brown eyes. The black & white doe in the background of picture is due next month and we are hoping she will have a doeling which will be our third doe. Otherwise we will have to wait and see what is born in June. All three are Nigerian Dwarfs - a mini dairy goat breed (the does only get about 20-21" tall). They have very sweet dispositions, and are supposed to be good around 2 legged kids.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1gtTU0MiIlnTD98P5ZrQiB0AzPOdy_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1gtTU0MiIlnTD98P5ZrQiB0AzPOdy)

[LadyGarnetRose]

We raise horses and tried to raise cows. It is hard to eat something that you have named and talks to you when feeding it! We also have a pet zebra, elk and white tail deer. They killed the deer hunting sport in our family as well. Grocery store is easier, cleaner and you don't have to look them in the eye.

I live in Iowa so we have REALLY BIG GARDENS here! Price of corn has doubled because of using it for fuel. That's great for fuel costs but not for farmers. Food prices going up but I don't see fuel prices going down.

The only bad part of Iowa, we live next door to a pig farm. Talk about your Gentile neighbors! I chuckle over my deliverence from pork... they smell horrable and the dogs would go nutts, growling at them and the horses hate them too, they spook and shy away. My animals knew all along that these creatures just don't quite fit into the food chain. :sick:
On my honeymoon, my husband and I traveled from one end of the country and back. We entered Iowa, right by a pig farm. It was an interesting experience for this city girl :D

[Wags]

I started this project this past Sunday. The little red chicken tractor is now about 95% complete. The roof panels are on, (they are green) but I have to wait until next week to get the ridge panel. The company that sold us the panels doesn't carry the ridge pieces. :scratch: Also need to get the wheels on so it is more mobile - I can move it by myself right now, but just barely. Have to say I am pretty proud of myself for building it- even if my cuts aren't all that straight. :D

Took the pullets on a field trip to inspect their future living quarters since we had a little bit of sun today. They seemed to approve and really enjoyed trying out their new wings. Couple more weeks and they will be old enough (if the weather cooperates) to move in permanently .

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1NiELSKQS8VtE1hKzIFlgLLqvb1aB_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1NiELSKQS8VtE1hKzIFlgLLqvb1aB)
To see a larger image click on the above thunbnail.

[Bananna]

great chicken tractor.

bananna

[Ahava]

Time to go outside and practice the world's oldest profession. Tomatoes and herbs in large (18 to 30 inch pots). Got to pick up bell pepper (yellow and red at least) and plant some okra.

[visionary]

Purchased tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and zucchini... now to plant.

[Torah]

Got all my Honey extracted Just before Shavuot. I will get my next harvest of Honey Just before Rosh Hashanah.

My raised bed garden is doing fantastic! Lots of tomato, squash, lettuce, onion, potatoes, bell & Banana Peppers, peanuts, & about 20 different Herbs.

[Wags]

Sounds wonderful Torah! I think I have finally talked my hubby into letting me get a hive or two - next year. We've got enough new things this year between the chickens and the goats that are arriving in a couple of week. (And the orchard & garden).

Our weather is just now finally warm enough to start the garden. Hopefully my dad and I can firm our planting list and get started in the next day or two.

All 12 of my chicks survived - so now I need to find at least 3 of them new homes becuase my coop isn't really big enough for all 12 when they are full grown.

Oh and our beloved Rocky the Rooster, disappeared the day I finished the coop. When I was building the coop (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1yFQJdqbaUEOwtxela8Y7Ec4G0)he would come and sit next to me or get up and inspect what I was doing. And a couple of times I parked the van near by and put in a veggie tale movie for the kids so I could work without them getting in the way. He hopped in the van and watched the movie along with them. :) We sure do miss the big fellow!

[Torah]

Sounds wonderful Torah! I think I have finally talked my hubby into letting me get a hive or two - next year. Wags you will notice that you get more produce in your garden with a Bee hive or two. :thumbsup: We've got enough new things this year between the chickens and the goats that are arriving in a couple of week. (And the orchard & garden).

Our weather is just now finally warm enough to start the garden. Wow! It’s funny to Think that some folk’s winter is still going on now.:P
Hopefully my dad and I can firm our planting list and get started in the next day or two.

All 12 of my chicks survived - so now I need to find at least 3 of them new homes becuase my coop isn't really big enough for all 12 when they are full grown. Wow Wags, you must use a lot of Egg’s. 12 eggs’ a day is a lot, we use to mix egg with our bog food to give our dog a nice shiny coat. Also my girl’s use to use egg & honey as shampoo. They said it made there hair shiny and silky, that’s what they said!

Oh and our beloved Rocky the Rooster, disappeared the day I finished the coop. This could be a problem. Most likely it was a predator of some sort and could be a problem for your hens.
I have had problems with a fox, & Hawk, but the worst chicken killer of them all. My neighbors Dog. After showing my neighbor my dead chickens in his yard three times [the third time seeing his dogs kill my chickens] He tells me it wasn’t his dogs. I call the police and tell them and they inform me that I have every right to, “protect my person, family, & livestock with deadly force agent’s predators”. I shot the dog! My neighbor calls the police and the police tell him just what he told me. All of this happen in a time frame of 3,1/2 years, there were 3 dogs that My neighbor had. I shot the leader of the pack a pit-bull. He would rip through the chicken wire with his teeth and the 3 dogs would go in and just kill all the chickens and then each one would take one chicken to there yard and eat everything but the feathers. I lost 36 chickens, 6 turkeys, our family dog, and maybe a cat. [never found the cat] After shooting the one dog my neighbor chained the other two dogs up. But at night would unchain them and let them run, and in the morning would chain them up again. My neighbor who lived on the other side of this man lost a bunch of chickens one night too these two dogs, He walked up into the guys yard in the morning and shot the two dogs that were changed back up.
That was the last time I had livestock. I pray, you have a better time with your chickens than I did Wags.
Shalom


When I was building the coop (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1yFQJdqbaUEOwtxela8Y7Ec4G0)he would come and sit next to me or get up and inspect what I was doing. And a couple of times I parked the van near by and put in a veggie tale movie for the kids so I could work without them getting in the way. He hopped in the van and watched the movie along with them. We sure do miss the big fellow!

[Wags]

We probably only need 3-4 hens, but I wanted the extra to be able to share with my family and with members of the congregation. Same with theorchard and the big garden we are planting today - we wanted extra to share.

If you click on the link "building the coop" link you can see the chicken tractor I built for them. The rooster was free range - he was a stray - but the hens will not be free range, although they will have access to fresh ground daily. And I used hardware cloth instead of chicken wire.

The neighobring property is for sale and I'm hoping that whoever buys it has sense enough not to let their dogs get onto our property. I have low tolerance for dogs (or people) harassing animals.

[Wags]

One of my hens turned out to be Rooster. He started trying to crow today. Listening to him just really tickled me and lifted my spirits immensely. Baruch HaShem for his wonderful creations!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Wags374/6-21-07Roo-roo.png

I let Bekah hold a hen for the first time this evening and she was so thrilled that she quit asking about the baby goats for at least 15 mintues :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Wags374/6-21-07Bekahhen.png

With the help of my sister my hubby got the goats fence finished this morning and we are as ready as we can be for the arrival of the three doelings on Sunday. Bekah of course is just beside herself and says that she wants them all to "nuggle" (snuggle) her. I think she is thinking they are going to be like having another dog.

[Torah]

One of my hens turned out to be Rooster. He started trying to crow today. Listening to him just really tickled me and lifted my spirits immensely. Baruch HaShem for his wonderful creations!
Thanks wags for bringing this thread up again. I have always got a kick out of a young rooster learning to crow. It reminds me of when my son’s voice was starting to change and it would get deeper and crack. They were just like Rosters in many ways. Lol
When my boys were teenagers they would get our rooster to chase them, and if the old rooster would catch one of them he would “sink spur”. And I keep his spur’s cut short. lol

With the help of my sister my hubby got the goats fence finished this morning and we are as ready as we can be for the arrival of the three doelings on Sunday. Bekah of course is just beside herself and says that she wants them all to "nuggle" (snuggle) her. I think she is thinking they are going to be like having another dog.
Your Children have grown so much Wags! Wow! Goats can be nice to “nuggle” with, my kids treated one of our goats like a pet, that goat use to hang around with our dog, sleep with the dog, run with the dog, when we would go off some place the dog & goat would chase the car down the dirt road.
So! Wags how does your garden grow?

[Wags]

Well for Bekah "nuggling" usually means she wants them to be in bed with her. :) They are so not coming in the house!

Garden is doing pretty well - although we missed out on planting somethings. My dad has all the seed, but doesn't think anyone else will do it right, so he won't let me plant. And woe to me if I plant something in a place he doesn't want. It is my land and my garden, but sometimes it is like being a teernager again with dad dictating what chores he wants done and how he wants them done.

[visionary]

Wags... how do you do the pics thing.... I can not get a single pic on this thread... on any thread for that matter.

[Wags]

You can do it two ways:

1. Upload your photos to a host site like Photobucket.com and then paste the IMG code that is provided in your post.

OR

2. Upload your photos to pixentral.com and paste the "forum" code here. That will put a small thumnail in your post that people can click on to see a larger image.

[visionary]

I wish I could post pics like you, Wags.:sorry:

[MattyJames]

Ok - well i've been away from the forum for quite some time - preocupied with business, among other things. hush wags, hush! In anycase, Mum has alerted me to the fact that I promised to post some pics of the Chicken Coop that we erected...and I never did get around to it! Soo - whilest under some matriachal pressure, I think I'd better get those pics on - I'd prefer going to bed with a satisfied stomach!! So - I hope this works out!

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1nYxDMnZtozY91aLGJBKclabDBhEG_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1nYxDMnZtozY91aLGJBKclabDBhEG)
This is a side view, looking at the enterance gate. The bottom of the pen is now full of those plastic 44 gallon drums, with the idea that when the floods come through it will float! LOL Yes you are quiet welcome to laugh!! :-D It is a rather hopeful plan, which would be delightful to see! We've since concreted in posts on the corners to stop the pen moving around in the case of it floating. In anycase, the waters shouldn't get anymore than about 3 foot high, so I doubt that we'll see it happen anytime soon! LOL Ohh thats the little sister at the gate.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/14ezHCdylhmRP3k6HUJBmyUM2C0l0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=14ezHCdylhmRP3k6HUJBmyUM2C0l0)
Ok - this shot gives you an idea of the run size. Its a small cluster of trees situated on a flat behind the house. It takes up the area of about 200m2. Its meshed to 2.2m high (about 8-9') which stops the chooks flying out. It also has the canopy above it which hinders any hawks from diving the chicks or hens. We have currently upgraded the chickens to sussex, which are HUGE!! They are about the body size of a turkey. Beautiful Chooks. We've also got a dog posted at the entrance of the pen, and another at that dead stump in the foreground of the photo - yes they are on wire runs, to all those who detest dogs being tied up.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1EBMNKtSN5ky1FbWpxDR0leyVwg3g_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1EBMNKtSN5ky1FbWpxDR0leyVwg3g)
A side shot. My two dogs (not the ones who look after the pen) - the little one standing is always smiling!! LOL They are great dogs. This is the entrance into the Pen. We've since put a tap in the post, with a slab under it so the girls can wash the water bucket out. It also allows connection to hose the pen out.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1OInQ1X7xpN4gnxSz6EJEJ5DWCIp1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1OInQ1X7xpN4gnxSz6EJEJ5DWCIp1)

The front of the Coop. As I said in one of my other posts - I would liked to have had all the sides opening up - so as to allow full venalation of the coop - and I may just yet do it - time hasn't permited yet. Dad would certinly like to get it done though.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1hy5BZuHF4DJFBFJlPejdYwa1wGfhm1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1hy5BZuHF4DJFBFJlPejdYwa1wGfhm1)

Ok - just a shot showing the concrete floor. It was done on some old roofing iron we had - and the reinforcing was with 4mm mesh. The slab was only about 50 - 75mm think: 2-3". It works well!! Most of the pen was made out of old material we had stored in and around the shed. I think some of the framing was new - so we wern't dealing with old timber! LOL apart from that - its mostly recycled stuff we been dragging around with us for yonks!

Well, thats about it! Hope you find it half interesting. It is not suited to all situations, but it is definatly big enough! It should be able to hold about 50 hens without much trouble. Of course, we let them out to free range around the property. We've only had one mishap when a dog came in a killed a turkey chick. My dog, the one seen in the rear of the photo, spotted it too late and it was all done before it attacked the intruder. The theif hasn't been back since. Apart from that, every other tresspasser has been given a swift 'what for' a soon as they enter the yard. As I said, they are great dogs! Very smart, very very smart! It will be a hard day when I lose him.

Apart from that, we got a bore put down the other day. Intersting morning. We hit water at 10'. Actually, I was digging in a post about a month ago and I hit water at 2.5'!! kept on digging and the hole eventually filled to 1' from the top!! I couldn't believe my eyes!! Anyway - I ended up divining a couple of streams, and we decided to sink a bore on one. It is beautiful water, and plenty of it. Thank the Good Lord for that!

Its late, I must be going!!

Regards to you Torah, hope all is well. Wags, will talk soon!!

Matt James

[Wags]

Thanks for finally posting the pictures of your elaborate coop. Hope the plan to keep it afloat durig flooding works. You sure do have a low water table in your area. Since you are so close to saltwater are you actually getting sweet water? And have you checked it during high tide? :)

We are getting 3 of our 4 goats today. Two babies and an adult doe that they are throwing in for free. She is a proven kidder and milker and we will be able to breed her this fall. HaShem is indeed blessing us!

[Wags]

Our new kids (and one adult doe) arrived today. The 3rd kid, Millie, will be joining them in a few months as she is only a week old right now. And yes, Mame really does have blue eyes. I am so excited to finally have goats after wanting some for years. :) The two legged kids think the 4-legged ones are pretty neat. Fortuantely Allie doesn't mind their attentions and the little ones are fast enough to keep away from over zealous petting.

We org. were only supposed to get three doelings, but they offered us Allie at no additonal charge. (Baruch HaShem!) and she is an experienced kider/milker, which will be great for me as I've never milked a goat before. Lots of cows, but never a goat.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1mrqtE0zFeJz1LUJvMee5TEV0SgW2_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1mrqtE0zFeJz1LUJvMee5TEV0SgW2)
(click on the above thumbnail to see a larger picture)

[yeshuaslavejeff]

LOST CHIHUHUA OWASSO

Reply to: comm-359323377@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-06-24, 3:56PM CDT


I AM LOOKING FOR MY LOST CHIHUAHUA IN THE BROOKFIELD CROSSING AREA. HES A TAN MALE CHIHUAHUA. IVE ENCLOSED A PICTURE OF HIM WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE SMALLER. I THINK HE HURT HIS BACK LEG BECAUSE HE WAS LIMPING. IF YOU FIND HIM PLEASE EMAIL ME, MY KIDS MISS THEIR DOG. HE ANSWERS TO THE NAME OF WAGS.

:)

[Torah]

LOST CHIHUHUA OWASSO

Reply to: comm-359323377@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-06-24, 3:56PM CDT


I AM LOOKING FOR MY LOST CHIHUAHUA IN THE BROOKFIELD CROSSING AREA. HES A TAN MALE CHIHUAHUA. IVE ENCLOSED A PICTURE OF HIM WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE SMALLER. I THINK HE HURT HIS BACK LEG BECAUSE HE WAS LIMPING. IF YOU FIND HIM PLEASE EMAIL ME, MY KIDS MISS THEIR DOG. HE ANSWERS TO THE NAME OF WAGS.

:)
Wags is he any relation to you? :D ;)
[I am sorry Wags I just could not help myself]:wave: LOL

[Wags]

Thats too funny. I actually got my nick because the first forum I went to when I got on-line 10+ years ago was a dog site. I wanted something that fit in and since I am a dog lover that seemed to fit. Have never bothered to change it. But I have found out that there are a lot of other "Wags" out there. So if you google my nick, you may or may not find posts by me.

[Bananna]

Time to plant pole beans, mmm time to replan lots of things.

bananna