frustratedearthmother
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Oh man - hope your DH can find a way to get some sleep! Christmas with kids IS the best! And, with grandkids - it's awesome!
NH Homesteader- turkeys!
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- #762
NH homesteader
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I promised him he doesn't have to do anything tomorrow but sleep! Then Friday I need his help again, lol. Need to do hooves. He's much better at it than I am, so I need his help! Plus it's warm this week (in the 30's! A heat wave!) so we ought to just get it over with.
We got the kiddo a Cinderella dollhouse/castle. So he has to put it up the night before and I have to set an alarm so I can see her find it in the morning! She's princess obsessed. She calls herself a "farmer Princess"
We got the kiddo a Cinderella dollhouse/castle. So he has to put it up the night before and I have to set an alarm so I can see her find it in the morning! She's princess obsessed. She calls herself a "farmer Princess"
frustratedearthmother
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"Farmer Princess" - that's awesome!
babsbag
Herd Master
Farmer princess...LOVE IT!!!!
I am having Christmas with my kids...30 and 32 years old so not quite preschool but it is still awesome.
I remember many a Christmas eve getting the Santa gifts ready for the morning. Some of those were quite a challenge.
I am having Christmas with my kids...30 and 32 years old so not quite preschool but it is still awesome.
I remember many a Christmas eve getting the Santa gifts ready for the morning. Some of those were quite a challenge.
Bruce
Herd Master
Don't forget the batteries @NH homesteader !!
My dad is famous for giving my cousins things for Christmas that needed batteries but he never thought to provide them and my Aunt and Uncle frequently didn't have what was needed.
My dad is famous for giving my cousins things for Christmas that needed batteries but he never thought to provide them and my Aunt and Uncle frequently didn't have what was needed.
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- #766
NH homesteader
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She likes to play with the goats and pigs in her fancy dresses. Hehe. This is why I don't buy expensive clothes for her!
No gifts with batteries this year. I try to avoid them for the most part. She's getting dolls, clothes and books mostly. I like low tech, imaginative play sorts of things. We got her a guitar for her birthday.
No gifts with batteries this year. I try to avoid them for the most part. She's getting dolls, clothes and books mostly. I like low tech, imaginative play sorts of things. We got her a guitar for her birthday.
farmerjan
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I have often raised turkeys and chickens together and you do have to watch for blackhead in them but if they are "free ranging" it is much less of a problem. All the experts tell you it is a big NO NO to raise them together....they do need a higher protein, so be careful as the chicks can sometimes get some deformities from too high a protein when very small. One old-timer in the purebred chicken world told me about it years ago and I'd kinda forgotten all the details.
We use a higher protein feed for the old English Game purebreds as it makes their feathers "harder" which is part of the breeds' requirement.
I have the feed mill put DE in all the chicken feed that we buy by the ton, and add it to the mash for the chicks after they are about 3 weeks old. You figure that we only put 50 lbs per ton, so the chicks get a SMIDGEN in their feed. Also, if you have a box for a dust bath, add some DE to that as it helps to keep the lice and all off them too. Use wood ashes and some lime also.
Turkey poults are sometimes hard to get started, they are dumb and need to be shown where/how to eat. If you raise a few chicks at the same time the turkeys will do as "simon says". Many people start out with a couple of chicks in with them just so they can show them how to eat and drink. That's why when so many start just turkeys, they put bright colored marbles in the waterers so they will go peck on them and learn..."oh this is water and I can drink it".... DUH... but that is why a hen shows them what to do...
I maybe lose one out of 20 so expect to raise most of what you get.
You don't want a broad breasted breed to roost, the breastbone is soft and will get deformed if they are sitting on a roost, especially at a young age.. And they don't have the balance so it is better if they don't.
NH is right, there are only 2 broad breasted types, the white and the bronze. The bronze will grow a little slower than the white. They will take about 4 months to reach the 15 lb size so yeah, you need to get them as late as you can. And you can restrict their feed after they get their first set of feathers. I would try to get them in july if possible. You can always increase their feed if they are not as big as you want as it gets closer. And you can kill them when they reach the target weight and freeze them until Thanksgiving. The meat will taste just as good after being frozen as it will fresh. It is the way they are raised and not whether they are fresh or frozen.... I had 20 that I raised and they DRESSED at 28 to 43 lbs. at 6 months. They free ranged and only had 1 that had a crippled leg but it was that way from hatch.
We use a higher protein feed for the old English Game purebreds as it makes their feathers "harder" which is part of the breeds' requirement.
I have the feed mill put DE in all the chicken feed that we buy by the ton, and add it to the mash for the chicks after they are about 3 weeks old. You figure that we only put 50 lbs per ton, so the chicks get a SMIDGEN in their feed. Also, if you have a box for a dust bath, add some DE to that as it helps to keep the lice and all off them too. Use wood ashes and some lime also.
Turkey poults are sometimes hard to get started, they are dumb and need to be shown where/how to eat. If you raise a few chicks at the same time the turkeys will do as "simon says". Many people start out with a couple of chicks in with them just so they can show them how to eat and drink. That's why when so many start just turkeys, they put bright colored marbles in the waterers so they will go peck on them and learn..."oh this is water and I can drink it".... DUH... but that is why a hen shows them what to do...
I maybe lose one out of 20 so expect to raise most of what you get.
You don't want a broad breasted breed to roost, the breastbone is soft and will get deformed if they are sitting on a roost, especially at a young age.. And they don't have the balance so it is better if they don't.
NH is right, there are only 2 broad breasted types, the white and the bronze. The bronze will grow a little slower than the white. They will take about 4 months to reach the 15 lb size so yeah, you need to get them as late as you can. And you can restrict their feed after they get their first set of feathers. I would try to get them in july if possible. You can always increase their feed if they are not as big as you want as it gets closer. And you can kill them when they reach the target weight and freeze them until Thanksgiving. The meat will taste just as good after being frozen as it will fresh. It is the way they are raised and not whether they are fresh or frozen.... I had 20 that I raised and they DRESSED at 28 to 43 lbs. at 6 months. They free ranged and only had 1 that had a crippled leg but it was that way from hatch.
Bruce
Herd Master
Sounds like she needs to shop at Goodwill. Probably find plenty of fancy dresses for not too much so you won't mind if she plays with the animals in them.
- Thread starter
- #769
NH homesteader
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They're dumb but they also don't see well. Hence the shiny things in their food and water!
I forgot I got mine in July, so they were 4 months. They got along great with my Jersey Giants when we kept them together.
@Bruce she also inherited a TON of clothes from family members. Everyone on my husband's side of the family has girls. I mean everyone. It's kind of a problem, lol. Oh, and he's adopted so go figure. We have a local store to get used clothes for super cheap and we go there also.
I forgot I got mine in July, so they were 4 months. They got along great with my Jersey Giants when we kept them together.
@Bruce she also inherited a TON of clothes from family members. Everyone on my husband's side of the family has girls. I mean everyone. It's kind of a problem, lol. Oh, and he's adopted so go figure. We have a local store to get used clothes for super cheap and we go there also.
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- #770
NH homesteader
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@babsbag that's great you get to spend Christmas with your kids! They're the same age as me and my brother, lol.
I asked my husband about putting it together ahead of time and he got all "I am man, don't question it" haha. He's good at that sort of thing. I will not be involved. I can't even follow directions on that sort of thing!
I asked my husband about putting it together ahead of time and he got all "I am man, don't question it" haha. He's good at that sort of thing. I will not be involved. I can't even follow directions on that sort of thing!
