Well, our temperatures have been so very crazy. Lately, they have been anywhere from 32F to -44F! Last night it was -17F. I've had my kerosene heater burning out in the chicken coop. I start it at 4PM, then go out at 9PM to fill it back up. This keeps it running until I go out in the morning. BRR! It actually keeps the coops pretty warm, along with the 3 heat lamps (2 in the upper coop and one above the roost in my lower coop. With all the very cold temperatures I've been looking at all the chicken and gardening catalogs. I'd love to get some Dark Brahma hens this spring (photo above borrowed from BYC forum). At our local fair I saw one hen and I was so impressed with her beauty, carriage and size. I couldn't find a photo of a hen that really could express the beauty of these gentle giants. If we don't move this year I'm going to work on Eric to give me his other storage shed, so I can have more chickens. Here is my 2009 CHICKEN WISH LIST (all hens plz):1. Dark Brahmas
2. Blue Laced Wyandottes
3. Columbian Wyandottes
4. Speckled Sussex
5. Salmon Faverolles
6. Barnevelders
7. Cuckoo Marans
8. Welsummers
9. Silver Gray Dorkings
10. Golden Lakenvelders
11. Delawares
12. Black Austalorps
13. More Buff Orpingtons
14. Buff Silkies
15. Anconas
16. Buff laced Brahmas
17. Red Caps
Among other's I'd like to get were Partridge Wyandottes, Red Chantecler, Buff & White Rocks, Black & White Jersey Giants and Red Leghorns. I wouldn't mind having some more Dominiques too. Oh, well... a girl can dream can't she? I went from 360 acres to less than an acre...so it's okay to have big dreams! Also I'd love a few Bourbon Red & White Palm turkeys, a few Pearl Guineas and some ducks!
My gardening wish list is too large to list all of it here. Though, I have ordered early from Sand Hill Preservation Center. The seed I ordered from Sand Hill is as follows: Lemon Basil, Roma tomatoes, Opalka tomatoes, Provenzano tomatoes, Spring Brooder Yard Greens seed mix (for my chickens enjoyment), Beurre de Rocquencourt bush beans. I'd love a huge veggie garden, but, my backyard is so very shady. I'd love to have a ton of tomato plants and I would love the "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" book by Carolyn Male. Personally, I usually prefer the flavor of paste type tomatoes. Though, I do like the flavor of Anna Russian (a pink fleshed tomato), Brandywine's (also pink fleshed & red skinned varieties).
Also, I'd like to get some more miniature fruit trees from Stark Brother's Nursery. The last peach and nectarine trees I got from them had fruit the first year, 2 peaches and 2 nectarines! Yummy! Their mini fruit trees you can plant in a 10" pot and sit in a nice, sunny area and you can take them inside a garage or lighted basement during the winter. I really want a lemon tree, as I go thru lemons so quickly. I love to eat lemons, as well as put them in my tea, water and especially use for making desserts. Has anyone in this brutal Northeast tried having a mini lemon tree? Any successes?
Well, off to watch the Top Chef that I slept through! I'm so addicted to that show!
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8 comments:
did you see the bantam dark brahma on my post from yesterday? check her out, you'll love her markings.
Joanna, I just went to check her out. She's absolutely gorgeous! She's a bantam tho, right? I want a standard size Dark Brahma hen. I've never had hens with feathered legs before, does it pose a harder challenge with parasites?
I told ya you'd like the bantam dark brahma girls markings. I would love to have the dark standard size but they're hard to find. Parasites - not that I'm aware.
I sure appreciate the award, thanks so much.
If you weren't so far away, we could do some chicken trading. I have a lot of black australorps. Next on my list will be white egg layers.
Thank you for leaving your words of sympathy on my blog this weekend,
Sharon
Sharon, Yes, let's trade some chickens! LOL
I'd love some white egg layers too, but I worry about them being cooped up in our horrible winters.
My first chickens were a 4-H project, and they were White Leghorns. Great layers, but they were so wild! They could also fly over about anything LOL!
My thoughts are with you, I hope everything is going okay considering. Time is the best healer.
I want guineas and turkeys too. And have too long of a list of chickens I want. I need to pair it back.
Christy,
Chickens are like potato chips...you just can't have one! I'd love to order 25 more, but, I need another coop built first. I still make a wish list every year!
wow, you sound just like me. I have been pouring over the catalogs, seeds, chickens, new compost bin plans.. and even been dreaming of getting two nigerian dwarf goats! The chicks will come in at Murdoch's here in a few weeks and although I was going to wait until later in the season... I'm not! I have already made room and am getting the brooder ready. I am so ready for spring!
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