Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Art Corbit" <art_c@cox.net>]

Hi Laura,

A little tid bit here for you. Don't let the mother hens take the small
chicks out into the wet grass early in the morning. This will kill a baby
chick quicker than anything. Fix you a way to keep the mother hens up until
the sun dries the grass pretty well and then turn them out.

Art


----- Original Message -----
From: "chaogrrl" <chaogrrl@yahoo.com>
To: <Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 4:14 PM
Subject: [Livingontheland] Broody Hens and blueberry from seed update


> I started with Auraucana hens (blue green eggs) and banty
> roosters. They're all free range, and most all my hens are
> broody, 8 out of 10 anyway, with varying degrees of
> success. At last count I had 43 baby chicks...one batch of
> 19 that was sat on and is being mothered by 2 first year
> hens! Certainly never had that happen before, but its a joy
> to watch. I also have several hens that jump off the nest
> when the first chick hatches, so have hens running around
> with just one chick. When culling time comes it'll be first
> the roosters except for a couple of the best, then hens
> that didn't set, then the one chick wonders.
>
> I figured I was due for some genetic diversity, and also my
> chickens seemed to be decreasing in stature a little every
> generation, due to the banty blood I suppose, so this year
> I bought some Buff Orpington and Australorp pullets. We'll
> see how they work out.
>
> Back last spring on the old list I mentioned that I was
> going to try starting some blueberry from seed according to
> the instructions at
>
http://wildblueberries.maine.edu/PDFs/Miscellaneous/BlueberriesFromSeed.pdf
>
> Germination and early growth was very slow but I'm happy to
> report that I've about 40 plants ranging from 1 to 4 inches
> or so high. Nother couple years or so and we'll see how the
> fruit is! I'm trying to decide whether to overwinter them
> in raised beds or in pots. May do half and half to hedge my
> bets. I'll certainly be starting another batch next
> Jan/Feb.
>
> Laura in Wisconsin
>
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