keljonma said:
PamsPride said:
This is the Quilt festival I am going to:
http://www.quiltfest.com/activities.asp?id=4
I am hoping to take a bunch of pictures!
I bought some fertile Golden Comet eggs off of an Amish lady. So far 32 have hatched and another one is trying to hatch! I am hoping to change my flock over to more of a laying breed....chickens that don't eat me out of house and home and that are consistent layers!
What will you do with your JBG flock?
I think I may keep 5 layers and one roo...then send the rest off to freezer camp. They are only a little over one year old and my other ones left out there were born in March and I have not got any eggs in like two months!!! Since we had raccoons attack we have not got any eggs. We sent 15 of the larger birds off to freezer camp 21 days ago. 10 or 11 of them were roos!! I still have one roo, 15 or so layers and then 9 youngins' born on June 12th.
We have hardly had any of the BJG eggs to eat. Seems like if they are laying I have buyers for the eggs. So I am not sure if I am going to keep some for selling fertile eggs in the spring or not. Right now they are just being freeloaders and we do not have the extra money for that.
I also feel bad because neighbors and friends give us stuff...deer meat, potatoes, apples, ect and we give them NOTHING in return! We have a big chicken flock and NO eggs for giving! Because either I had buyers lined up or had no eggs! I did sell a lot of eggs for hatching this year. I made some good money off of them too but I am not sure I want to keep the chickens all winter just to have fertile hatching eggs in the spring...especially if they are not going to be laying in the mean time. We have been feeding them super good this year so it is just down right irratating that they are not laying! I mean come on...we have 25 chickens out there and then we have to go the store and BUY EGGS!!! My mom has run of the mill TSC chickens and is getting at least 5 eggs a day!
When my DH was making more money we had the money to raise the BJG to up the standard with breeding because we do take such good care of our flocks....but now money is tight and I want some birds that give me some nice big beautiful eggs everytime we go out there! At this point BJGs just don't fit into a broke SS life style!
I am also looking at it from the perspective that if things in the economy get worse, or do not improve, I will have some eggs for my family and to barter with.
I have even got my mom thinking about the whole barter and trade thing...even to the point that she dreams about it!
I really don't know what is going on with me. It seems like I can't put up enough food for the family. I can't prepare enough. I can't become SS enough. I can't educate my kids enough. I really feel like I want to make some drastic changes in my life toward becoming more SS.
It is really bothering me that Baby girl is more than likely my last baby. I really want/wanted more children. My DH absolutely will not even consider adopting. I know that I am VERY BLESSED with my 6 children I have but I just have not settled it within myself to be content with only 6! I am telling you EVERY woman I know that can have kids IS PREGNANT!! One girl just announced yesterday that they are having twins. I talked to another lady, who used to go to my church, on Sunday. She does foster to adopt and has adopted two small boys already (has two kids of her own) and now she has a little girl....who is separated from her brother because her older brother is 2 1/2 years old and she already has a boy in that age range and they don't want two boys that age competeing for attention in her house. She said sibling groups come in all the time and are divided up and separated because people do not want to take on 3 or more kids at one time. Breaks my heart! If I even bring up adopting it starts a fight!
LOL! I know you only asked about chickens...and right now that seems like it is something I can have a little bit of control over and change!
I am so ready for my three day vacation this weekend!!!