Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

Quail_Antwerp

Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
6,905
Reaction score
6
Points
262
Location
Ohio
Blackbird said:
Quail_Antwerp said:
Blackbird said:
Are whole grains in your area cheaper? That could be a good alternative too.
No, they wouldn't be. One bag of calf chop is cheaper than a bag of oats! A bag of oats, not rolled, just oats, is $10!!!!!!!
They're spendy like that here too. We're trying to find someone local who will sell to us in bulk. Oats and barley, maybe corn.
Our town has two feedstores, and the cheaper one is managed by a local crop production co-op that my dad is part of. They send out the total costs at the end of every year, and they would mail it to him. And if that happened, we wouldn't have any animals. Lol..

The sweet feeds, and high processed stuff is spendy here too, and not near as healthy as whole grains.
A couple years ago there was a local farmer who would sell us 100# bags of whole corn for $3 a bag!!! I can't get it for that price now. :(
 

keljonma

Epicurean Goddess
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
5,288
Reaction score
13
Points
257
Location
Garden Zone 8A Texas
Quail_Antwerp said:
keljonma said:
I don't know what they will do for winter at your place. We usually got hit with winter pretty bad so they rarely left the barn (because of snow and wind and more snow and wind).
Um, not sure what you mean? My chickens free range all winter long, and I try to keep the feeders full. Plus I give them a leaf of hay to scratch through in their coop house. During the coldest spells, we shut the coops completely and make sure waterers are thawed. We're hoping to have a second 8x8 coop up before snow flies, and that's where Sam and the Ladies will be residing until Spring.
What I mean is

This is what winter looks like for a couple months at the farm. Between the pine tree on the left and the garage on the right - That is the barn. In some parts, the snow was up to my hips. :D I didn't even want to go out in it! So I couldn't blame the flock for not wanting to leave the barn! :lol:

Feb142007.jpg
 

Quail_Antwerp

Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
6,905
Reaction score
6
Points
262
Location
Ohio
keljonma said:
Quail_Antwerp said:
keljonma said:
I don't know what they will do for winter at your place. We usually got hit with winter pretty bad so they rarely left the barn (because of snow and wind and more snow and wind).
Um, not sure what you mean? My chickens free range all winter long, and I try to keep the feeders full. Plus I give them a leaf of hay to scratch through in their coop house. During the coldest spells, we shut the coops completely and make sure waterers are thawed. We're hoping to have a second 8x8 coop up before snow flies, and that's where Sam and the Ladies will be residing until Spring.
What I mean is

This is what winter looks like for a couple months at the farm. Between the pine tree on the left and the garage on the right - That is the barn. In some parts, the snow was up to my hips. :D I didn't even want to go out in it! So I couldn't blame the flock for not wanting to leave the barn! :lol:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m291/keljonma/Farm/Feb142007.jpg
:ep YIKES!!!!!!!!!

Um, snow doesn't really get that deep here, but heck no, I wouldn't go out in that either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

keljonma

Epicurean Goddess
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
5,288
Reaction score
13
Points
257
Location
Garden Zone 8A Texas
Quail_Antwerp said:
A couple years ago there was a local farmer who would sell us 100# bags of whole corn for $3 a bag!!! I can't get it for that price now. :(
We went to a farm stand recently and they were giving away sweet corn that was old and couldn't be sold at their store anymore. So, just a thought if you're out and about. I bought a couple dollars worth of veg and came away with 4 large bags of sweet corn for free.

Just this week I saw some Craigslist ads for oats
$10/100# bag (Canal Fulton)
$2.50/bushel (Sarver)
$3/bushel (Williamsfield)

We got steamed/rolled oats at the farm co-op for $14/50# bag last time we bought it, but it averaged $10 - $12 for that amount during the three years.
 

jenlyn9483

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
168
Reaction score
0
Points
74
I dont want to add up my feed bill either. Luckily since spring I have sold enough eggs to pay for 99% of the feed. That has always been the goal. However I'm hoping my rabbits will get their butts in gear and carry me through the winter months some (by selling extra kits). Also im hoping my new runner ducks will be laying good.
 

lorihadams

Always doing laundry
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Messages
5,415
Reaction score
2
Points
208
Location
virginia
Okay, so who makes this calf chop and where can I get some? I'm paying $12.50 a bag for layer pellets at TSC. Now that I have my broilers I would love to find a way to lower the feed bill!!!
 

Quail_Antwerp

Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
6,905
Reaction score
6
Points
262
Location
Ohio
lorihadams said:
Okay, so who makes this calf chop and where can I get some? I'm paying $12.50 a bag for layer pellets at TSC. Now that I have my broilers I would love to find a way to lower the feed bill!!!
Check and see if you have a Landmark feed store in your area. I'm buying it from my local Landmark, and I think they are a co-op but I'm not 100% sure on that.

I'll take a pic of the chop later today and post it for ya'll.
 

keljonma

Epicurean Goddess
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
5,288
Reaction score
13
Points
257
Location
Garden Zone 8A Texas
Quail_Antwerp said:
keljonma said:
Quail_Antwerp said:
Um, not sure what you mean? My chickens free range all winter long, and I try to keep the feeders full. Plus I give them a leaf of hay to scratch through in their coop house. During the coldest spells, we shut the coops completely and make sure waterers are thawed. We're hoping to have a second 8x8 coop up before snow flies, and that's where Sam and the Ladies will be residing until Spring.
What I mean is

This is what winter looks like for a couple months at the farm. Between the pine tree on the left and the garage on the right - That is the barn. In some parts, the snow was up to my hips. :D I didn't even want to go out in it! So I couldn't blame the flock for not wanting to leave the barn! :lol:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m291/keljonma/Farm/Feb142007.jpg
:ep YIKES!!!!!!!!!

Um, snow doesn't really get that deep here, but heck no, I wouldn't go out in that either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We don't have that much snow all winter. But mostly lots of wind. Here is a pic of Titan trying to walk in it in the front farmyard. :D

Jan202008.jpg


And sometimes it is this high to a Buttercup pullet. :lol:

f39fccf4.jpg
 

Quail_Antwerp

Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
6,905
Reaction score
6
Points
262
Location
Ohio
Ok, Folks, now I'm livid! :somad

Step dad just showed up. May I say, never in my life have I met a more self centered, selfish I-don't-care-how-you-feel pig in my entire life! WHY my mother stays with him is beyond me!

Lemme give ya little background........When we were kids, my mom was on full welfare. She stocked our pantry well with foodstamps, and the first three years of her marraige to step dad, we literally survived on what she'd stockpiled. When she ran out of meat in the house, we had full vegetarian sometimes pasta dishes. Except on Fridays, which was Pizza night.

Step dad's idea of giving my mom grocery money was giving her $7 because she complained there were no breakfast foods. Mom bought with that $7 eggs, milk, and bread. My dear step sister hit the ceiling because there were no microwaveable foods purchased with that $, so then my Step Dad chewed my mom's butt for not buying foods that were quick and easy for my step sister to make.

That's just a small portion of the crap he's pulled.

Fast forward to today.

They are moving. He spent pretty much his entire retirement building a beautiful cabin on 4+ acres in the country. They've been working the last couple months emptying out the house. Instead of allowing my mom to sort through what she wants to keep or sell or give away, he's taking it all to storage.

Their garage at the old house is so full, you can't walk in it. Nor can you shut the garage door. I'm talking the door you drive the car through. In one corner of that garage is a few things from our life before mom married step dad. We aren't sure what is still out there, as he wouldn't allow any of our things from our previous life in the house when they were married. All of it was to stay in the garage. It's very possible that a very expensive ring that my father purchased for me when I was 12 is in that garage. Mom had assured me that she would watch for that ring. I had said it was the only thing I wanted (other than the quilt my great grandmother made) from our before step dad life.

Step dad is here right now. He brought over a baker's rack for me and a screen door for Ernie to scrap out. I asked him if they are ready to start on the garage, and he said, "We're not emptying the garage, we're just going to auction everything in the garage off."

I said, "No, you can't! Mom's got a woodburning cookstove out there and there's still stuff from when we were kids out there!"

His reply? "Well, you better figure out how you're going to get it, because it's all getting auctioned!" No compassion, no regards to anyone else's feelings...everything always has to be the way he wants it. He doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself.

Folks, I flipped out. I cannot tell you how upset I am. I'm waiting for the J E R K to leave so I can fly over and talk to my mom. If I have my way, by the end of today, I'll be the owner of a woodburning cookstove, AND my mom and I will be tearing through that garage the next few days.
 
Top