Pot Luck

FIRST! (4.00 / 4)

What's happening, kids? :-)

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

---

by: atdleft @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 21:35:05 PM CST

Second! (4.00 / 4)

You know, don't you, that we'll still love you if you can find a way to go through life without the FIRST! gambit?

It reminds me too much of a former Senator. Not that I'm picayune or anything.

---

by: count @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:11:57 PM CST

[ Parent ]

But I can't help it... (4.00 / 3)

If there's a fresh new thread with no activity yet. Something needs to be done. :-)

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

---

by: atdleft @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:13:59 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Third! (4.00 / 4)

erm, hey, wait a minute!

I think I may have inadvertently started that.

An equine board I used to hand out at had a type of potluck every day, and lots of the regulars would hang out and wait to post first. It was just a fun game. ;-)

In other news, my newly aquired cornish cross chicks are doing their level best to eat me out of house and home. The ten of them eat as much as the 13 astralorps they're in with, and they're only half the size. I swear, those birds only two goals in life are to eat and then zonk out under the heat lamps. And they really do too, they snuggle right into the hay, stretch out, roll over on their side..., they're even better at that than the cats and that's saying a lot!

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." ~ John Wayne

---

by: JoanneRigutto @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:23:18 PM CST

[ Parent ]

joanne (4.00 / 2)

didn't i read that you ordered some of your chicks?
which hatchery did you use?
i've gotten catalogs from Meyer's & Cackle...
& while Meyers prices seems to be initially higher, when you add in the shipping & vac's they are actually cheaper.
but we've always bought our chicks local, never really dealt w/a hatchery before.
but this year i wanted to get some dark cornish, to start raising my own meat, & some marans (cuckoo & black copper) & ameracaunas so that i can sell eggs for either eating, hatching or blown for crafts.... and the local feed store doesn't carry those type birds.

who do you suggest?

come firefly-dreaming with me....

---

by: RiaD @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 10:35:32 AM CST

[ Parent ]

from Missouri (4.00 / 2)

How many hatcheries are in Missouri?

---

by: count @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 10:54:21 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Couldn't tell ya (4.00 / 2)

Probably more that sell locally, and some that ship.

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." ~ John Wayne

---

by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 12:08:00 PM CST

[ Parent ]

We use Cackle Hatchery (4.00 / 3)

for birds they carry that we can't get locally. We started using them last year as they were the only hatchery I could find that carry California Whites, otherwise we'd have used Murray McMurray.

Harold's family has a long history with Cackle Hatchery. They're located in Lebanon, Mo, where Harold's family's farm is. During the depression they used to take the wagon to the hatchery on clean out day and the chicks that didn't make it out of the shell in time, they'd take those eggs and the kids would peal the chicks out of the shells and warm them on the way back to the farm. That's where they got all the chickens they had.

This year, for the chickens they carry that we can't produce ourselves, I'm going to use a local hatchery, Lazt 54 Farm, they're just a few miles from us. I plan on buying the rest of the broilers this year from them as well as the turkeys, ducks and, if I dare, geese.

We've had very good success with both Murray and Cackle. Some of the birds we ordered from Cackle we could have gotten from Lazy 54, but as long as we were ordering so many, we figured we might as well have those in the order too. That way they'll all come into laying at about the same time.

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." ~ John Wayne

---

by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 12:19:55 PM CST

[ Parent ]

thanks! (4.00 / 1)

i'll look into Murray... i'd forgotten about them.
i remember looking at them last year, but my daughter was due for delivery just when i'd need to be doing baby chicks so we put getting the new chicks off.

i appreciate the info!!

come firefly-dreaming with me....

---

by: RiaD @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 15:48:55 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You're more than welcome! (4.00 / 2)

Regarding your idea of getting the dark cornish, I don't know if you're planning on useing straight cornish for meat production, but if you're planning on crossing them, the traditional cornish cross broiler is a cornish hen crossed with a White Rock rooster.

Our big white rooster Moose is more than likely a white rock, and he's the one I'll be crossing with the dark cornish hens next year but I'm also going to cross them with some of our other large roosters next year too and do a comparison. I think that you could probably cross the cornish hens with any large rooster, but until I do that, I won't know. I'll also be trying out crossing a cornish rooster with some of our large heritage breed hens. We have some black jersey giants coming in the order from Cackle Hatchery, so that should be an interesting experiment.

I like the heritage breeds because, even though they don't have the breast meat like the cornish cross, the meat is so dark and rich. I think a large bodied bird, raised on pasture with lots of dark meat would be popular with my shareholders if I can get them to a good size in 3 months or so. That way they'd be nice and tender for roasting, which is the only problem I have with the heritage breeds I work with right now. Those birds take so long to get to a decent size/weight that you pretty much have to stew them to get them tender enough that your teeth don't bounce off when you take a bite. The only other option is to roast or fry them and then run them through the pressure cooker, which I think is more work than most people want to do.

Can you imagine fried chicken from a heritage breed bird that was juicy and fall off the bone tender? Absolute heaven!

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." ~ John Wayne

---

by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 16:55:21 PM CST

[ Parent ]

the rooster (4.00 / 1)

i was planning on putting them to is (i think) a red pyle/white rock cross. he is a large fellow & was just too pretty & good spirited to go to the stew pot. i promised him that because of his excellent disposition i'd get him some hennys

the marans & welsummers will be going to chant-a-lot. i'm thinking of getting a couple speckled sussex for him also. i'm not sure what he is, but he already has a couple of cuckoo maran hens, i'll just be expanding his harem.
he is an excellent roo, guarding his ladies diligently & finding them the most delectable buggies!

i'll be getting an ameracauna roo in that bunch of chicks....
i just love their blue/green eggys. and the grandkids think its great to get 'green eggs & ham' at ria's house!

come firefly-dreaming with me....

---

by: RiaD @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 19:50:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Those are beautiful roos! (4.00 / 2)

I love a roo with a good temperament. We have several out here that are cross bred, one of which I just can't bring myself to slaughter. He's barred rock crossed with something, I don't know what, and he's getting to be just like Moose, so I think he'll be Moose's successor, should anything happen to the big boy.

While I know that certain crosses require certain crossings, I still feel that if a person wants to produce a big, fast growing strain of birds, there's no shame in giving other roos of other breeds/combos a shot at success. As long as the roo's big and the hens are stout, should get some nice meaty offspring.

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." ~ John Wayne

---

by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 20:31:52 PM CST

[ Parent ]

thanks! (4.00 / 1)

we like them... a lot!

for the longest time we thought Dulce was a hen (the red pyle/white rock roo) he took forever to 'show his stuff' which is why he was originally not butchered! i'm really glad it worked out that way as he really is my favourite roo.

we'll be building two more pens a bit smaller than the original pen, one for each group, so we'll have three chicken pens & houses.

eventually we'll be building one larger hen barn down by the garden that will be split into 4 areas inside... 3 areas for the chickens (nesting/roosting)with covered pens outside each & one area for storing feed/brooder/etc... & with a spigot!  that way it'll be easier to let the chickens out to work the garden & less work to feed up & collect eggys.

come firefly-dreaming with me....

---

by: RiaD @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 21:43:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Roger Thomas: THE Ultimate Vegas Designer! (4.00 / 4)

He's designed some of the most amazing places on The Strip, and now he's the talk of Hollywood! Seriously, isn't this the most fabulous green room you've ever seen? Oh yes, and we got some hints of what Encore's new "Switch Beach Club" and "Surrender" night club will be.

Oh yes, and Philadelphia will soon be blessed with a Roger Thomas designed casino of its own! Just the thought of that makes we want to make a pit stop there next time I can visit NYC. :-)


Act on Principles and make equality happen.

---

by: atdleft @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 21:51:03 PM CST

Difficult day at LVL (4.00 / 4)

Today at LVL has been difficult. I've been greeted by the scowling visage of the Supreme Court Justice who goes through life with two first names every time I click in.

Brrrr.

---

by: count @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:04:37 PM CST

Here, this will help you feel better. (4.00 / 4)

Come take a ride down The Strip with me.

And if you'd like, Lady Gaga can join us.

:-D

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

---

by: atdleft @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:11:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I don't like (4.00 / 4)

Let's face it, music videos will be nowhere until Babs Mikulski commands the runway!

James Caan led an LV-based program a few years ago. What is the status of that show, is it still airing?

---

by: count @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 22:29:09 PM CST

[ Parent ]

It was cancelled in 2008... (4.00 / 4)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...

Sadly. RIP. :-(

Act on Principles and make equality happen.

---

by: atdleft @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 23:31:19 PM CST

[ Parent ]

No it has been off a while (4.00 / 3)

I watched it when James Caan was in it and left when he did but there were more seasons after that.  

---

by: Eddie C @ Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 23:31:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Lumpy eh? (4.00 / 3)

I know Count gets the cultural reference but for those of you that dont't
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

---

by: LeeN @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 04:21:35 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I did not know (4.00 / 2)

I didn't know there was a 1980s sequel series or a 1997 film.

---

by: count @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 10:32:55 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Hey Jay (4.00 / 3)

I went all righteous or (is it lefteous) rant today with Cost Containment and Trust in "Bipartisan Reform"

Also at Progressive Blue.  

---

by: Eddie C @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 00:04:02 AM CST

Sad but true, eh? (4.00 / 1)

Just like so many words in American politics, bipartisan no longer means what we think it means. It would also seem that "progressive action" has come to mean being in the constant state of erasing lines in the sand.

---

by: JayinPortland @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 20:14:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Earl Blumenauer (4.00 / 2)

http://www.earlblumenauer.com/...

Jay isn't he your Congressmen?

---

by: LeeN @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 12:13:45 PM CST

Yes, he is... (4.00 / 1)

Wanna trade?  Who ya got?  Heh.

Earl talks a lot, but he actually does relatively little.

---

by: JayinPortland @ Thu Mar 11, 2010 at 20:09:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]