Rick Knoll

Hello, I have to add one critical thing about guineas, THEY ARE LOUD!!! If you have neighbors near by (couple of hundred feet), or like the peace and quite of country life, Think Twice About Getting Any. We had about a eight when we first got chickens. they were kind of obnoxious. They also insisted on sleeping on top of the chicken coop instead of inside. The first night on pasture (movable chicken tractor, electronet fence,) an owl got one. After that we went out at dusk and grabbed them and put them in the coop. However timing was critical, had to wait until they were roosted to grab them, but owl came earlier and earlier it seemed, so if we waited til it was dark owl would get another. Eventually only one was left, so he slept inside with the chickens after that. They are meaty, small turkey size (our dog got lucky with all the leftovers from owl just eating heads and guts.

Mother Earth News just had an article about ticks, and suggest chickens good at controlling them. Our ~dozen hens free range from ~ mid october til ~ mid april (minus when snow on the ground) We just put them in fence when we plant the garden. They roam all over the ~ acre of yard, don't roam out into our open pasture too much. Seems like we get less ticks now than used to but hard to say.

Good Luck

Just a 5 gallon bucket in a hole works surprisingly well!

Here in southern Wisconsin, previous years, I've used a heated water fount, but this year tried something new. we keep our hens (~12) in half of an unheated high tunnel (veggies in the other half.) This year I just dug a hole, placed a 5 gallon bucket in that and most of the time the water stays liquid for a few days, till get's dirty anyhow. Seems like outside temperature of about 5 deg F is critical point when freezes too much. We've had a mild winter, so hasn't been a lot mornings where have to dump out bucket (has never frozen solid) and refill with water from the hydrant, and stick back in the hole.

Another trick I've used with our sheep for late fall/early spring is using insulated "frisbees" for top of heated livestock water tank, (supposed to minimize heat loss.) I've put two of those on top of buried bucket, and that works out surprisingly well to keep water from freezing too quick also.

Thanks Grant, I'l have to think about the pallet idea. Seems easier and cheaper than what I've done. Thanks for the links to Bone Sauce. I'm going to try it again. Funny how people post about bone sauce for deer. my dog keeps them away, and I need bone sauce for my own sheep!!
Thanks!

Hello Grant. Thanks for the Chestnuts and Apples you sent me in the spring!! They were huge and doing great!! I only bought ten of each, planted near the house. I have 12 acres I would like to plant to LOTS more trees, fruit, nut, shelterbelts, native for wildlife. What's your best ideas for grants for trees? Is the NRCS a good way to go, or are their rules/guidelines a hassle?
Also, any ideas for preventing my sheep from eating them? I have a three t post, shelter tube, woven wire contraption that works, but is time and material intensive. I tried Sepp's bone sauce, didn't have good bones so kind a worked for a little while. Got good marrow bones now, so gonna try it again. Any further suggestions? The sheep are generating the only profit on farm for the moment, so they can't go.
Thanks!!!