Kevin Murphy

Hi,
I am a first time suburban backyard chicken owner. One of my hens has lost a lot of her feathers in one spot in the center of her back.
I have no idea why this is happening and I am wondering if someone here has any advice.
Should I take her to a vet? Is this something normal? I am new to chickens so I have no idea what to do here.
Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks
-Kevin in NJ

Just tried the link and it worked like a charm.
on
Windows 7 Pro SP1
Using Firefox 35.0.1

-Kevin in NJ

Hi,
I could not help but chime in here. I listen to Jack and have just finished reading the One Straw Revolution.
Where is a good place to buy perennial clover seed?

-Kevin in NJ

Hello,
I know that I am probably late to the game here but how many gardeners and more specifically beginning gardeners do think are going to try growing the white belt list of vegetables without using irrigation? I understand that the goal is to get the person to grow things without irrigation but I am afraid that most beginners will just scratch their heads when they see zero irrigation.
One option might be to make using zero irrigation a different level within the belt system. Also, is there any time limit on achieving the goals? If it takes me ten years to get my white belt, does that matter?
I am not looking to be overly critical but I think if you are looking to expand how many people attempt to accomplish the PEP certification, then maybe lowering the bar for a beginner would be a good way to go.

If the answer to this is to create my own PE say K system, then I think it will take away from the certification process as a whole because anyone can create any standard they want and we will not be comparing apples to apples(no pun intended).

Ok, just figured I would chime in.

-Kevin in NJ

Could you point me in a general direction where I could learn more about these prototypes?

Thanks
-Kevin

I was not sure where to post this so I am guessing this is as good a spot as any other.
I was listening to a podcast recently where the host was discussing the large amounts of money that seed companies and chemical companies are sinking in to research how to get rid of super weeds. A thought struck me that maybe a group of smart people could develop some small robots that could help eliminate some of these super weeds.

I thought that if we could make the robots open source and easily made with say a 3D printer that a farmer could use some of the large amounts of $$ they spend on chemicals on small robots in stead.
So, keeping that in mind I continued my line of thinking and came up with some criteria I thought might make for an interesting exercise.
The robot would need to be
1.) Cheap and easy to reprint/recreate ( 3D Printable)
2.) They could work in groups using Arduino type processors and swarm a field.
3.) They need software to identify the weeds
4.) A simple mechanical way to dispatch the weed (snips or pull)
5.) Rechargeable battery maybe they only work for a few hours and then need a recharge.
6.) Have the ability to navigate a field and return to base (for charging)
7.) They need to be light and easy to deploy.

It would sort of be a Roomba for outdoor use in a field of crops.
I have been debating with my son of a spider sort of design would be better versus something with small tracks.

Now I realize that some of this may be crazy, but UAV's are already doing some of these actions.
I would love to hear what other people think of this. Especially farmers who could give us a good idea on who much $$ they spend on pesticides and herbicides.
I have no idea on what a cost per acre would be. If the cost per acre is low, then maybe this would never make any sense financially.
Also, obviously mono cropping is less than ideal but maybe....just maybe there could be a use for this sort of small machine.

-Kevin

To all, I came across this on an active GIS email list.
If you know of projects that could benefit from updated satellite imagery....please consider checking this out.

Thanks
-K.Murphy

ps....do not be bothered by the NYSED GIS....they are looking for projects around the globe.



Skybox “will contribute fresh satellite imagery to projects that save lives, protect the environment, promote education, and positively impact humanity.” URLs below.



All:
Thought I'd pass this link along, google acquired the company skybox, and they're giving away free imagery for good causes:

The Article About Google Giving Free Satellite Images Here

Introducing Skybox

Hello,
I was interested in several workshops but when I looked at the cost to travel it almost doubled the price.
I know that this is not your problem but mine, but it did influence my decision.

-Kevin

I recorded this on my DVr and finally got around to watching it last night.
Is anyone else here disturbed by what was presented in the movie?

There seems to be lots of toxic gick showing up in people's wells near where they use hydraulic fracking.

Kevin

What a great idea.
Count me in please.
Here in NJ it is cold so there is not much else to do, other than plan all sorts of permaculture projects to do in the spring.

When do we start reading ??

Has anyone ever considered doing a " Online Read", like with skype to review a particular portion of the chapter, to like summarize and discuss it?

Thanks
-Kevin