Some good deals

Become a member of the Arbor Day Foundation for $10 and get 10 free trees!

 If you are looking for a canning set, this one is on sale for $30,  50% off the regular price. 

 Just thought I would throw it out there for anyone who wants to start canning this year. 

This adorable Libby dress is only $29.99 from Sundance, and would look adorable with a cardigan over it. It even looks like the picture was taken in my backyard.

These curtains from anthropologie are on sale, but still out of my price range. I'm hoping they go down a little further in price, then they are mine! My front room windows are SCREAMING for a window treatment.

Patented Blackberries

Patented Blackberries.

Would you buy them? 

Image

A friend of mine called today and said she was ordering blackberries from an online nursery. She asked me if I wanted to go in on the order with her. That way we could each get a few ever bearing and a few June bearing. I told her I was in. I just wanted to see what types we were going to get so I could make sure they would do well in our area and make sure they were a variety that my family would enjoy.  

She sent me the link to the website.

I looked through the blackberries.

The two varieties she tole me we were going to get were both patented. In fact, all but 2 of the varieties were patented. 

I called her right back and told her I changed my mind, and didn't want any.

Am I over-reacting? Is the movie "The Future of Food" still to ingrained in my mind? Stories of canola seed blowing into a farmers field and growing, ending in a huge lawsuit, because of patents on food, weigh on my mind.  

I don't want to grow a food that is patented. 

What are your thoughts?

Giveaway!

 CSN is sponsoring another giveaway, they are so good to us!

If I were to win this giveaway, I know I would be checking out their LCD TV stands, because our armoire  that is supposed to go in the basement just won't fit down the stairs. But, CSN has some great looking ones for some great looking prices. 

CSN is giving away a $50 gift certificate to any one of their many stores. 

For your first entry:

All you have to do is leave a comment.

For a second entry:

Become a follower of Backyard Farming (just click on the "follow" button on the right side of the blog)

Then leave a second comment. (If you are already a follower, leave a second comment)

Just because I hate to leave a post without a picture, here is a picture Uncle Dale took of his chickens way back in 1964 when he was just a wee little lad.

Happy Saturday!

Today is a beautiful Saturday. I wish I was working in the yard, but I'm not sure where to start. We don't have a tiller, we need to get some compost brought in...I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

I ended up deep cleaning 2 bathrooms, it felt good.

We were able to find a chicken coop, our neighbors down the street are moving and selling off a lot of their backyard farming gear...cheap.  I knew patience would pay off. Michael priced out the chicken coop I wanted him to build, it was going to be $1100. That is exactly 78% of our early spring budget. Needless to say, we decided to go with plan B.

Here is what we need to fund with our early spring budget:

chicken coop

bee hives

bee suit

compost for garden

fruit trees

raspberry/strawberry plants 

Late spring budget will go toward:

goats

goat fencing

goat shelter

~marisa

50,75, 100?

I stare at the paper in front of me. It is an order form for Cornish cross broiler chicks, the annual 4H project that our children have been involved with for years so that we have chicken to eat all year long. The chicks are $0.85 each. This is a bargain. Last year we raised both Cornish cross and Freedom Ranger broilers (See Cornish Cross versus Freedom Rangers). We have decided to stick with Cornish cross this year.

We have to order in multiples of 25. So how many do we order – 50, 75, 100? We have two pasture pens that will hold up to 50 each. We want to eat chicken most weeks. We must consider the usual death loss. How about our freezer space? We always give a few away. We particularly want to send a few home with our son and daughter-in-law when they bring our granddaughter to Maryland to visit us from Virginia (They may come more often).

It all comes down to this. If we order 75, we can fit them into the back of the pickup when we take them to be processed. If we order 100, we need to hook up the horse trailer to take them. It is nice to have a criterion that clinches the decision.

So I fill in the blank on the form with 75 and write out a check for $63.75. This is exciting because spring is officially on the way. The spring chicks are ordered and will be here in two weeks!

~Uncle Dale

Reader Question - What to do with dead animals

I want to have farm animals, chickens, goats, and pigs. What do you do if you find one dead? I can see digging a hole to bury a chicken, but a pig...or a goat?

I haven't ever had to deal with that, but I bet you some of our readers have, and they always have great advice.

If you are reading this and have advice on this, leave a comment! 

Rare Chicken Breeds

Michael and I just found out about this really cool and rare breed of chickens. They are called Marans, and like I said, they are rare and hard to find true Marans. They lay a "chocolate egg" meaning that their eggs are a deep dark brownish maroon. There are four recognized varieties of Marans here in the US: Black, Dark Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, and Silver Cuckoo.

 We were able to find someone locally who sells Marans. Today I'm going to give them a call and make sure they are true Marans.

What rare breeds do you have or want to have? 

Image Credit