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ScythicKitty β Chicks in a Box
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Published: 2012-01-10 20:05:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 959; Favourites: 29; Downloads: 1
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Here is an old picture of four little chicks (Hyline W36- a leghorn hybrid) in a box (just for picture purposes). We put four fertile eggs we got from Trader Joe's underneath our broody silkie hen, and surprise! We got four babies out! Sadly, three of them were males, but we did keep the one girl (the one in the middle)! Hooray for chickens!Related content
Comments: 53
Thank you! They were really cute back then, though the boys were surprisingly already very aggressive at just a few days old haha! They would chase after any of my adult hens that got too close to their sister, so it was pretty adorable to see them being so protective. XD
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Thanks! They were adorable to look at, though the three boys were actually already quite aggressive at two days old! They tried attacking one of my adult hens who got too close to their sister! XD
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Such a beautiful shot, they look adorable! How come you couldn't keep the roosters? Were they not allowed in your area?
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Thank you! We couldn't keep them since we live in a suburban area where all the houses are super close together, so the crowing would bother our neighbors a lot. We used to have a rooster before these guys, but our neighbors complained (and he was just a little bantam guy too. We'd put him inside in the morning and night, so he was only crowing occasionally in the afternoon) and the city gave us a notice to get rid of him due to the noise disturbance (less than your average barking dog though!). We didn't want to upset them again with three full sized roosters! Still, I enjoyed them in the brief time that we had them!
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Ah ok, then I understand! Funny how some people tolerate loud barking dogs but not roosters, lol!
But it's good to have good relations with your neighbours, at leats you got to have them for a short time. ^^
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True true! I guess dogs are a more "acceptable" pet for people and they've just gotten used to it.Β
Most of our neighbors have been around here for at least ten years, so definitely if they're going to be here longer, it'll be good to keep decent relations with them! They're not perfect and they do a lot of their own annoying things (loud parties, constant construction, BBQs every day in the summer -really stinks up the whole place-, etc) but they're nice enough I suppose. I hope one day I'll own a ranch or live somewhere where the roosters will be ok!Β
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Indeed, it's quite a shame though!
It's always in the best intentions for both of you to keep on good terms with each other. Wouldn't that be awesome to own a ranch or a place were you could keep all kinds of animals? You just gotta make sure you got time for it though.
If you could choose, what kinds of pets would you like?
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I would love that! I was talking with a friend about how we'd be ranch neighbors and we could barter our goods haha! No neighbors to complain here! And all the animals I could want!
Given the time, space, and money, there's loads of pets I want haha! Goodness, where to start...I'd like emus, muscovy ducks, runner ducks, call ducks, sturgeons, ghost knives, African butterflyfish, ropefish, armored bichir, fire eel, tiretrack eel, a big saltwater tank to rescue some supermarket critters (eels, lobsters, abalone, sand dabs, and more!), actually I'll just list "lots of fish" in general so I'm not boring you with a big text block of just fish! And same with everything else I guess- ferrets, cats, dogs, horses, honeybees, mynah birds... I used to teach at a zoo and I really enjoyed all the animals there! To be realistic though, if I had to pick one, it would be the "surprise special" that a hatchery in the US does. Basically you pay a set fee, and in a few weeks a box of mystery birds gets sent out. You could get turkeys, guineas, peafowl, chickens, ducks- whatever they have excess of, and it's a fantastic deal and usually you get about 30-60 birds. Part of the fun is trying to figure out what you have! I guess it's like blind boxes, but with poultry! And if I have too many excess to fit in my yard comfortably, I can sell them. What about you? In a realistic setting in the future, what pets would you have? And what is your favorite non-mythical animal?
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That's so awesome, like a whole menagerie of pets. When you dream you dream big.
Heck, I would love that aswell, I tend to dream myself away and imagine what it would be like to be able to keep all kinds of pets, and how I would make them happy by providing a realistic environment to live in. 
We actually have sturgeons in our garden pond! They're over 3 ft long, and they're awesome to look at. They are the talk of the party, lol.
That's so awesome that you've been able to work at a zoo, now I'm a bit jealous! 
Oh yeah, I often look up those hatchery sites and look at all the various fowl. I would LOVE to be able to get a suprise package like that aswell. I mean, how cool wouldn't it be to find out what kinds of birds you've got? Then you only need space to keep them all once they mature, haha. If you wanna breed them a mix may not be the best, since you may not get several of the same breeds, but it still would be so exciting!
I used to work at a local park that kept several beehives, they're pretty cool to watch. They're incredibly complex for being insects, both in how they communicate and they way their hive works.
Well, if I'm gonna be realistic... I would love to be able to keep chickens or ducks sometimes, maybe even geese or turkeys. I would also love to have an aviary with budgerigars or some other small parrot. That would bring so much joy into my life.
I would also love to set up a large aquarium meant for only one species of fish, like a cichlid or discus. I would love to design the tank to perfectly fit their needs and allow them to grow big. The biggest reward would be to see them breed. I used to have several aquariums. You seem very knowledgeable about fish species and aquariums.
There's so many things I would like to keep, like praying mantises, peafowl, bearded dragons, rats...the list goes on. But that's not being realistic, lol. 
I actually don't have a favorite animal, I like 'em all.
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That is so lucky that you have sturgeons, and such large ones at that! What species are they? Do they have names? How old are they? I really want one, though apparently it's so hot in California that we would need a cooling system in the tank or pond.
How did you go about designing your zoo and the enclosures? I used to daydream about that too, even down to the food court menu. I know now that opening my own zoo won't be happening any time soon unless I win the lottery or something! XD But I suppose it'll be nice just to have my own personal "zoo" at home. There's a house in a nearby city that apparently has a lot of animals despite the suburban location and sometimes schools will send their kids on a field trip there to check them out. It's really cool since the family is "unemployed" and live strictly off of their tiny land, growing lots of fruits and vegetables. They modified their car to use vegetable oil (?) that they get for free from restaurants that they sometimes deliver their goods to. I think it's really amazing that they can do that, since expenses are pretty high around here! The animals all look very healthy though, and nothing tastes as good as what you grow yourself!
Wow, that's neat that you got to see those beehives! Did you ever see them extract honey? Was there anything that surprised you, or you learned that you would warn new beekeepers? At the zoo, I mostly just taught the visitors with props or animals. Like I'd show them a chuckwalla and they could pet him and such and tell them about him, or I'd have an owl (no petting allowed since she bites strangers) and they can admire her. If the animals aren't there, either due to a veterinary check-up or out at an educational fair, then I use props like (real) preserved deer legs, wings of falcons, skulls, pelts, etc. We even have plastic models of what different animals' poops look like so they can recognize them when they go hiking. Many of the guests genuinely are fascinated and interested to learn about the animals, but once in awhile you get some terrible people (and I don't mean toddlers, since those are understandable when they misbehave since they don't know better). I once had a kid, he was probably around 12 or 13, and instead of petting the snake with two fingers like instructed, he just lunged for her head and tried to crush it! And the worst part was that his parents just laughed it off and thought it was completely appropriate. Luckily I think my scream startled him so the snake wasn't hurt (to my knowledge) and he backed off. I was terrified that the snake would be hurt on my watch. She's been with the zoo for 14 years! People do really strange things... like trying to pinch a turtle's head or provoke the hedgehogs... other than that I really did enjoy the zoo and seeing how things worked. A lot of the animals we had were actually confiscated pets or injured/diseased animals that wouldn't survive in the wild, like our bear with constant epilepsy or the hawk with a paralyzed wing from being shot.Β
Haha too bad we can't order one of those mystery chicken packages and split one, then use a teleporter to teleport the chicks back and forth! XD I think it would be a lot of fun, and you'd discover breeds that you love that you otherwise wouldn't have considered getting.
A terrarium or aquarium are perfect for an apartment! I'm sure you could keep a few small birds too with a large cage, though I don't know if that would fit conveniently inside. I once also dreamt of having a discus tank. They're just so beautiful with all their colors and that pancake shape! Maybe in the future!Β
Wow cool! How did he know that the bearded dragon liked to watch TV? Did it just sit happily in front of it, or would it make a ruckus until the TV was turned on? What a personable little guy!
That's great that you're keeping in mind not to have more animals that you can take care of. I always think it's saddening when you see on the news, these people who have so many pets, but they're all in poor health and the whole place is in disarray. I know what it's like to see all these animals and want to take them home, but I feel like I would feel so much worse if I had so many who were ill! Just a few months ago there was a lady who was arrested for keeping over a thousand rats in a motel room. She wasn't feeding them well either... and then eventually the rats somehow burrowed into the walls and got into other rooms in the motel and that's how they found out about the issue.Β
My favorite animal changes depends on what feature we're looking for... favorite animal in terms of looks is the sturgeon (all species!). They're so sleek and graceful! And favorite as a pet would be a chicken! Usually affordable, great personality, trainable, with bonus eggs! And favorite to eat would be the sculpin! 
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I'm not quite sure about their species, which is really bad!
They are named Bruce and Lotta, haha. I don't know about their age though, but they prefer cold water.
I used to design enclosures on an A4 paper and draw out the shape of the enclosure, what kind of environment that it would be replicating, and enrichment items. I also wrote manuals about how o care for the animals, I checked up them on the web and in books quite heavily before I started with the enclosures. I wrote about their diet, cleaning and how many I would have. When I had designed a few enclosures I started to make a map over the zoo where I placed the various enclosures and buildings.
Hey, it will never happen for real, but dreaming and desinging is fun as heck!
Wow, sounds like an amazing job, and how nice that you took care of animals that needed a new home! But I agree, that boy sounded quite awful, but it's a shame his parents didn't react.
Many people don't care alot for snakes, which is a shame. It's ok to treat a snake like that because it isn't "cute".
That would be awesome, haha!
Well, if I get an animal I want to give them the ability to live naturally and have the best life possible. If I have birds I want to give them the ability to be outdoors when the weather permits. When I had my budgie Blues I used to bring her cage outside with me during sunny days and let her enjoy the outdoors. During the summer she would sometimes be outside form early morning to the evening.
One cool thing occured one day as I sat beside her, she usually chirped and whsitled alot whenever she got outside, as she talked with all the various birds in the garden. Then in all of a sudden, she became quiet. I looked at her and she was staring up, feathers flattened towards the body and she almost "laid" down on her perch, not moving a muscle. When I looked up, a kite was soaring quite close overhead. Blues had never seen a bird of prey before, yet she instinctively knew that this was a predator and that she needed to avoid detection, it was really cool to witness that!
But a discus tank sounds amazing, they're very pretty! Although I've heard they're quite picky with the pH and water quality of their tank.
He used to sit and watch it, moving his head and following the characters as they made sudden movments on the screen. If he was in his tank he would got to the corner that was closest to the TV when it was turned on and watch from there.
Yeah, some people become hoarders which is a shame! It's one thing when you collect things with common sense, but when you start to collect animals they just don't lie and attract dust, they suffer.
I saw this lady in the US that had over fifty(!!!!) cats in an apartment, yikes. O_o But those rats in that motel sounds like a crazy story, glad they found out about it! Many of those people that hoard things really need to get help.
Those are some awesome favorites, you sure know how to pick 'em!
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Siberian sturgeons are beautiful! Are you able to tell the genders of your sturgeons? Does their pond ice over in the winter? If so, how do you feed them? (Or do they not need to be fed at that time? I know for us, when we had turtles, they pretty much didn't eat at all for two months in the winter).
Your zoo project and extinct island sound really amazing! Something like that definitely takes a lot of love and time. Designing is a lot of fun, but with such extensive projects and so many exhibits to consider, it would definitely take a lot of time. Do you also plan out the restroom and water fountain locations, or mostly just the exhibits?Β
Indeed, discus are hard to care for! And expensive! I'd be really sad if they died in a week because they couldn't adapt to the different water, even if they were acclimated slowly. They are gorgeous fish though, so maybe in the future when I have more time I'll have a discus tank. And yes, I also loved to hear my budgies sing and chirp along with the other birds when we took them outside! (When we only had one left, we'd joke that we took him out to see his "girlfriends," the chickens! 
That is quite a bearded dragon! He definitely seemed to enjoy the television. 
I agree. I know that they just want to help the animals and love them, but when they hoard them and don't have the space nor money for them, they all suffer together. These people really need help, but sometimes it's too late by the time they're found, like the lady who bred wolf-dog hybrids and had too many. They attacked her and ate her supposedly, by the time the neighbors complained of the awful smells from the house.
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Well, I can't tell their genders but from the buyer(s) we know that we have a male and female. Their pond does get covered in ice during the winters, and we actually don't feed them during that time. They go into a kind of hibernation where they move extremely slowly and don't eat when the temperatures drop below freezing. They share the pond with koi, and they also go into dormancy during the winter. The only thing is that you have to have some form of oxygen stone or filter running, because sturgeons unlike koi are very sensitive to low levels of oxygen in the water, and can actually suffocate if the pond freezes over completely. Koi are somewhat more resiliant, but even they can't take several months of a completely frozen pond.
We actually have a special feed developed for sturgeons, that sink to the bottom and contains all the nutrients the fish need. What kind of turtles did you have? Did they actually manage to survive the winter over there?
Yeah, designing is the fun part, haha. I have only planned out the exhibits so far, haven't had time with the rest unfortunately.
I hope you can have discus one day then, they're stunning fish! You really gotta set up a seperate tank for them, since they're so demanding, but let's face it, discus are so stunning there's no need for any other fish in the tank, lol! Any special color mutation you are most interested in obtaining if you ever got them?
Haha, that's adorable. Perhaps he really saw the chickens as his flock.
Haha, what a shame he didn't enjoy it.
Oh wow, that's horrible! It's a shame when things get that far, imagine how awful it must have been to end your life like that.
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That's cool! I did not realize koi could survive in such cold conditions too! We actually were always worried that ours would die from the cold here, but it never was cold enough to have ice over the pond! The other day I was reading reviews for an outdoor event at the beach, and some people commented how it was funny to watch people shiver in the "cold," since it was actually considered mild weather for anyone from a colder country. (For us, cold is anything under 13C, and it seldom is below 5C) Since it never got cold enough here for the koi to enter a hibernation sort of state, we still fed them twice a day, every day. The turtles we had were red eared sliders, and they did just fine in our winters outdoors. We also had tilapia (rescued from the supermarket), but unfortunately they did not withstand the cold very well. I think those needed to be in a tropical tank to flourish. How many koi do you have?Β
I agree, designing is so fun! I wish you all the best for your zoo!
Hm, what kind of special colors would I want for discus? I really like the blue turquoise and red leopard ones. I know they're not anything special or rare, but I really like how those look! Pigeon blood is cool too. If one day they came out with a red and silver one though, I would like it! If I get a discus tank though, I would probably also have them with a live planted tank. I really like how live plants look, but since I have cichlids (well, one left anyways), I can't keep any plants. She even tears apart moss balls and anubias! I think they would look lovely with discus.Β
Haha your lab mix sounds so cute! That is adorable that he would go look for the animal or human that "disappeared" from the TV! Ours definitely doesn't do that! We try to get him to stay awake when we're playing games, but he's more interested in sleeping, or sitting with his butt facing us as he vigilantly watches the kitchen for invisible intruders.
I know! It's so sad to hear cases like that. They ended up euthanizing a lot of the wolf-dogs too, since they were not socialized well and in very poor health. It makes me wonder where the woman's family is, and if they were sad to hear how she passed away. These people seem to have so much love to give, but give it in a very bad way and need a lot of help. There must be a lot of cases that are going unknown too.
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Oh, they're very hardy actually! The winters in Japan can get quite cold, and the fish can handle that. The only thing is that a pond that freezes over quickly lose its oxygen, since the water becomes stagnant. Keeping the water circulating and keeping a hole in the ice is very important. That's pretty coo lthat you could keep your turtles outdoors, I do think that those species actually thrives if they get to experience a period of cold where they can go dormant for a while, if I remember correctly!
We have about 25-30 koi, I haven't counted them, haha.
Thanks alot, I'll do my best! How far did you get with the zoo that you designed?
Wow, those are some beautiful choices! I agree, most aquariums looks better and the fish also become healthier if there is live plants in the tank. Unfortunately cichlids are quite destructive, especially the ones from the rift lakes of Africa. Many species there digs and burrows alot to show territorial boundaries and to attract a mate. There are virtually no plants at all in those lakes except algae, haha.
Well, our lab-mix was named Dino, and my dad had him before my mom and stepdad got chickens. ^^
I know, it's such a shame! These people have the best intentions but it ends up so wrong in the end, causing pain and suffering not only for the animals but for the person aswell.
I could just hope that people that hoard would recieve help in the form of therapy or something, to snap them out of their bad habits.
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Cool! I guess we're just not used to having animals in such cold weather since it's a desert down here. It's usually mild to hot 9 months of the year, with it only recently starting to get cold. I forget that koi should be able to survive the cold well since Japan gets quite frigid, especially in the north! XD Do you have any plants in your pond?Β
For the zoo I designed, it was fairly basic. So far it would be a combination of aquarium and zoo, minus the menus for the food and the restaurant themes (I'd want an aquarium themed one where visitors can see the fish, and then one overlooking the safari exhibit with a jungle theme, and then also an arctic one where they can see the penguins and the floor would be translucent so they can see them swimming under them. Another restaurant will be sustainable/eco-friendly themed!). For sure I would not have a flamingo exhibit right at the entrance! I know a lot of zoos do that because they look cool, but they just smell so awful! I remember nearly throwing up a few times when I was a child just passing by the flamingos, and never understood why they had to be at the entrance. If possible, I'd also minimize uphill areas or have sky-lifts. We have some zoos in California that are so hilly and terrible for people pushing strollers or wheelchairs. There definitely would be a walk-in aviary with a small bird-feeding part near it, and I would love there to be a research center where people can tour and see the behind the scenes for the vets, breeding, and research going on. Holiday events would happen too, like Halloween animal crafting or Lunar New Year's dragon dancing. (We have a fairly large Asian population in southern California, so several zoos do celebrate the Lunar New Year). Plenty of restrooms are also a must! And of course a petting zoo, featuring all kinds of poultry! Do you know what animals would be the main attraction for your zoo?Β
Haha tell me about it! I have coral sand in my tank, but there are pits everywhere thanks to the constant digging from my cichlid! It was no use decorating the tank with plastic plants even because they'd just dig them up! I go on Ebay and see people selling "cichlid proof" plants, but so far none have survived the curiosity of my fish. They don't eat them, but they do rip them apart in great delight! XD
Wow, you had Dino from quite some time ago then since that was before the chickens! Lab mixes are so cute. I have two friends who have them!
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Yeah, we do indeed! We have water lillies, yellow iris, marsh callas, marsh marigold and more.
They add so much to the pond, but you have to protect them from the fish. They LOVE to uproot plants, lol.
Wow, your zoo sounds fantastic! You've really put in alot of time and effort into it, love it!
That penguin exhibit where they can swim beneath you sounds amazing! I would love to visit the aviary and petting zoo aswell.
Haha, that's quite true about the flamingos! I had the same experience with chimps, I loved watching them but I thought they smelled so bad, lol!
Oh, I haven't gotten that far yet. But I do know that I want to keep mostly endangered animals or species that are quite uncommon in zoos, to give my visitors that extra special visit while contributing to the preservation of rare animals.
That about chichlied proof plants made me laugh so much! They're not safe in any way it looks like, haha!
That's adorable, do you know their names?
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Cool! It sounds like you have more plants in your pond than we ever did! We tried to keep plants, but literally only two or three lilies and a lotus ever survived. The koi and turtles destroyed all of them with great vigor! XD I think the koi would uproot them, even when we carefully potted them, and the turtles would just help themselves and snap off whatever they desired. I'm sure your pond must be gorgeous in the spring/summer when all those flowers bloom!Β
Thanks! It's good to know that should I ever open a zoo and it ends up being designed as I envisioned it, at least one person wants to see it!
That's great! Would you then have a huge bug exhibit then? I think visitors need to have more education on invertebrates in general and how they are in far greater danger of going extinct, so it would be great to have a zoo that did that. I know bugs tend not to carry the same message as the cute cuddly panda though. XD
The names of my friends' lab mixes are Nala (she looks like a medium dog but she's 32 kg! All muscle!) and Kupo (now she really is very small, which you don't expect for a lab mix, maybe like 3 kg?). How big was Dino?Β
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Haha, well we have to protect them with stone walls and other things, lol! The koi loves to uproot and eat plants, so it's no easy task!
Many of the plants are still quite small though, since about half of them were purchased this summer. Here's hoping they wil survive the winter!
Yeah, count me in! Maybe I could even get a private guide, haha!
Haha, that's quite an accurate description of the smell. It's not roses and perfume I'll tell you that much.
Oh yeah, Jurassic park must have smelled so bad! But the fact is that in the novel John Hammond explains that they have taken care of the problem with dung by having a dinosaur named procompsognathus roaming freely across the island. They ate the dung and also kept pest like rats under control.
That's true, many species of insects face extinction aswell, especially in the tropics. It would be fun to have an area dedicated to them. They're very fascinating actually, I watched a documetnary by David Attenborough called "Life in the undergrowth", and it focuses entirely on land invertebrates. There's more to them then most people realize, and they're hugely important to the survival of the ecosystems.
Well, many researchers talk about a thing called "umbrella species". It means that some animals, like gorillas, are more popular to the general public and people are willing to try hard to protect them. But when people set up reserves for gorillas, they also protect all the different kinds of plants, insects, amphibians, birds and other small mammals that live there aswell. So in a way these "popular" species are helping to conserve alot of insects aswell, haha.
Oh, they sound adorable! Dino was the same size as lab, maybe somewhat larger. I don't know what breeds there were in him though.
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If that ever comes true, I'll definitely give you a private tour of my zoo haha! With technology advancing the way it is, virtual reality seems entirely possible within our lifetimes. Maybe we can't realize something here, but in the virtual world, we can do all kinds of things! I suppose for now though, I'm quite satisfied with my mini-zoo. Pets and gardening can be quite a handful and require a lot of planning in itself. XD Now that spring is coming up in a few months, do you know if you plan to try planting something new this year?Β
That's true, I remember hearing about that. I completely forgot about the umbrella species concept, but you're absolutely right. I hope all the conversation groups are doing well! I know people have been less inclined to donate the last few years because of the depression (they can't even help themselves, let alone animals!). Hopefully now that people have better access to technology, people become better aware of how important all different animals are to the ecosystem. I remember in elementary school, nobody really cared about bees. We all knew they helped pollinate and stuff, but no big deal. Then in the past few years, apparently backyard bee keeping has been exponentially rising because the general public finally realized how important bees actually were and how they were facing a lot of problems and dying off in droves. With all the snow and cold in Sweden, are there still bees there, or mostly in the spring and summer? (or does something else predominantly pollinate the plants?)Β
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Haha, that's great to know! Maybe virtual reality will become a real thing. It might not be very far in the future.
Indeed, just having pets and plants takes alot of time and planning in itself, haha. I've actually already started growing for the upcoming summer! I have this grow-light that simulates sunlight, so you can grow plants very early in the year. I already have fuschias, dragonfruit, cape goosberries and some succulents growing under it. Still quite small though, haha. I've also placed alot of seeds in plastic bags with moist toilet paper and placed them in a warm spot to encourage germination. I have several species of palms there, including fishtails and mazaris. I also have banana passion fruits and cherrimoyas laying around there. So I'm quite busy already, lol!
I also bought several flower seeds that I will sow later on, I don't wanna overwhelm myself. How about you? Do you have any plans for the upcoming spring and what you would like to grow this season?
I agree, umbrella species are very important. I'ts the same here in Sweden regarding the bees, now many people are becoming aware that bees are in need of help and there's alot of flower mixes being sold that are helpful to bees. They also seel insect hotels, that provide hiding and living spaces for insects, I have one myself actually!
Oh yes, we have bees here! Beehives can be quite common in certain places, many orchard growers hire beekeepers during the flowering season to increase their crop. Here in Sweden, all insects, including bees go dormant during the winter months, and are only active around spring, summer and autumn. Only the queen hibernates though, all the workers die off (In beehives the domesticated worker bees survive aswell, hibernating with the queen) and the queen starts a new colony the next year. Many bee species in Sweden are solitary, and don't form hives actually. We have all the common insects like bees, bumblebees, beetles, butterflies and flies to pollinate our flowers during the growing season.
The only problem is that bumblebees and bees may have difficulties finding enough flowers since humans have taken over a large part of the landscape. Many bumblebee colonies that live close to urban areas die of starvation early in the year due to a lack of flowers.
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Nice! I do the same thing, and right now I have a lot of tomatoes in every color from white to blue germinating in the little plastic + moist paper setup! I counted that apparently I had 106 tomato seed varieties! I didn't realize that I had amassed so many.Β Last week me and my sister planted a lot of orange and pink calla lily bulbs, and later I plan to plant some chard and peppers as well, though I have had terrible luck with germinating peppers.Β If you would like, IΒ could send you a couple seeds in the next letter since it'll be just in time for the growing season.
I remember using grow-lights during elementary school, and unfortunately they were never enough, so I was convinced that they were a waste of money, until during college my sister got one and it worked so well that her tomato plant sprawled over the kitchen counter haha! Technology in even just lights had improved so much in just those years!Β
I see, so plants there don't sound like they get pollinated much over the winter, except for the wind. Here we have a lot of insects year round and a lot of farms. You'll find things like mangos and nectarines readily stocked even in the winter, though they definitely don't taste nearly as good as they do in the summer. Have you ever been able to make a meal almost entirely out of the things you grow in your garden? It sounds like you have a wonderful variety of all kinds of tasty goodies! And that is cool about the insect hotel you have! I remember reading about one a long time ago in a nature book I got as a kid, but I've never actually known anyone who used them!
And somewhat of a random note, remember how a few months ago I was telling you how battery cages were legal here? Well recently they changed that (on January 1st). The cages are still legal, but now they have to be large enough so that every hen can stretch their wings. It's a start! And we know it's definitely been in effect because the price for chicken eggs have actually increased significantly, according to a family friend. They haven't eaten as many eggs as a result, but I am glad that the chickens are finally getting some better treatment!
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Oh, that's awesome! There's so many varieties of tomatoes, you can always find something new! But woah, 106 different kinds?! That must have taken some time to collect that many! Do you have a growlight aswell or do your seedlings do fine with window light? Here in Sweden the light is way too weak during the winter, so if you try to raise plants they become very long and scraggly.
Callas are so beautiful, they truly are! Sadly, many species don't thrive in the Swedish climate, and most of them must be cultivated in pots or be dug up before the first frost. The only species I know that has survived the winters well enough is western skunk cabbage, and apparently it's growing wild in some woodlands having escaped cultivation, but that's quite rare.
Oh, thanks alot, but I already have my seed larder bursting to the brim, haha!
Indeed, growlights nowadays are really effective, and the plants really grow vigorously. They also have incredible lifespans, one of my lights have a lifespan of 18,000 hours I think. O_o
Oh, well the thing is that no plants grow here during the winter, all plants go dormant between late October to march (earliest bulbs like crocus and snowdrops may bloom in late february during mild winters), many trees and bushes lose their leaves in october and don't start getting new ones until the beginning of may. So for about six months of the year no plant growth occurs, and that time increases the further up you go in Sweden.
In winter we ften import most of our fruit and vegetables, or they have to be raised in specialized, heated greenhouses. Cool that you can grow mangoes in your area, that is truly a tropical fruit. ^^
Well, it's pretty hard to make an entire meal, but we've definitely been able to add parts of the meal from our own plants. Potatoes are quite productive, haha. Most of the times there's just enough so that you can go around and snack on all the tasty little tidbits, but rarely do we have enough to make a meal out of it. How about you? ^^
That insect hotel is awesome, it even has special rooms for hibernating butterflies and such. I don't dare to open them though in case I have visitors there, haha.
Oh, it's not much but it's definitely a start! I'm glad they're getting better treatment aswell, they deserve that. ^^
That's great to hear.
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Yep! I've been collecting these seeds since high school. There's a website that gives you free seeds each winter, and you can pick 6 from their super extensive list of tomatoes (or you can request a mix of flowers too). Sometimes I trade with my friends too, so I end up with quite a variety! The lady who runs this organization and gives out these seeds is super nice as well. I don't use a growlight any more because then they end up growing too fast and all over the place! The tomato vines and rosemary were so big that you couldn't even see the light we had over them any more haha! The seedlings seem to do fine in the winter here. They definitely grow slower, but they are fine on the windowsill. After all, just this past Christmas, it was about 32C! (Usually it's not that warm, but in my area, it is extremely rare for it to drop below 4C, even at night in the winter. It happens maybe about twice a year at most? It gets windy, but temperature and sunshine-wise, it works well for growing tomatoes early!).Β
Callas are so elegant! And I like all the colors they come in! We planted about 24 red, orange, and yellow ones over a month ago, but sadly only two sprouted, and they're just doing marginally okay. The white ones seem to grow like weeds, but we just can't get these colored ones up and going! And it sounds like both of us are quite the seed hoarders! I've recently had to upgrade my seed box because my previous one just couldn't fit all the seeds in any more.Β
We're trying to grow some sweet potatoes now. There's a major drought in the area and since lawns require so much water, we're thinking about getting rid of the one in the backyard to make way for some crops, so at least we get some snacks out of it! We can't get rid of the one in front though due to association regulations. It would be great if they end up very productive! How do you know when your potatoes are "ripe" for the picking? We used to have a large backyard and grow all kinds of veggies there, and all we had to add was the meat dish because there were pounds and pounds of vegetables every other day! We no longer have that kind of space though. When we went to the health fair a few weeks ago, we saw an aeroponic tower garden and thought it was really nifty! It seemed super productive, easy to maintain, and saves water too. The downside is that the motor is fairly loud (plus it is pricy), which is probably the main reason we didn't buy it right then and there. We used to have a miniature hydroponic garden in the kitchen, but it was just too noisy, hearing it 24/7! If they one day find a way to make it quieter, we may consider it for our small yard, and it seems like it would provide us with almost all our vegetable needs! We have our herbs and tomatoes covered right now for sure though!
That insect hotel sounds so cool! Having all those different special rooms really does make it sound like a one stop hotel for just about any bug haha! I've seen some really cutely designed ones and would be tempted to get one in the future. How long have you had yours for? Does it survive rain fairly well? Do you ever have to add any food or anything for the guests?Β
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Woah, they give you free seeds?! That's something that I would love for sure, haha. What kinds of tomatoes do you have, which are your favorites? I've actually grown quite a few varieties myself this year.
Oh man, they grow so fast with a growlight? Must be heat, I guess with all your sunny wather you don't need a growlight, haha. It seems like you've got the perfect climate for tomatoes, considering how big they grow and for how long they live.
Woah, 32C near christmas, I would get anything like that here, haha. Do you ever have freezing temperatures in your area, or are you able to grow things that can handle frost outside year round?
Woah, only 2 out of 24 germinated? It wasn't an issue with the soil, like drying out? That spells doom for most germinating seeds. If the soil is too wet or even at regular moisture fungi can attack the seeds, I've lost alot of palm seeds in this manner. Some seeds have a hard coating, and need to be slighlty knicked in order to be able to absorb water, I don't know how callas work in that aspect.
Haha, yet another thing we have in common! I have an entire box filled with seeds, haha. All kinds aswell. What kinds of seeds do you have, I'm quite curious?
That's a great way to save water an energy, having crops instead of grass. How are the sweet potatoes coming along? I don't know if I've said it before, but sweet potatoes are actually related to morning glories, not regular potatoes, it's pretty cool!
So if you're talking about knowing when sweet potatoes are ready to be picked, I have no experience. But in regular potatoes you pick the tubers once the plant has gone into bloom and is starting to die, this is a sign that the plant is withdrawing the energy into the tubers, and they will be at their best. If you don't pick them by then the tubers may very well rot if the soil is too moist.
That hydroponic garden sounds neat, but maybe it's a bit too noisy. Let's hope they will make quiter ones in the future. I remember back when I were a kid the filter for aquariums were really loud, but nowadays they're really quiet. I can hardly hear the sound of the filter attached to my nano tank, the sound fades into the background.
I got my insect hotel as a gift for my 25th birthday, so I've had it for almost a year by now.Β I think it survives rain fairly well, it's equipped with a roof, haha. I also bet that they placement plays an important role. No, I don't add anything, it's simply meant to be for breeding or hibernating insects of all kinds, so it's pretty much maintinence free.
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Yep, free seeds! All you have to do is send them a self addressed, self stamped envelope, and then they'll give you seeds! I use it once a year around the winter each time. We had a family friend just visit from Canada, and she was interested in my collection of seeds, since she saw all our tomato plants outside. She was shocked at how many varieties there were, and of course my collection hardly makes a dent in all the available tomatoes out there! I've collected a lot of tomatoes (and other seeds) over the years, though I'm a little sad that I can't possibly use them all and try all these plants out! Now that we're in a really bad drought as well, it looks like I'll have to significantly downsize my garden too and alas even with proper storage and refrigeration, seeds still have a limited shelf life. Who knows though, maybe I'm lucky and will have some seeds like those ancient civilizations, where even today, they're able to germinate those 1000 year old seeds they found in the ruins! XD
In our area, we very seldom have freezing temperatures. It might happen once every three years or so, in the case where it has just rained and also becomes super cold, and then for one night it'll be freezing, and the days around it will not be freezing but pretty close to it. It's enough to cause major problems for the farmers though, since we're not prepared for that kind of weather, nor is it particularly economically sound to do so since it happens so rarely and for such a short period of time. The more mature fruit trees will survive it, but some the the younger ones will not, as well as some berries and other plants. As for having 2 out of 24 seeds germinating, I think it wasn't the soil since I actually tend to germinate most of my seeds on paper towels, and all in the same place too! It could just be a bad batch, or maybe just so happens the water wasn't great or there was some contamination since they're hardly in a sterile environment! I have left them there for weeks before remembering them, and while some sprouts survive, there's a mass of white fungal stuff on it haha!Β
What seeds do you have? Does anyone else in your family collect seeds? For me, I have an assortment of a lot of tomatoes, I think over 100 types, and then a lot of various flowers and vegetables. Vegetables could be anything from the common carrot to Chinese ong choy, and flowers could be the tiny baby's breath or giant mammoth sunflower! We have a lot of ones that grow well in the heat, like marigold, Mexican hats, and butterfly bushes. Recently I poured out some of my super old seeds (some are over 15 years) into the soil just to see if anything would even still grow, and lo and behold, now we have a single 5 foot tall purple amaranth that is quite impressive growing out between our tomatoes haha! Have you ever had anything surprise you? And yes, the sweet potatoes are actually doing great right now! We planted some outside the gameroom and now their leaves are visible from the window. I think they're almost 1.5 feet tall now? And thanks for the info on the potatoes! I didn't know that you'd pick them when the leaves start dying, but that makes sense!
That's true, aquarium filters did use to be super noisy huh? A couple of the cheaper ones (especially the disposable ones) are still super noisy, but otherwise, it's impressive how quiet they can be now. Some are practically silent as long as you maintain a high enough water level too, despite having a massive water output.Β
How nice! I bet that gift was quite a highlight on your birthday! Plus maintenance free too! Do you think you'll ever get more insect hotels, or just have the one?Β
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That's so awesome, must be really fun to get a mix and se what you end up with!
Indeed, there is a ton of tomato varieties, I grew a russian variety this year, but the greenhouse was so cramped I didn't get any tomatoes. A dwarf variety gave a better harvest though. ^^
Hey, seeds can be stored for a long time, espeically if they're kept dark and cool, so don't give up!
Indeed, they germinated a date once, and the cool thing was that it was from an extinct ancient variety. They've also germinated lotus seeds found in dry lake beds that dried up over a thousand years ago aswell!
Yeah, since you're not used to freezing temperatures it would make sense not to expect or plan around it. But I can bet it causes quite a big trouble for farmers though.
Well, I wish you the best of luck with your next batch then. Can you germinate seeds year round?
Oh wow, you have an amazing collection of seeds, you're so lucky! That those Amaranth flowers must have been incredible, would love to see some garden pictures from you in your next mail.
Did you get to harvest the sweet potatoes, and did you get a lot?
I have a very big variety myself, everything from flowers, exotic trees, veggies to succulents. I did grow a huge banana plant this year but sadly I had to throw it since it got to big and got infested with spider mites, and I didn't want to risk that spreading to my other plants.
Some examples of seeds I have are Ceiba pentandra, Washington palm, cockscomb, morning glory, barrel cactus and many more. XD
I think I'm good with one at the moment, we actually had solitary wasps nesting there this year, so that was really exciting!
I also bought a bumblebee box earlier this week, it's a home for ground-living bumblebees, so I hope a queen will move in next spring!
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Those random seed packets are so fun! I had a couple myself- mostly either of wildflower ones or of tomato ones. For some reason, maybe I'm "unlucky," but my tomato mixes all seemed skewed to give only red cherry tomatoes haha! Still tasty and productive though! The flowers though were really fun to see what came out. We've been surprised on a few occasions by how pretty they were, even though it wasn't necessarily the one we were hoping for!
I can indeed germinate seeds year round! Our tomatoes actually reseed themselves a little too frequently whenever they please haha. As we're in the process of moving, I have some succulent cuttings from my sister's house I'm planning to bring to the new house to plant! Save water yeah! Hopefully in a few months, they'll grow big enough to look like decent ground cover instead of individual little sticks haha. We'll probably grow sweet potatoes again to since they're so low maintenance, need little water, plus a bonus of being edible! Unfortunately we haven't actually been able to harvest any sweet potatoes, but we've had many meals from the leaves so far! And the flowers that bloom are cute as well, sort of like morning glories.Β
Wow! A Ceiba pentandra, they grow to a fair size! Did you grow the seeds for that yet? If so, how are the sprouts doing? And how is your bumblebee box doing? I hope that a queen has moved in (or will move in soon)! I'm sure they'll love their new home when they do.
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Haha, that's a bit unlucky to end up with only red cherry tomatoes. But I'm glad they were tastu though! I plan on starting some tomatoes for our greenhouse soon, but they grow so fast so I can't plant too early, since I can't put them outside until the middle of may.
Indeed, that's the fun thing about suprises, you might end up with something you never expected!
That's so awesome, must be really fun! Here I long in the winter until spring arrives and I can start sowing. How cool that the tomatoes self-seed though, here they would never do that, but I once planted out a flower that began to take over an entire planting, so it had to go unfortuantely.
Are you excited for the move? For how long will you be staying at your old house? I sent a letter a few weeks ago so I hope it makes it before you move!
Succulents are really great, and they don't need lots of care either, perfect for Califonia.
Sweet potatoes are actually closely related to morning glories, so that's why the flowers look similar. They belong to the same family.
I wish you the best of luck with growing them, may you be able to make a meal out of them soon! ^^
I did grow seeds a few years ago, only one germinated and I still have that one! I've had to prune it several times because it hits the ceiling, haha. In the wild, the tree can grow over 4 meters per year, since they compete with so many other plants for the light. My Ceiba tree is doing really well, it has a thick trunk by now and is just starting to wake up from the winter. ^^
No bumblebees yet, spring is just arriving, so hopefully bumblebees will be out and about in a week or two. But I do hope that a queen will move in, would be tons of fun!
I hope you're having a good weekend!
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Haha it was pretty surprising to end up with only cherry tomatoes! But I guess they're plentiful, so there were lots of extras for our chickens too! What kinds of tomatoes did you plant in your greenhouse? Do you have a favorite variety?Β
I didn't know that sweet potatoes are closely related to morning glories, that's pretty neat! That sure explains why their flowers look so similar! Recently we've been planting duan ngokilo, a medicinal plant. It grows like crazy! It completely took over the spot we were originally going to plant sweet potatoes in haha. After our friends and relatives heard we were growing it though, they all wanted some (we even took some cuttings to HK, since they allow plants in) so we haven't bothered trimming it down yet as everyone who comes visits wants some.Β
Nice! Even though only one germinated, it sounds like you only needed the one, and your Ceiba is doing very well! How tall is it now? And did a queen ultimately move into your bumblebee box?Β
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Nice, didn't know chickens loved tomatoes. This year I planted one small yellow cherry tomato, and a large variety known as Russian Krim.
I don't really have a favorite variety since I haven't tried that many varieties just yet.
Nice that your duan ngokilo is growing so vigorously, what kind of medical herb is it?
I've never heard of it, so that's a shame. XD
Definitely, it grew so big that I need to prune it regularly. Now it reaches the ceiling, so it's quite large.
Well, not really. I think an ant colony lives there at the moment. XD
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How does the Russian Krim taste? I had a type called Black Krim, and that was really yummy. It was surprisingly a decent producer for five years, but after we left for a trip, when we came back, even though my friend dutifully watered it every day, it sadly perished. I hope your yellow cherry tomato was productive! I like how cherry tomatoes almost look decorative with all their little fruits!
Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with what kind of medicinal herb the duan ngokilo is. As far as I know, it just looks like a leafy bush haha. I do wish I could figure out what the scientific name of it was though.Β
Wow! Your Ceiba's all the way up to the ceiling already, that was quick! You've been giving it lots of loving care.
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Sadly I only got one, but it was very flavorful indeed. Sorry to hear your tomato perished, but 5 years is an incredibly long time!
Yeah, we got over two bowls full of small tomatoes, haha. Despite the plant nearly dying of dehydration a couple of times... XD
Yeah, but maybe you will find that out one day. ^^
Yeah, but it's a naturally fast grower aswell, since it's from the rainforest it must grow fast if it wants any chance of reaching the light before other trees take the sunlight.
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Aw...so cute! X3 When I was little I used to take care of 40 chicks with my class in preschool. We always fed and took care of them. Are they still with you today, or you send them away to a ranch?
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Thanks! Wow, 40 chicks! That must have been fun in preschool! Do you know what happened to all the chicks afterwards? Did you ever get a chance to keep chickens for yourself later on?
For these, we hatched them out of eggs from a supermarket! We stuck the eggs under our broody hen, and four came out! Three were males, so we gave them away to a farm, but we kept the girl (in the center of this picture). Unfortunately, she passed away last year at the age of 4 years, from what we suspect to be some kind of organ failure. She was never very strong to begin with and seemed to have some respiratory issues now and then. But while we had her with us, we loved her dearly! She was a great part of the family!
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Wonderful! I don't know what happened to the chicks after we sent them back to the ranch. I think they're still alive today since a chicken lifespan is 5-10 or even 12-15 years like a dog. But regardless we took care of them as if they were our children, and as such this really impacted me as a child and I soon began to like animals as if they were just like humans. I may not see them again but I'll still remember them.
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I heard the record chicken lived just over 20 years! But I guess that's rare, sort of like people living over 110. Supposedly the average chicken only lives to about 5 years due to predation problems (or in my case, I'm guessing hatching from a refrigerated grocery egg didn't do much good either) and a myriad of diseases. Not everyone vaccinates their chickens either, which adds to the problem. We've had several close cases with hawks for our girls, it was really scary! There were torn feathers all over the yard and the hawk was so big, but luckily no one was eaten. My other hens are still going strong so I'm really hoping that they'll get to be at least a decade old! I even made chicken diapers for them so they can walk around inside house without making a mess on days it rains.
That's really great that your preschool experience had such a positive impact on you! I wish more people would see things like you and give animals the respect they deserve. Do you have any pets?
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Not really. I had a pug named Coco that lived for fourteen years, a hamster named Hannah that only lives for nine months due to a cold, and another one called Rossie that I gave to someone else to take care of. All were great and I had fun taking care of them.
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Cool! You must have had some great memories with Coco! Fourteen years! I hope our dog will also make it to 14 or more. And sorry about Hannah. My brother in law had a hamster too that also passed from what we think was a cold before it made it to a year old. It's great to hear that your family had a positive experience with pets.
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CUTE!!!!!!! O.O I NEED TO HATCH MORE EGGS!!!!! *hyperventilating* i have horrible luck though.... all the chicks I've hatched ended up being male....
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My luck has been...good at first, terrible afterwards! Out of my first seven chicks (unsexed bantams), six turned out to be hens, so that was great! (I intended to just have 2 or 3, but I guess lucky me! XD) Then we hatched out 4 out of 8 Trader Joe eggs, and 3 were boys...super aggressive ones too. At 2 days old, they were already territorial and attacking my adult hens. 
Well at least with our streaks of bad luck in hatching, at least it can't be any worse! It'll only get better!
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WOW!SIX out of SEVEN!!!! thats awesome luck there! yes, i wish you luck in the future
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It was great! I felt kind of bad for some of the chicks since I didn't play with them as much, thinking that they were roos, only to have them turn out to be hens (one of my favorites now, I thought for the longest time was a boy!). And thanks! You too!
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Verily! Sadly three of them turned out to be roosters so we couldn't keep them, but they sure were adorable while they were still here!
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Ow,
But they're indeed cute!
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