AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[AL]

I don't go to the regular downtown Christmas parades, or even the Christmas boat parade of lights out on the bay... but you haven't been to a parade until you've been to the Redneck Christmas parade! Horses, coon hounds, camo, trucks, deer (stuffed ) , Spam (the edible kind... or so they say) , 4-wheelers. It's just good fun. Sometimes the elementary schools sing, sometimes the nursing homes sing. This year they had a couple of 'big names" for the music.


GUESS WHAT?? Today I met a couple of friends from work for lunch and "Secret Santa" gift exchange. My secret Santa got me a WHEELBARROW!!!
AND another friend just thought of me when she saw a case of Ball quart jars so she bought me those!!
My dad had already bought me a wheelbarrow for Christmas, so he said he would take his back and get something else.

 

[framing fowl]

That's my kind of secret Santa!

 

[AL]

Geez.. it is stinking COLD!! (I know, I get no sympathy from folks who are in "negative degrees".... but this is FLORIDA, we pay extra property taxes to keep the heat on!).
Right now, at 1040am it is wind chill of 24*.

The wind. My arch enemy these days. Last night when I came home from work for lunch / to watch my church's Christmas online, the tarp was blown off the meatie shelter. I went up and reconnected everythign and zipped off to work.
When I got home at 130am, BOTH tarps were torn off. The meats were huddled under the lights in a corner of the shelter that blocked most of the wind. So I spent about 20 minutes in single digit windchill retarping the shelter. Ever try to hammer quietly? LOL It was, I thought, good enough to hold, so I didn't do a great job.
Once they were settled in I did give them a little feed to get 'em comfy, and also tossed some new litter down for them.

I actually remembered yesterday to drain the garden hose, so I was able to use it hooked up to my washing machine water to fill the horse trough with warm water. Walked the dogs and then went inside where it was warm and NO WIND.

Today the wind is gusting over 30mph and the high is 40. When I got up this morning the west tarp was blown off again. This time I could put some "oomph" into it and I guarantee the only way that thing is coming off is if it rips (please God? Don't let it rip).

Guess what's cooking? VERY homemade chicken and dumplings. Woot!

 

[lorihadams]

SEE, I knew you could do it!!!

I don't fool with a hatchet....I use a hunting knife and just slice the head off.

They look really good btw....I'm proud of ya girl!

The last 13 we did in 30degree temps...finished the last 3 in the dark. It was nuts.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

great work baby!!! and excellent cold weather care. just think of it as helping them develop a layer of fat

YAY!!!

 

[BarredBuff]

Dumplins are good!

 

[AL]

So the verdict is in... and it is inconclusive.

My mom only had the skinned / parted up chickens, so there was zero fat / grease when she boiled the meat. She had to use some canned cream of chicken soup... which altered the flavor enough that I wasn't crazy about it. The chicken itself tasted fine... I could taste the difference between it and storebought, but I think I'll do better with a little more time between processing / cooking
My mom wasn't crazy about it. She doesn't like the stronger tasting meat (that is also why she doesn't eat farm eggs). I am not sure why she doesn't like it, she was raised on that kind of stuff


It is 30* already, supposed to be 21 later on. The wind is still whipping. And Skye is colicking. I put a blanket on her and seperated her into the yard with a big bucket of warm water / apple juice and some wet hay, gave her a shot of banamine. She was munching some hay by the time I left for work (45 min late!!).

I put more straw down for the layers. The chicken house is 2 sections because we originally just added on to my shed, but then I cleaned out my shed and knocked out most of the wall to expand the chicken house. The western side is where they roost - it has several inches of straw on the floor and plywood / totebin lid covering the cracks in the walls at roost height. The other section is just dirt floor and the washtub / cardboard box nestboxes, a tray of oystershell. Its front wall is also the wall to the meatie shelter. Most of the walls are covered. The whole thing is made up of privacy fence sections, so I worry about draftiness, but with most of the walls covered, they should be ok, huh?

 

[BarredBuff]

They'll be okay. Mine are surviving and snow has blown in their house and its 5* out. No body is dead. I have been trying to feed them more corn and boss lately. For some natural heat.

 

[AL]

We finally had more typical temperatures today. It as about 70* this afternoon, with a low of 51 tonight. What a relief!
Last night was 28*. I took some slightly warm water to the meats and the dimwits got in the big bowl of water, so they were soaking wet. They would just get in it and squat into the warm water.
I bought a mixing tray at TSC. I think I am going to plant some herbs in it. No idea what or how, just an idea at this point.

This weekend is forecast to be rainy and cooler. Funny stuff, Florida weather. Our low tomorrow if 56*, our high on Saturday is 53. We will be finishing the meaties on Saturday, regardless of weather. K and I both have those canopies / tents so we'll set them up and just work through the nasty weather.

I have a tray of red potatoes in my closet they are starting to sprout. I can't wait to put them out in February. I am thinking of planting some sweet peas as well.

 

[BarredBuff]

I might have missed it but how were the chicken and dumplins?