FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[FarmerDenise]

This was a hatchery bird. Most of my birds are. My home grown ones keep dying at puberty, probably from one form of mareks or another. Last year I vaccinated them and they still died. I had necropsies done and they came back as having died from marek's. So I didn't bother vaccinating this year. All my home hatches from this year died.

I am hoping that eventually I will end up with a flock that will have greater immunity to whatever strain is killing them. My next door neighbor is going through the same thing.

 

[FarmerDenise]

we got our first blue egg yesterday! And 2 more ameraucana's are sitting on nests. I think they are just trying it out though. I keep checking and still no more blue or green eggs.

I better get dressed and get out there and do something. Reading everyone's posts has made me laugh though and let me forget about the other night for a little while.

 

[punkin]

I would hate to feel like a prisoner in my own yard. We don't have much of a problem here, but with the economy and all, ya never know.

If I'm the only one at home, and I'm piddlin' around in the greenhouse or something, I keep a remote on me to our alarm that calls the police.

Earlier this year, we had a guy come by claiming he got lost while jogging. He ask for a drink of water. DH put a gun in his pocket and brought him one. DH (and the pocketed gun) took him to the road he lived on and dropped him off. For a while after that, I stuck a handgun in my pocket whenever I was outside and no one else was home.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I keep my cell phone in my pocket, with the an inside police number on speed dial. I had a friend who worked for the police dept and she gave me a number that always gets answered! That's helped me out a few times.
Unfortunately we don't have any small guns around. At night, I now go out carring a shotgun, with the two shells in my pocket, just in case.
We have also decided to definitely get another dog. Not a pitbull, since everyone around here has them and knows they are not really as vicious as they are made out to be. I'll be looking for a doberman.

Now I am going off to the Harvest fair for a distraction. SO wants me to bring home some cotton candy. A big bag! The biggest they got!!! If that'll make him feel better, that's fine with me.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Sorry to hear about your garden thieves. I hope the herbs recover.
Run a hot wire across the top of your fence. On every night.
Can you put up a motion activated security light? Helps you see your target to aim better.
Know your local gun laws, but guns don't scare gangs that much. They know many people wont shoot to kill.
Keep cell phone charged and on you.
Document all damage and what is stolen with the value- before clean up if they try again.
Doberman instincts are to work as a group. Don't know if it would consider 2 dogs enough of a team to do it's job. They can sometimes turn chicken if they feel like they will lose a fight. Mastiff, Rottweiler or Shepherd might be a good option. Schutshound training is great. (probably mispelled)

Congrats about your new egg layer! Hope you had a good time at the harvest fair.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I had a wonderfull time at the fair. Some one at the entry sold me their extra ticket for a dollar less, so it started off well. There weren't very many displays and not too many visitors. I was able to see everything in under 3 hours. My feet are sore. I took pictues of cows and goats. The cows had such beautifull eyes. The dwarf goats were so cute. I wanted to take a few home. I talked to the goat people and that was fun.
Then I bought 3 bags of cotton candy for SO and carried that through the fair. I stopped at a booth for Dave's Haybarn. It is a new farm place around here. We drive past it on our way to FIL's house. So I talked to the guy and he gave me a bag full of dogfood samples.
I really liked the geese too. They are sure noisy. They make good guard animals too.
What little food booths were there sure smelled good. But I resisted the urge to buy some. We have left overs from yesterday.

I let the chickens out as soon as I got home, so they get to roam a bit. Now it's getting dark, time for me to lock them up. I'm tired, but it's a good kind of tired, from walking and having fun.

 

[big brown horse]

Sorry about the trouble, glad you had a nice day!

 

[Farmfresh]

I second the German Shepherd or Rottweiler nominations. They have more size and sheer weight than a Doberman (although Dobies are great dogs). The Shepherd will usually work better around livestock since that was their original job, but they are more neurotic (believe me I have one and we used to raise them) than the Rott.

A pair of dogs is a very fine deterrent.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I used to have a german shephard also. They require a bit more grooming, which is one of the reasons I prefer dobermans. I'll be looking at animal shelters. So maybe I'll get a doberman shepard mix.
And geese, big ones. Can you imagine a bunch of gang bangers being attacked by geese. They won't be expecting that.
And those critters are loud!!! It'll wake up the whole neighborhood. All the lights will be coming on and they won't have any place to run. As mad as all the neighbors are about these people, they might be glad to see the police

 

[dragonlaurel]

Geese are a great idea, can you do a little video? This could be entertaining ... I'm thinking you tube.