Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[keljonma]

Bee, pick up those feathers! Feathers lost in molt work in pillows too!

 

[lorihadams]

My roo has been losing tail feathers for about a week now, Still no sign of Big Mama, my ugly barred rock. I don't know what's going on. Ethel sleeps in the coop at night and most of the other chickens sleep on a roosting pole outside in the run during the warmer months. There were feathers in the nesting boxes too so I am thinking that it may have happened early in the morning after DH left for work but before I got up and she may have been sitting on the nest when something snuck in and got her. I don't know what happened to Big Mama cause she was under the porch yesterday morning when I left for my BF's house and when I did a head count last night and this morning it is as if she vanished. Like I said, maybe God is telling me to try a new breed.....


Getting ready to leave for the weekend and visit Granny and Papa. Everyone have a good weekend!

 

[Dace]

I hope Nanny is doing well, it sounds like you have her in a very nice home and she is well cared for

Are you not happy with your BRs? My DD wants one really badly and I have read that they are a great breed for kids because they are so friendly. What is your take?

Have a lovely weekend!

 

[lorihadams]

Tuesday

I like the barred rocks, apparently so do the predators! One reappeared, we figured she was holed up in the woods somewhere hiding out. We set a live trap last night and caught a nasty, big possum. We killed him today. We are going to set the trap every night this week to see if we get anything else. I still think it was a coon, but we'll see what happens.

Nanny had a ct scan today and as soon as chad got her home she blacked out in the driveway in his arms. Scary. He is not in a good mood, to say the least.

We also got some bad news from Sharon, the lady we were getting our silver appleyards from, only one egg hatched out of the whole batch so no ducks for now. I'm hoping she'll do another batch cause now we have everything ready for them, unless I can convince my hubby to order another breed! I want runners.......

Anyway, took the kids to a free movie today and I have made the decision to suck it up and pay the astronomical prices for organic milk. I am slowly trying to include more organics into our diet but it is hard as they are expensive.

Kids had a good visit with Granny and Papa and Maddie actually wanted to come home with me this time!!!

 

[keljonma]

My mom passed out once after a ct scan. She had been at the hospital for a bunch of tests that day, and the ct scan was the last one of the day. We had an appt with one of her specialists after the scan. He said it was possible that her blood sugar had dropped too low because she wasn't allowed to eat all day.

Sorry to hear about your silver appleyards, I know you were looking forward to getting them soon. I love the runners and we almost got a trio a few years back from a friend.

Is there anything you can do to predator-proof the chicken area?

 

[lorihadams]

We are thinking that we need to construct a proper roof on the run. Right now we have a tarp and the one chicken got killed when we got a heavy rain and the tarp ripped open, forcing the chickens that sometimes roost out in the pen to go to the ground. Easy pickings with no roof.

We are also planning to put hardware cloth on the bottom of the run as well. Been a year with no incidents so we just got complacent, I guess.

 

[keljonma]

It is always hard to lose one - especially to predators, I think.

 

[lorihadams]

Wednesday

Well, last night we nabbed a coon. Looks like a young one, maybe a yearling so we are going to "dispose" of him tonight and set the trap again cause there is probably another one hanging around. We are having to force the chickens to go into the coop to roost at night, you should have seen us trying to get Buddy into that run. We looked like two drunk dodgeball players!!! Darting this way and that and falling down and laughing and cussing and running all over the yard. That little banty roo is one fast little bugger!

Well, today has been busy. I got up and changed Tyler's sheets, he had sand all in them. How do I know? I went to get in the bed last night and apparently during the thunderstorm last night he sneaked into the bed with my husband AND our chocolate lab and was hogging my side so I just left everyone where they were and slept in his bed (he has a double bed so at least I was comfortable---and a memory foam mattress!). When I went to slide in between the sheets it was gritty!

So, washed those along with the towels and hung those on the line. Got rained on a little while ago so I rushed out and got them off but they only needed about 10 minutes in dryer so not totally wasted.

Cleaned the rabbit hutch and the hamster cage. Made a great big pot of chili for dinner and I cheated and had some for lunch too! Our neighbor gave us some fresh jalapenos from his garden and I couldn't resist.

 

[big brown horse]

 

[lorihadams]

Thank you, we try. If our neighbors could see us they would KNOW we were crazy! I think that's why I want runner ducks, they are so funny to watch that I think the neighbors would get a kick out of it!!! They already love the chickens pecking around but they think we're crazy when we talk to them!