There is something that just melts my heart with my odd chicknes, don't get me wrong I adore everyone of them, but this picture of my little Lauria just makes my heart all warm. her & Mason both the broiler chicks I took from the feedstore because no one else wanted them are doing very well for being over 4 months old.
Mason is now the size of a small turkey & I do worry about him, I so want them to grow old but a broilers life is short because of the breeding...a bantem hen to a regular sized rooster.....everything I have read says the heart can't grow fast enough or strong enough for them & the legs will sometimes break from the weight.
So far so good with Mason, he has super big strong legs & he is no longer eating 24 hours a day so I may have a chance with him......Now Lauria can't eat like a normal chicken so her weight is not heavy & she seems to be doing well as far as the legs go....Because of her defective neck that keeps her from eating as much I think I can keep her for quite awhile.....fingers & toes crossed!
I got the 6 foot by 6 foot add-on to the coop done finally & have 7 of the in-house kids in it. I put in a 4ft by 3 ft wooden box I had made for one of the original coops & set up the purches on top of it so it actually has more foot space now for them. Gertie & Piper who limp stay on the floor area but the other 5 sleep on the purch.....They seem to be comfortable enough to use both laying boxes.
As you can see I am still the queen of recycling! I used 2 damaged pallets & some extra stair posts....there is actually 2 post up there for them so they are not crowded. this is on top of the 4 ft by 3 ft box & I lined the underside with old fabric vinyl to catch the poo & I can take it out to clean it & return it.....much easier for me & I don't have to bend over to do it.
As you can also see from this picture I tarped the walls again, since I use old wood & some may have lead paint I want to protect the kids from eating it plus the tarps help since the coop is on the north side of the shop.
I am getting pretty good at building coops now since I have had to do so many in the last 4 years, plus I have learned treats that help me clean easier & make the space better for the kids. All I ever wanted was happy healthy chickens.
Now if I can get rid of that neighbors Chow chow. He showed up again this last week & climbed the 4 foot tall horse fencing my sis & I put up. Porgie & Star missing but I was in the shop so able to get him to leave without any more damage. The man had the nerve to drive down with the dog in his SUV & ask me how I knew it was his dog......& the dog was right there looking at me! Called the police again & they came out, went up & told the man I could kill the dog & if it was there while they were there they would shot it.
I doubt the man will do anything since he has been warned before but I am sure he will change his mind if the dog comes home with an arrow in it....Crossbows have become my newest best friend.
Its so hard to be an animal lover & animal caretaker when you have to deal with someone like this who just doesn't care. I have lost 5 hens & babies to this dog, 1 injured & 2 scared out of their little minds. Oh just to let you know Porgie & Star finally came back home about 3 hours later unharmed. I am thankful I decided against clipping their wings thats for sure.
The Farmers Almanac says we are getting a very bitter cold winter so am glad I got the firewood because I have been battling a messed up shoulder. Doc thinks its a torn or strained ligament but boy does it hurt like the dickens if I use it too much with lifting. Right now I can't let it heal like I need to since I have things that need to be done but I know this winter I will be able to let it rest & hopefully heal correctly. We can only hope right? those that know me know a bum shoulder won't stop me from doing what I need to do.
I haven't forgotten about posting the lye soap demo but we have had a shortage of pig fat at the slaughter house lately...leaner pigs you know have less fat...but I did get pictures of making the lye from the ash & as soon as I get the pig fat I will take pictures of rendering that & making the soap for you. Hopefully I will get to that soon before the snows hit so I can render the fat outside but if not I have a woodstove I can do it on for you.....
In 2 days I am hoping to get the antique cook wood stove in the house, one of the roof workers is coming to help me, with pay of course...lol....Believe it or not I can move it, just not get it on top of the leg bracing that goes under it. I am very excited about having it in the house & being able to learn to use it correctly. I even got a book on old fashioned cook woodstoves to show me how to mess with all the vents....I can't believe how many vents this thing has for all the different areas. If you are not using the oven you have vents for the cook top, vents for the wood areas, vents for the oven & then vents for the chimney. Yes I have a fan ready cause I know I will be smoking up the house until I get it right. I will have to warn the neighbors so no one calls the fire department when they see smoke coming out the back door.
What I find really cool about this stove is the chimney pipes are iron compared to what we have now...ok let me re-say that...parts are in iron & it has a iron vent piece with a knob for adjusting air flow to the chimney. yes this type of thing fascinates me. I am hoping to re-use some of the chimney pipes that are connected to the regular wood stove that is in there now with the cook stove as well. I promise to take pictures & put them up once its done. It a beautiful 1930's cream & green which I have always loved & to get this for only $50 still amazes me.
This year up here the corn crops weren't good so I didn't get a bushel of corn to can up, nor did I get any pumpkins since no one needed them.....I still have a freezer full of pumpkin I did last fall. So I am only doing pears this year....well thats if it will quit raining & I get the energy to go get them from the neighbors tree....With all the rain we got this year the tree went crazy & is very heavy with fruit so I will have plenty to can, dry & make juice with.
If you have never had pear juice you need to try it, not only is it great just to drink but I use it in pear/apple crisp, liquid for pies plus use it in the feed for the chickens. I add no sugar & only enough water to cook them down with before I put them through my juicing machine. The pulp from that gets frozen into baggies for the chickens as well so there really is no waste. Which I might add is a bonus.
Well this ole hen is tired so I will close for now......
Until next time have a wonderful chicken day......M'
No comments:
Post a Comment