Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Dragonfly216]

:-( so sorry to hear that Piglett!

 

[ozexpat]

I know that feeling pig. I had a zero hatch last year on peacock eggs.

This year we have our technique down so I am more comfortable giving them another try.

We have now successfully hatched quail, Chukar, chickens, guinea, Turkey, muscovy and mallard type ducks. We just have pheasant, peacock, emu and ostrich to go!

This year we will just add the peasants and peacock. We may need another half a hectare for the ratites

 

[ozexpat]

The thread will continue as is. Even though it's long, the start of this adventure is the best part and creating a new one will lose the anticipation of success and the heart ripping failure we experienced on the way.

If the thread is not added to, it will fade into Oblivion

 

[maryhysong]

I have one lament regarding power tools: They are all sized for the big, burly he-man with some serious muscle. Power tools go a long way toward leveling the playing field, so women can get serious about building, and repairing stuff... But... there's still a disadvantage here. Male muscle mass already has the edge, but when you add the issue that a lot of women have... being vertically challenged... now, that just adds insult to injury. I'm 5' 1 and 1/2" tall... on a tall day, and the most despicable tool for me to use is a weed wacker. I'd even rather play with a chain saw than a weed wacker. Other woman's lament... pull cords to start those small engines. Why do they have to make them so ****** long????

I'm with you, very hard sometimes to find a skilsaw that fits my hand so I can push in the safety button and pull the trigger at the same time. I am the same height as you, use a step stool and a ladder all the time; hard on the knees tho going up and down all the time.

I hurt my back a few years ago pulling weedeater & lawnmower ropes; put every vertabrae in my back out of place from skull to tail bone and pulled all the muscles on the right side. So now I don't do pull ropes. I have to have my son come run the chain saw for me.

I just bought a set of Ryobi 18 volt tools and just love them. even the 5 1/2" skill saw works great and very handy building the new chicken house where there is no electric.

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote:

EDIT: were you talking about the southeastern US or SE Asia

I'm talking L.A.!

Lower Alabama, Y'all!

 

[Tomtommom]

 

[Lacy Blues]

my wife likes to build stuff for the chickens

so SHE now has her own jig saw

it isn't so powerful that it will "get away" from her (unlike a skill saw)

she will also use a drill with a #2 philips screwdriver bit

I'm 5'4" (in the morning) and so I'm guessing your wife, being Philippino is probably a little shorter than I am and has hands a it smaller than mine. I have used one of those 5-1/2" skill saws with great success. The bigger ones scare me to death... or they used to anyway... when something needs done and those are the only tools available, I make due. I've used a regular skill saw and have to include my left hand to get the safety switch held down and then let go of it once the blade is turning to actually make the cut. I have also used the worm-drive skill saw and that thing is a dream to use but its so darned heavy that more than a few cuts is back/arm wrenching. I prefer the 5-1/2", it's lighter weight, still fully powered and able to get the job done. I have a 4" (I think) Ryobi skill saw and that thing works wonders for plunge cuts. It will cut through plywood without any trouble at all and I think I can cut a 2x4 with it but I don't generally.

We got a table saw a few years back and I simply love that thing! I don't have to try and juggle safety switches and its easy to keep straight in cutting across sheets of plywood or lumber. On the plywood, I have to have someone help me hold the board but that's all the help I need. If I was to build a table around the table saw that was level with its built in table, that would be perfect. And since my number one helper will be leaving home to go into the military soon, that is something I should probably get busy on.

 

[Tomtommom]

We're so totally off topic by now....

Anyway.

We have a 10x20 building stuffed with well... junk. It just really needs organizing. It was a pay-to-own, with as rule that you can't alter it until it's paid off. So we never installed shelving or anything and it all just piled up in there. Once we can get in and put up some shelving... make a little something something for all the scraps of wood... we'll have room to spare!

Totally planning on a nice work bench to include the table saw.. maybe a vice grip... something where we can work on projects. It'll be nice. I'll also make an area to hatch/brood chicks and start seedlings, but we'll need to insulate it before we can do that, or temp swings will likely be too great.

That's what takes most time right now, setting up a work area and putting it all away again. It would be nice to just walk into the building, cut your pieces of wood and be done with it. And having everything organised..... so often we're looking for a box of screws we KNOW we have, but where we put it.. uh, no idea

 

[ozexpat]

Ok, you guys are running riot and the of topic police are on their way.

 

[perchie.girl]

Ok, you guys are running riot and the of topic police are on their way.

sorry oz