getting late here gonna get a few more indoor things done go to bed
sleep goodnight all
sleep goodnight all
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Can't believe I've missed this thread!
I have RA, OA, Asthma & I'm hypothyroid. Taking Arava for the RA, but will be stopping it soon due to severe hair loss & staring to itch. Will probably end up going back to MTX even though I was starting to develop a rash from it. If that doesn't work, it's on to the biologics.
My major complaint with the RA/thyroid is fatigue. The pain I can handle. I have a high pain tolerance, not to mention several different pain meds if it gets too bad. There's nothing you can take for the fatigue. Some days it's all I can do to get things done.
It has come time to downsize. I've gone from 3 coops w/runs & a 4th coop started, back to my original 10x20 coop/run combo. My 3rd & 4th coops have been torn down along with my three 10x20 runs. My coop is in a 23 yr old pole barn that really needs to be torn down. DH is wanting to build me a new coop w/run this summer.
Things I do to make life with chickens easier:
I use 5 gallon buckets with horizontal nipples for water. That will usually last me a couple of weeks with 10 hens. Once it's close to empty, it's easy to move. I just clean it, then sit it back in the coop and fill with a water hose. I have water & electricity to the coop. In the winter, I use the cookie tin heater to sit under my buckets to keep them from freezing. Works well with the horizontal nipples.
When I first got my chickens, I used those 1 gallon flip waterers. They were so hard for me to use. I had trouble unscrewing them.
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For my feed, I have 2 different containers that I can use. One is a 5 gallon bucket. It holds 25 lbs of feed. My favorite is a plastic tote that holds 50 lbs of feed. It's easy to tell when it needs refilling.
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I use deep litter for the bedding in my coop. I pile it deep in the fall, then thin it out in the spring since we get so hot here. The coop never stinks. It does get dusty.
There are really no every day cleaning/feeding chores. This makes things easy on my "bad" days.
Such cute babies! My daughter's MHP that I used for my chicks last summer is now being used for her seedlings too. Multi use item.Our weather has changed. I find that the changing weather makes me hurt worse then the heat or cold. Once the change is over, it's not so bad. I can adjust, though I do struggle with the humidity here.
Another thing that makes life easier is brooding outside and using either a heat plate or a MHP (Momma Heating Pad). I know not everyone can or wants to, but it seems a lot easier keeping the mess outside than inside.
I got new chicks this past week. Picked the last 4 up on Friday, temps where around 80*. Temps this morning were 32* and the chicks are doing just fine. I have them in a wire brooder in a wire coop. I do have clear plastic up for a windbreak, but no other heat source except my Premier heat plate. My MHP is being used to start my veggies this year.
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