California - Northern

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Ron knows his stuff! I'm pretty sure you(Ron) were the one who told me that I should get my first egg within a few weeks of seeing my pullet squat, way back when I first got chickens, and you were right!
Nothing quite as exciting as that first egg, except maybe chicks hatching
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Okay, chicks are fed and watered and the giant black widow is gone, stepdad must have killed it like I asked him to! I don't like killing things, even spiders! But Black Widows are not welcome here....there is a spider that I named Fred that has been hanging out on his web under my kitchen window since I got back from Hawaii in April or May. He's not hurting anything so I let him be.
All chicks seem lively and healthy, and I am getting a kick out of watching one of my Salmon Faverolles feather out. It's feathers are growing funny, they stick out to the side. They just refuse to lay flat like all the other chick's feathers do. It's adorable! Looking on the bright side tonight - at least I still have my Faverolles and all the other chicks seem healthy. The two chicks that died last night or this morning are in a ziplock baggie in the fridge, I'll send them out on Monday. Wish I had the time to make the drive down to Sac as it would be nice to see some old friends, buuut I have midterms next week so I'm seriously stressing and have a lot of work to do!
Here's the funny-feathered little Faverolle.
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Oh you guys, I'm having an awesome day!!
Didn't do anything in my classes today. Presented our midterms(which was a skit in my ASL Lab) which went awesome, then watched a movie in my other class. That was awesome because I was having a "I don't want to do anything" day.
It was raining all day! I LOVE rain. I love listening to rain, driving in rain...I just love rain. (and, I must show this...Curly Sue looks absolutely hideous when it rains)


Poor baby looks absolutely nothing like her normal Curly self after the rain!



I'm part of a Facebook group for people who feed their dogs raw like I do, and someone posted a screenshot of how a dog boarder would not board her dog because a raw diet is absolutely not appropriate unless the dog was feral, and because it puts her other boarders and her livestock at risk. I just thought I'd share how vicious my dog has become since I put her on raw.
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I mean, the dramatic health increase might have been worth it if she hadn't become SO DANG VICIOUS.











Okay - I'm done spamming ya'll now. I know they're pictures you've seen before... Just needed an excuse to share pictures of my vicious dog
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Oh, and to keep things chicken related, I thought I'd share this! This is my Blue Laced Red Wyandotte pullet. I wasn't very happy with her coloring and pattern when she was younger but the older she gets the prettier she gets! I'm very pleased with her! Here she is standing tall, showing off her pretty chest feathers - the only ones that weren't wet from the rain! And of course, one of my BLRW cockerels is sneaking into the picture hehe

Great Flash set up! Is the white background rolled paper? I love your dog!
 
She was concerned about the safety of her other animals because the dog was raw fed.
Those are very common misconceptions about raw feeding.

Most vets are great, but they aren't educated in nutrition. In their many years of schooling, they receive on average just a few hours of education on nutrition, and this is often by the big brand dog food companies. My vet advocates for raw feeding, and my previous vet said, "keep doing whatever you're doing because she's in perfect health and has perfect teeth"
The bacteria is not at all a concern when feeding raw, because dogs have extremely strong stomach acid. Dogs are carnivores, as anyone who, like me, has spent years studying their digestive system can tell you. They have no need for fruits and vegetables, in fact feeding these put strain on the dogs digestive system. Carnivores are meant to eat meat - what do people think they were eating before kibble came around? The only thing you need to worry about in raw meat are parasites in wild game. The solution to that is simple - freeze for a month or two before feeding. The only meat that I know dogs shouldn't eat is other carnivores, bears, and raccoons. You also shouldn't give weight-bearing bones from any animal turkey-size or larger, as those can splinter or break teeth. And obviously they shouldn't be given other very large, dense bones. All other bones are completely safe to feed, the idea that they splinter is true, BUT only when the bones are COOKED. Raw bones are safe. Raw feeding is completely safe and the best thing you can do for your dogs health.
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Most people don't know that the kibble they feed their dogs causes cancer.
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Not to mention the meat that goes into most kibbles, comes from large processing plants where anything not fit for human consumption is thrown into a "dog food" bin and shipped off to dog food companies. Bruised meat, tumors, along with 4D meat(down, dead, dying and diseased if I'm remembering correctly) not fit for human consumption.
Check out this link;
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/kibble-never-a-good-option/

I will never go back to kibble or processed foods for my dogs.

I was only pointing out that the fact that she felt raw was a risk to the other dogs didn't necessarily mean she thought raw made dogs vicious. I know my vet (who feeds raw to his freaking gorgeous Irish Wolfhound and Belgian Malinois) warns against feeding raw in homes with dogs with any immune system problems even if that is not the dog being fed raw, and in homes with elderly, infants, or immune compromised people because raw-fed dogs can 'handle' a lot of bacteria without being ill, but still shed it for other animals/people to pick up. Her dog may have been perfectly gentle and healthy, but if his droppings can kill the stressed out little lap dog or its' elderly owner, it has to be considered. I also don't think the recommendation of the AVMA can be dismissed with "vets know nothing if it disagrees with what I've taught myself'. I definitely don't think wild game is the only parasite risk as well- even human-grade raw pork, chicken, fish, etc can carry lethal bacteria and parasites when undercooked/raw. I think this article is pretty well balanced between the two: http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/raw-debate/756

As for uncooked bones not splintering, I wish you'd told that to the bones I have held together by metal plates and screws.
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I'm not trying to dissuade you from feeding a raw diet, I am only offering an alternative interpretation of what the boarder may have been concerned about.
I don't understand what is happening!!! Today was great until I went to refill my chicks water, they were screaming at me because I didn't have time to refill it before I went to school this morning. They had to wait an extra 2 hours. *rolls eyes*

Went to check on them...a chocolate orp and a lavender orp were dead. That is now FOUR chicks that I have lost. Oddly enough it's all the younger chicks - none of my older chicks that I hatched about 2 weeks ago have died, except for the one that had unabsorbed yolk at hatch.
Definitely send it in to Dais. They only charged me $12 for my two chicks I sent to the Tulare lab. I also didn't bother to drive to a Fed Ex hub. I went t the nearest drop box and used the supplies there. Try searching online for a drop box if it saves you time/money. Good luck. It's better to know, especially if you can save some of them. Doesn't it seem like it's always the way, that the more expensive ones like the chocolates would be the first to die? I hope you've seen the last of the losses from this batch.
 
Well we started on our new coop! Here's the base. It's 6 ft x 6ft 3in. It's gonna be a biggun. The original Bed & Breakfast is only 4 foot square. It's bigger than it looks in the pic because my "headless" hubby is 6ft 8in tall. The legs are 3 feet tall.





Here's my other project. A redwood and gas pipe coffee table. I decided that as I am in dire need of a coffee table (no living room furniture right now, anyone have a nice couch they don't want?) and refuse to pay top dollar for particle board crapola. The rustic industrial-ness suits us as our home is a "barn" shop with a 1 bedroom over it.


 
Thank you Nikon! Yes, it's the Savage brand 10 foot wide rolled "Seamless Background Paper". I love it! I took this self portrait on it recently with my pup.
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Probably my favorite picture to date of my dog and I.


The darker the subject, the brighter white the background will appear. Example, properly exposing for a dog with a lot of white will give me a light greyish background.


But a black dog gives me a fantastic white background!


I'm not sure if there's a way to make the background appear whiter with a light colored subject, I haven't really looked into it because I haven't been in the mood to photograph things lately. I go through phases where I am obsessed with photography, then bored with a for a while, and repeat...it's a never-ending cycle lol!

There's also the white looking greyish with a lighter colored chicken...


And fantastic white with a black chicken
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Thank you Nikon! Yes, it's the Savage brand 10 foot wide rolled "Seamless Background Paper". I love it! I took this self portrait on it recently with my pup.
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Probably my favorite picture to date of my dog and I.


The darker the subject, the brighter white the background will appear. Example, properly exposing for a dog with a lot of white will give me a light greyish background.


But a black dog gives me a fantastic white background!


I'm not sure if there's a way to make the background appear whiter with a light colored subject, I haven't really looked into it because I haven't been in the mood to photograph things lately. I go through phases where I am obsessed with photography, then bored with a for a while, and repeat...it's a never-ending cycle lol!

There's also the white looking greyish with a lighter colored chicken...


And fantastic white with a black chicken
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Great self portrait! Yup! Super versatile it's all about exposure and lighting. If you really wanna play around add a background spot light. (that will give you a white dog and a white background, very nice high-key image) :) Are you self taught or taking classes in photography?
 
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Oh boy, that sounds painful! I'm so glad I've never broken a big bone!!
As for the boarder - I can't find the picture now but she was definitely concerned about the raw fed dog being vicious! Trust me, she wasn't a sane person that was just misinformed, the email she sent this raw feeder was extremely rude and unprofessional, if someone talked to me the way that woman did I would have a hard time not slapping them! And, get this: she wasn't just feeding kibbles, she was feeding a kibble to her dogs that is rated as ONE out of FIVE stars.
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Oh, I forgot about wild fish also needing to be frozen. Also, farmed fish should not be fed because of the conditions it's raised in that makes it an unhealthy choice for the dogs. I'm sure there's others that I'm forgetting that I will only remember when the situation arises(such as the fish thing, I know not to feed fish unless it's been frozen first, but my brain simply wasn't recalling it)
As for Trichinella, in a 5 year period (2002-2007) there were only 10 reported outbreak cases of Trichinella in California. In dogs, Trichinella is a very mild problem(not saying we shouldn't be careful or care - if we didn't, we wouldn't freeze certain meats before feeding
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) It is often asymptomatic in dogs and only accidentally diagnosed when extensive blood work is being done for other reasons, and is treated with a dewormer that takes care of roundworm.
It is estimated that Trichinella is eradicated in commercially raised pork...at most, .013% of commercially raised pork is infected with Trichinella.
As for the AVMA, the author of their article on raw feeding ("don't do it, your dog could get Salmonella or other diseases!") is sadly very misinformed on how the dogs digestive system works, considering the fact that they consider salmonella a threat to healthy dogs. I agree that the AVMA's stance on something should not just be blindly dismissed, but it also shouldn't be taken as Law. Dog's saliva contains lysozyme, an antibacterial enzyme that destroys harmful bacteria. Dogs have extremely strong stomach acid that renders most bacteria harmless.
In fact, many sick dogs are greatly benefited by being switched to raw. Immune-compromised dogs owners should talk with a vet well informed on raw feeding AND the dogs specific issue when considering it. Nearly every single day I read "My dog was so sick and raw feeding made him healthy again" stories in the raw feeding groups that I'm in. Once in a rare while, I see "help, I did something wrong and now my dog has diarrhea". I can't remember the last time I saw a post where someone did something so wrong that the dog had to be taken to the vet. You really have to try hard to mess up to make that happen. Pretty much every instance of a dog having issues on raw is due to their owners not researching thoroughly and doing something wrong. It's not like Kibble where you just choose one and scoop it in a bowl. You have to actually put some thought into feeding raw.
And did you know that even kibble-fed dogs shed salmonella in their feces? A raw fed dog is no more of a risk to the elderly, young, or immune-compromised than a kibble-fed dog. Common sense will avoid all problems - don't let the dog lick you after it's eaten, and don't pick up it's poop with bare hands...lol! If you prepare meat for yourself or your family in a household with elderly, young, or immune-compromised you are just as likely to be passing on bacteria to them. Again, common sense - wash your hands well and thoroughly clean the area and items that you used to prepare the raw meat for cooking.
From someone on my raw feeding group, responding to the AVMA's article on raw feeding: "The brunt of the article was about pathogens in the meat. With the majority of it centering on human illnesses as a result. It completely neglected the numerous recalls for kibble for those same pathogens.
Except for one source which cites TWO cats [which are obligate carnivores] getting salmonella, all the other sources appear to be about human illnesses.
So, in response to the AVMA-wash your hands after handling raw meat-just like mom taught us years ago.

Oh-and be especially careful with kibble, which has a proven issue with various pathogens. "
I've cared for some very sick dogs, and not a single one of them have been negatively affected by my feeding raw to Nelly. Nobody that's come into my house - people of all ages, from little babies to my very fragile grandpa who is in very bad shape and most likely only has a couple years left - have been negatively affected by my feeding raw to Nelly. And, my grandpa loves to pet Nelly and comes over frequently. Never had an issue. The only person I would be legitimately concerned about is someone who can't even be in a house where raw meat is prepared.

As for my baby chickies...got them in the fridge, going to send them in. I hope we get some answers, I've never had chicks die on me like this. I don't know what it could be especially because they show no signs of illness before dying, except for that one chick that seemed weak, recovered, then passed. It is very odd, and pretty depressing
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CAHFS has never failed me before, hopefully they'll be able to tell me what's going on this time, too!
 
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Self taught. Started with a D50 on auto mode....now I'm using a D600 in manual 100% of the time. And my favorite lens is the cheap 50mm f/1.8 ....I have a 300-something dollar lens and I almost never put it on the camera except when photographing macro objects, because I just love my 50mm so much...Nothing better
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Except maybe other, more expensive, primes.
 
Self taught. Started with a D50 on auto mode....now I'm using a D600 in manual 100% of the time. And my favorite lens is the cheap 50mm f/1.8 ....I have a 300-something dollar lens and I almost never put it on the camera except when photographing macro objects, because I just love my 50mm so much...Nothing better :love  Except maybe other, more expensive, primes.


Yay a Nikon aftermy own heart. LOL! The D600 is a great body! Gotta love that full frame sensor! I'm misty self taught as well. I eat books for fun if they interest me. My uncle taught me a lot as a tween and I've have a few lighting college class's but that's it.
 

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