Coffee's ready...

[annaraven]

Quote:
I think it's karma too. But then, my karma ran over my dogma. I don't feel bad about the guy dying - I thought it was good riddance to bad garbage.

Anyways - we're getting the gas lines run for our new furnace here today. Wheeee. And I get to fight with the furnace installers over the nickelanddiming they're doing to us about it - the latest is:
they were going to vent it through the side of the house instead of the roof, which would be fine, except the vent is this butt-ugly piece of cheap plastic crap that looks like something bought at the dollar store, and of course, it would go on the side of the house facing the street where *EVERYONE* would be seeing it. I objected and they said they could go through the roof instead but now they need a roof jack for that, which is an additional $600 freaking dollars! Like, no way. Who bids out a furnace without including the cost of the venting in the bid?

Anyways - I'm going to be having a little chat with the guy and get them to pay for at least half the cost of the roof jack. Cuz, this is bogus.

Sorry, I just needed to vent about that somewhere. Thanks for listening...

UPDATE: They're moving it to the cheaper section of the roof (the composite part) and they're going to cover the cost. Good!

 

[chics in the sun]

Now it's posted TWICE!!! Shhhhhh.....

 

[karl E lutz]

Q I been thinkin about but only for the butcherin stock and then only for the last couple of months. Now I feed them hay and wet feed from the local corn processing plant. Right now I only have one steer for butchering this spring,The rest are bred cows and 3 hefers wich will be bred when the time is good for that.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Good afternoon, friends!

I am on my well-deserved lunch break at work. I had to teach a class to some of my co-workers today, and the 'students' weren't very receptive today.... Oh well, better luck next time.

Karl, wish I could help you with butchering day! I just ordered my first batch of 10 meaties, due to arrive the first week of March. DH doesn't think I can do it, and now I am doubting it myself.

 

[karl E lutz]

It is easier than you think. Just get an ax a scalding pot and a sharp knife.You tube has excellent instructional videos.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Good morning, friends! Ahh, another day off. Too bad I have to take DH to orthopaedic surgeon an hour away, so that'll take up a good portion of my day off. Oh well... Such is life.

karl- it's funny you mentioned you tube. I have pored over those videos, and you're right - there are some really good videos on there. I do think, though, that I'll have a hard time "doing it", at least the first few times. I DO want to do it, but this'll be a whole new experience for me. I have been reading the meat birds threads on here for a few weeks now to prepare myself. SO, when the big day comes, I will probably need a few "pats on the back" for encouragement!

It is cold as heck here, hope everyone is keeping warm! At least it's sunny today.

Have a good day, all!

Edited to correct my typos!

 

[chics in the sun]

Good Morning, chicken peeps!

Another rainy, dreary morning here in the "sunshine state". It's like I got transported to Seattle or someplace! I have to go drive around town soon, so hopefully it will let up a bit. Gonna stop at the feed store on my way back to the office since it's on the way.

ChickyLaura, I imagine the first few will be the hardest, then it will get easier. I know it would be difficult for me, too - I could do it, I think- but it would be hard at first.
I just have chickens for eggs, but nobody has bought the first dozen yet. They are going to my parents tomorrow. I'll try again with the next dozen so people start getting used to the idea that I have them available now. I just don't have room for a grow-out and butchering area for meat birds.

I need to find more coffee - anyone got some to share this morning? I forgot to set my alarm last night and woke up 30 minutes late. Not enough time to make coffee for my travel mug!! I've had some of the weak, watery stuff they call coffee here at the school, but I'm going to need to find some good stuff when I leave the offfice. Especially in this dismal weather.

Have a great day, everyone.

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
-11 here this morning. Guess thats just a jaunt in the sun for you northerners. We midwesterners just hunker down and limp through this stuff ,with many prayers for spring.
Chicky you will do just fine. I am so tired of the gready rockes by butchering day that I enjoy putting them in the freezer. They are only weeks old when they start pecking your hands as you try to retrieve the feeders out of the brooder. Then it only gets worse. They are so big and clumbsy and they bully the rest of the brood so I have no sympathy for them.
" Although on one butchering day, when I had all the equipment put away, I did find one hen hidden behind the feeder I spared her life for a couple of weeks out of pitty,but it will never happen again!I have hardened my squishy heart since that fell day,Be stoic have a stalwart poise fetch up your ax and let fly the flaying of that wich is your destiny.
God Bless!

 

[quercus21]

Morning people,

At the moment, it's about 20 here and blue skies. I am a tad bit late for the morning routine, I even woke up early. Right after releasing the birds, I started working on our taxes and came to the point were I have to set them down due to lack on info, missing a form.

ChickyLaura: The first chicken is always the worst, maybe the 2nd too. Once you get a routine down, and know what to expect, it gets easier each time.

I must admit, here I'll have 2 groups of birds. Meaties and egg layers. The ladies have turned the egg layers into pets, so they'll never see the freezer. The meaties on the other hand, well that's what they are for. Last year I did 36 in one day, with the help of a bench top plucker. I do everything from the chasing to the quartering, the better half does the final wash and freezing. It was a long tiring day, but worth it. I was going to show a friend of ours how I do it this year. He was just getting back into raising meaties. He borrowed the plucker and the cones, but could only get a few done per day. He past away in January while shoveling snow. He was the second person I know that past away from this winter.

chics in the sun: This year I'll be full fledged selling eggs. I am going to put a sign up on our lawn advertising them. I have a few people interested in them. I have a dozen right now ready to go tomorrow.

Karl: After falling into creeks a few times during winters, when I was younger put a whole new perspective on the meaning of being cold.

Enjoy the day

Kaj

 

[karl E lutz]

Know what you mean I remember a very cold day when I had to cross a creek and I and my fellows had no boots. The dilema was, how to cross and keep our feet warm. Well I pulled off the socks and shoes pulled up the pantrs legs crossed. froze whilst I was in, but thanks to forthought I was able to warm my feet with dry socks afterwards. I told my buddies it was an old Indian trick. Never fell in fully dressed though. I watched a guy fall in when I was skating on a pond a long time ago he had it rough.