Hawkeye and Karen I buy the Ice Bay fisherman's gloves. They are neoprene and they are pricy but I think worth the cost. Here they are on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Glove-ICE-BAY-Fishing/dp/B002N0IXVS
They are a little thick but easy to use your fingers with. And VERY warm even if you have your hands in water.
Hawkeye I bought a blade for my tractor last year. but DH has tried to use it the last couple days and he says it is just digging in. Is there a trick to using those things? We've had it over a year and had never tried it until now. I might have to get out and try it myself when he is working tomorrow.
Okay, those don't look like they are too expensive! I added them to my "favorites" so I could find them again. I really, really need rain boots (aka snow boots) for all this mucky wet weather. My cowboy boots are becoming soaked and won't dry out. I've been stuffing my feet into soaking wet boots for days now. I HATE it. I tried to buy cheap rainboots last year because of wet weather and they leaked the instant I set foot outside. They were those really cute ones from
Walmart. So I decided no more cheap boots and I just ordered a pair of Wellies from LL Bean last night. Not cheap, but they had really great reviews and I just didn't read one bad review! I spent a few days searching reviews on rainboots that were under $100. ANyway, I'll now need to hold off on buying the gloves until next month. Sigh.
Hey, long time no see! Glad to see you hop on here! Because of you, we STILL have a tadpole sitting on my kitchen counter! LOL He has not grown in over a year. We've had him a year and a half and I swear he looks exactly the same. How is that?!? Anyway, missed hearing from you! It's too bad you didn't catch our group get-together last month, because Renee came down and several of us from Wichita got together and ate at HuHot, and I'm sure you would have loved seeing everyone! Next time!
I am so fed up with my internet. It has been down nearly constantly the last few days. I finally got hold of someone while ago and they have decided I have a defective device. So they are sending me a new one to see if it works any better.
I sure hope that works, I can't imagine my internet not working! I'd be throwing a fit!
Well I got out & had my DH help me with getting the remaining snow & ice off the tops of my pens. I was especially worried about the turkey pen since it has netting over the top & tarps over that, it was really sagging down with the weight & had bent one of the poles I had up there for support.
I'm so frustrated that we're getting more snow, I just feel like I need to be out there working on projects & I can't if we have a foot of snow on the ground. I want to get my little goat home as soon as I can, my friend is being great about taking care of her, but I hate to leave her there too long. I want her to get used to me too instead of her & then when I get her here & have the pen & shelter & all I need to find her a friend since her sister died. I read that goats are very social animals & need company to do well.
Glad you got your pens cleared off. What do you have left to do to bring your goat home?
I got the Rcom Max 20. That was a tougher decision than I thought it would be. They have the Pro that is a little more automatic but they want a lot more for it. In the end it seemed ridiculous to spend about as much for a Pro that still only incubates 20 eggs, as you would spend for a cabinet 'bator. For not that much more than the Pro 20, you can get the Max 50, so then I decided as long as I was spending that much, I should just get the Max 50. But then it hit me that no way do I ever want to brood that many chicks! So I went back to thinking about the 20's and after talking to ChooksChick, she said not to bother with the Pro because the Max does such a great job so having narrowed my focus, I was thrilled to find it for $379 delivered. It would have arrived less than 24 hours after I ordered it if it hadn't been for the storm. As it was, they delivered it Friday morning, about 42 hours after I placed the order.
Last year I got a pair of gloves at Atwoods when they were clearing them out after winter. They were 75% off so I only paid about $6 for a really good quality pair of gloves. I've worn them all winter this year and have never had cold hands with them on, so I'm pretty happy with them. I don't remember the brand, but we are getting close to that time of year again when they will be discounting stuff, so that might be an option for you.
I would be interested in the link, but can't buy it right now. Maybe I'll just ask you later! I went to Atwoods and they had TONS of gloves still, but none of them were the water-proof neoprene type I was looking for. Most were leather, work or gardening.
Here comes anouther round of weather. We are so wet from the rain, and now the melting sleet. I was out side most of the day trying to get water to run off. It is a mess outside. My big ole dairy goat doe is getting ready to have her kids. I was hoping she would have them this afternoon while it was warm, and sun was shining. But NO GOTTA WAIT TILL DARK!!!.I hope she does not have tripletts, she did last year. Two years ago, I fed 2 bottle calves, and 5 kid goats from her, she is such a good milk goat. I have had several calls for milk, but I tried to hold the breeding back until Feb, and march, so maybe would not be as cold. Didn't work, should have kidded back in December. At least is would have been dry with no snow.
Did your goat kid yet??? Let us know what she has! Exciting!
Well I ran around like a crazy lady today. Bought groceries for me and the critters. Got hay moved out for the horses, blanketed the big guys. Put straw down for geese and birds in coops, filled all their water and feeders so I don't have to haul much out there. Hoping we don't get as much snow as they are predicting. I did fashion a homemade sled out of rope and a tote to haul hay out to the horses because I can't trudge through a foot of snow with an armload of hay, it is just too much!
DH told me tonight that the city of Wichita is out of salt! I guess they are cutting way back on what they will plow because of it which doesn't make much sense to me. Why wouldn't you just plow and leave a snow pack? People would still be able to drive on it and emergency services would be able to get to people that need help....
VERY smart about the "sled". I need to do that. I bought a bunch of horse feed and had no way to get it to the barn, so it's still in my vehicle for now. I need a tarp or something to drag it out on. I just can't wade thru all the snow carrying 50 lb sacks, I'd probably fall over. No idea on the snow plowing...??? Doesn't make much sense to me either.
A general question for everyone. I have been playing around with different bedding types lately. I started with pine shavings and those are a pain in the butt to "sift" to de-poop for composting. So I moved onto the wood pelts for horse bedding. So far those seem to be working, but seem to break down quick. I have yet to figure out a way to sift out the poop. I am very keen on keeping the poop as the high nitrogen is the best for the hop garden. You would not believe how much nitrogen hops suck up until they bear cones! Anyways, any thoughts and/or opinions are appreciated.
I would lay down sand. I don't use it, but if you are wanting to screen out the droppings, that would work. I just use shavings and then dump them all into one pile together. So far the pile from last year seems to be composting fairly well. But I'm not screening out poop-- just tossed it all together.
I have a rare moment my internet is up so I figured I'd better post quickly while I had an opportunity. I sure hope getting a replacement for this device helps things.
We got a temporary reprieve and didn't get ice during the night. Thank you Lord!!!
So I got up early and called the co-op while ago. I've got to run out here in a minute and dig my tires out of the snow I use to weigh the tarp down on the snow. Maybe I'll be granted the grace to get there, get the grain, get it shoveled off and be ready for the storm. The truck DHleft me is not good on slick roads or snowy roads. I just pray the snow holds off until I get back home. Most of it is supposed to come in tonight now.
They changed the forecast for our area and now we are supposed to get 12" to 18" inches. The most I ever remember it snowing was 17 3/4 inches one night many years ago when I was working night shift. The snow off the roofs drifted over the doors so we couldn't get out of the building. They had to have the outside crew called in to dig out the doors so we could leave. Then as I left the parking lot my car cut a grove through the snow. Luckily I had a high setting vehicle then.
I hope the birds do okay through this mess. I noticed the houses were a little damp and ammonia smelling with them all staying inside. Luckily a few of them got out yesterday and got some fresh air.
Rob I have a couple open air houses that have no bedding. They just kick bedding out. But the result is that the poo dries up and becomes powder and composts itself. But these have vents on the back and big open door as well as air flow along the roof line. I think that is the key to no bedding. It stays amazingly dry. I have a Chinese man who likes using the poo from this house the best. Not sure how open your house is but it is worth a try.
It would be nice if I can get my feed and get it shoveled off and still have time to get those shade cloths down before the snow.
Well I'd better get moving. I have to be there in an hour or so and I have a lot to do before I leave
Did you get all your feed?? Plenty of time yet it looks like. We've gotten Zero snow here and looks pretty clear. My coop is a little damp too from all the cooped up birds. Cant wait to get it all cleared out this Spring!
