Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[ShrekDawg]

Did you get that evening walk in? It's still so muddy here that I'm not enjoying any walks -- I'm scraping slimy mud off my boots every time I venture outside.

I have been worried the last couple of days about one of my Salmon Faverolles, Celeste. She's just seemed out of it, and last night, she didn't roost, just laid down in the nest box. When I took out the dogs this morning, she was repeatedly making a really weird sound, almost like an egg song, but not. I suspect she won't live much longer.

I did!!!

 

[jvls1942]

Barb, maybe the chicken is just depressed because of the time change. I am still looking at the clock and adding an hour .
this will go on until the time changes again and then I will start subtracting an hour.
yesterday I started a gallon of mead. so many recipes to choose from. I finally just didn't use any added fruit or rasins. just put the honey and water in and added some champagne yeast. we will see
today my Ph test strips are supposed to arrive. then I can bottle a batch .
the tractor wouldn't start on Tuesday. I just walked away.

 

[Callender Girl]

Celeste is gone. I'm grateful that she didn't hang on and suffer any longer.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Celeste is gone. I'm grateful that she didn't hang on and suffer any longer.

 

[Callender Girl]

Thank you, so much.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Celeste is gone. I'm grateful that she didn't hang on and suffer any longer.

So very sorry.

 

[jvls1942]

good morning,
all coffee'd up. ready for the new day.
Annie baked some beets, i guess i will help her dice them. they go good with meatloaf.
I am all ready to bottle the first batch of wine.'
just have to wash a few 1 gal jugs. I let it sit overnight to settle down after mixing and agitating it when i added the simple syrup.

 

[Callender Girl]

Best wishes with bottling the wine!

I am not having the best week. Not only did Celeste die, leaving Camille as my only SF and in a coop all alone, but I am battling rats in my original coop. They have eaten holes in the front and one side wall. When I removed the vinyl coop flooring, I discovered an incredible set of tunnels running underneath the hardware cloth underflooring.

So, I moved the Cochin Bantam rooster and two Iowa Blue hens into the small "infirmary" coop and prepared a veritable feast of rat poison pellets that I dumped through the hardware cloth and into the tunnels yesterday. I hope that's enough.

A won the war against rats a few years ago; I wish I didn't have to battle them again.

 

[jvls1942]

rats ! i hate battling rats. mice too.and red squirrels
life is such a challenge, isn't it ?
I hope your rats eat heartily.

 

[Callender Girl]

It appears the rats like my "presents." I had wrapped some pellets in plastic wrap, and stuffed those into outside walls. When I went out a while ago, I spotted the shiny "wrapping paper" inside the coop. They did me a favor dragging them inside because the pellets are supposed to stay dry, and it is starting to rain.

I hope this is the beginning of the end.