Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[MistyMountain]

Super Lurker here... finally read through all the pages and I am prepared to make myself known!! Hi all, I'm Michelle

First off, Happy Belated Birthday Oz!! My thoughts go out to your family during this storm. I hope everyone is OK!

Needless to say, I have been drawn in... like that "can't put the book down, just one more page" sort of stuff. Your adventures are amazing and allowing us to ride along with you is even more so! I feel your excitement when the chicks hatch and your sadness when something does not work out-- we're right there with you! Please keep sharing!

A bit about myself... well, my dh and I just bought our "homestead" in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are excited to start our journey in becoming more self-sufficient. We have 7 mature apple trees and 7 mature peach trees that have been a bit neglected over the years. Some major pruning is in the near future. We also have about 7 "heaps" of grape vines. Something else that needs some attention. The first thing I did when we closed on the property is order my chicks! First time chicken owner here! I won't have any input on the chicken end of things, so I will sit back and learn! Many plans in the future, to include fencing to get my horse on the property. You also got me interested in quail! One project at a time...

You're truly an inspiration, Oz! I don't know what I am going to do now that I am all caught up!!

 

[ozexpat]

Capital Weather Gang

Super typhoon Haiyan closes in on Philippines, among strongest storms ever

• BY JASON SAMENOW AND BRIAN MCNOLDY​
• November 7 at 11:58 am​

Satellite view of typhoon Haiyan (Colorado State)
3:00 p.m. update (EST): The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has increased its estimate of Haiyan’s maximum sustained winds to 195 mph with gusts to 235 mph. The storm is now within a few hours of landfall in the central Philippines at peak intensity as among the most powerful storms witnessed anywhere in modern times. Widespread destruction, unfortunately, seems inevitable.
Interactive tracking map (click on layers for different information overlays)
From noon: Less than 12 hours from a devastating impact with the central Philippines (Friday morning local time), Super typhoon Haiyan has strengthened to mind-boggling levels. It is now among the most intense storms to form on the planet in modern records.

Hemispheric view of Haiyan (EUMETSAT Facebook page)
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimates maximum sustained winds are 190 mph, a marked increase from even Wednesday, when it reached Category 5 intensity, the top of the scale for tropical cyclones (i.e. hurricanes and typhoons).

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: They all have a sense of smell some better than others...... a Turkey Vultures can smell dinner from over a mile way.....

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Capital Weather Gang

Super typhoon Haiyan closes in on Philippines, among strongest storms ever

• BY JASON SAMENOW AND BRIAN MCNOLDY​
• November 7 at 11:58 am​

Satellite view of typhoon Haiyan (Colorado State)
3:00 p.m. update (EST): The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has increased its estimate of Haiyan’s maximum sustained winds to 195 mph with gusts to 235 mph. The storm is now within a few hours of landfall in the central Philippines at peak intensity as among the most powerful storms witnessed anywhere in modern times. Widespread destruction, unfortunately, seems inevitable.
Interactive tracking map (click on layers for different information overlays)
From noon: Less than 12 hours from a devastating impact with the central Philippines (Friday morning local time), Super typhoon Haiyan has strengthened to mind-boggling levels. It is now among the most intense storms to form on the planet in modern records.

Hemispheric view of Haiyan (EUMETSAT Facebook page)
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimates maximum sustained winds are 190 mph, a marked increase from even Wednesday, when it reached Category 5 intensity, the top of the scale for tropical cyclones (i.e. hurricanes and typhoons).

 

[perchie.girl]

Super Lurker here... finally read through all the pages and I am prepared to make myself known!! Hi all, I'm Michelle

First off, Happy Belated Birthday Oz!! My thoughts go out to your family during this storm. I hope everyone is OK!

Needless to say, I have been drawn in... like that "can't put the book down, just one more page" sort of stuff. Your adventures are amazing and allowing us to ride along with you is even more so! I feel your excitement when the chicks hatch and your sadness when something does not work out-- we're right there with you! Please keep sharing!

A bit about myself... well, my dh and I just bought our "homestead" in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are excited to start our journey in becoming more self-sufficient. We have 7 mature apple trees and 7 mature peach trees that have been a bit neglected over the years. Some major pruning is in the near future. We also have about 7 "heaps" of grape vines. Something else that needs some attention. The first thing I did when we closed on the property is order my chicks! First time chicken owner here! I won't have any input on the chicken end of things, so I will sit back and learn! Many plans in the future, to include fencing to get my horse on the property. You also got me interested in quail! One project at a time...

You're truly an inspiration, Oz! I don't know what I am going to do now that I am all caught up!!

Woo hoo congrats on the new digs..... are you designing up your coop..... Or did your property come with a coop.

deb

 

[Lillahimed]

Oz family and extended family (Bernie and chooks) please stay safe.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Prayers for everyone in the Philippines. :-(

 

[MistyMountain]

Well, newbie mistake there... got the chickens before the coop. We have a small barn that needs repairs and we could have housed them in there but I wanted to save it for my Valentine (QH). My crazy mix of chickens grew up in my laundry room in a super big box for 9 weeks. We are now at week 13 and they reside outside in a cheap metal shed that we pulled off craigslist. This is only temporary, as we have a load of lumber coming the end of the month. We will be building the permanent coop then, which will basically be an 8x10 shed with roosts to the left and right of the door going the length of the shed (with poop boards under) and 4 nesting boxes at the back (hopefully with outside access). No real run, with an exception of a fenced in "safer area" around the door with understanding that they can fly out (or back in) as they please. We are going to so a sort of modified free range, but they get locked up nightly.

Love your perch, perchie! I used to ride a pair around for fun when I was younger. I used to compare it to sitting on a big sofa, they were so big around I didn't think it was possible to fall off!

 

[perchie.girl]

Well, newbie mistake there... got the chickens before the coop. We have a small barn that needs repairs and we could have housed them in there but I wanted to save it for my Valentine (QH). My crazy mix of chickens grew up in my laundry room in a super big box for 9 weeks. We are now at week 13 and they reside outside in a cheap metal shed that we pulled off craigslist. This is only temporary, as we have a load of lumber coming the end of the month. We will be building the permanent coop then, which will basically be an 8x10 shed with roosts to the left and right of the door going the length of the shed (with poop boards under) and 4 nesting boxes at the back (hopefully with outside access). No real run, with an exception of a fenced in "safer area" around the door with understanding that they can fly out (or back in) as they please. We are going to so a sort of modified free range, but they get locked up nightly.

Love your perch, perchie! I used to ride a pair around for fun when I was younger. I used to compare it to sitting on a big sofa, they were so big around I didn't think it was possible to fall off!

I like it..... I prefer to have the chooks separate from the horses.... Because I am located in the desert There is no barn just a huge shade structure. The coop for me is made of kennel panels. Tarps for sun and in winter for snow and wind protection....

LOL... I been sunfished off.... she forgot i was there she did an Ewww squeel went up and swapped ends for her usual buck and run in the arena.... unfortunately we were outside the arena. In my younger less fluffy years I would have ridden it out and laughed it off.... sigh.... I only pulled a muscle in my shoulder thank goodness. That was about ten years ago....

I have had horses since the late sixties. Ridden quite a few.... Thorougbreds Arabs Standardbreds Quarter horses.... Love them all.... But I tell you nothing compares to riding 2000 lbs of potentially explosive muscle with just a snaffle bit... Shes kind of hot.... We did passage for about a half mile once.... Awesome and somewhat terrifying feeling as we were on the trail with the regular kinds of trail obsticles... Never a misstep.... I love my girl...

deb

 

[piglett]

i bet there will be lots of poor people building new bamboo huts in the next few days/weeks
while my wife was still in manila a friends house was swept down river ....the whole house
all 6 of them stayed with my wife for a couple days
then they left to go get some building materials so they could start to rebuild
unlike americans having your house destroyed there is just normal
i see people in this country crying on the news about their mcmansion being destroyed
(even thought they has insurance)
in the Philippines you only see them cry on TV when a loved one is killed in a storm
i think they just expect that they will loose their house every so often

my wife is on the phone as i type with her family
lost of wind/rain
but the roof is still on the house