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

[ozexpat]

i understand that most pigs try to poop in just 1 corner of the pen so if you keep the poop scooped out of that corner the litter stays fairly clean

yes they are basically clean animals. no mammal likes to sleep in their own poop

 

[ocap]

I am interested in your pen ideas with lots of breeds, I should go back and reread, I also need to visit Mr. Urch in Minnesota.

 

[ozexpat]

I am interested in your pen ideas with lots of breeds, I should go back and reread, I also need to visit Mr. Urch in Minnesota.

its becoming a long read


anything i can help you with, let me know

 

[Tomtommom]

Your plants sound wonderful, Oz. A tropical paradise for sure! Next project, a nice little hotel for us tourists?

Thank y'all for the uplifting stories. We're not getting all that much intervention, I feel bad about that... but I am a really introverted person with serious social anxieties (noone would ever guess the way I run my mouth online

) and it's sooo hard for me to reach out and call all these agencies and set things up. It doesn't help that the people that say they will help (pediatrician, early intervention) seem to always forget what they say they would do... have to constantly remind them about their promises. Looking toward getting another pediatrician soon, the one we have is lousy (I really think she doesn't take the whole thing very serious.) He's come a long way though. He's a delightful kid, but I know he gets frustrated with his lack of communication skills. He can say bye bye and dada.. that's it. He can't say mama. He knows to sign 'more' and will say 'mo' but only when his therapist really pushes him.

I want to home school, but I am not sure if I am up to the challenge... I know him better than anyone else though. I really hate the school system. My step-son's teacher is wonderful, but I can't say the same for the school. So many things I find SO wrong (basically they're begging for money for this, begging for money for that, using the kids as little marketing tools, conflicting rules "sorry about the long car line in the morning due to construction, but oh, you ARE late if you aren't in class by 7:50, even though you can't actually reach the school in time", "walk! Don't run!" "OMG hurry up and run!" Aaargh.... lol. Had to fight for the right for us parents to -walk- to/from school!)

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Your plants sound wonderful, Oz. A tropical paradise for sure! Next project, a nice little hotel for us tourists?

Thank y'all for the uplifting stories. We're not getting all that much intervention, I feel bad about that... but I am a really introverted person with serious social anxieties (noone would ever guess the way I run my mouth online

) and it's sooo hard for me to reach out and call all these agencies and set things up. It doesn't help that the people that say they will help (pediatrician, early intervention) seem to always forget what they say they would do... have to constantly remind them about their promises. Looking toward getting another pediatrician soon, the one we have is lousy (I really think she doesn't take the whole thing very serious.) He's come a long way though. He's a delightful kid, but I know he gets frustrated with his lack of communication skills. He can say bye bye and dada.. that's it. He can't say mama. He knows to sign 'more' and will say 'mo' but only when his therapist really pushes him.

I want to home school, but I am not sure if I am up to the challenge... I know him better than anyone else though. I really hate the school system. My step-son's teacher is wonderful, but I can't say the same for the school. So many things I find SO wrong (basically they're begging for money for this, begging for money for that, using the kids as little marketing tools, conflicting rules "sorry about the long car line in the morning due to construction, but oh, you ARE late if you aren't in class by 7:50, even though you can't actually reach the school in time", "walk! Don't run!" "OMG hurry up and run!" Aaargh.... lol. Had to fight for the right for us parents to -walk- to/from school!)

Homeschooling has been such a boon for our kids, but I won't lie...it's difficult. Honestly, though...we have so much more flexibility in all aspects of our lives because we're not tied to the school system. My kids don't get up until after 9am, and in the summer, our days don't usually start until later than that.

Last summer, the public school kids went back to school in mid to late August...we were having so much fun we decided to delay our school year until mid-September (though we were doing summer school, which was a light schedule...mostly review). We should be done this school year by mid-May and that late, only because I took an extended break during the holidays.

We do history during the cold months and switch to science for the warmer months. I can swap out curriculum when needed (and have done so,,,often). My oldest two kiddos are all over the place in terms of "grade level" but are working on what they need to be working on, not what they HAVE to work on because the classroom grade dictates it.

Socially...my kiddos will (hopefully) never have to bear social scars...never have to worry about fitting in with a certain crowd or clique. They are socially skilled with kids of all ages because they're not exposed to the idea that...6 yr olds hang out with 6 yr olds, 7 yr olds hang out with 7 yr olds. I also have much more say over who and what influences them and, when they encounter difficult social situations (which they do), I'm right there to help them navigate that. They have plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids, including classroom-schooled kiddos...via baseball, church, horseback (for my daughter), playgrounds, etc.

Homeschooling isn't for everybody...but it is way more overwhelming at first than it ends up being in the long run (our first year was very difficult, but this past year has been a breeze now that we know what to expect).

For us...it was one of the best decisions we've made for our kiddos....so far anyways! We re-evaluate every year!

 

[ozexpat]

back to the farm



notice how burnt off the grass gets in the dry season. no rain for three weeks and the sand turns to desert

Bernie is up that tree harvesting green coconuts for the Mrs Oz and the kids to eat/drink back in the city

 

[Tomtommom]

back to the farm



notice how burnt off the grass gets in the dry season. no rain for three weeks and the sand turns to desert

Bernie is up that tree harvesting green coconuts for the Mrs Oz and the kids to eat/drink back in the city

I'm moving in, Oz. Oooooh that looks delightful, coconuts for the picking.. lovely view. I'm sold! Ofcourse, we're used to brown grass half the year here in the South. Brown in the winter, yellow in the summer

 

[Sally Sunshine]

oz I cant find your feed post, what kind of corn do you feed milled fine or coarse?

Wondering because of a study on broilers I was reading that feeding coarse corn increases weight gain, modifies gut microflora profile toward beneficial species and can completely replace ground corn in broilers fed mash diets.

You really have me thinking about mixing our own feeds like y'all do.

 

[ozexpat]

oz I cant find your feed post, what kind of corn do you feed milled fine or coarse?

Wondering because of a study on broilers I was reading that feeding coarse corn increases weight gain, modifies gut microflora profile toward beneficial species and can completely replace ground corn in broilers fed mash diets.

You really have me thinking about mixing our own feeds like y'all do.

I use rice bran rather than corn - its higher protein, cheaper and more readily available

I save 25-50% by mixing my own. 110lbs of commercial layer feed is arounf 26 bucks. I mix for 13



I have 6 feed recipes that cover pigs, chickens quail, turkey and chukar in all stages of development.

for you, corn and fishmeal is all you would need

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: copra meal I see u have 0 but what is it? thank you much