I Need to Vent

[Reyvaughn]

The chickens are not the problem right now... Only thing that is a problem is getting this "Cochin Condo" done. The problem will be if/when we move. It isn't an if, it's a when. The house is going downhill because the landlady didn't want to fix anything and her kids/grandkids only want it as a hunting cabin. Of course, they may be as greedy as the ex-landlady, though. We planned on moving this coming spring anyways - we were not expecting her to pass away so soon. Let me explain a bit more about the chickens. I have a 8x6 coop that comes with me and I have the 8x4 Cochin Condo whenever it gets finished. I also have the lumber for a 30x12 shed that was given to me and I was given a 10x12 shed if I can get it moved. My husband is so lacking in the building/carpentry aspect of things he's not much help in that area. I can run the tools and I can get things done, but I'm not all that either. My issue is that I need housing for the chickens on the property we are moving to before we move. I am not ending my chickens' lives early because some unforeseen issue came up and now they are going to be made to pay the price. I do have the 20-ish boys to process, but they are are only 8wks old and they are not big enough to be sent yet. I would like to sell off the hybrids, but they are the only ones laying and making any money (that's only 9 pullets, anyways). Feeding them is also not an issue... I understand where you guys are coming from, but I can't part with my chickens. I can't get rid of the only thing that makes me happy and is my therapy. I will figure something out when the time comes, but for now it's a stress I could have done without. Oh, and the getting more - I am after SQ birds for my kids 4-H projects. I won't be getting anymore than a few and they will be bantams.

I have been trying to send the horse down the road for 2yrs and the pony has been for sale for almost the same amount of time. I have tried rescues and they won't take the horse because he isn't in an abusive situation now. The ASPCA won't even take him. And yes, I am a bit protective of him. I have considered putting him down so I'd never have to worry about him ending up in a bad home. And as I said, the pony is sold but still here eating all my hay and taking up valuable space. None of my animals are expensive to keep, other than the hay for the nag butts (my fond nickname for the boys). That's $1000-1500 a year compared to the $700-ish to feed the cats, dog, rabbit and chickens for a year. My daughter's rabbit has been given away, too.

I have been going through our things and I am going to start selling a lot of my horse tack. My daughter has a brand new pair of Dublin tall boots, riding helmet and breeches that aren't getting used and never will.

It's all just very daunting and I feel like I am backed into a wall and I don't like it.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Feeling overwhelmed is never a good feeling. That said, I think there are some things you can do to break this down and make it more manageable. I of course, can not possibly grasp your situation from an internet post, so ignore or pull things out as seen fit.

I am pretty much a hermit and anymore BYC, my mom and my chickens are my life.

When I got down towards the bottom and read that you have a husband and kids, this statement seems worrisome to me as they were not included in this list. If one is in a relationship of any kind that is not supportive on either or both ends, it will make situations like this much harder to deal with. While there are immediate matters to deal with, I would address marital and family matters as soon as possible.

Firstly, I have nearly 100 chickens again with about 20 that needs to be processed in the next month. I am working on building that darn coop on my BYC page yet and it's so slow going because I just keep running into problem after problem after problem. I need to fix this current housing issue I have with my babies.

What is the current housing issue? Is there a temporary fix since you do not know your future situation?

My landlady died last week. She was diagnosed with cancer about two months ago, so she went fast. I don't know what's going on with her estate and none of her kids/grandkids have been around to let me know anything. I don't even know who to get a hold of to pay my rent.

Do you currently have a contract for a specific length of time at the home? Do you have any of their names (most phone numbers are surprisingly/scarily easy to find online these days)? I am sure there is a method to deal with this, and a group to contact. Ask around about this, or someone here may know. You can also ask on a forum more geared towards legal issues/renter rights, or even a google search will probably turn up some information. I haven't been in a similar situation, and can not offer advice on this particular matter. Very stressful sounding though.

Two, 100-ish chickens and I can't bring myself to part with any of them (I am actually planning on getting more in the next couple of months).

I would definitely, definitely not get more chickens at this point. Bantams or any other breed!

Four, we have NO money to move right now at all.

You said your husband makes more money during certain parts of the year. Is it expected/known that you will have enough money to make a move at a certain point in time? Can either of you pick up an extra job? Where can you make cuts to save money? Do you have cable, internet, etc that can go? Are there items around your house that you can sell or even give away so a move is cheaper for you?

Of course, it's back to school time. I just spent over $500 on back to school shopping that I would have rather of spent on moving or fixing one of the two vehicles. I'm not even done... I have at least another $300 worth of clothes to buy. I am just glad Old Navy has their $10 jean sale every year. I am also glad that our school supplies all the supplies they need.

Some little snot nosed idiots decided to smash our mailbox last night. No one else got it. I am assuming it's personal or they thought the house was empty (and I think this is the answer since Mary died). A month or so ago someone parked at the end of our drive and threw out beer cans and then bored out through my yard leaving marks and ruts in my yard. I'm truly sick of living here anyways. I am considering putting up no trespassing signs and sitting out there with a baseball bat.

Make sure you report these things as they happen so that you are not held accountable for damage done to the property.

We have inquired about a nice 1.5 acre property with two large sheds, two car garage and a 3 bed, 1 bath 14x75 trailer on a foundation. He wants to much, but if they'd allow us to buy on an article of agreement for 2yrs and he comes down $5-10k, we may be able to do it. I still have to worry about how I am going to house all of my chickens until something can be built (and where would that money come from, anyways?). I don't like the fact that it's right on the road, either. With this once again unsteady economy, I am worried about buying, too. And a trailer. I was so hoping I'd never go back to that again. We have been in this farm house almost 4yrs and we have accumulated so much! The idea of moving and trying to figure out how we'd move it all and then store it in a trailer...!

Keep looking around. Don't limit your options too much, especially on rentals versus buying. How many of these things that you own do you need to take with you? How many have great value or would be expensive to replace? We have made some moves with low, low funds. The only furniture we found worth bringing was a small kitchen table. Everything else (couches, beds, etc.) we sold. We slept on a futon (not a futon bed, just a futon) for a few months after the move, then slowly bought 2 secondhand couches, a cheapish futon bed, and filing cabinets and a secondhand bookshelf. That is all the furniture we have personally found we really need to make the house feel homey, and we won't have to take anything but the kitchen table on the next move. It really helps us afford any moves we have had to make. Oof, then right out of college, we were so poor that we slept in our car with our two cats and a suitcase, in order to have enough money to make a deposit when we finally found a place. Truck stops are helpful for showers.

Basically, cut down on whatever you absolutely do not *need*, and that can really help in moving and life.

The house is going downhill because the landlady didn't want to fix anything and her kids/grandkids only want it as a hunting cabin.

You can hold whoever is responsible for the house accountable for this. You have rights as renters.

Have considered putting him down so I'd never have to worry about him ending up in a bad home. And as I said, the pony is sold but still here eating all my hay and taking up valuable space.

On the pony, contact the buyer with a date that they must pick up the pony by. If not picked up by that date, time to refund (or maybe you can keep some of the money for boarding...you'd have to ask someone with knowledge in these matters, especially if their is not contract. In the future, I would write up a contract) and resell. On the horse, is there anyone you know who can house him temporarily for you, or, like the chickens, can you build a temporary pen and move him to a new place you want to move to before the move is made?

Try breaking it all up into bite size pieces, and work on a little at a time so it is not so overwhelming. Best of luck to you and your family.​

 

[Carols Clucks]

Sorry things are hard right now.

Can I suggest that the "back to school shopping" thing is something to cut when times are tough. I have had a LOT of tough times with 3 boys. I bought a lot of thrift store stuff, searched the yard sales and hit the few actual sales I could afford. I set a budget, usually $100 per child and that was IT. If they needed something more expensive, they needed to save to buy it. And by save to buy it, I mean save cans, help grandma....ask to help clean up for others etc.

I bet $1300 would really help your situation out right now a lot more than some new clothes that are made to look old already.

 

[Beekissed]

That might just be your answer to some of your money problems. I just had a massive yard sale of all my possessions except my personal clothing and some books, in preparation for moving out of the country. It took about a week to haul it all out into the open and two days to sell it at rock-bottom, give away prices to get rid of it all. I made $1000 in two days and still gave away a huge amount of left overs.

I can't tell you how good it feels to have money in the pocket and empty spaces where there used to be junk that I would have had to move or store! You could do the same with your livestock....advertise a livestock sale and sell out dirt cheap. Sell any scrap metal you have, including metal buildings that may be too rickety to move to a new location.

You could start fresh and start unencumbered by all those possessions, animals included, and focus on your family and marriage for awhile. They are way more important than material goods and animals. Animals can come later when you are not so overwhelmed.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Punk-a-doodle:

1) My husband works 2nd shift (usually 12hr days) and I only really spend time with him on Sundays and for about 3hrs between 11am and 2pm every other day. He makes the money and I take care of everything else. This is why things are so daunting for me. He leaves everything else up to me. If I come to him and ask his opinion or try to get him involved, he tells me I'll figure it out or it'll all work out. My kids are 7 and 9. They all mine, too. I have them all day except when they are in school. What I meant was that was my only means of an outside world.

2) Currently my chickens are in a 22x12 shed, the 6x8 coop (2-20wk old cockerels with uncertain fates), 4x6 brooder (9-3wk olds), 2x3 cage (2-8wk old bantams) and a 3x4 dog kennel. The ones in the 3x4 kennel will be going out to the 10x8x6 dog run now that the other 10wk old babies are in with the big girls in the big shed. They are a bit cramped, 74-10wk to 23wk olds in a space that should only be holding 66 bird under the 4 sq ft rule. Although, they are only in there overnight and to lay their eggs.

3) There is no lease. I was told they can't kick us out until the estate is settled, but I don't know how long that will take. If no one contests anything, as little as a few months, I guess. I know of one estate that's taken almost a year to settle and there were no objections that I know of. Once the estate is settled and the deed goes to the new owner, they can evict me without reason.

4) Our situation will def. decide the status of future chicken purchases.

5) Income tax return is when we were going to leave (around March). Until then, there isn't any spare money for anything. We really cinch our belts at this time of the year. There isn't much else we could cut out of our lives. Seriously - we have no cable, no DSL ($5 a month dial-up), no cell phone plans (I have Straight Talk and use the $30 a month plan if I need it)... LOL. We live a pretty meager life already. Rent, lights, basic house phone, car insurance and dial-up. I even paid our bills ahead for about half the year with our income tax return this year. We are still working off our credit for our phone and the light bill just started coming two months ago.

6) No one cares around here. We could call the cops for a break in and it'll take them over a hour to get here and then when they do get here they'll take a statement and walk away.

7) We accumulated a lot, as I said, but it's all stuff we use. Snow blower, rototiller, two lawn mowers, washer, dryer, stove, fridge, 500' of hose, gardening supplies, a 21 sq ft freezer, ect. I have a snowmobile... But, I really don't want to sell that. It doesn't cost anything to keep and it'll cost more to replace it later. I'd love to sell my husband's motorcycle. That will never happen. I don't have a lot of furniture... I finally cleaned out a lot of my dad's things I inherited. It only took me 6yrs to finally let the rest of his junk go.


Carols Clucks:

I messed up this year. Usually I start eBaying in May for my kid's clothes. Last year I bought everything for them both for under $200 each kid. That's new shoes, new backpacks, the 10 pair of new jeans I get them both and the rest off eBay. I am kind of glad I didn't do that this year, though. My daughter jumped a pant size in less than 3 months (went from 6slim to 8slim from June until now) and my son kind of did the same (8reg to 10slim). My daughter outgrew everything - shoes, shirts, pants, skirts, leggings, tights, shorts... I went tot he church and thrift stores for her old clothes this summer!


Beekissed:

I started cleaning out unneeded and unwanted clothes and yes, it did feel really good to clean out just that! I love cleaning out my kid's toys and books every Christmas for the same reason! I have a bag of my daughter's nice, name brand clothes to eBay, actually... There isn't much else to get rid of that I haven't already mentioned. The only animals I am taking with me are the 4 cats and the chickens. I think if we manage to get that trailer, I can manage with the two buildings there and what I already have. The thing is, I don't know if we are going to get it...


Thanks everyone. I am feeling much less stressed. I am going to address a few things tomorrow and take care of the two issues that have been a problem for the last two years. The horse and pony. Then, I will start listing things on eBay!

 

[Mattemma]

I would buy a cheap metal shed if you need fast temp shelter.Hope you can find a decent home.Seems like houses sell for pennies but the rent is outrageous.I keep telling dh we should buy homes and rent them out.Ofcourse we have no money now that we paid off our car,so I shouldn't even be lookking! You could do brick for the mailbox,but since you are moving I would opt for a few boards in the yard with nails for the people tearing it up. My dh is often gone,so I know how it can be to run everything and tend to the family. Hugs and wishing you better days ahead.

Sorry about your landlady.Cancer takes some so fast once they know they have it.Then *family* acts insane as they go through the persons belongings.

 

[chicmom]

Hello! YOU CLEARLY NEED A HUG!

Very stressful! And I know how you feel....Just when we take two steps ahead, we take three backwards! You're definitely not alone. So many people are struggling.

Take one day at a time. Do what you can do each day. And be thankful for each day. Trust me, you will enjoy life much more.

Things will be OK!

 

[KenK]

The suggestion that comes first to mind is to kill or sell about 95 chickens and two horses and then go get a job...

 

[Reyvaughn]

KenK...
Pony is sold but still here.
Not that I need to justify myself, but... I've tried and failed to gain employment over the last 4yrs. And then tried and failed again and again and again. Even if I did get hired, my entire paycheck would go toward daycare for my kids and my gas to get back and forth to work. No one around here has the part-time hours I need so I am here for my kids before and after work. If it was as easy as you said, it would have been done by now.

Thanks everyone else.
The landlady's eldest son came around today. They don't know what they are doing with the farm. The estate went to three of them (two boys and the third boy's widow) and it's not settled yet. The one that was here today said he'd be fine letting us stay until March/April until we could afford to move. He said his brother wants to keep it a rental, but he's in Utah and can't manage the house. If he can't the other two would need to and neither of them want to deal with it in all honesty. He said they have discussed selling the farm, too. He said he'd keep me informed and as he finds out more. He also told me they'd at least give us 45-60 days notice of our final eviction. So, that helps ease some of my worries. I also got everything of my daughter's around for eBay and I donated three bags of clothes and coats my kids don't wear. I tried calling the guy about the pony, but he's in Maine on vacation all week. Nice. So I am here feeding his animal for another week.

I am standing firm on my chickens. I am not selling or processing anyone until I positively have to. And I don't have to right now. If I have to part with the horse, I am not budging on the chickens. Grrrrr.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

95 chickens is A LOT to deal with while your in this kind of situation, I agree with the others on downsizing and perhaps even starting fresh at your new place.