Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[Blooie]

After a month of being gone, I come back and find that once again the Broody Brigade has done their usual great job of answering questions, sharing advice, and welcoming new folks! You all ROCK! Not going to be whining about the past month - let's just say that it's not been a good one and I'm glad that the light at the end of the tunnel didn't turn out to be another train heading for me! Kids are all fine, Kendra is thriving, Ken's fine, I'm fine, so all's well that ends well.

 

[3riverschick]

After a month of being gone, I come back and find that once again the Broody Brigade has done their usual great job of answering questions, sharing advice, and welcoming new folks! You all ROCK! Not going to be whining about the past month - let's just say that it's not been a good one and I'm glad that the light at the end of the tunnel didn't turn out to be another train heading for me! Kids are all fine, Kendra is thriving, Ken's fine, I'm fine, so all's well that ends well.

Hi Blooie!
I wondered where you went! Welcome back! azgous and the others have been real busy keeping the home lights burning here on Raising Chicks. Good to have you back on the boards!
Woot! Woot!
Karen

 

[bruceha2000]

After a month of being gone, I come back and find that once again the Broody Brigade has done their usual great job of answering questions, sharing advice, and welcoming new folks! You all ROCK! Not going to be whining about the past month - let's just say that it's not been a good one and I'm glad that the light at the end of the tunnel didn't turn out to be another train heading for me! Kids are all fine, Kendra is thriving, Ken's fine, I'm fine, so all's well that ends well.

Nice to "see" you again my friend!!! Sorry the last month wasn't so good. I figured your absence was due soly to Hubby's Masonic Lodge duties.

 

[Blooie]

Nice to "see" you again my friend!!! Sorry the last month wasn't so good. I figured your absence was due soly to Hubby's Masonic Lodge duties.

There were a lot of those mixed in with the kids' collapsed bathroom floor, the bottom blowing out of their hot water heater AFTER the bathroom floor had been replaced, the change in Jenny's work schedule which means I get the girls (and on Mondays Evan too) at 5:15 am, another little bout with the heart - and then stuff started going wrong!

But it's all done now - I think. Ken and Kenny are on their way to Billings to get a new hot water heater today (they've only been without for 9 days now, so laundry, Kendra's medical stuff, showers, etc are all being done over here. But it'll be another couple of days before they can round up enough guys who know what they're doing to put the new one in. I'm a tree, I can bend!

 

[Victoria-nola]

There were a lot of those mixed in with the kids' collapsed bathroom floor, the bottom blowing out of their hot water heater AFTER the bathroom floor had been replaced, the change in Jenny's work schedule which means I get the girls (and on Mondays Evan too) at 5:15 am, another little bout with the heart - and then stuff started going wrong!

But it's all done now - I think. Ken and Kenny are on their way to Billings to get a new hot water heater today (they've only been without for 9 days now, so laundry, Kendra's medical stuff, showers, etc are all being done over here. But it'll be another couple of days before they can round up enough guys who know what they're doing to put the new one in. I'm a tree, I can bend!

GAAAA!!! Glad you are ok though.

--V

 

[Blooie]

It's been interesting, that's for sure. Nice to be back! Thanks, all!

Oh, and I almost forgot - the second day of school Evan fell and broke his right arm. He's right handed, naturally! <sigh>

 

[Victoria-nola]

It's been interesting, that's for sure. Nice to be back! Thanks, all!

Oh, and I almost forgot - the second day of school Evan fell and broke his right arm. He's right handed, naturally! <sigh>

I broke my right arm (am right handed) the last day of packing the truck when we were supposed to move up here to our farm. It was a very unfortunate thing altogether. However, one silver lining was that I had to learn to do things left-handed, which I'd always wanted to be better at. I wish Evan well.

I am going to post a picture of the hoop coop that we just finished for our guineas. Your hoop coop was what got me started thinking seriously about using this style, had seen it but never thought of it as a chicken coop. But, for the guineas, I wanted a taller height because they really need to roost high. So I had an idea, which @Aart helped me with the design, for a "High Hoop Coop"-- the arch is 10-ft high. Here's the photo. There are more pics on the thread we started to design it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1120946/modified-hoop-coop-design-development/50#post_17492980

 

[Blooie]

That's fantastic!

 

[bruceha2000]

Nice @Victoria-nola

@aart should get a BYC Spirit tag for being so helpful, but of course that tag is already there

My Dad is left handed but he broke his left arm in 3rd grade so he learned to write right handed. He does most things right handed except for golf, basketball and baseball (well did, he has stopped those activities). But I gotta say, that "broke the dominant arm at an early age" thing can have it's benefits. He can swing a hammer equally well both sides. I'm OK right handed but (you'll pardon me saying this, or not) left handed I swing a hammer like a girl

None of YOU handy girls of course, the ones that don't know which side of the hammer is supposed to hit the nail.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Nice @Victoria-nola

@aart should get a BYC Spirit tag for being so helpful, but of course that tag is already there

My Dad is left handed but he broke his left arm in 3rd grade so he learned to write right handed. He does most things right handed except for golf, basketball and baseball (well did, he has stopped those activities). But I gotta say, that "broke the dominant arm at an early age" thing can have it's benefits. He can swing a hammer equally well both sides. I'm OK right handed but (you'll pardon me saying this, or not) left handed I swing a hammer like a girl

None of YOU handy girls of course, the ones that don't know which side of the hammer is supposed to hit the nail.

Heheh! Sure, I'll pardon you as long as we can agree that some of those girls that don't know which side of the hammer is supposed to hit the nail have names like Tom, Rich, and Harry.

heheheheh amirite?

Yes, @aart really helped me. For one thing, I knew I wanted to create a normal base of cattle panel fence and then attach a hooped panel arch over the top of that, but I had NO IDEA how to attach the two. Aart just goes, just sit them on top the base fence-- simplest thing in the world. And they totally just sat right on top like nothing, look beautiful, superstrong. Anyway, lots of help, material help on realization of what was simply an idea.

Ok and just to keep to the thread, now these are guineas who started as eggs I had shipped, incubated, and then raised in Mama Heating Pad in a brooder on the porch. They are super healthy and happy, and trust me, and even my husb Bill. They will shy away as a group but they know individually that I am their carer. Guineas are known for being extremely difficult to tame at all, yet two of my guineas are recognizable to me, have names, and respond to their names. Point is, I think the mama heating pad really helps with chicks and keets feeling secure and safe in life, if they can't be under a hen. It's a Mama-Security-Blanket as much as anything.