Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Check out my new nest boxs! Love them! Paid $20 each and they was in rough condition. But after a deep clean and new paint, they cleaned up nicely!

Great Find! Love those & want those for my girls!

 

[Opa]

I've often heard it said that some people complain just for the sake of complaining. So this morning I will be doing my best to make that old adage true.

While the weather for the last few days has been quite nice, and a couple of the days have been downright memorable, my issue is with the amount of daylight we are currently experiencing. There is just too much of it.

My day normally starts at 5am. A few cups of coffee to get the old system started while waiting for the sun to slowing makes its appearance. After working 3 or 4 crossword puzzles to insure that the brain is still functioning I'm ready for the day to begin. I handle what ever tasks are necessary throughout the day, and then around 5pm the day starts to wind down. Supper around 6pm and then I kick back for the evening.

Now with daylight occurring by 5am I start to feel I that I am wasting daylight. Sunday was a good example of just how wrong this much daylight can be. Shortly after 6am I was working in the garden until it was time to take Granny to church. Then it was off to help Hope weed the flower bed of an elderly friend. All that bending and pulling in the direct sun had left us both feeling completely drained by the time we finished at 1pm.

Knowing that Monday was going to be a busy day we decided that it would be wise to get our own yard mowed. It takes quite a lot of time to mow, trim, edge, and sweep and by supper time it still wasn't finished. After eating our evening meal, instead of being able to relax after a busy day, the fact that the sun was still quite high made what remained to be done quite visible.

After a few minutes of sitting and trying to ignore what work remained I was back at it until the sun finally sank in the west. It was almost 10pm before I was able to stagger exhausted into the shower. While standing under the water washing away the accumulated grime of a day's toil I decided that summer has just too much daylight. A day for an old guy should have more darkness and less light. That way we can sit idly and guilt free knowing that it is too dark to work.

 

[taprock]

Opa I love this time of year for the same reason. I am very light sensitive and have a horrible time getting up if it is dark, so it is wonderful to roll out of bed at 6 with no help from an alarm. I'm already sad thinking there is less than a month till the solstice. I have an indoor and outdoor to do list and alternate between them during the day. Also the outdoor work is limited right now because of the swarms of blackflies that have arrived.

It is back to work today, I've had the last week off. I did a through clean out of my big coop, painted two small coops, moved birds, cleaned my basement, planted strawberries, chicken fenced the pigs (chickens were hanging with the pigs), and more. We also had a nice weekend and day yesterday. This week is the last week of school kids at work, then the following week Summer programs start.

 

[aart]

Ditto here Opa....the surge of gain in daylight hours in the last few weeks has thrown my schedule off too.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I find my bantams usually hatch 1-2 days early.

I wpnder if the early hatch is what killed mine in the shell; the late humidity bump and lockdown? I saw them moving up until then, too

 

[RaZ]

I love the extended daylight. I get so much done. Some are a major job, like the stone work on the porch Sunday, and other things are less noticeable but still done.
Found the time to teach a lady how to lay tile and got a few more things planted here and there over the weekend.
My philosophy is that what gets done gets done, the rest can wait. If I had a wife here I'm sure that would change in a heartbeat.

The only thing that doesn't get done like it does in winter is the crossword puzzle; I haven't even started the Sunday NYT puzzle yet. I do it when it's dark...if I'm not too tired.

 

[SillyChicken]

TIP: never raise guineas with your turkey's. They will suffer an identity crisis and think they must mate will the toms.. they will pluck feathers, and chase the turkeys relentlessly..... and I mean NON-stop. We decided they were putting too much focus on one turkey especially and not doing their job. So we culled the two male guineas we had left. Donated them to the wildlife and it was amazing how QUIET it got around there. The turkey was slated to be processed this week so we decided he deserved a few days of peace... and hopefully a little time to put some weight on.

Took the fancy birds outside for some fresh air. He is such a handsome fella.


We let our big FG bunny out to enjoy a little leg stretching... he decided he liked to lounge between the bee hive blocks.



Two of the bottle babies are supposed to be going to their new home tonight!

Mean while, Mom goat has learned real quick where she needs to be for her grain....... except now everytime she sees me, she runs to the stand. Silly girl! the little one in the front is the one I want to keep.

We did a lot of ridding this weekend. ... and a lot of work done at home, DH helped me shovel out the livestock shed and the chicken coops. We also got the winter manure piles moved to the main pile.

The weekend would have ended great until one of DH's band mates called and let us know the drummer committed suicide Sunday night. Never would have guessed. He was only 50 I think, a year ahead of me in school (I went to school with him). Feel bad for the wife and kids he left behind.

 

[jlynnet]

Silly, the goats are so cute! Sorry about your friend.

 

[preciouskitty]

@SillyChicken
You know, all you goat people are killing me. Those babies just make me want to convert my one useless shed & start something new. They are precious. It all started with Ron & Luna last year (Stacykins(???) Nigerian angora...something....). THEN, these quintuplets. Didn't realize just how teeny they were til ya posted the pic with them I the house with a quarter

I get real sad reading the reality of birthing of farm animals & the unfortunate issues...then literally have tears on how the mamas react to their stillborns. BUT, there sure are a lot more happy stories.AND, I so glad you all share them...chicken related or not. I am truly getting into this whole farming thing....

 

[jlynnet]

My Orp momma and her Polish babies.