Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

MAYBE a broody bantam today! I locked he in her section of the coop, and here's hoping!
Mary

 

[RaZ]

I fixed the breach in the run yesterday. I thought all was good when I let the girls out before I left for work. When I got home all were still in the run...except one! One of the sapphire gems is an exceptional flyer. She can clear the fence when she wants to. I need to buy some more top netting.
Anyway, I opened the run to let them free range while I do some yard clean up. There are lots of worms to be found as I rake up the leaves. Chickens are loving the easy pickens.

ETA: Update. Chickens are following the tractor as I gather up leaves and sticks and stuff. Then the eagle showed up! What a beautiful sight to see. An eagle soaring on the wind. Good thing it didn't swoop down.

 

[Folly's place]

More home repairs coming up, how wonderful!
One of our Chantie hens is failing fast, don't know why. Probably due for a necropsy tomorrow, or spending $$$ at MSU for the total PM. Darn it!!!
But the new chicks are doing great, and did a bit of garden cleanup today. Years of neglect, want to get the planting beds fixed this year.
Sunshine! Love it!
Mary

 

[1muttsfan]

I had some assistants helping me garden today

 

[thumper650]

HI Michiganders!
Anybody looking for a super friendly Pekin drake check out this thread.
She's looking for a loving, pet only home.
Thanks!

 

[aart]

Had a great face to face, but safe distance, gathering with a few friends.....
...sitting in the sun yakking was great.

Bad news is sewer drain is plugged, discovered while showering, shortened my shower considerably but better than during laundry. Checked septic tank outlet, fine, whew.
Checked cleanout near tank inlet, clear, damn - coulda fixed that myself....it's why I had the cleanout installed. Did some more sleuthing, lower level laundry sink not draining, so clog is under floor. Will have to call plumber Monday, and be very careful tomorrow-it's still trickling thru, and hope to hell they can clear it from the outside cleanout. Might have to remove cleanout(it's fernco'd in) but that would be a nasty mess, have to dig a deep hole around joints.

 

[RaZ]

@aart Can you squirt some dish soap into the clogged drain? I saw it on an inter-web post and I tried it with a plugged toilet. It took a few hours but it actually lubed the clog enough to pass through.
ETA. I used about a 1/4 bottle od Dawn dishsoap.

 

[aart]

@aart Can you squirt some dish soap into the clogged drain? I saw it on an inter-web post and I tried it with a plugged toilet. It took a few hours but it actually lubed the clog enough to pass through.
ETA. I used about a 1/4 bottle od Dawn dishsoap.

Pretty sure it's the main 6" pipe that's clogged, don't think dish soap would do the trick.

 

[Folly's place]

The drain cleanout we had yesterday was due to 'solids' from the toilets. the cleanout guy said that the new low flow toilets need to be flushed two or three times when 'solids' are present to prevent this.
A nasty topic, but there it is.
Mary

 

[electrycmonk]

Well, @aart lemme chime in for toilet fun too. Do you have. A 4-5 gallon bucket? I've had fun purging a stuck 4-6" pipe for both several houses over the last decade. I would pour a couple gallons of near boiling water down the toilet /sink that will allow the water to push up against the blob first thing in the morning, then slowly fill-up behind that with nearly as warm water untill the sink was staticly about 1/2 full and I'd use the plunger. I'd tilt it sideways in the water to remove as much air from inside it as possible then stand it up in the sink/ bowl and slowly churn it. Careful to keep a good seal so you can hear the suction & pressure cycling.one time recently it took me a little over 5 gallons and when it went it was an obvious woosh.

The key here is pouring the water slowly to keep the hot stuff as close to the blob as possible to warm everything up and loosen the blob then the rest of the water is like a bulldozer.

I never fill the toilet bowl full as that won't let you churn the water safely and keep it in the bowl.

This way your very likely to solve it before the need for the service call on Monday.