Michigan

[Chickmate]

Quote:
What a crazy weather day! I took out and put back my mower no less than FOUR times between sunshine and beautiful skies and thunder clouds and driving rain that appeared from nowhere in minutes. Then the last time I had the mower out it broke down again.

My back yard is so long I can barely see the chickens heads when they are out there. My daughter thinks the mower repair guy is scamming me and I kind of beginning to wonder. I bought it brand new about 8 or 9 years ago, but it's a White, not a top of the line like John Deere. Besides that I'm really hard on it. Last fall I decided to reclaim as much of my yard from the woods and phragmites as I could and I literally mowed the woods down. Dennis (repair guy) said "what the hell are you doing with this thing?? Everytime I come to pick it up the gator blades are worn down to nubs and the deck is out of whack! This is a lawn tractor, not a brushhog!" Now the belts keep breaking and he's picked it up ($45 PU/delivery fee) and worked on it twice in the last three weeks. Now it's broken again. I guess I need to think about a new one, but that's not too likely in the near future. Well, I just got drenched while trying to work in the chicken coop and made a run for the house. In just the five or ten minutes since I started typing this post the sun is out and shining like crazy again. I just plain give up.

Good news is the flock of 10 BCM babies is still doing great integrating with the older ones. They are all out in the yard but the BCMs keep together and stick up for each other. The little roosters are even going toe to toe with some of the older hens who try to intimidate them. The older BR roosters really don't bother them too much. Last night the older chickens all went to roost around 7:30 and the babies stayed out in the run until about 8:30, then went in and settled down in their little protected corner for the night. It's going well, thank God.

Keyt -

I so much appreciate your excellent photography. Those baby ducks are too cute. Their little beaks are so pink and clean and new and it's amazing to see the pictures of them still curled up in the egg. What a miracle it is. How some people believe that new life is not from God is beyond me. Almost makes me want some ducks. Almost.

 

[Opa]

Got up yesterday and was on the road by 4am. Drove 6 hours to southeast Ohio where my daughter in laws brother lives. Joe and his family are there through Memorial Day and he had brought a 1/2 a hog for me. We drove down, spent the night, and left at 10 this morning. Sort of a whirlwind trip but it was good to see everyone and Morgan has grown so much since October that it is almost unbelieveable.

This morning I was watching the news reports on the tornado that hit Joplin MO. It was hard to believe how severe the damage was. I had gone to both Home Depot and Lowe's in Joplin many times when I've been working on Joe's house and now both store are flatten. The death toll continues to rise and we can only pray for everyone.

 

[RaZ]

Crazy doesn't even beging to describe it.

Driving back from a quotation in Novi, it rained so hard that people were pulling off under bridges on I-275. The ones still driving were only going 25 MPH. South of I-96, it was clear and sunny.

Until the storm came out of nowhere (described above). That storm blew through and it got nice again. Let the chicks back out again and not long after, another downpour and I got soaked again. I give up...dried off...put on my jammies and am calling it quits.

As for your mower breaking down, if your repair guy isn't scamming you, you might have done some damage mowing down the Phragmites australis. Those plants are darn near indestructable, they don't even compost!. I use my 48" Husqvarna like its a brush hog at times and it runs fine despite the abuse. So maybe it's time to find a new repair centre. I changed last year to a new place and am very happy with them. E-mail me if you would like their name.

 

[keyt1969]

Quote:
What a crazy weather day! I took out and put back my mower no less than FOUR times between sunshine and beautiful skies and thunder clouds and driving rain that appeared from nowhere in minutes. Then the last time I had the mower out it broke down again.

My back yard is so long I can barely see the chickens heads when they are out there. My daughter thinks the mower repair guy is scamming me and I kind of beginning to wonder. I bought it brand new about 8 or 9 years ago, but it's a White, not a top of the line like John Deere. Besides that I'm really hard on it. Last fall I decided to reclaim as much of my yard from the woods and phragmites as I could and I literally mowed the woods down. Dennis (repair guy) said "what the hell are you doing with this thing?? Everytime I come to pick it up the gator blades are worn down to nubs and the deck is out of whack! This is a lawn tractor, not a brushhog!" Now the belts keep breaking and he's picked it up ($45 PU/delivery fee) and worked on it twice in the last three weeks. Now it's broken again. I guess I need to think about a new one, but that's not too likely in the near future. Well, I just got drenched while trying to work in the chicken coop and made a run for the house. In just the five or ten minutes since I started typing this post the sun is out and shining like crazy again. I just plain give up.

Good news is the flock of 10 BCM babies is still doing great integrating with the older ones. They are all out in the yard but the BCMs keep together and stick up for each other. The little roosters are even going toe to toe with some of the older hens who try to intimidate them. The older BR roosters really don't bother them too much. Last night the older chickens all went to roost around 7:30 and the babies stayed out in the run until about 8:30, then went in and settled down in their little protected corner for the night. It's going well, thank God.

Keyt -

I so much appreciate your excellent photography. Those baby ducks are too cute. Their little beaks are so pink and clean and new and it's amazing to see the pictures of them still curled up in the egg. What a miracle it is. How some people believe that new life is not from God is beyond me. Almost makes me want some ducks. Almost.

I agree! Pretty amazing how something so big can fit into something so small!! That's why I was crazy over taking pics. I told the fam that I would only be that crazy over my first batch, but they don't believe me. The two things I'm obsessed with are ducks and photography lol.

I have the brooder on the porch and the incubators in the living room. Aric and my daughter say they are surprised I haven't worn a trail from one to the other. Aric says he should get me one of those baby chest carriers so I can have my ducklings with me at all times

I guess to say I'm obsessed is an understatement lol

So, I have 5 in the brooder now. One has a pip and the rest are wiggling. But the ones that are wiggling I think are muskovies. The ones in the brooder are all so different. The first one is HUGE compared to the others.

Everyone should be completely dried off tomorrow and I'll get pics of them all together. What a comical group they are. I love watching them run on their wobbly legs. I thought it was so cute how two of them helped the one before it come out. One stayed right next to the one in the egg the whole time, taking naps in between eating away at the shell.

Taking a nap

Wide awake and patiently waiting

 

[babigyrl22]

keyt I LOVE your pictures!

 

[1muttsfan]

Yes keyt, the photos are great, so sweet

 

[chickflick]

Great Pics, Keyt! I think you'll be just as obsessed with the 100th one just as much as with the first!

It's just so cool to see nature at it's best. Never can get enough of it.
Our weather wasn't that bad. Sunny and then a light rain, repeat a couple of times. So thankful we don't get monster tornadoes.

 

[Opa]

Keyt, I'm curious as to why you are taking hatchling out of the incubator and placing them in the brooder. Aren't you concerned about the heat and humidity loss from opening it so often? I know with chickens that you should open it until either all have hatched or until the 23rd day.

 

[chickendales]

Quote:
are u going to middlen would u like some eggs for ur bator

 

[Mom 2em All]

I just found out that my baby brother (age 25) was in that tornado in Joplin. He was going to pull off the road at the Petrol place, but decided to keep going,.he stopped at the Flying J.

He was going to park his truck in a certain area, decided to park in a different place..

he went inside the Flying J and someone told him to get away from the window. People were screaming and they all crammed into some room there.
The window where he was standing previously, shattered and blew everywhere- the inside of the Flying J is trashed.
The trucks where he almost parked are stacked on top of each other- crushed and destroyed. His truck sustained damages and broken windows, the trailer is damaged but otherwise okay.

The Petrol station he almost went to was flattened. There were fatalities there as well.

I know my brother is okay, but I cant get past the 'omg WHAT could have happened."