Montana

[Chick N Haus]

Our heat lamp is only on from midnight until 0800. I know my chickens are spoiled, but your chickens are SPOILED.

 

[karlamaria]

Lol, yeah I know, so is my dogs and cats. Tell me, what is this alfalfa? Is it the bales or is it pellets? I was thinking of getting my girls some alfalfa to lay on the ground to pick through, instead I got pellets I soak and then add yogert to it. I'm looking forward to summer ! Then they can eat grass .

 

[Azriel]

No snow here yet, but its down to about 5 degrees. Yuk, I hate the cold. I'll take snow, snow, snow if it just stays warm. I've kept everyone locked up in the coop for the last couple of days, and it looks like they will be staying in till the weekend. I've been giving them alfalfa hay and oat straw to scratch in and a head of cabbage to chase around every day, and I also toss some cr.corn in the hay and straw to keep them busy during the day. I have my timer come on at 4am off at 8, then on again at 4pm and off at 7:30. I do those times because I'm out there by 4:15 am before I go to work, and then sometimes I can't get out there much before 7 after work. I have my food and water in the coop over winter, but I don't heat the coop at all. My coop is double walled, but not insulated, I've gone out there when its been very cold and its been nice inside the coop as long as the pop doors are closed. I do put extra shavings and straw for them to cuddle down in if they want when its real cold. I can't wait till spring.

 

[karlamaria]

No snow here yet, but its down to about 5 degrees. Yuk, I hate the cold. I'll take snow, snow, snow if it just stays warm. I've kept everyone locked up in the coop for the last couple of days, and it looks like they will be staying in till the weekend. I've been giving them alfalfa hay and oat straw to scratch in and a head of cabbage to chase around every day, and I also toss some cr.corn in the hay and straw to keep them busy during the day. I have my timer come on at 4am off at 8, then on again at 4pm and off at 7:30. I do those times because I'm out there by 4:15 am before I go to work, and then sometimes I can't get out there much before 7 after work. I have my food and water in the coop over winter, but I don't heat the coop at all. My coop is double walled, but not insulated, I've gone out there when its been very cold and its been nice inside the coop as long as the pop doors are closed. I do put extra shavings and straw for them to cuddle down in if they want when its real cold. I can't wait till spring.

it was warmer here today, news said 16 at 6:00 tonight. We got lots of snow, at least 5/7 inches and it calls for more. Tomorrow warmer I believe,don't quote me lol. My daughter works for an old softy, he buys pallets of black oil sunflower seeds for all the birds and real good millet, and she gets me giant bags of it from him for little or nothing. We go out in the afternoon when my girls have eaten there food for the day and we then walk a line of seed and millet, so they all have some and not crowd to get it. Sort of a early bed time snack.
Yesterday I took my cats in to get spayed and neutered, I felt so bad for them, thank goodness there doing well today. I hate having to do that, ibut it needed to be done before they got much older. I'm off to bed, good night all.

 

[Chick N Haus]

The alfalfa is in hay form and he scatters it in the run with scratch on top of it so they can dig through it. They eat the leaves and every second week he rakes the stems out and puts them in the compost pile. Your garden project sounds wonderful, Karla. We have 2 spoiled dogs that cuddle with us in our King bed and 2 cats (spoiled as well). Everybody has an animal door to go into a fenced yard. When I die, I want to come back as a spoiled animal.

 

[Azriel]

These babies were dumped in a box on the road. They were about 4-5 weeks old. So I took them in and found homes for them. The one sound asleep in the front ended up staying here. My BF was going to take her, but the longer he waited,the less I wanted to let her go. She has a heart murmer, and the vet doesn't know if she will have a real long life, but she seems healthy enough now. She was just spayed a week ago.


It was nice enough here for a while that I was able to let the chickens out for a few hours, they are too funny, they will all run out the pop door, look at the snow and run right back in, then stand in the door with their heads sticking out. They did end up going out and dusting in the sun for a bit, then it started snowing so I locked them up again. I gave them a treat of left over rice and tomatos, and they love it.
We ended up with just a dusting of snow but more should be comming tonight along with high winds and low temps.

 

[karlamaria]

The alfalfa is in hay form and he scatters it in the run with scratch on top of it so they can dig through it. They eat the leaves and every second week he rakes the stems out and puts them in the compost pile.  Your garden project sounds wonderful, Karla. We have 2 spoiled dogs that cuddle with us in our King bed and 2 cats (spoiled as well). Everybody has an animal door to go into a fenced yard.  When I die, I want to come back as a spoiled animal.

I'm going to have to get some this year, it would be fun to put sme out on the back lawn and let them munch on it. Sounds like your pets are spoiled to lol. I got the cats a huge cat tree, it's funny how they run up and down it all day, they use it as a scratching post thank goodness, drives me nuts when they look at my couch! I keep there claws clipped also, no way I want a shredded couch. My garden will be awesome, I hope, I just ot done talking to a guy who builds raised beds from logs, I'm looking for some tall enough so I can sit on a chair and plant. My back can not stand being over any more. Doc said my back is so damaged I should be in a wheel chair, I need to drop a ton of weight also. I plan to do a raised bed with lettuces ( many different kinds) carrots, green peppers, going to have these build only 3 feet tall instead of this height. And do tomatoes, beans and cucumbers, also squash.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6riD66va5DQ/TDeWGxxnWQI/AAAAAAAAACU/V8emKUlbK9g/s1600/JenniferWare.jpg

The wire on these is genious, and will make growing vine veggies a whole lot easier. Last year on a 2x 12 raised bed, I got tons of tomatoes, I was freezing them giving bags and boxes away and still could not keep up. I ended up dehydrating about 50 pounds of tomatos lol. I just kept them covered for several weeks even after the frost came. They just kept producing giant tomatoes lol. I figure if I can do that, well raised beds all over the place away from the chickens will produce a bountiful of food! I will post pics this summer

 

[karlamaria]

These babies were dumped in a box on the road. They were about 4-5 weeks old. So I took them in and found homes for them. The one sound asleep in the front ended up staying here. My BF was going to take her, but the longer he waited,the less I wanted to let her go. She has a heart murmer, and the vet doesn't know if she will have a real long life, but she seems healthy enough now. She was just spayed a week ago. It was nice enough here for a while that I was able to let the chickens out for a few hours, they are too funny, they will all run out the pop door, look at the snow and run right back in, then stand in the door with their heads sticking out. They did end up going out and dusting in the sun for a bit, then it started snowing so I locked them up again. I gave them a treat of left over rice and tomatos, and they love it. We ended up with just a dusting of snow but more should be comming tonight along with high winds and low temps.

oh how adorable! The little flax colored ( very light orange one ) looked just like my milo when we got him , he is now about 6 months old and orange stripped. He is beautiful and the sweetest most loving cat I have ever seen. He wants to be held all day! Even when I am cooking he trys to jump up on me. That's the sweetest thing you did, I had to do this once my self, a box of week old kitties landed in my lap. I'm so glad you took care of them and found homes! It snowed a lot here, we have about 6 inches maybe a bit more. I kept the light in the coop on, ( heat lamp ) they love it lol. Tonight I gave them a pot roast my daughter brough home a few days ago, with carrots and potatoes, also left over spagetti and meat balls. The, girls were in heaven. I heated it up and put it in several dishes so all of them had a chance to get some. This week they will get there yougurt and raisen treat. Not to mention the sunflower seeds and what ever we have as left overs. I'm also thrilled to find goats milk! Oh and maybe cows milk! I'm sick to death of store bought milk, my kids hate it and really enjoy fresh milk! my family drinks so much it's not funny. The gal I was getting the goat milk from dried her girls up and there again going to have babies, but I have been with out, so another gal who has goats says she can promise at least 3 gallons a week. This made my day! Now I hope I can get the cows milk from her neighbor. My 85 year old dad drinks a glass at every meal, then he says he can not see where all the milk goes lol. Silly man. I'm hoping to et cream so I can again make butter. If any of you gals come across cow milk fresh cream I'm your gal! I love fresh home made butter! Any how I'm freezing, think its time to et under my covers. Time tout the kitties in there beds and head for my own. My vet was amazed that my cats go to there own carriers, but I trained them from the beginning. I'm alergic to cats, no way they can sleep with me, or my Beau as he is also alergic, also they seem to love to knock things over and run amuck ( we tried letting them loose a few times ) but it's just best they go to bed in there carriers, and sleep. In the morning we get up and let them out and they are all over us. There so used to the carriers I just have to say bed time and usually they go right to bed! I tried to let one sleep with me, I had swollen eyes and. Asma for two days. I can hold them, but milo tends to drool on my bedding and ummm yuck lol. He is a blanket sucker, and needs the blanket and slobbers lol. His blankie is in his carrier to do that with lol. See you all tomorrow

 

[karlamaria]

I forgot to tell you guys, when I got my cats they were bottle fed still, I fed them until milo forgot how to suck, he just licks even though e still wants one e lost the knowledge of how to get the milk out. Bella still gets a bottle a day lol, yep 5 months old and still crys for a bottle. Sucks it all down then walks away like " hey don't look at me I did not drink that bottle " lol she loves the bottle! So I buy a can of dry cat formula and make her a bottle every day. When she starts to forget how to drink it then it will stop, in the mean time why stop it? She loves it, I think it's adorable and I can afford a can of powder every month lol.. Yes my cats are spoiled lol. Milo wants that bottle in the worst way just does not know how to suck any more, so I kind of squeeze it in his mouth, he closes his eyes like he is with his mama. I will post pictures soon. Wow I sound like a nut lol,

 

[Chick N Haus]

It sounds like we are all in a crazy competition to see who can spoil their animals the most. I will have to drop out as I feel that you two, Karla and Azriel have me beat for sure,LOL. Those are some seriously cute kittens. Too bad Montana is such a big state. We would all have such fun as neighbors.