Wow Sheryl, those are some vicious raccoons! That's a huge wakeup call for all of us! I can understand why those girls don't want to lay eggs! Does Millie get to go outside at night and chase them? You don't have a doggie door, do you? Tater is our first line of defense against raccoons, and the strong coop is second.
There is a whole lot of "Forget this!" going on in the henyard today!
My super-smart (
) brabanter wandered around, complaining about the snow on her feet but didn't figure out that she could just go back in the coop with the other chickens. She flew up on my shoulder and stayed there, which is odd because she's a very antisocial bird. I put her back in the coop and she stayed there. About 8 of the girls actually went out and braved the snow to eat. The ducks got audibly frustrated at the thin layer of ice covering half of the pond.
And here's Sahara, performing step 2 of the apple cider vinegar. We had a nice conversation about alcohol and how it's the middle step of the vinegar process. She was worried about mold, and I told her how the alcohol protected against a lot of disease, which is why it was a lot safer in the Middle Ages to drink alcohol than water. As she drained the apples from the slimy alcohol water, she said, "Do you think a lot of people would stop drinking alcohol if they knew this is what it was?" I told her that not that many of them would, and the ones who are connoisseurs are very aware of what they're drinking. But I don't mind her having the attitude that drinking rotten fruit is nasty.
She can keep that attitude forever, if she wants.
She asked if there was any way we could bypass the alcohol process completely, but I told her it's just a natural step. The difference we're doing is not drinking the middle step, and not refining it into a good wine or cider. So the vinegar won't be as good as it could be, but it will be good for health and for the chickens.
ETA: If this sounds like I'm discriminating against those that drink, I apologize. We don't drink, but we have no problem with those that do. But regarding my 11-year-old little girl, I'll be fine if she never tries it.
There is a whole lot of "Forget this!" going on in the henyard today!
And here's Sahara, performing step 2 of the apple cider vinegar. We had a nice conversation about alcohol and how it's the middle step of the vinegar process. She was worried about mold, and I told her how the alcohol protected against a lot of disease, which is why it was a lot safer in the Middle Ages to drink alcohol than water. As she drained the apples from the slimy alcohol water, she said, "Do you think a lot of people would stop drinking alcohol if they knew this is what it was?" I told her that not that many of them would, and the ones who are connoisseurs are very aware of what they're drinking. But I don't mind her having the attitude that drinking rotten fruit is nasty.
She asked if there was any way we could bypass the alcohol process completely, but I told her it's just a natural step. The difference we're doing is not drinking the middle step, and not refining it into a good wine or cider. So the vinegar won't be as good as it could be, but it will be good for health and for the chickens.
ETA: If this sounds like I'm discriminating against those that drink, I apologize. We don't drink, but we have no problem with those that do. But regarding my 11-year-old little girl, I'll be fine if she never tries it.
Last edited:
